USHGA Hang Gliding & Paragliding Vol33/Iss12 December 2003 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

Volume 33 Issue 12 December, 2003 $4.95

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H A N G G L I D I N G & PA R A G L I D I N G

Jayne DePanfilis, Publisher: jayne@ushga.org Dan Nelson, Editor in Chief: editor@ushga.org Steve Roti, Contributing Editor: steveroti@hotmail.com Contributing Editor: Matt Gerdes Contributing Editor: Davis Straub Copy Editors: C. J. Sturtevant and Dick Girard Tim Meehan, Art Director: artdirector@ushga.org 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 Bob Archibald, IT Administrator, bob@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: 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: G.W. Meadows, Aaron Swepston, Steve Roti, Dick Heckman, Michael Robertson, Bob Hannah, John Harris, Tom Johns, Ed Pitman, Jennifer Beach, James Gaar, 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 hang gliding and paragliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions.

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1543-5989) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 219 W. Colorado Ave., Suite 104, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (719) 6328300. FAX (719) 632-6417. PERIODICAL POSTAGE is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE, P.O. BOX 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. CPM#40065056 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 Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine welcomes editorial submissions from our members and readers. We are always looking for good material. 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.

High Energy Sports Inc. Quantum Series Hang Gliding & Paragliding Parachutes... The best you can buy! A reserve parachute is one of the most important purchases you will ever make. If properly cared for, your parachute will outlast your glider and your harness. A parachute can be your last hope for survival in a very bad situation. The Quantum Series design has revolutionized parachute technology. It was adopted for use by the US Forest Service Smokejumpers and the US Army Special Forces. The safety record has been unprecedented! Make sure you have the best... Make sure you have a Quantum Series Parachute by High Energy Sports Inc.

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Contact: Editor, Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, editor@ushga.org, (253) 840-1372.

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. 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 e-mail: editor@ushga.org. ALL ADVERTISING AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MUST BE SENT TO USHGA HEADQUARTERS IN COLORADO SPRINGS. 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 Rogallo 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, and a mailing label from a recent issue. You may also email your request with your member number to: ushga@ushga.org.

The United States Hang Gliding Association, a division of the National Aeronautic Association,

is a representative of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in the United States.

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Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS Editor’s Notes: ...................................... 6 Pilot Briefings: News and Events ............ 7 Air Mail: Readers write in ....................... 12

Discussing the Discus Glider review by Dennis Pagen .......................................................

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Faces of the Future: Kyla Cannon ......... 15 Master’s Tips: Rob Kells, Flyin’ Tandem .. 16 Santa’s List: Launching ......................... 22 New Ratings ....................................... 52 Calendar ............................................. 54

Tick-Tock, the Aging Pilot Daniel L. Johnson, MD and Grant Hoag.........................................

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Gallery ................................................ 55 Accident Reports: Peter Reagan............ 60 Marketplace/Classifieds..................... 66 Index to Advertisers........................... 77

USHGA Elections Nominated Board of Director’s Candidates .....................................

Product Lines: By Dan Johnson ............. 78

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In the Skies of Brazil, A Recounting of the Past and Future World Meets Story and Photos by Dennis Pagen.................................................. Cover Image: Adam Elchin flying the Aeros Discus 148 over Highland Aerosports in Maryland. Photo by Adam Elchin.

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2003 Paragliding Nationals Through the Eyes of a Rookie Comp Pilot Story by Kay Tauscher, Photos by Drew Ludwig ..............................

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2003 Paragliding Nationals Part 2 Mike Steed .....................................................................................

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December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

D E C E M B E R ,

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EDITOR’S

CORNER

Safety First

By Dan A. Nelson

here’s no Dan Nelson getting around it. Flying slow moving, unpowered aircraft is dangerous. The sports we love come complete with an inherent risk that we all either accept and fly, or reject and stay grounded. That said, pilots can minimize the dangers of flight by utilizing good judgment and conservative decision making. You can’t escape all the dangers, but you can minimize them. In some circles, this is called risk management. With just a touch of luck tossed in for good measure, pilots practicing good ‘risk management’ can enjoy long, injury-free flying careers. But just how do you do that? As a fairly new (three years) pilot myself, I am constantly seeking answers to that question. How do I minimize dangers, and practice good risk management? One of the best ways seems to be talking to—or more precisely, listening to—safe, experienced pilots. Nothing teaches like experience, and there are no teachers like experienced teachers. With that in mind, I set out to glean some pearls of wisdom from experienced pilots. Like many of you, I have been frustrated with the rash of serious injury accidents—and tragic fatalities—I’ve seen and heard about this year. I want to keep myself safe, but I also want to help curb the accident problem if I can. So I posed a question to an array of veteran pilots from both the hang gliding and paragliding communities. My question was this:

What things do you do on a routine basis to help ensure you have a safe, accident-free flight? 6

My goal? To figure out how to eliminate problems before they happen. Risk management can be as simple as eliminating the stupid little errors that can cause big problems. Following are some of the responses I received. If you have other ideas for ways to reduce risks through easy, routine tasks, let me know. I’d love to print them so our entire free flight community can benefit from the collected wisdom and experience of our veteran pilots.

Steve Kroop, Flytec USA I ask myself before I take off, “What am I about to do?” I then give myself a short synopsis of what I am about to do (such as, “I am about to take off via aerotow for an XC flight, winds are 12-18 mph, crossing 20 degrees, flying a new glider and harness….)” This is important, because when I look back at my injuries, accidents and dicey situations that have occurred in various activities (flying, windsurfing, working with hazardous equipment, etc.) I can say that those situations resulted from doing something that I knew was ill-advised. By asking myself “what am I about to do?” it forces me to take a moment to consider if I am about to do one of those “Darwin award” stunts and, at the very least, it helps me focus my attention when extra caution is needed.

Rob Sporrer, Eagle Paragliding 1) Never settle for anything but perfection on your pull-up and launch. Bring it down if it doesn’t look good. It’s okay to abort a launch; never force it. 2) Give yourself terrain clearance; it’s the only thing that will get you time to deal with a problem. 3) Be sure to sample the air on the first 10 or 15 minutes of your flight. This sampling will dictate

the type of air you are dealing with on any given day, and allow you to make decisions on how you plan to fly. 4) Be willing to practice the routine of not flying if conditions are questionable, or if your little voice is telling you something.

Ken Howells, Wills Wing test pilot I hook in to the hang glider and lean forward to let the glider take part of my weight, and half-turn to verify that my harness lines are tangle-free. I then turn and just lean forward, taking a moment to clear my head and transition from preparation mode to action mode. I look at the sky, feel the air, feel my body, feel the harness lines, etc. This helps me to think only of the task of launching as I walk my glider to the launch point and actually launch.

Mitch McAleer, Swing and Airwave Paragliders First, do your time in the park; 40 hours in the first six months of flying at least. Become graceful handling the glider in less than optimum conditions, before you go out and have a problem on launch. Then stay current with ground handling. Second, really ask yourself if you want to accept a high level of risk of injury or death if you fly in strong thermals.

Paul Voight, Fly High Hang Gliding A major reason I’m safe is I always choose to fly based on the question, “Would I want to land right now, or in the near future?” Mid-day landings are the source of the material in the “Whack Tape.” There are many times when mid-day flying involves an unacceptable level of risk, in Continues on page 42… December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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BOOK REVIEW Following the footsteps of the first “frequent flyers”

Review by Dan A. Nelson The Flyers: In Search of Wilbur and Orville Wright By Noah Adams Crown Publishers, New York. 2003. $22. “It takes only nineteen seconds to walk the distance of the first flight. But when I was there the wind was up and cold on my face, and I felt as if I’d entered the black-and-white photograph I’d been seeing all my life.” So begins Noah Adams in his new work, The Flyers: In Search of Wilbur and Orville Wright. From that very first passage in the author’s preface, Adams leads us on a merry chase of the siblings who changed the world. In researching his book, Adams traveled from Dayton to Kitty Hawk to LeMans, France—where Wilbur had amazed the French people in 1908 with his demonstrations of flight. He interviewed pilots of all types, talked to contemporaries of the Wright’s, and even flew hang gliders on Jockey’s Ridge in the Outer Banks to experience the air as the brothers did. Listeners of National Public Radio will recognize Adams as the long-time host of NPR’s award-winning news show, All Things Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

Considered. And readers of non-fiction may be familiar with his other titles, especially the remarkable Far Appalachia. In this new work, Adams provides vivid descriptions in a rich narrative that explores not only the wonderful achievements of Wilbur and Orville Wright, but also the lives of the men, and things that shaped their destiny as the Fathers of Aviation. But Adams isn’t just a narrator. He doesn’t just tell the story. He’s not your typical studio-fixture broadcaster. Adams tells a wonderful story because he participates in the story and in the telling. For instance, in the chapter titled Pilots and Planes, Adams writes: I knew that to begin to understand what brought the Wrights to the Outer Banks, again and again, to carry their glider again and again up the slopes of sand—I had to get up into the air myself, if only for the briefest of moments. So I signed up for a hang gliding lesson. I stood on the crest of a dune at Jockey’s Ridge State Park, less than a mile from the beach at Kill Devil Hills, with a hang gliding instructor and two young men from County Sligo, Ireland…. I can remember the feeling of my one good flight that day. The kite wanted to lift. I kept an easy touch on the bar and held my head up, keeping the distant trees in sight. Steve was running behind me, “Go! You’ve got it!” For five seconds I was flying. I was lighter than air and moving within it. It is a release that is both physical and emotional. In the moment before balance escaped, I thought, “That’s it. That’s why people want to keep doing this!”

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Brothers after their 1902 glider tests. Adams notes that in September and October, 1902, the Wrights logged more than 1000 glider flights. And each flight was a first, with new things to learn with each launch and even each aborted launch. He quotes Wilbur, who after a day of more than 100 glider flights, wrote: “Our runway was short and it required a wind with a velocity of at least twelve miles an hour to lift the machine. I recall sitting in it, ready to cast off, one still day when the breeze seemed approaching. It came presently, rippling the daisies in the field, and just as it reached me I started the glider on the runway. But the innocent-appearing breeze was a whirlwind. It jerked the front of the machine sharply upward. I tilted my rudder to descend. Then the breeze spun downward, driving the glider to the ground with a tremendous shock and spinning me out head-first. That’s just a sample of what we had to learn about air currents; nobody had ever heard of ‘holes’ in the air at that time.” So we have what may be the first record of a glider pilot trying to launch into a dusty and getting whacked. Adams dredges up these types of tidbits throughout his work. The Flyers offers something rarely found in non-fiction history narratives: a lively, rolling story. Forget the dusty, moldering tomes of aviation history. Noah Adams offers us one of the most enjoyable—and most readable!—books on the history of aviation. His journey back into the life and times of the Wright Brothers entertains as easily as it informs the readers.

The Wright Stuff Though he didn’t pursue hang gliding much beyond this, he tasted the exhilaration and emotion of flight, and therefore better understands the power behind the words written by the Wright

By Dan A. Nelson The world changed on December 17, 1903. On that day, modern aviation—it all its glorious forms—was born. 7

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On that chilly Thursday in mid-December a century ago, Orville and Wilbur Wright took turns piloting the first successful powered aircraft into flight. Facing winds of 22 to 27 mph, Orville piloted the nowfamous Wright Flyer down the track on the dunes at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. That first flight went for 120 feet, soaring 14 feet AGL with a flight time of just 12 seconds— 12 seconds that changed the world. Wilbur took the next flight and went for nearly 200 feet—a distance matched by Orville moments later. Then Wilbur took the controls again and piloted their historic craft for nearly a minute—59 seconds was the official time Orville clocked—over a distance of 852 feet. Orville and Wilbur Wright—a pair of bicycle-shop owners and repairmen— made history little more than three years after they got into the “aeroplane” invention business. That first powered flight set the stage for all future aviation. For while it’s true that the Wrights relied heavily on the trials and tribulations of the inventors and innovators in the field of unpowered “glider” flight (Sir George Cayley, Otto Lilienthal and Octave Chanute, especially), virtually all aviation design after 1903 was built on the ideas and

designs of the Wrights. All aviation today—powered and unpowered—owes its existence to the Wrights. So it’s only right (Wright?) that the free-flight community of hang gliders and paragliders celebrate the remarkable achievements of these innovative siblings. Especially considering the Wrights’ powered craft was a direct descendent of their earlier gliders—gliders on which they soared the dunes of North Carolina’s Outer Banks just as hang glider pilots do today. (Okay, watching modern pilots flying replicas of the 1901 and 1902 Wright gliders shows that those gliders didn’t really soar all that well, but they did soar, and they were steerable partially through weight shift). As part of the celebration to honor the Wright Brothers and their achievements, Icarus International, Inc., created a new monument to the Centennial of Flight. The monument, dedicated in late November, is endorsed by the U.S. Hang Gliding Association, the Rogallo Foundation, the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, the North Carolina First Flight Centennial Commission, the First Flight Society, local government bodies, and countless aviation enthusiasts.

which sits atop a dune near the site of the first flight—recognizes the significant accomplishments and milestones in aviation history and honors the soaring spirit of the men and women whose aspirations spoke, and continue to speak, so clearly of human potential. Each component of the design has significance. The Monument consists of 14 wing-shaped stainless-steel pylons ascending in height from 10 feet to 20 feet in an orbit of 120 feet—the distance traveled by the Orville and Wilbur Wright brothers in that historic first flight on December 17 a century ago. The artists choose to use 14 pylons because that was the AGL height of the first flight. Each pylon’s curved side correlates with the shape of the wing foil of the 1903 Wright Flyer. The flat faces of the pylons—facing the center of the circle— feature black granite panels engraved with words and images describing 100 of the most significant events in aviation in its first century. The orbit of pylons culminates in a center bronze dome—six feet in diameter— depicting the continents of earth joined by a centennial message coming from Kitty Hawk.

The design of the public monument— The center dome houses a time capsule containing 100 packages. Inside the orbit of pylons and surrounding the center of the Monument will be a courtyard of over 6,000 bricks engraved with messages of sponsors around the world. One of the 14 pylons is dedicated to the Rogallo Foundation, in honor of the achievements of Francis and Gertrude Rogallo, the original inventors of the modern hang glider.

Participants at the Fall 2003 Board of Directors’ meeting pose with Mr. and Mrs. Francis Rogallo at the Kitty Hawk monument. 8

The plaque at the base of this pylon reads: “Dedicated to Francis and Gertrude Rogallo, for the invention of the ‘flexible wing,’ which lead to the hang glider, paraglider, sport kites, ultralights and the December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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joy of flight for millions. Sponsored by the United States Hang Gliding Association, the Rogallo Foundation, Robert Dutcher Sterling II, and Kitty Hawk Kites.”

In Memory: Rich Pendergist It is with great sadness that we report that Rich Pendergist, Executive Vice President of the United States Ultralight Association (USUA) was killed in late October when his ultralight crashed during a fall foliage tour in Virginia. Details concerning the cause of the accident were not immediately available. Don Koranda, President and CEO of NAA, had the following to say about Rich: “Rich was a very dedicated person. I enjoyed his openness and his willingness to dive in and handle whatever was necessary. He was a man who clearly had his priorities straight when it came to ultralight flying and USUA. We will all miss him.” Rich assumed the position of EVP of

the USUA after Tom Gunnarson left the position in January. Jayne DePanfilis, USHGA’s Executive Director, worked closely with Rich, especially during the ASTM meetings in Kansas last May. Jayne said, “Rich liked to refer to himself as the ‘new kid on the block’ and I could remember what that feeling was like when I joined the USHGA. We spent countless hours talking about sport pilot, the implications of sport pilot, the tandem standard, what the USUA’s position should be regarding the development of the tandem standard, etc. Our working relationship seemed like a natural one right from the beginning. Rich was a great facilitator.” Rich possessed an incredible amount of energy, which he devoted to his position at the USUA. He was committed to the membership and to securing a future for the USUA. He was also a dedicated pilot. Rich commuted 1.5 hours each way to USUA headquarters each day because he lived on the same Virginia property occupied by the hangar for his aircrafts. Jayne said, “We often spoke about the

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commute and Rich explained to me that the commute was well worth it because a flight at the end of a work day, when it was possible, was the best way to end any day.” Rich, through his work with the USUA, helped support and promote all forms of sport and recreational aviation in the United States. He will be missed.

Caution from King Mountain, Idaho At the request of Frank Gillette, our Regional Director, and also at the request of a friend of mine (a solid local P3 pilot now in the hospital), I am reporting on an unusual weather situation we locals have been experiencing here at King Mountain this year. The problem occurs when coming down to land during or after a glass-off (during sundown) out in the Big Lost River Valley (the valley King Mountain faces). First, a general cautionary statement: We who have flown here a lot have learned one thing all too well—King might be soarable during glass-off, but it may be too soarable. Darkness can find an unwary pilot still thousands of feet up, still too close to the mountain for comfort, and still going up. These conditions are usually preceded by strong southwest days. It is impossible to determine the strength of the wind out front from the upper or lower launch, or from the numerous windsocks in the evening. The windsocks can be relied upon for direction, but not strength. Even when conditions are strongest, one must often do a runningreverse or forward-launch to get off.

USUA Executive Vice President Rich Pendergist

That is the norm. Now the unusual. On many evenings this year, when the wind has slowed in the valley (and at launch), we have launched King (at 7200 and 8200 feet) and have had nice flights boating around

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

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the valley, only to get trashed in severe turbulence and strong winds from about 6500 MSL on down. The valley floor is at 5500 MSL and the wind has always been nearly dead on the ground. This severe wind gradient (6500 to 5700 MSL) does NOT extend to King Mountain itself and is not detectable going up the hill or from the launches. What we have experienced is that (so far) pilots landing in the LZ miss most or all of the wind and turbulence. However, if a pilot needs big-ears and speed for 30 minutes or more just to get over the LZ, and goes from 7200 to 9000 MSL and is still climbing, landing at the LZ is a tough decision to make and do. If you do go out over the valley under these conditions, you can expect lighter stable air above, the wind getting stronger below, and real turbulence starting lower. On some nights, the turbulence starts as high as 7000 feet MSL (1500 AGL), going down to about 200 feet AGL, where it stops. The wind on the ground will be very light, and often coming from the opposite direction than the air you have just descended in. The air mix might be convergence of the lingering daytime southwest prevailing wind and the northwest catabatic flow down the Big Lost River Valley. On lighter evenings, these opposing air masses might pass each other with valley flows moving in opposite directions on each side of the valley. On strong evenings, however, they collide in front of King, with the mixing area being much larger (horizontally) if the winds are strong and varying to the north or south of the King flying site, depending on which flow is strongest. My friend, also a sailplane and private pilot, thinks that we may be experiencing the negative effects of a wave, particularly a resonant wave (meaning the turbulence in the bottom of the valley is actually rotor). The lower air in the valley center rolls over and over again, and is generated and held in place by the wave above. This rolling action causes strong instability and chaos in the rotor region. The wind at this time of evening does go west, supporting this hypothesis. 10

The conditions when one of these events occurs would support either or both possibilities, or (I suppose) could be a combination of the two. I know one thing for certain: if I am flying when it happens at King again, I want to be at Torrey Pines. In conclusion, the big tip-off is the existence of strong southwest winds during the day. In the evening, it will become light on the ground in the valley and the launches and mountain WILL go light and then catabatic regardless of how strong it was during the day. Just be aware that right out front of the mountain, the wind is still likely to be at its earlier velocity, with strong lift and probable mixing at lower altitudes out in the valley. If you want to fly in the evening and weren’t on the mountain or in the southern part of the valley during the day, first check with a local to find out what the wind conditions were during the day. Use caution. And landing at the LZ will probably be safer than landing out in the valley.

“Simply put, this is the best calendar USHGA has ever produced…”

Brad Bloxham P5, T3, Advanced Instructor King Mountain Paragliding.com Moore, ID

NOW AN EVEN BETTER VALUE! USHGA News Bulletin: Online renewals go off line We live in a modern, technological age, but technology sometimes causes more problems than it fixes. Such is the case with online membership payments. Because the U.S. Hang Gliding Association must have original, signed waivers from each member annually, online renewals, automatic renewals, and online joining proved ineffective for the association. We found we could easily accept payment online, but our legal requirements for signed paper copies of the membership documents meant members still had to send in paperwork, even if they registered for online renewal.

13-months of the world’s greatest hang gliding and paragliding photography.

IME T L L I T S THERE’S CT E F R E P E E TH TO PLAC FT-ORDER! GI HOLIDAY http://www.ushga.org/store/

719-632-8300 USHGA Headquarters

800-616-6888 Toll-Free in the US and Canada

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Since very few members tried to use this program, and because the problems outweigh the benefits, all forms of online payment of membership dues (renewal payment, automatic renewal and new member dues payment) have been eliminated, effective January 1, 2004. Members who are signed up for automatic renewal with a renewal date in December, 2003, will be automatically processed. But you will need to make sure the USHGA has a current, original copy of your waiver on file to complete the online renewal process. We will notify all members who are still registered for auto renewal in the next few months to prepare you for the transition. Folks interested in making charitable contributions to USHGA or the U.S. Hang Gliding Foundation may still do so online, however, and the USHGA store still offers online sales.

B R I E F I N G S

2004 Flytec Championship at Quest Air, Florida, USA Date:

April 16-24 (Friday through Saturday—9 days). Follows the Sun ‘N’ Fun Air Expo. No rain, weather or other contingency plans at this time.

Event Description:

The Flytec Championship meet purpose is 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.

Sanction:

USHGA Class A and CIVL/WPRS points meet. Flex, Rigid and Swift class.

Location:

Quest Air Soaring Center, 6548 Groveland Airport Road, Groveland, Florida, 34736.

Registration:

Opens December 15, 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Registration limited to only 90 pilots—early registration recommended. Register online at: www.flytec.com or call (352) 429-0213 for more information. FAX: (352) 429-4846

Fee:

$375 early, $475 after March 16. Pilots will be responsible for separate tow fee.

For more information, visit www.ushga.org or email ushga@ushga.org

Mandatory Meeting: Pilot briefing, 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 15, 2004.

THERE’S STILL TIME TO ORDER!

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Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

Meet Personnel:

Organizer: Steve Kroop and the Quest Air Flight Park personnel. Meet Director: David Glover Safety Director: Russ Brown Score Keeper: Tim Meaney

Awards and Prizes:

Yes, fairly distributed.

Other info:

To be eligible, pilots must have previously flown in a USHGA aerotow competition or have written approval (acquired prior to registering) from the meet director or safety director. Pilots must have successfully aerotowed their glider model in competition conditions at least 10 times. USHGA intermediate rating (H3) and USHGA membership with aerotow sign-off required minimum 7 days prior to the start of the meet. Pilots must have an approved GPS unit (Garmin units are preferred). Meet format is a cross-country race to goal with or without turnpoints. USHGA rulebook along with local meetspecific rules will be used. Scoring will be handled via Race/GAP modified. See online registration form for requirements and restrictions. 11

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USHGA Financials need to be available to members My friends and I have searched the USHGA website, and read all the magazines, but we can’t find any financial records from the association. I work with other charity associations and they all give their members free access to all their accounting documents— balance sheets, annual budgets, program expenses, and such. But I haven’t seen anything like that, ever, from USHGA. I read the board minutes online, and saw the financial reports in those, but those reports are too general. Not enough information. I believe the board when they report the organization is “financially strong” but why not let members see that for themselves. We all want a more ‘open government’ for congress and the president, and I think we need an ‘open government’ for USHGA, too. So, Board of Directors,

prove to us how good you manage our money by showing us the details of where the money goes. Thanks B. Smith

Tone down use of garish graphics First of all, I think the combined magazine is great. It is good to have the “cross pollination,” and many of the articles (such as about thermals) will be the same for both HG and PG. I am less enamored of the graphics, which I feel are overdone in many cases. The best example I can think of is the table of contents in the October issue. I missed it several times because I expected it to be

of the format that was used on the left of the page for “Departments.” That is, a clearly laid out list of what would be in the magazine. Instead I felt like I was being assaulted by a video game and I had to really work to find the content, and felt like I had to keep going over the page to be sure I hadn’t missed something tucked into some corner. Throughout the rest of the magazine some of the graphics were fine. Other places I felt there was too much emphasis on them, instead of the content. For example, Master’s Tips, Santa’s List, Thermal Lore and Accident Reports seemed about right to me in terms of the graphics/content balance. With “Intern’s Perception...” on the other hand, I found the treatment of the photos to be distracting. The photos would have been easier and more pleasant to look at without so much stuff around them.

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I guess there is a balance between the glitz of graphics and the weight of the content. Sort of like the difference between People and Smithsonian magazines. People doesn’t have much content (to my mind, anyway! ) and so must rely on glitz and glitter for “entertainment.” Smithsonian, on the other hand, is focused on content, and they seem to avoid taking attention away from that with too many distractions. For my tastes I would certainly prefer content over entertainment. I am an older pilot (50+), and I’m sure younger people may see things very differently, and you’re having to find a balance between all the potential readership. And I also realize that you can only offer the content that you receive. Anyhow, that’s my 2 cents. Richard Cobb

Savin’ Raven Raven Sky Sports, in Whitewater, Wisconsin, has served the Midwest hang gliding community since 1992 as an aerotow facility. It is currently at a critical crossroads. Owner and president, Brad Kushner has announced that RSS is for sale. Management and instructional personnel from Team Raven as well as many members of the Wisconsin Hang Gliding Club are deeply and passionately interested in sustaining RSS and aerotow operations. The club numbers over 150 members, the vast majority of whom fly exclusively at Raven. Pilots who fly at RSS enjoy a soaring season that extends from March to November. The tow park is conveniently located near the metro areas of Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Wisconsin, and Rockford, Illinois.

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planes, 4 Northwing tandem gliders with High Energy Double Decker harness systems, Falcon training gliders, and an on site training hill that has just completed its first season of use. “Tug” pilots, instructors for both training hill and tandem lessons, a rotax certified mechanic, and other support personnel (Team Raven) are nearly all local to the area. Many live within a 10-minute drive to the airport. Despite a solid infrastructure and a broad based club membership, Raven will need outside financial backing and business leadership to continue. We are actively seeking investor-owner-operators to help with the purchase of Raven. A core group of club members welcomes inquiries and is willing to assist with the purchase process. Strategies for locating and attracting support are also most welcome. If you would like to help us, or know of someone who can, please contact: Terry Kramer via email: flight@ticon.net or kramert@mail.fortschools.org or call (920)563-8778 or (920) 563-7818. Terry Kramer

Another reader relates to ad Please register me as someone who appreciates the humor of the Just Fly ads. I am not offended. Of course, I live in California and spent most of my teens and 20’s naked myself. Hey, if they are looking for male models, I’ll volunteer— for the full Monty! BTW, I really like the new format for the magazine. Keep up the good work. Tim Shea

Raven’s facility includes 3 maintained runways, 2 hangars providing over 3200 square feet of storage, 4 Dragonfly tow 13

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�� Lack of offensive ads offends reader This is in regards to the two letters in the October 2003 issue of Hang Gliding & Paragliding. It is very disturbing when the politically correct among us employ threats and blackmail in an attempt to force all of us into conformity with their extremist moral standards. Therefore, unless you run MORE ads like those of Just Fly, I will never fly a paraglider again (uh, not that I ever did before). Rodger Hoyt Miracle Pie Company “If it’s good, it’s a Miracle!”

It took years, but dream finally realized I’m writing from Mexico, and although I have always been tickled by anything that flies, gliding and specially hang gliding, is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m 35 years old, and fifteen years ago I bought my first hang glider, picking it out of a classified ad in a Texas newspaper. The person who sold it to me had never flown it, it was very old but it included a manual. It was a Pliable Delta Moose. I brought it back, but could never make the thing to fly. I learned a lot about dirt close-ups and flavors though. I stopped trying. About seven years ago, I found out about the USHGA, and I saw you guys had a book, Hang Gliding for Beginner Pilots. I ordered it, read it and must have looked through the photos a hundred times. After a while, having gotten married now, I decided to do the hang gliding thing. I did what the manual said, so I called the USHGA, asked them where could I go and learn to hang glide. I 14

was told, that there were no authorized instructors in Mexico, the closest to me was Arizona, and they gave me a couple of company names in the states. I signed up with one, and the first day after I got there, we put a glider on a truck, and headed off to the training hill. There we set up a very old glider, and did about ten training hill flights. So far so good. Next day it was pretty much the same, about ten flights, then we went back to his “ shop”, and he convinced me on buying a glider from him, he told me he could cut me a great deal, on an almost new glider. He told me I could easily handle it. My wife was there and she kept asking about safety issues. He said it was a great glider, which I could fly no problem. I trusted him-after all he was a certified instructor. What this guy sold me was a Streak 170 glider for $1,600. I asked him to take it to the training hill so we could test it , we went there, but he told me it wasn’t the right air , we waited there for almost 4 hours, and never could test it. But I trusted him— he was a certified instructor, right? So I paid him, and had it shipped to Mexico. When I tried flying the glider, I really had to run fast, or wait for strong wind for it to take off, and once it did, I had to fly so fast, because the thing would stall (fall) so easily. Fortunately after one crash, I wasn’t badly hurt, but it made me think that I was not flying or progressing like the manual said I should. After calling USHGA, I was told to call Mr. Bill Bennett who had designed my glider many, many years ago. He later told me he had sold some of these types of gliders to my instructor but they were meant for parts only, and “strongly” told me to never fly that glider again, that it was an outrage that I had been sold such a glider being a beginner. I felt so cheated, here I thought I was doing everything by the book, and I get ripped off. Not fair.

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It took me a long while to get over this but still the dream of flight was always present and constant. About three months ago, I decided I would try it again. I had to, so I called the USHGA again, and asked for the best school to learn to fly, and the response was that the USHGA could not endorse any specific school, that they could point to whatever region I was in, and give me the names of the schools in the area, but that would be it. So I was on my own again. Finally I chose Lookout Mountain School. I must admit, with my terrible past experience I was very hesitant and nervous about committing to a school but still I signed up there. What I found there was a well-organized school, with grounds to spare, not just a tiny man made hill; with a lot of instructors, with progress charts for the students! WOW! December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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I had the best time, learned so much, always with safety first, I felt ready to do the next step, without any pressure. Finally almost with all the week gone by, when conditions were just right, I achieved what I had been wanting my whole life I FLEW FROM THE MOUNTAIN. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. I flew with so much selfsecurity, landed confidently, and yelled to the world with excitement. There is something about reaching a long-lived dream that has left me with such calmness inside; it really is a spiritual thing. I’m completely hooked for life here. So, my recommendation to the USHGA, maybe the organization should add a chart, where people would rate schools, and therefore all good schools would benefit from the good referrals. Believe me, I was burned with one of your certified instructors, and really it could have been a lot worse. I’m so happy I’m here to write about this, so many more people would try the sport if people were happy and satisfied by the learning process, I know to the USHGA safety is a first, but not everyone out there is really honest, why not reward the good and honest, instead of treating everyone the same? Bottom line, good experiences might bring in more pilots to OUR (now I’m here too) SPORT, which will help all of us in making it safer, less of a dare-devil sport, and more wide spread. This will only help all of us in the long run. I would love to thank Christian, Dan, Joel, Peter, Matt, Mike, Erik, Rex, Shawn and all the rest, Thanks guys this has changed my life. Anastasio Villa Mexico

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

Kyla Cannon, age 8

yla Cannon spent the summer hanging out at Morningside Flight Park in New Hampshire while her dad, Dave, worked on his Hang 2 rating. Dave and another student pilot typically brought their kids to the Park with them since their wives frequently worked weekends, and the kids enjoyed playing together and watching the pilots from the LZ. But by early autumn, 8-year-old Kyla had had enough watching and informed her dad that she wanted more.

“Daddy,” she said, “I want to fly!” Dave reports that he talked to Jeff Nicolay, the owner of Morningside, and to the other tandem pilots, and they all agreed it was safe for Kyla to take a flight. Dave says, “I felt it was safe so I didn’t have a problem with it. Jeff said it was okay and Steve Prepost, the tandem pilot who would be taking Kyla up, said it was okay. So we set a date.” Kyla slipped into her harness—and did it like an experienced pilot, having picked up a lot of skills just by watching for so many weeks—and at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, she and Steve flew into the New England sky. Dave said he first dreamed of flight when he was 13, but didn’t pursue it until last April. If Kyla decides she wants to continue flying, and he is pretty sure she will, he will support her decision. “I can’t afford to have her fly tandem every weekend, but when she’s a little older, if she still wants to do it, we’ll get her lessons.” Just looking at the radiant grin on her face in this photo, it is apparent that Kyla is one of hang gliding’s Faces of the Future. If you have, or know of, kids and young adults who enjoy hang gliding and/or paragliding, please let me know. Send me a note at Dan@ushga.org so we can share your stories about these Faces of the Future.

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T I P S

By Rob Kells

In free flight after a 3000-foot tow above Lookout’s landing area.

he enjoyment of sharing our sports through tandem flight is difficult to exaggerate. Most people I have taken for their first tandem flight expect the thrill/rush of skydiving or bungee jumping. I try to explain that the speed is more like riding a bike, and rather than a severe adrenalin rush, it’s usually peaceful and relaxing. However, just like flying solo, foot launching and landing tandem can be very demanding of pilot skill. Recent advances in equipment, along with launch and landing methods, have made tandem flying more forgiving and easier to learn. Fixed wheels, floats, aerotowing, boat, winch and truck towing have all made it possible for a commercial instructor to do 20 or more instructional tandem flights in a single day!

Virtually all the major schools use tandem instruction as a training tool. Lookout Mountain trains more pilots through the mountain launch level than any other school in the world. They tell me that ninety percent of their new pilots choose to include tandem flights in their instruction program. The USHGA’s Tandem program has been refined over many years of experience. Because FAR Part 103 prohibits two-place flying in ultralight aircraft, all tandems are conducted under an exemption that the USHGA applied for and received from the FAA. You must have a minimum of 100 hours of flight time to apply for a Tandem 1 rating. This is two and a half times the number of flight hours required to get a private pilot’s license to carry passengers in an airplane. In my view the major reasons for setting the pilot

The author ready to do a tandem aerotow at Lookout Mountain with his friend Trish.

experience levels so much higher are foot launch/landing, and wing loading. Tandem instruction will continue to be the best way to introduce new people to our sports, and to train them to fly safely. If you have the required hours and want a new experience, I encourage you to seek out the best tandem instructor in your area and get rated. Two place flying in a hang glider or paraglider brings a whole new dimension and experience to your flying. So what does it take to get your tandem rating? Below are the procedures and skill requirements for the three levels of tandem ratings. You can find the entire tandem program on the web at www.USHGA.org Fly safely!

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc.

Standard Operating Procedures - 12-2 PART 104 - PILOT PROFICIENCY SYSTEM 104.12 HANG GLIDING TANDEM REQUIREMENTS 12.01 Administration A. The USHGA has established a three-tiered system of requirements for tandem (“two-place” or “dual”) flying: Tandem 1 and Tandem 2 for recreational tandem flying, and Tandem Instructor for instructional tandem flying. These requirements are in addition to those established by the Federal Aviation Administration tandem exemption. B. All necessary information will be distributed and administered by specially designated USHGA Tandem Administrators and Tandem Instructors. Tandem Administrators are appointed by the Tandem Committee. A study guide and flight and written examination requirement information packages are available from the office of the USHGA. 1. New appointment requests for Tandem Administrator shall be recommended and presented to the Tandem Committee by the applicant’s Regional Director. 2. Regional Directors may not issue Tandem ratings unless the Regional Director is also a Tandem Official. C. The Tandem 1 rating involves minimal requirements and regulation, as this form of flying takes place only between qualified and consenting USHGA rated pilots. This rating is authorized by Tandem Instructors after administering the written examination and witnessing the proper flight skills utilizing the designated launch method, as well as the designated landing method.* Attendance in a tandem training program or USHGA Tandem Certification Clinic is recommended. D. Tandem 2 rating requirements are much more stringent, and require a substantial amount of tandem experience, as they allow flights with USHGA Student-rated passengers of limited experience, who have in their

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

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possession a USHGA Student Membership Card. This rating is authorized only by the office of the USHGA, after the applicant pilot submits proof of complying with all requirements, including successful completion of a USHGA Tandem Instructor Certification Clinic. Tandem 2 rated pilots may not offer instruction, and may not accept any form of remuneration for their flight services. E. Tandem Instructor Rating requirements include those requirements for a Tandem 2 rating, as well as specific written approval from the applicant’s Regional Director and a Tandem Administrator. 1. Tandem Instructors may charge fees for lessons. 2. Tandem Instructors may issue Student ratings and Tandem 1 ratings. F. USHGA Tandem Instructor Certification Clinics shall be administered by designated Tandem Administrators, trained in USHGA clinic procedures, and using text, study, and examination materials provided by the USHGA. Tandem Administrators are appointed by the Tandem Committee with approval of the Regional Director. G. The designated launch methods will be foot launch (FL), platform launch (PL) or aerotow (AT). Tandem pilots, Tandem Instructors and Tandem Clinic Administrators qualified in one launch discipline will operate only in that discipline for which they are rated. * Designated launch method is the term given to the “foot launch” sign-off (FL), the “platform-launch” sign-off (PL) and the “aerotow” sign-off (AT). Designated landing method of “wheel landing only” (LGO) will restrict tandem activity to wheel landed operations only at LGO suitable sites. H. All Tandem ratings are valid for 3 years from the date of issuance. 1. Tandem 1 rating renewal requires that the pilot either:

In the foreground is Mike Labado, one of Lookout Mountain’s tandem instructors. Mike has flown more than 10,000 aerotow tandems!

Thanks. Dan Barker

WILLS WING U2 You undersold how good it really is. I have been flying Wills Wing gliders since my first SST. The U2 is far and away the sweetest glider you guys have ever built. The quality and finish of the hardware and especially the sail are second to none. The glider just feels like magic in the air. Bar pressure is light and easy, roll response is effortless and well coordinated. The VG if very effective and I really like the short pull and how little effort is required. The U2 slows down nicely and goes fast without any yawing around. Pulled in as far as I wanted, the bar pressure was easy to hold and didn't make my arms feel like Jell-0 after 5 minutes. You have a glider here without any discernable faults, that any pilot will find a joy to fly. Thanks to all at Wills Wing, Brad Hall

WILLS WING EAGLE I have owned a Super Sport, HPAT, XC, and now an Eagle. Flew the Eagle for the first time yesterday and am hooked. Ben Burril is my dealer and always gives excellent service, support, advice, and is a class person. WW is a class company. Thanks, Tim Felder

WILLS WING FALCON 2 I just completed my Hang 1 an training coarse. My firs:::.;tls·i iiimi;;~• • Monday night in a Falo~ wanted to thank you guys ft1i'. great product. The Falcon aerotowieeif d~~~~~:.'I!~ (not much for mountains in Wisconsin) and flew effortlessly, making my first flight a wonderful experience. Thanks • for helping to make a long-time clream a reality!

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a. Submit documentation (to their Regional Director or a Tandem Instructor) showing a minimum of 10 flights of 2 minutes duration or longer per year over the previous three year period; or, b. Take and pass a check flight exam with a Tandem Instructor. 2. Tandem 2/Tandem Instructor rating renewal requires that the pilot obtain Regional Director approval for the renewal, and either: a. Submit documentation (to their Regional Director) showing a minimum of 10 flights of 2 minutes duration or longer per year over the previous three year period; or, b. Take and pass a check flight exam with a Tandem Administrator. I. NOTE: The USHGA has a procedure to rescind any Tandem rating. J. Tandem Administrator appointments are conducted in the following manner: 1. New appointment requests for Tandem Administrator shall be recommended and presented to the Tandem Committee by the applicant’s Regional Director. 2. Tandem Administrator candidates must exhibit an intense desire to administer the program. 3. There must be a need in the area for a Tandem Administrator, or, the Tandem Administrator candidate must be willing to travel to conduct tandem clinics in other areas. 4. Each Tandem Administrator candidate must assist as an Administrator trainee on a Tandem Clinic and receive recommendation from the Administrator with whom he/she works prior to petitioning the Regional Director for their recommendation. 5. The Tandem Committee will have the final authority to grant a Tandem Administrator appointment. 6. The Tandem Committee will review all Tandem Administrator appointments at each BOD meeting.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

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12.02 - Pilot Rating Requirements A. Tandem 1 1. Current USHGA Advanced rating, Turbulence sign-off, AND; 2. Minimum 200 hours of logged air time, OR 100 hours with 500 flights of at least 500 ft. vertical descent, OR 100 hours with 500 flights of 2 minutes duration or longer; 3. Ability to consistently perform zero-wind and light crosswind launches, and zero-wind and light-wind landings culminating in zero ground speed at the moment of the flare and when the pilot’s feet first contact the ground; 4. At least 2 logged tandem flights as passenger with a USHGA Tandem rated pilot using the designated launch method; 5. Successful completion of flight skills test to be administered by a designated USHGA Tandem Instructor. This test will include, as a minimum, a passenger briefing, a successful tandem launch and a successful tandem approach and landing with the candidate as tandem pilot-in-command, observed by a USHGA Tandem Instructor (who must be the tandem passenger on this flight) utilizing the designated launch as well as the designated landing method; 6. Successful completion of a written test administered by a USHGA Tandem Instructor. 7. Neither flight skills test or written test is to be administered prior to completion of pilot rating requirements. 8. Must attend a minimum one-day tandem training clinic for tandem techniques that is given by a Tandem Instructor. 9. Must agree to all the provisions of the USHGA standard waiver and assumption of risk agreement for the Tandem 1 rating and deliver an original signed copy to the USHGA office.

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B. Tandem 2 1. Current USHGA Advanced rating with Turbulence sign-off

2. Maximum allowable passenger “hook-in” weight is 120% of that of the pilot-in-command “hook-in” weight; 3. Maximum allowable wing loading is 2.0 lbs. per sq. ft.

2. 200 hours, etc. as above B. Tandem 2 3. At least 15 logged tandem flights of at least 500 feet vertical descent or at least 2 minutes duration as pilot-in-command using the designated launch method. 4. Successful completion of the written, oral and flight tests administered by a Tandem Administrator. Completion of this clinic cannot precede above requirements. 5. Endorsement of the candidate’s Regional Director. 6. Must agree to all the provisions of the USHGA standard waiver and assumption of risk agreement for the Tandem 2 rating and deliver an original signed copy to the USHGA office. C. Tandem Instructor 1. A current Tandem 2 rating. 2. Specific approval of a Tandem Administrator for the Tandem Instructor rating. 3. Successful completion of an FOI test (Fundamentals of Instruction) and a Tandem Instructor Certification Clinic is mandatory.

1. Pilot may offer recreational tandem flights only, utilizing their designated launch (FL, PL or AT) as well as the designated landing method. 2. Pilot may not accept any form of remuneration for his/her services. 3. Passenger must have in their possession a current USHGA Student rating card or higher. A temporary rating form is not acceptable. 4. Maximum allowable “hook-in” weight of passenger to be 120% of the Tandem 2 pilot. 5. Maximum allowable wing loading 2.0 lbs. per sq. ft. C. Tandem Instructor: 1. May offer recreational or instructional flights, utilizing their designated launch (FL, PL or AT) as well as the designated landing method. 2. Student must have in their possession a USHGA “student” rating or higher. 3. Maximum “hook-in” weight of passenger to be determined by Instructor.

4. Endorsement of the candidate’s Regional Director. 5. Must agree to all the provisions of the USHGA standard waiver and assumption of risk agreement for the Tandem Instructor rating and deliver an original signed copy to the USHGA office. 12.03

Operation - Restrictions and Limitations

A. Tandem 1 1. May fly tandem recreational flights only with passengers in possession of a current USHGA Beginner rating card or higher, and utilizing their designated launch (FL, PL or AT) as well as the designated landing method. 20

4. Maximum recommended wing loading 2.0 lbs. per sq. ft. D. It is suggested that pilot-in-command fly on the side allowing free throw of back-up reserve parachute system with his/her dominant hand (i.e. right-handed pilot flies to the right of passenger). E. Prior to all tandem flights, the passenger or student must be informed that such flights are conducted under an exemption granted by the FAA, and that the ultralight vehicle does not meet aircraft certification standards set forth by the FAA. F. When present at a flying site, a Tandem Instructor shall personally ensure that all tandem flying requirements December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

M D A SE TP EA RR ’ TS M TE I NP T S

and the site requirements are being strictly followed. He/She shall personally inspect the USHGA ratings of both tandem passengers and pilots, and shall have the authority to halt those tandem flights that are in noncompliance. Noncompliance shall be reported to the Regional Director. G. Possession of FAA’s Part 103, FAR Grant of Exemption #4271 is mandatory while flying tandem. H. This exemption terminates on October 31, 2004, unless sooner superseded or rescinded. I. All tandem accidents should be reported by the tandem pilot involved and any other tandem pilot aware of the accident. 12.04 Equipment Requirements A. At least one back-up reserve parachute, which is rated for the gross load being flown and provides a descent rate no greater than 21 fps at the gross load being flown, is required on flights where any reasonable possibility of successful deployment exists. A 24 gore PDA or larger canopy is recommended. A 22 gore conical or 20 gore PDA canopy is minimally required. B. Appropriate helmets are required for both occupants during flight. C. The total combined load carrying capacity of all main suspension components connecting the pilot and passenger to the glider must be at least 8,000 lbs., and there must be a connection of the pilot to the passenger which has a minimum total strength of 4,000 lbs. D. Although choice of other equipment is up to the individual pilot-in-command, a HGMA certified glider, control bar wheels and knee pads are recommended

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L I S T

Launching

By Chris Santacroce

t goes without saying that there is no ideal launch technique. Rather, there are only ideal techniques for certain pilots in certain situations. Too many variables enter into the equation for us to make an easy, all-inclusive statement, but there are some things that we can all think about and incorporate into our launching “big picture.” First some ground rules, some details and even some tricks. Rules • Know where you are supposed to look during the various stages of your launch. • Look in the right places. • Know which postures to use during the various stages of your launch. • Start your launch in the proper posture, use the proper postures. • Use the best technique for the conditions. • Don’t decide which technique is best until you are actually ready to launch. Hierarchy of importance… There is a hierarchy of importance when it comes to launching; 1. where you look 2. your posture

riding motorcycles and skiing. You will launch better if you keep this in mind. Details There are countless different launch techniques and even more names for them. The vocabulary and the techniques that are used vary depending on the region. It can be fun to study these differences. The most important thing to keep in mind is that no single launch technique is better than another. A launch technique can only be better than another technique for the situation. If your instructor tells you to use a certain technique exclusively, then this is for your safety. Learn the technique. Master it. Then, be open to learning other techniques as you evolve as a pilot. Your launching can only get better as a result of knowing multiple techniques. Naturally, though, it is never good to try new techniques in new situations. No Wind A forward launch is almost always the best. Still, if you have to launch in a pile of sticks, it can be good to do a running reverse inflation so that you can see if your lines are clear. Low Wind In low wind, either a forward or a reverse inflation will work. Do whatever is best. There is nothing worse than watching someone do a forward when they should reverse and vice versa. High Wind Always do a reverse inflation in high wind. Realize that higher wind inflations are often “slow motion” because you don’t have to accelerate to get to flying speed. Don’t be afraid of launching in a nice breeze. It’s no wind and super high wind that are the most dangerous.

3. the way you move 4. your hand position As strange as it sounds, start with number one and finish with number four. The same philosophy is applied to 22

Forward Launches The best means of achieving consistently good forward launches are to start with your arms down and back, eyes on the horizon and one foot in front of the other in an athletic stance. The first step should

be to take a step forward. Then, it is best to let the glider come up in response to your movement. The pilot can give a lifting or pushing action on the A risers while continuing to move forward. The hands are best left open so that the pilot can’t inadvertently pull down on the leading edge thereby compromising it’s shape. At whatever point the glider is over head, a torpedo posture—the elbows are in close to the body—is preferred. The most common mistakes include moving the hands before moving the body, grabbing onto the A risers and pulling down too much, running too explosively during the first portion of the inflation, failing to run deliberately during the last portion of the takeoff, running too “tall,” failing to run laterally under the glider and allowing posture and hand position to be compromised by looking in the wrong places (ground, glider, etc.). Wrong Hands (brake swapping) The technique of inflating the glider with the brakes in the “wrong hands” is often slighted and characterized as being irresponsible. Many pilots who learned to fly in the early ‘90s use it exclusively. While it is less than ideal because it often involves letting go of the brakes to re-grab the toggles in the proper hands for flying, it can be the only way to get to the edge of the hill in a high-wind, flat-launch environment. Furthermore, it is not absolutely necessary to let go of the brakes to re-grab. Many pilots have mastered the art of handing off the brakes without letting go. If you have learned all of the techniques already, try this one. It may be the only way to go flying at the Point of the Mountain or at Torrey Pines. This can be a good technique for kiting up a hill. Cross Hands Cross hands refers to the simple practice of starting a reverse the inflation with the brakes in the proper hands for flying. There are a number of great tricks that will help you to master this technique. First, start with a great layout. If you December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

can manage, lift your glider just off the ground and let it weathervane into the wind. Even in a cross wind, you want to start your inflation having let the glider weathervane. Then, think about making a perfectly straight and even inflation, turn and go. Avoid making any steering inputs when the glider comes above head. Try to turn and face forward with your weight nice and low. The steering inputs will be much easier once you are facing forward. The only downside to this technique is that if you need to lift on the A risers after the initial inflation, you will sometimes engage unwanted brake. Common mistakes include; exercising unnecessary brake inputs, applying appropriate brake while failing to release the other, giving gross (straight arm) inputs and pulling the wrong brake in response to a turn. Aussie Style Aussie style is the technique of using cross hands and inflating with the A risers in their respective hands. This technique is not popular in the US. It is potentially advantageous on steep windy launches as it encourages the pilot to turn and face forward. The only drawback to this technique is that it can be difficult to lift both A’s simultaneously and evenly. Also, there is little opportunity to engage brake before the glider is above head and the pilot is turning or about to turn. Both A’s in One Hand The most popular way to inflate is to keep both A’s in one hand. This tends to ensure that both sides of the glider receive the same sort of help during the inflation. Naturally, it is important to release the A’s once the glider is over head. While one hand is inflating using the A’s, the other can engage brake as necessary. Many pilots create some asymmetry during the pre-inflation preparation to ensure that the glider will need brake on the side of the glider corresponding to the toggle that is in their hand and most easily engaged. Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

The Finger Trick One great technique for average launching situations is to keep both A’s in one hand, leaving the other hand free to exercise brake. Naturally, the brake hand is able to pull brake on the opposite side (left hand pulls brake on right side of glider while facing the glider—cross hands). Meanwhile, it is also possible to hook the fingers of the left hand (in this case) on the brake line connected to the right side of the glider. An even inflation as a result of both A’ s in one hand and access to both brakes using the opposite hand. I personally say something to myself like: “if the left side needs brake, then I use my fingers, if the right side needs brake then I use toggle.” A’s and C’s/ D’s A’s and C’s or D’s technique is great for launches where there is a risk of being lifted into the air before being able to check for sticks and tangles. Directional control is possible but is usually less than with direct brake inputs. To make the most of this technique, grab the A’s and the D’s and pull the risers as far away from you as you can, thereby establishing tension between your hands and the carabiners. Then, put one hand exactly atop the other. This will minimize deformation of the glider and will work toward a successful launch on the first try. Remember, one hand is on the C’s or D’s in order to disable the glider IF there is a problem. In most cases, no C or D riser input is needed. The ease with which a launch can be aborted results in just that. Cross Hands, Direct Risers This technique incorporates the best of all techniques. It insures that the pilot will be ready to be airborne, gives the ability to disable the glider deliberately, the chance to steer the glider without being turned forward. The Cobra Interestingly, Kite Surfers never inflate the kite with it oriented directly into the wind. Rather, they always inflate with the kite 23

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off to the side at ninety degrees because it reduces the probability that the pilot will be plucked off the ground or drug. While this technique is far from mainstream, it is becoming more widespread. It is worth practicing. When kiting, try to inflate the glider when it isn’t perfectly laid out. Try using brake and riser on one side of the glider to inflate the entire glider.

Top Ten Launching Tips Do a Complete Pre-Flight R-1-2-3-4-R-T

tangles, you will know that the glider is over head and you will feel it. Most pilots completely lose awareness about their hand position and posture during launch. This is a direct result of looking at the glider. Look at your hands instead. Turning When it’s time to turn, look at the horizon, sink your weight and feel the glider start to turn you. Watch the risers as your head moves back and dips around the riser and then look at the horizon. Don’t stand tall, stop moving or look at the glider.

R - Reserve 1 - 1 helmet strap 2 - 2 carabiners 3 - 3 points on the harness 4 - 4 corners of the glider (brake lines etc.) R - Radio T - Turning (left or right) Sink Down, Move Slowly, Accelerate Smoothly, Take Big Steps When you want your launches to be smooth, you need to sink as low as you can and then accelerate smoothly via the use of big steps. Nothing will cause a sketchy launch better than standing tall, accelerating abruptly and taking little steps. If you want to kite successfully in high wind, remember that sinking down will allow you to make forward progress, pushing off horizontally will not. Watch Your Hands Start your reverse inflation with your eyes on your hands. Watch yourself make the perfect inflation, watch your hands drop as you make contact with the brakes. Notice that your eyes are already on the horizon. You will have seen any sticks or 24

Say It Out Loud When you are having a problem but can’t “make yourself” utilize the proper technique, talk yourself through the process. Say it out loud. We have our students say things like: “watching my hands,” “horizon,” “contact with the brakes,” “torpedo,” and “sink”(i.e. bend knees). Get Under It You can rarely cause a paraglider to move in a sideways direction by moving your body. Rather, a paraglider only really responds to brake inputs and remains manageable when the pilot remains under the center. If the glider is going left and you need to go right, you first have to go left to get under the glider, cause a right turn using brake and then follow the glider to the right. You can even make a glider that is drifting right turn back to the left by running off to the right until the glider is off to your left. Try it! It’s all about yielding and going where the glider is pulling you. Get under the center of the wing. Look At The Horizon Throughout the launch, but most importantly when you are accelerating to speed, look at the horizon. Looking at the ground doesn’t help. Looking up

doesn’t help— the view of the glider against the sky (particularly a blue one) is uninteresting. Only the horizon encourages an awareness about your posture, movement and hand position. Most importantly, drifting one direction or the other can be detected much more easily when looking at the horizon. Torpedo We have always known that an aggressive launch posture is key to a successful launch. But, we have always had to say: chest forward, eyes on the horizon, arms up and back, big steps, keep it smooth. Over the years, we have adopted descriptive “catch words” to describe these combinations. To describe all the actions listed above, we now just say, “torpedo”(from Seattle Paragliding) we also use “contact”(Fly Above All) as the command for feeling and making contact with the brakes. Believe Launching a paraglider is not hard. Hitting a golf ball straight down the fairway is probably harder. Choose good conditions, equipment and launches. Practice your techniques. By the time you show up on launch, you should be confident that you are going to launch on the first try. Don’t doubt your abilities. We can all make it happen on the first try. I am the first to admit that there is good value in aborting some launches. But, it would be wrong to begin a launch with a thought like “I am going to pull it up and see how it feels,” or “I’ll abort if I need to,” or even worse, “If I receive a sign from god, then I’ll go Rather, we should all be saying affirmations like: “I am out of here,” and “See ya later.” When the launch isn’t going perfectly, use your bag of tricks to troubleshoot. If your tricks don’t work, then abort.

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

GDL EI DP EAR R R T EMV EI EN W T

By Dennis Pagen Photography by Adam Elchin.

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Trickle-down economics was popular in the 1980s, and seems to be at the fore again. We won’t pass judgment, but will note an apt parallel: it seems that our sport experiences trickle-down aeronomics, to coin a new word. What that means is that most manufacturers wrack their computers to come up with the latest design for their top-of-the-line sleek racers. It is in the competition skies that new design ideas are tested, tweaked, and put on trial. The head-to-head comparisons are a proving ground that evolves hang-glider design—survival of the fittest. The successful ideas are then adapted to gliders one step back from the edge of ultimate.

This Discus’ very clean wingtip with 3 zipper access to the tip area

These less-demanding or “recreational” gliders—be they novice/ intermediate, intermediate/advanced, or some other niche fitters—tend to be sweet, gentle and barely less performing than their thoroughbred cousins. Most companies offer gliders that are a direct offspring of their top liners. There’s the Moyes Litesport, the Wills U2, the Icaro MastR, and the Airborne Shark. Aeros has their own top recreational glider: the Discus. But does it look like their racer, the Combat II? Answer: no. The Combat II is the only current top glider that does not have curved tips (it is going so well that pilots are begging Aeros not to change them). But the new Discus does. Granted, curved-tip technology has been around for about 24 years, so Aeros isn’t breaking new ground. But it was with curiosity and wonder that I took the chance to jump at this new offering from the stable of Aeros. Could they successfully convert to the curvaceous movement in one go? Was the glider going to perform in the open sky with the big boys? Are you, the average reader, going to find reward by placing your bets on this new mount?

View of the clean top and trailing edge of the discus

This Discus planform

Parts and Planform First let’s look at the general makeup of the Discus. It has a kingpost and upper wires. Get that in your head. The advantage is there is no expensive carbon crossbar hidden inside that sweet sail. The end result is a more affordable price and a more portable wing than otherwise. King-posted gliders typically come out at least 10 pounds lighter than their naked-topped counterparts (notice that all the above-mentioned recreational gliders have kingposts). The disadvantage typically only shows up at the finish line—the extra drag of a kingpost and wires erodes glide a bit, so you can’t zoom as fast. Is zooming in your portfolio? If not, consider the convenience of these one-notch-down gliders. Most pilots spend their time stretching their wings at their home sites reach26

The “clean & tight” top surface of the Discus

ing for the sky. The premium is on climb. Most of these recreational gliders are built for climb. They thrive on it and fairly spurn gravitational constraints. When you read further on, you’ll see that the Discus has an interesting climb-enhancing characteristic. December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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The hang strap is attached to the kingpost to reduce roll forces (the effect is to increase the radius of your body’s swing to the side). This trick is trickle-down technology from high-performance gliders of more than a decade ago. Of course, the curved tips came from the big boys, and so did a couple of inside features. These are the outboard cable-supported sprogs and the internal ribs connecting the top and bottom surfaces. The sprogs are dive sticks and are there for pitch stability. Cable-supported dive sticks have been around since we put them on the (Sky Sports) Sirocco in 1978. But their recent renaissance was brought in by topless gliders. The Discus has only one set (most topless gliders have two), because it also has reflex bridles, which serve to augment pitch stability. These reflex bridles split route to two different battens on each side and attach partway up the batten shaft to provide a better angle of pull in a pitch-down event. The Discus has a fully-working VG (variable geometry) system. You can guess where that technology came from. I say fully working because some manufacturers put on a cosmetic system that has little effect on handling or performance. Such a compromise helps reduce loads on the crossbar and variations in pitch stability, but doesn’t provide much performance enhancement when the VG is pulled on. The Discus has a serious VG system because the glider is intended for the serious pilot who doesn’t want the burden of extra weight or extra debt. The Discus (medium size) came with nine curved battens per side (plus two that stay in and are propped up on the nose plate) and two undersurface battens. The batten ends are spring-loaded to eliminate those messy and draggy strings. The nose cover is permanently hooked on the top fore cable, which runs through a slot in the cover. The control bar basetube is bellied, of course (another legacy from earlier comp gliders), and goes on with pip pins. In the version I flew, the basetube is a round enameled aluminum tube with handgrips. Everything else on the glider—from the haulback at the keel to the corner fittings and doubled-up hang strap—are conventional and should be quite familiar to anyone who has fondled a glider in the past 10 years. The only exception I will note is that the access port to the curved tip is closed with Velcro rather than a conventional zipper. It wanted to close itself in the proper position, so I see no reason it needs to be a zipper. You can read between the lines, if you wish, but the Discus has made no radical departure from what has been seen before. But, as any designer will tell you, the devil is in the details—meaning Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

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it’s how you put all those parts together that counts. When we get to the flying part, you will see how it all comes out. A Brief Setup The part I like least about hang gliding is setting up and breaking down. I hallow the ground upon which walks the designer who makes this phase of hang gliding easier. My ideal is a glider that goes together with a minimum of extra fiddling, extra effort, and extra left-over pads (to put away and take up space in my harness). Let’s see how the Discus fares on my personal high rating standard. In a flurry of activity: unzip the bag, lift the uprights and put in the pip pins for the basetube (did you get it backwards? With practice you’ll learn that the VG rope side goes on the VG rope side!). Set the glider upright and put the front of the root battens in their holes in the nose plate (if you wait until the wings are spread, it is a harder job). Now open the wings and start stuffing—battens that is. After you do seven per side, open the wings all the way with the rear haulback and attach it. Now stand the keel up on its kickstand, which pulls out of the rear (another legacy from above). You can do this in all but gusty conditions and it greatly eases the insertion of the tip wands and sprogs, I find. Next, put in the curved tips. This aspect is the only place I had any gripe with the Discus. The cups that go on the ends of the tip wands need to be beveled inside to avoid catching on the end of the wand. That is easily remedied with a small file. (The glider I flew was an early model and refinements have since been made). Follow the wands with the remaining battens (upper and lower), then the sprogs. Aeros was the first to use a self-attaching sprog on their Stealth line. The Discus sprogs only need to be put inside the sail through the zipper slot, and then the zipper is closed for a secure, complete attachment. I like it. Finally, put on the nose cone, inspect, and you are ready to roll. The assembly is fairly painless and can be done in 15 minutes if you are in a hurry (thermals are popping). I’ll rate it an 8 on my personal setup scale (a 9 has never been achieved, and a 10 is a glider that sets up with the push of a button—inflatable?). A Brief Flight Come along with me to discover how the Discus sails through the air. I only towed the Discus, but I did it foot-launching (not using a cart), so perhaps I have some feel for how it handles a foot launch. The diagnosis is that it is fine. The relatively light weight and reasonably good balance makes it straightforward. I believe anyone 27

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with school-trained launch technique will have good launches on the Discus. I took off (and towed) with the VG set between 1/4 and 1/3. I typically use this setting when foot-launching or tow-launching to provide better pitch response and roll stability. (Caveat: Not all gliders should be set this way—consult your owner’s manual.) On tow, the glider tracked easily (but then, I did not tow in the full flush of midday). I think the Discus is reasonably easy to tow for an intermediate pilot, judging from its handling response off tow. I released at three grand and put the glider through its paces. These steps included straight flight at all speeds, straight-ahead stalls, turn reversals, steady-state turns, and stalls in turns—all at different bank angles and VG settings. I found out some interesting things. First off, in straight flight, the glider behaved normally in all VG settings. That is, my definition of “normal” is a progressivelyincreasing pitch-positive feel as the bar is pulled in. This feeling might be very light at first, and not increase much until the bar is at the waist, but then it should be comfortably noticeable, like a warm assuring hand upon your shoulder. The Discus— in the configuration I flew (stock) —felt comfortable with VG loose, VG half, and VG tight. With the VG full on, I felt that I could accelerate like a big-boy glider. My airspeed indicator told me the top speed was about 5 mph less than with a topless glider. Drag is drag. But it sure had plenty of get-up-andgo. I measure top speed by how much my eyes water. This glider gave me three onions worth. On to stalls. I stood six feet in a former life (shrunken a bit from too many landings), with arms long enough to reach the ground. I flew the glider straight ahead in smooth air and pushed out, looking for the stall. I pushed and pushed. With full-forward arm extension, I could not make the glider drop its nose in a stall break. Hmmm. This was with VG off. I added a bit of VG and repeated. Same deal. It was not until I got to about half VG that I could get it to perform a stall-break. It would immediately recover with hardly any buildup of speed by itself. With full VG, I could make it stall with a full-arm extension. In this case, it always wanted to fall off on one wing or the other, but I could make it stall straight with a little muscle applied. In any case, whenever it did a stall-break, it only lost 20 feet in recovery, according to my altimeter. No real zoom was experienced. What the above experience says to me is that the combination of the airfoil and the planform, as well as twist distribution, make this glider extremely stall-resistant. Such a characteristic makes a 28

glider safer than otherwise in close work and during the landing phase of flight. But it also has other implications … I moved next to turns. I found what I expected. In a turn with up to half VG applied, I could not get the glider to stall at various bank angles no matter how much I pushed out. To make things clear, I could push my inside arm to full extension, and the inside wing would not stall. The glider dutifully maintained its turn at a steady rate, commensurate with the bank and airspeed I established. I was impressed, because one of the most important factors to climb rate in a thermal is how slow you can go. I don’t believe our airspeed indicators are all that accurate below about 20 mph, but mine was reading paraglider-like speeds when I was pushed fully out. It remains to be seen whether this feature can be fully exploited in rowdy thermals. But I believe the Discus has the goods to be an amazing climber. With the VG on 3/4 to full, I could get the glider to react a bit. I approached this mode with some caution (I made sure I was high and looked at my parachute handle), because some of the current race gliders will spin wickedly in this mode. (We don’t recommend you try this because their spin-break is sudden and can put you on your back—a flying wing does not have the yawdampening of a tailed craft). But when I got to full push-out, the glider nose dropped a little and made a steady, fast rotation—more like a spiral than a spin. I couldn’t tell if a portion of the wing was stalled or not. After several revolutions, I figured I had made my contribution to science for the day, relaxed my full push, and the glider went to normal flight mode on its own. This behavior is reassuring, even though we don’t normally fly slowly with full VG applied. Turn-reversals felt reasonable for a glider of its class. There was a slight bit of adverse yaw with a vigorous roll application (less than for my racer, more than for a Vision, say). For the uninitiated, the adverse-yaw effect results in a slight hesitation in a glider’s response, followed by a hearty bank-and-turn in the right sense. The model I flew required a bit of high-siding in a steady turn with 1⁄4 VG. Another pilot reported the same experience. This is a glider that you should expect to fly because it seems to have a dihedral balance like that of a high-performance glider. This matter would be easy for the factory to change, simply by altering the length of the side wires. But I have reported before that most high-performance gliders are set up this way because it does enhance performance. No compromise has been made to the Discus in the all-imporDecember, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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tant landing mode of flight. Because of its benign or non-existent stall behavior, you can slow the glider way down and maintain a steady float across the ground. I don’t recommend doing this in jerky air or on a regular basis (airspeed is control, so sayeth the pundits). But if you get a brain lockup or a surprise ill wind, you have some measure of insurance. I landed in about a 5 mph wind and slowed way down. I intentionally went slower and slower until I simply alighted on one foot. I wouldn’t dare do this on my tight-racing glider and wouldn’t expect to do a one-foot no-step landing in anything less than a 10-mph wind. My conclusion is that the Discus will go a long way to cure the woes of those with “whackitis” (chronic nose-pounding syndrome). In summary, my assessment echoes that of the factory: this glider is for the serious advanced intermediate to advanced pilot who wants the most performance they can get without compromising safety, back health, debt load, or fun. You won’t beat the best racers in this glider, but you may top them out in a thermal at the home hill. Remember, paragliders do it often and they do it on the basis of their slow flight and small turn-radius. The Discus amazed me with its ability to keep flying when I did all I could to turn it into a leaf. Such benign and welcome behavior is bound to show up in performance, well-executed landings, and ultimately pilot confidence. Need we mention augmented smiles? The Discus can be had for a price of $4295, which includes the speedbar, airfoil downtubes, and custom colors. The only real option is for a seven-foot breakdown package, which adds two pounds and $100 to the glider price. For more information, contact U.S. Aeros at (252) 480 3552 or www.justfly.com. Glider Specifications Discus 13.7m

Discus 14.7m

Sail area

148 sq. ft.

160 sq. ft.

Wing span

32.8 ft.

33.8 ft.

Aspect ratio

7.3:1

7.2:1

Nose angle

124-128 deg.

125-128 deg.

Pilot weight

150-215 lbs.

185-275 lbs.

Glider weight

65 lbs.

71 lbs.

Minimum speed

18 mph

Maximum speed

55 mph

Ribs (top)

Ribs (bottom)

Double surface

85%

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

Discus 13m (coming in 2003)

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TickTock The Aging Pilot

By Daniel L. Johnson, MD Adapted for Hang Gliding by Grant Hoag

Why Talk About Such a Depressing Subject?

n case you haven’t noticed, the daily rising and setting of the sun has certain consequences for each of us. It’s not just our spouses—hang-glider pilots are aging, too.

Our whole community is aging. During the last 10 years the average age of the active pilot has increased by almost as many years, probably because too many young guys are sitting in front of computers playing Flight Simulator instead of going to the bunny hill for hang-gliding training. We want to make two key points: • How should we adapt our flying when our performance diminishes with time? • How do we decide when it’s time to hang it up? Good Guys Crash Good, careful pilots crash. Research indicates that good pilots— well-trained, careful, prudent pilots—crash. Yes, incompetent pilots crash, but excellent, well-trained, experienced pilots crash too. What clues do we have beforehand that we’ve become crashable?

Let’s separate time (lack of practice) from aging (physical deterioration). Until we actually become physically senescent at the end of life, the physical deterioration due to aging is small—much smaller than the sharpness lost by not practicing and recurrently training. Let’s also be clear that we are not talking about senility, but physical changes. These include loss of reaction time, loss of visual acuity and clarity, loss of muscular resilience, decreased lung capacity, decreased stamina, and the changes brought by common chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and high blood pressure. Only about one person in ten becomes senile. Everyone, if we’re lucky enough, becomes physically senescent (old, geezerish, doddering, waning, ripe, decrepit). We all experience some loss of ability with age. This requires that we assess ourselves regularly and adapt to our changing abilities. Most folks do this. Not everything about aging is bad—older pilots have fewer accidents despite declining abilities because judgment improves while high-risk behavior declines. In short, we adapt and mellow. In any case, old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative. Hang Gliding Isn’t Like Other Aviation Due to the strenuous physical exertion required in hang gliding and paragliding, most pilots, historically, have become physically unable to fly (actually, to launch and land) before mental performance diminishes below a safe level. However, there are two new trends that allow a less-fit (or older) pilot to fly: towing, and rigid wings. With both, we are seeing a welcome increase in flights from airfields, and a decrease in high-mountain launches and frequent carries. Thus there is less heavy lifting and other physical effort associated with the good old days, so that in the coming years, aging pilots will fly hang gliders as never before. If you are one of them, then pay attention to the solutions to aging that swept through the sailplane community 15 years ago. How to Slow Aging, Recognize It, and Adapt to It The following discussion is divided between two basic issues:

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

A G I N G

physical and mental performance. Both decline with age, but neither has to stop your hang gliding. We tell you why. Slow Your Aging We all know the old aphorism, “Use it or lose it!” Besides this, some of us (not yourself, of course, but others we know) are involved with physical degradation accelerators such as tobacco or other aromatic plants, inactivity, obesity, and booze. Not that you’ve ever heard this before: exercise, stay svelte and buff, stay at or below two alcoholic drinks a day, and don’t smoke or chew! ‘Nuff said. You shouldn’t be surprised that exercise helps your brain stay fit also. In general, all body systems can increase capacity and repertoire with use. The brain adapts to use by creating new circuits in response to learning in old age, just as it did in youth. It simply doesn’t do so quite as effortlessly. Exercise your intellect by learning new things, memorize interesting things, and play with intellectual exercises and algorithms. This is why we are seeing

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

P I L O T S

chessboards spring up at LZs nationwide. (Just kidding!) Recognize Aging in Yourself First, most losses of performance aren’t from aging. Things that make people feel old without aging include fatigue, stress, depression, inactivity, obesity, and disease. These psychological and physical bumps and bruises can sap us of energy and enthusiasm, but they aren’t called aging. Also, the age at which diseases strike is mostly a matter of chance, as the onset and occurrence of any given disease is unpredictable. Aging is genetically programmed and irreversible, involving slow and subtle changes that degrade performance. Most impairments bring along clues—though often subtle—that something’s awry. Aging can be both positive and negative. On the positive side are reduced risk-taking and improved judgment. Good decisions come from sound judgment, judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from lack of judgment. Regrettable signs of aging include reduced physical stamina and loss of visual acuity and contrast (especially night vision). However, more notable are mental changes. These include slowed

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reaction times, forgetfulness (“senior moments”), and loss of thinking skills (the ability to store and process information short term for rapid retrieval). Loss of intellect or skill is surprisingly difficult to detect because we all continually make errors. Typically, there isn’t a loss of judgment in aging, but only a gradual erosion of skills. Not all aging reduces flying performance. For example, signs of aging not associated with skill level include: wrinkled skin, diminished need for sleep, loss of libido, need for bifocals, having grandchildren, and noticing that college students look like children.

differences increase with age because maximum performance abates with age at different rates in different people. But we all lose ability as we age, and if you are lucky enough to get really old, you will find that while you can physically continue to fly, you will start putting yourself at risk in new and unexpected ways. “Unexpected” because our body does not announce its little betrayals, its small erosions of excellence. This unsuspected loss of ability may betray you when you find yourself in a stressful situation. However, in hang gliding, there are many practical solutions short of being grounded, especially after multiple years of flying. These solutions are either mental or physical adaptations.

Adapt to Aging There are two basic truths to aging: • We all age at different rates. • It reduces our peak ability. Young individuals are vastly different in ability. These individual

Mental Adaptations • Dump your blade wing. Drop down a notch in the performance of your glider and start enjoying your flights again. • Be a fair-weather flyer. Don’t launch when the winds exceed 8 MPH, or in summertime mid-day rock-and-roll conditions.

through the USHGF

➢ Site Preservation ➢ Safety and Education ➢ Competition Excellence The United States Hang Gliding Foundation supports activities that help ensure that the free-flying community has a future. Make a tax-deductible contribution today. The USHGA will match your contribution up to $500 each year when you join or renew your membership. 32

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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P I L O T S

• Stay local. Road trips create many unknowns and impose multiple risks not occurring at your local well-understood site.

• Ask kind questions that will cause the pilot to reflect later.

• Participate in seminars and training events. Participating in club events and refreshing your skills will keep you current and tune your skills.

• Show respect—eventually you will be there, too.

• Lead your flying community. The hang-gliding community desperately needs leaders with judgment and maturity. Everyone will thank you!

• Put the pilot in situations that safely test competence.

Physical Adaptations • Use wheels. Roll, not carry, your glider from setup to launch, and from landing to the breakdown area—your back will thank you.

The Bottom Line The bottom line on the philosophy of aging pilots is:

• Stop flaring your landings. Running out landings eliminates the need for timing flares. Also, landing on your belly, with wheels, on grass, has become easy, safe and popular. • Add padding. Use shin and knee pads, and plastic body armor. • Get help carrying. Always use two people or a dolly to carry your glider—your back will thank you again! Handling Your Associates’ Aging As our fellow flyers age, their performance may degrade below a safe level. When that happens, sometimes we need to help the pilot decide to back off or quit. It’s important to see that their loss of performance does not mean they are incompetent, but only that they can no longer compensate and adapt adequately. Help the pilot realize the implications of their loss of performance, so that they (not you) can make the decision to hang it up. To do this: • Use friendly conversations, and be involved with the pilot (anger and insults will get the pilot out of hang gliding, but may cause social complications...).

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• Take time, and progress bit by bit.

• Be as private as possible to save face.

• Don’t draw a line in the sand unless you have to.

• Our physical and mental performance always degrades over time. • Take personal responsibility to accept the inevitable, assess your performance regularly, and compensate by adjusting your what, when, and where of flying. Finally, we owe it to ourselves to take responsibility for each other; this is what creates and sustains our hang-gliding community. ••• The Authors Daniel L. Johnson, MD, FACP, is a mid-fifties senior aviation medical examiner. He has been a sailplane and single-engine pilot since 1979, and has given presentations on pilot physiology for the Soaring Society of America and other organizations. Dan published a March, 2002, Hang Gliding article on understanding thirst and flying, “The NonDrinking Pilot.” Grant Hoag is a late-forties California hang-gliding pilot. He has shamelessly revised Dan’s notes for the hang-gliding community.

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Election Time: USHGA Board of Director Candidate Biographies Nine of USHGA’s 12 Regions face elections this year and it’s time to cast your vote. You’ll find your ballot on the outside ‘wrapper’ of this magazine. After you read through the candidate statements below, cast your vote for the candidate(s) of your choice in your region. Here is a list of the candidates, followed by the complete text of their individual statements. Region 1 (one position to fill): Mark Forbes (incumbent)

Region 2 (two positions to fill): David Beerman, Paul Gazis, Urs Kellenberger, John Wilde (incumbent)

Region 3 (two positions to fill): John Greynald (incumbent), John “Tad” Hurst

Region 4 (one position to fill): Jennifer Beach, Ed Bennett, James Zeiset (incumbent),

Region 5 (one position to fill): Alan Paylor, Lisa Tate

Region 6 (one position to fill): Len Smith (incumbent)

Region 9 (one position to fill): David R. “Randy” Leggett (incumbent)

Region 10 (one position to fill): Matt Taber (incumbent)

Regional 11 (one position to fill): David Broyles 34

Region 1, Mark Forbes (incumbent) It’s been an interesting couple of years, and it’s election time again. I’d like to continue to represent the pilots of the Northwest and Alaska, so I’d ask you to take a moment to vote in this election. Whether you vote for me, or for someone else, it’s important that you make your choice known. Your vote is feedback that tells the board members whether we’re doing what you want, or not. Communication is an area that needs continued attention, and I want to improve it. We’ve taken some steps to get more and better information to our members, and I want to continue and expand on those efforts. I’d like to increase the use of on-line polls to get a sense of what pilots think, and I’ll continue to encourage membership votes on issues that could prove controversial. I’ve been trying to make sure I keep in touch via email and mailing lists, and if I’ve failed to do that, let me know so I can do a better job. I hope you got a chance to read some of the live-on-line reports from the board meeting, and I think that’s something we should continue doing. It was great! I was just elected as USHGA Vice President at the fall board meeting, so I’m looking forward to learning how best to fill the role left for me by outgoing VP Jim Zeiset. I’m also chairing the insurance and elections committees, and as part of that I’ll be writing some articles about those subjects for the magazine. USHGA is in much better financial shape now, thanks to good management over the past few years. We’ll be able to spend a little money on marketing our sport, and I hope that will help us to attract new pilots to the sport and keep them for the long term. Our member base is holding steady,

though we’re not adding new members at an adequate rate for our long-term health. We need to fix that, and soon. We all need to be thinking about ways we can bring new pilots in, and how we can do that without spending a fortune (which we don’t have). There are a lot of challenges ahead of us in the next two years. FAA and airspace issues continue to be of concern, membership retention and the training of new pilots is a critical issue, and we’ve got some work ahead to write procedures that accommodate the use of powered harnesses for launch assistance, without compromising our core values as soaring pilots. We can do these things, but we all have to work together to make them happen. Whether we’re flying hang gliders, paragliders or rigid wings, and regardless of how we get them into the air, we share many more similarities than differences. I’d like your vote for me as regional director, to guide our Association into a successful future.

Region 2, David Beerman I’ve been flying a hang glider regularly since the summer of 1974. In the winter of ‘75, I experienced my one and only hang gliding-related injury—a broken metatarsal, which left me hang gliding with a cast on my foot for 6 weeks. The last time I damaged a glider that I was flying was in ‘86. So, as you might guess, I tend to be rather cautious about when, where and how I fly. I’ve been flying my WW XC since 1996. I live near Mount Tam in the San Francisco Bay area, and most of my flying these days is done near home. Currently, as President of the Marin County Hang Gliding Association, I have organized and modernized the local club, gaining the enthusiastic support of its members. December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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I enjoy a number of other sports besides hang gliding, including: flying other sorts of aircraft, windsurfing, skiing, and driving motorcycles. However, I do not think it is advantageous to include any of these other sports within USHGA. It is my opinion that the sport of powerless free flight is already becoming too diluted within USHGA. It is time to re-examine the direction and purpose of our national club. Just how much of aviation should USHGA encompass? The answer is no longer clear. If elected Regional Director, I will work to make the club more responsive to the desires of the membership.

Region 2, Paul Gazis Many of you may know me already. In mundane life I have a secret identity as a physicist at NASA, but when I sneak into a nearby phone booth and put on my harness to become a pilot…. I’ve been flying since—ye gods!—1986? Were there PEOPLE then? That was shortly after mankind mastered the use of fire, stone tools, and primitive double surfaced wings. As I recall, it was an exciting time. After all, that fire can be tricky stuff! This sport has given me a lot over the years—excitement, camaraderie, good friends, awesome days, great flights, and a noteworthy collection of bent and broken downtubes. I’d like to give back something in return. (Well, maybe not the broken downtubes). I’ve served for many years as newsletter editor for the Wings of Rogallo, and I was even a Regional Director in the distant past, around the time of the Neolithic Revolution, when pilots were abandoning a life of hunting and gathering to develop the rudiments of agriculture. After talking with other pilots in Region 2, I feel that the biggest issues facing our organization these days may be the perennial ones of communications, keeping things running smoothly and well, and declining Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

membership. I don’t have any magic bullets to solve them, because… I’m still trying to get all this ‘fire’ business sorted out. But I’m willing to keep plugging away with whatever I’ve got until we do.

Region 2, Urs Kellenberger I know many pilots in Region 2 and I look forward to meeting many more. I have been flying hang gliders since 1988, and have had a private pilots license since 1997. I have been a club officer for two clubs, holding various positions for a total of about eight years. I think we have the most diverse and best flying sites in the world. We need to keep these sites open, and find new sites since our wings can now reach previously unreachable LZs. My goal is to help the local clubs find these new sites while keeping current sites open with USHGA’s help and support. I propose a new site packet that could help both clubs and individuals approach landowners with confidence. Our current safety record with publicly-owned sites can help to open future public sites. A pilot-mentoring program can help to recruit and retain new pilots. Senior pilots would work to support new pilots to give them the confidence to continue with our sport. I am here to represent the Region 2 pilots and what is important to you.

Region 2, John Wilde (incumbent) If nominated, I will run. If elected, I will serve.

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Region 3, John Greynald (incumbent) I have been a Region 3 director for the last six years and would like to continue as a USHGA board member so I can represent the best interest of the pilots in our Region. I am motivated to contribute to the sport because I would like to see more people become HG and PG pilots, and have their lives enriched as ours have been. Also, being a director can be satisfying because one can really make a difference. There are so many challenges and tasks facing our sport both regionally and nationally, almost anything a fair minded director contributes to the USHGA board or toward regional flying development will affect positive change for the people we prefer to spend most of our free (flight) time with. I started flying in 1981 and have accumulated around 3,500 hours of airtime since then, mostly foot-launching HG’s from So Cal mountain sites. I was competing at the national level for most of the 1990s, and have flown in many states and several countries. So I have seen many different areas where our sport has flourished, and I’ve seen where it has withered. These experiences help to maintain a perspective that is needed when dealing with the many issues confronting us. Because I am not involved with a school or HG/PG business I may not be as driven as some other directors. But my lack of commercial connections is useful when biased viewpoints cause problems. In the 1970s, Southern California was the epicenter of the boom in footlaunched flying. Real estate development and a lack of new blood is turning that boom into a potential bust. Those of you who feel that your local flying site is secure and too crowded, and that the local schools are busy enough, may not agree with me. But when considering 35

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how fragile our established sites really are, and knowing how most of our productive instructors regularly consider getting into more lucrative professions, I’m going to continue to support the schools and promote the positive public relations needed for site development and preservation. With the population exploding around us, if we don’t get more new pilots, we will lose the critical mass necessary to keep our sport healthy within the region. I don’t want to suggest that the future of our passion is doomed, but a realistic attitude is important when trying to get pilots to promote the sport before we lose the pilot base required to get the public support we need. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you need help with site acquisition and site preservation projects. I’ve been working on flying site issues with public and private landowners/managers for over 15 years. Often, public officials are more agreeable when they see how a similar site is successfully managed. Concerned about USHGA policies or direction? Call me, and I’ll promise to voice your suggestions at the following board meeting. (805) 682-3483.

the Torrey Pines Soaring Council, Vice President of the Torrey Pines Advisory Board. In addition, I have been an active member of the Crestline Soaring Society. Through these organizations, I have worked to promote harmony among the enthusiasts of the various flying disciplines (including the pilots of hang gliders, paragliders, sail planes, and RC planes), and the landowners and governmental agencies that affect and are affected by our flying. As a regional director, I would continue to promote our sport on a regional and national basis in the same manner I have worked in the San Diego area. I believe USHGA will be best able to support our common desire to fly foot-launchable, ultra-light craft if we maintain and promote a high level of unity among our members. I have made myself available for the position of regional director because Alan Chuculate, one of the incumbents, has decided not to continue. I have been a supporter of Alan, and I would continue to support him had he decided to continue. I support the re-election of John Greynald (incumbent) as well.

Region 3, John “Tad” Hurst I am a family man, and an active member of Torrey Pines Christian Church. I am the CTO of ChemNavigator, a small biotechsector company that produces and uses Computer-aided Drug Design Software, and I am an amateur meteorologist. I have been a member of USHGA for over 5 years. I have a master rating in paragliding and a Hang 3 hang gliding rating. I hold appointments as a paragliding instructor and tandem instructor. Over the past several years, I have worked as a volunteer in several capacities in the San Diego area. I hold the positions of Vice President of the San Diego Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Secretary of 36

Region 4, Jennifer Beach What is a Hang-2 doing running for Regional Director? As passionate as I am for the air, I am as passionate for ensuring the voices of pilots are heard at all levels of our organizations. My relative newness to the community serves to question established ways and often results in improvements. For the past three years I have served as the President of the Rocky Mountain Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association.

We’ve grown in that time from 72 members to more than 140 members. Our club has been through some rough times in the past couple of years that have served to hone my leadership, negotiation, and public relations skills. The club remains cohesive and focused on site preservation and pilot safety. My novice rating has not stopped me from learning about the operations of our national organization. I was elected as an Honorary Director to the USHGA Board of Directors in March of this year. I took my role seriously and have read the Articles of Incorporation and SOPs cover-to-cover, committing much of it to memory. This task has helped me to keep my eyes open as to the duties and expectations of a Regional Director. I understand the job can take a couple to many hours of my time each week, and as the members of the local club have seen, I’m willing to dedicate whatever time is necessary to see issues through to resolution. It is the wants and needs of the pilots in our region that I would like to represent at the national level. My track record with the Front Range pilots indicates a capacity for leadership in harmony with the desires of the majority of members. My tenacity and energy are boundless. I would be honored if you would elect me as your Regional Director and will honor that relationship with open two-way communication. This is your organization. I would appreciate the opportunity to be the voice that articulates your needs.

Region 4, Ed Bennett My name is Ed Bennett and I want to be the next Region 4 Director. Discovering hang gliding has been one of the best things to ever happen in my life. An actual life-changing thing, and I would love to be able to give back everything I can. That’s why I quit my career job and moved here to become an instructor —I love to see people fly. Now I want to give back even more. December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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I’m a Hang-3 with just over 80 hours, which probably means I’m a rookie pilot relative to the average RD, but so what? I don’t think we elect RDs to read their logbook, you know what I mean? It’s about different things at that level, and I believe I am more than capable of rising to the challenges. I believe that the best proponents of free flight are the pilots, and the best way to improve every aspect of free flight is to listen to the pilots and respect who they really are: the owners and primary customer of the USHGA. I’m a very high tech type of guy, and I totally dig on the value the internet can provide as a communication tool. Therefore, when you elect me you can expect email forums so that we can all keep in touch. Online polls and surveys will help me understand the subtleties of feelings out there, which I will need to be effective. I will need to hear from the region on different topics and to let everyone know stuff from time to time. But I’m not the type to do paper or oneway burst emails. You can also expect a regional meeting because, in the end, the internet —despite the amazing things you can do with it—isn’t real life. In fact, how about we look into doing a regional fun fly-in and meeting out at Four Corners? Nationally I would hope to do the same. One does not join a body of elected representatives and get to pick and choose what one works on. But whatever I am expected to do will be done according to the desires of this region, and will take advantage of the internet to facilitate my work. Okay, so let’s talk. Go to http://groups. yahoo.com/group/ushga-region4/ and sign up even if you already know you ain’t voting for me. That way I’ll probably be able to catch a clue when I’m whooped.

Region 4, Jim Zeiset (incumbent)

products for the viticulture industry from rejected milk carton material.

I have decided to run for an 11th term as Region 4 Director this Fall. I have represented the pilots from the four-state region (Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico) for the past 20 years. During this time I have helped steer the USHGA through some very trying times. I served as the Interim Executive Director in the late ‘80s during our financial crisis when the office was still located in Pear Blossom, California. I was significantly involved in the move to Colorado and served as Interim Executive Director in the weeks after the move. I have been a member of the search committee that hired the last three Executive Directors.

My interest in protecting pilots’ rights to free flight and access their flying sites is deeply engrained in my personal flying philosophy. Your vote for me for Region 4 Director will help insure experienced representation.

I have been involved in the leadership of the Board of Directors, serving as Vice President in 1994/95, President in 2001/2 and again as Vice President and Alternate CIVL Delegate in 2003. I currently serve as the USHGA CIVL Delegate. The President of the BOD has appointed me to the position of CIVL Delegate. My qualifications to represent the USHGA at the international level stem from experience as Team Leader for three different World Teams and the experience gained as Organizer and Meet Director for the 1993 Owens Valley World Championships. As a competitor, I represented the USHGA at the last three Rigid World Championships. In the past 12 years I was Team Leader for the Green Team and competed with them in 9 CIVL Sanctioned Championships. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Wichita State University and support my flying habit by operating Monarch Mfg, Inc. I started the business in my garage soon after college and manufacture paper

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Region 5, Alan Paylor My name is Alan Paylor and I live in Moore, Idaho. We (my incredible wife Gail and I) decided to live at King Mountain, open a small flying school, and a store for visiting pilots. King Mountain Gliders (KMG), LLC, is one of the few things in life I truly enjoy. I believe KMG will only enhance my Region 5’s Regional Director (RD) responsibilities through interaction with hang gliding and paragliding (HG/PG) participants. I’ve been hang gliding for over 20 years. I am a current basic instructor, and tandem rated pilot. I love towing, and tow every chance possible. Aerotowing should be a reality soon at King Mountain Gliders. I’m easily assessable, stop by the KMG Store, check out our web site www.kingmountaingliders.com, or call (208) 390-0205. You can e-mail me anytime if you want my honest opinion(s) on any issue related to flying. Besides living near King Mountain and flying a lot, I’m very involved with HG/PG in many ways; a few examples are snowplowing roads to launch, building and placing wind socks, sponsoring local flying events, helping/ briefing visiting pilots, attending chamber of commerce meetings, city council meetings, forest service meetings, visiting other flying events, or just helping out during the annual King Mountain Competition. Not to mention explaining to non-USHGA members the benefits of contributing, which really takes a lot of time. 37

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It’s very important to recognize our previous RD, Frank Gillette. His long dedication and hard work for both HG and PG will never be forgotten. As your new Region 5 RD, here are a few things I will do: First, I will work with you for the common good and well being of HG “AND” PG. I will not interfere with other regions by poking my nose into their affairs, and other RDs shouldn’t mess with our region. USHGA is designed to benefit all free flight pilots and if you circumvent this by blabbing on the internet or calling local offices in other regions, you do more harm than good. Region 5 has enough challenges of our own and I’m sure the other regions do too. Second, I’ll do my best to keep you informed on issues. If you have a question and I do not know the answer, I’ll look you in the eye and tell you “I do not honestly know, but I’ll find out” and I WILL get back to you as soon as possible. You can bet on it! Third, I’m very authoritative, outspoken at times, and can get any job completed successfully and on time. Fourth, You can rest assured I will enthusiastically endeavor to accomplish all RD responsibilities (all five pages of them; check out ushga.org—the list is endless) because preserving, while advancing both HG and PG is my top priority. Fifth, I’ll take ALL your suggestions or comments for improving USHGA and Region 5 and act upon them accordingly. Lastly, I can devote all the time necessary to the RD position because HG and PG is what I do full time. What can I do to make things better for us in our flying future? Here’s where I stand. (1) I will monitor, stay up to date, and improve upon all of our issues. (2) We must keep our insured flying sites open to all pilots who support local clubs and USHGA. (3) Even the uninsured sites must be protected through our efforts and 38

control. (4) I will not tolerate hypocrites who condemn USHGA and local sites while they openly fail to support any conscious improvement. (5) Most importantly, I will do everything possible to ensure all flying sites in Region 5 stay open to both HG/PG. (6) At the same time recruit new members and open more flying sites around our region. (7) I voted “NO” on the PPG because of the power issue alone. (8) I want to change the name of USHGA to a better marketable name that supports both HG/PG. Region 5 needs an RD who can get things done and keep the gliders flying at our sites. Vote for me and I’ll work for you.

Region 5, Lisa Tate I first became involved in hang gliding in 1978. I saw the sport while horseback riding and knew I wanted to do it. I bought my first glider in 1979 out of the newspaper. It was a Fledge 2B. The guy told me he would teach me to fly it if I bought it, but I never saw him again. I bought a couple more inappropriate gliders and spent a little time trying to teach myself to fly. Finally I bought a real glider and went to a real school for lessons. Looking back I feel very fortunate to have been able to travel and meet fellow pilots from all over the world. I have flown at 69 sites in the US and abroad and am always interested in traveling to more. I have seen a lot of good and bad in the sport over those 20+ years. I am running for Regional Director because I hope to help the sport that has become my life’s passion. I am not new to the workings of USHGA as I served as an Honorary Director from 1983 to 1990. During that time I was an active member of the Membership & Development, Safety and Training, and Competition Committees.

I served as Chairman of the Public Relations Committee and was awarded the Exceptional Service Award by USHGA in 1989 for my efforts in Public Relations. Aside from my previous work on the BOD, I have been involved in the organization and /or running of ICP’s and numerous competitions and fly-ins. These include local fun events, Regional Championships, the U.S. Nationals, Southern California League Meet, Owens Valley Classic, and most recently, the King Mountain Championships. I was the U.S. Distributor for LaMouette products in the late 1980’s and I currently own a small paragliding and hang gliding related gift and trophy business, Soaring Dreams. My personal and professional background is very diverse. My formal education has focused on Marketing, Fine Art and Zoology. I am currently in my final year of obtaining my Master of Business Administration / Enology degree from UC Davis. Professionally I have worked in marketing, magazine publishing, ranching, aviculture, business development & negotiations, zoology and endangered species conservation. If elected to the BOD I would like to focus on issues I feel are urgent and critical to the sport: site preservation, membership support and development, positive growth, and ethics. Anyone interested in contacting me directly with questions or concerns is welcome to email me at: lisa@soaringdreamsart.com or call me at (208) 376-7914

Region 6, Len Smith (Incumbent) My name is Len Smith. My opening words are: Please vote! We had only 12 December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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people vote in the election two years ago. Hopefully there will be more than one candidate in the election. But even if there is only one, you send a strong message with your vote. Twelve votes from a region sends a big message and it’s not a good one! I know that most of you don’t know me, particularly since I was not elected into this Director position at the last election. I took over at the request of the former director with the approval of the Board of Directors during the Fall 2002 board meeting in Orlando. When I took on the role of RD, it was with the understanding in my mind that I was representing the people in my region. My frustration is in my inability to have good contact with you. It is a major challenge that I continue to face. We only have one chapter in our region, a situation that I will be addressing soon (even if I am not your Director). I’ve been flying hang gliders since 1978 when I bought my first one in upstate New York. I was fortunate enough to find someone who could get me started. After about a year and a half on the training hill, I moved to central Nevada where there was a 2200-foot mountain in my backyard that I struggled on for a year and a half. I moved to Northern California where I met someone who was able to clue me in to thermal soaring and then, after another year and a half, moved back to Nevada to really fly that big mountain. I moved from Nevada to Texas for a one-year stay in the Houston area where I did a little fixed length truck towing and some boat towing. That was fun. The next year I moved to New Jersey for a little more boat towing. Then I moved to the Middle East and was out of flying for five years from 1986 to 1991. While there I got married and we had two children, both girls. Our third daughter was born in 1994 while I was performing my duties as Meet Director at a hang gliding regional competition about five hours away from home. My wife never lets me forget that fact, but in all fairness, I had asked her not to have the baby on that Labor Day weekend Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

I was elected President of the Houston Hang Gliding Association in 1994 and continued until I left in 2000, with one year off (1997) when I was in the UK on a job assignment. I very much enjoyed the platform towing we did. I also learned how to tow paragliders using the same launch system. Later, aerotowing moved into the area and most of us learned how to tow up behind a tug. I’ve flown Magazine Mountain and Buffalo Mountain each on several occasions and almost flew Nebo but elected to break down under very light conditions. We moved here to Kansas in 2000. Several of us hang glider pilots here decided to purchase a tow plane and set up an aerotowing operation. While the operation was growing, I went after and achieved my instructor rating and then put wheels on a tandem glider bought for this purpose. Although I haven’t been at it long, I’ve found that I very much enjoy instructing. I know I have a lot to learn about the process but feel that I have what it takes to turn someone into a safe, competent pilot. I have not yet tried paragliding. It would be very satisfying to me to find a way for the HG and PG pilots to fly happily together and sincerely feel that the issues facing our organization today affect both modes nearly equally. The primary issue faced by Region 6 is the very small pilot population base. We are less than 150 people. It is my objective to become acquainted with our widespread flying communities and to try to develop ideas for bringing people into our sports. That is one of the main reasons for obtaining the Instructor rating. If elected, I will faithfully attend the board meetings while representing the majority opinion in our region. Once again, please show your interest in our national organization and the great sports it represents by putting your Director Election Ballot in the mail! May your Thoughts Soar!

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Region 9, David R. “Randy” Leggett I look forward to my third term as a director for Region 9. During my last term I was elected to serve as Treasurer and chairman of the Finance Committee. Working closely with our Executive Director and Executive Committee has been an interesting and enjoyable experience. My work continues with the USHGA Site Committee and the United States Hang Gliding Foundation. I ask all the Region “9ers” to support my directorship and to all USHGA members to support the USHGF with their taxdeductible contributions. I have been an active member of the USHGA (#33069) since the early 1980s (1981?) and concurrently a member of the Water Gap Hang Gliding Club, USHGA Chapter 44.

Region 10, Matt Taber (incumbent) I see many challenges for our organization in the near future. I feel that USHGA needs to focus on membership retention and getting new members. For USHGA to continue to be a viable organization we need to have a minimum number of members and the membership trends are disturbing. Other issues that continually challenge our organization are keeping sites open and getting new sites. To go with our need for flying sites is the continuing availability of affordable insurance—the two go hand-in-hand. The air space that we fly in will be an increasingly important issue for the USHGA to focus on. Communication with members seems to be an on-going issue that needs to be improved. As a hang gliding business owner, these issues affect me greatly; they also affect you, the pilot. As your Region 10 director for many years, I understand how the USHGA works and I feel that I also know 39

Chris Santacroce and Othar Lawrence throwin’ down a sychronized spiral at the Red Bull Vertigo event in 2002. photo: DENIS BALIBOUSE

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what doesn’t work. I am motivated to help the organization focus on the necessary priorities. I am also motivated to look out for the pilots and sites. I am very available and very easily reached. I appreciate the support in the past and hope that you will continue to support my efforts.

Region 11, Dave Broyles My dad was a pilot and an engineer. I grew up planning to be a pilot and an engineer. Life is funny. I learned to fly airplanes when I was a kid, but became one of the early hang glider pilots. Ten years ago, I also became a paraglider pilot. Hang gliders and paragliders instead of Cessnas and Piper Cubs. I didn’t become an engineer either. My dad never quite understood, but the reason was because he never flew a hang glider, soaring in the sky on power from the sun and gliding cross-country. I fly hang gliders because I love to soar. The engineer thing is a story for another time. As Director of Region 11, I will protect the sport. I wouldn’t know what to do if I couldn’t fly. I know all of you feel the same. There are a lot of things changing right now, and one of them is that the FAA is paying a lot of attention to the sort of job the USHGA is doing. I think that is extremely important for us to work to keep a good relationship with the FAA so that it will not change the FARs to limit or prohibit our sport. Our sport needs to grow. To promote our sport, Sam Kellner, Dan Bereczki, David Glover and I are working to make hang gliding and paragliding exciting by having a 2004 National Hang Gliding and Paragliding Fly-In at Leakey, Texas next summer. The USHGA is your organization and you deserve good representation. I will work for you to support the sport.

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my opinion. I am a very accomplished pilot, but fate is a hunter, and I need not make myself a target more often than necessary. Mid-day conditions can smack ANY pilot.

5) Once in the air, I keep a safe landing area within a glide ratio equal to half of what I expect my effective glide ratio to be in the most unfavorable conditions that I think could develop.

This outlook comes from 30 years of pulling off many amazing saves, recoveries, miracles, etc. But that’s not necessarily good. Mike Meier once wrote an exceptional article that pointed out that the practice of “getting away with, or pulling off amazing saves” in dangerous situations does not mean you are doing the right things. The practice of placing yourself in potentially perilous situations WILL catch up with you—and the fact that we repeatedly get away with close calls is a vicious form of negative reinforcement. So the point is, choosing safe conditions to fly in for your ability and comfort level is 95% of the game of safety.

6) In the air, I don’t let myself get into a position where I could hit the terrain or any other aircraft, or in which any other aircraft could hit me. 7) I do my best to execute each approach and landing perfectly. Continues on page 59…

Mike Meier, Wills Wing 1) I don’t fly if I have any doubt about my ability to handle the conditions that are present or that may develop. 2) I do a complete preflight of my equipment before each flight. 3) Before I begin the launch sequence, I lift the glider sharply upwards and check that both my harness leg straps go tight. This confirms that I am both hooked in, and that my legs are in the harness straps. 4) I don’t start my launch run until the wind speed and direction, as well as the balance and feel of the glider, are such that I am absolutely confident that the launch will be successful. December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

D H E P G A W R TO M R EL N D T S

razil is in the unique position of having back-to-back world meets. We just finished the hang-gliding Worlds in Brasilia, and will gear up ffor or the paragliding pre-worlds at Govenador Valadares in March. In between, the country leads the world in free-wheeling, free-living, and free-flying enthusiasm. I just returned from a month-long sojourn in this South American dynamo and would like to offer a brief roundup of the world meet and random observations on flying in the land of garotas, caimans and anacondas.

Hang-Gliding Championship Meet Every flying day begins with a flurry of activity as soon as the window opens. Pilots queue up to have their moment of truth on the rim of the Paranã valley. This serene valley stretches north and south, 70 km northeast of the country’s capital, Brasilia. The 110 competitors jump off into bubbling conditions and jockey for altitude awaiting the start gate. Separate swarms form near the gate while the clock ticks down, then they’re off when the magic moment arrives. Like a bustle of bees seeking the best flowers, the leaders fan out in a quest for the next nourishing lift, then swarm again and again in a determined scramble for the lead. Stragglers drop off the pace with each new dash-and-climb until only a handful are left to cross goal in a blaze of glory to the thrill of the crowd. The Paranã/Brasilia site has been used for 20 years as a competition site, and the home boys love it, although it has its peculiarities and challenges. Typically, the wind comes in strong in the morning, aided by the northern sun heating the valley. But by 2:00 p.m., things often begin to shut down on the ridge, while the plateau that stretches to the west picks up the slack.

A Recounting of the Past and Future World Meets Text and photos Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003 By Dennis Pagen

The trick is to get off and on-course just before the ridge lift quits and just after the flats kick off. Most pilots were successful and this year I saw only a handful descend in anguish to the valley below with its hot, dry inhospitality and its gruesome two-hour turnaround. Most tasks zigged and zagged over the Brazilian altoplano to end up in downtown Brasilia. As detailed last year, this is a planned city—the combined efforts of the two sides of a Jekyll and Hyde 43

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character. In a fit of inspiration, the designer laid the city out as the top view of an airplane. The north and south asas (wings) are parallel boulevards, lined with shops and housing. The “fuselage” is a large esplanade, which ends in a “cockpit” containing the administration buildings of the nation’s government. The landing field was smack in the midst of the city on the first-class section, up front. It was fascinating to see the gliders arriving at goal with the famous double-bowl parliament building as a backdrop. Just like last year, crowds of the Brazilian cognoscenti, vendors, school kids and single garotas (young ladies) turned out to watch the spectacle every day. Top finishing US pilot Curt Warren in the landing field baiting the ladies.

Top French pilot Antoine Bossilier in the Esplanade goal.

Two legends— Steve and Bill Moyes in the Brasilia landing field.

The evil aspect of the designer’s mind comes out when you try to go anywhere. You are only able to make right turns. So when we wanted to simply head left to go to launch, we had to turn right, arch around across the esplanade, make a few more right-turn maneuvers, and finally end up on the road we needed that runs a block from headquarters. Obviously this town was conceived long before any oil crisis. Brazil is a sports-fanatic country. Whereas in the U.S., the average schmo with some free time plumps down in front of mindnumbing TV, the average Brasiliero is likely to go out jogging or

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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W O R L D S Third place pilot, Nene Rotor (Brazil), showing winning technique on a Will Wing Talon

kicking around the futebol. It was a heartwarming sight to run around the track loops in the central park accompanied by a bevy of beauties. All this translates to an admiration of those adept at an outdoor pastime. Hang- glider pilots were awarded the attention from the youthful hoi polloi normally reserved for rock stars. There was so much attention awarded, in fact, that, uh well, we’ll have to leave the details to your active imagination. The meet went well from a production point. The first few days were magnificent. On a long task, we had 99 pilots at goal! Following that, we called a 192-km (120 mile) task, which the winner finished in 3hoursr, 54 minutes. That’s an average speed of over 30 mph. Later in the week, a rogue cold front pushed in from the south only to linger like an unwanted chaperone on a first date. The conditions were weaker with periods of rain, but we persevered and pulled off 10 rounds in two weeks. Any more flying than that and the pilots would have had to seriously compromise their party time. In general, the meet went well for certain perennials, but not for the U.S. crew. In the long run, Manfred Ruhmer won handily. This is his third World Championship win in a row, and he still reigns invincibly. He won some days, but most especially he was consistent. On the toughest day of all, when no one made goal, he went the furthest. The ability to both race and scratch with an edge is what makes him the all-around best. He can probably sustain this amazing performance as long as he wants, but he told me that he won’t be at the next meet. We’ll see if this attitude lasts. The U.S. came into the meet with the appearance of great potential. We had a strong team with Paris Williams given a good chance to give Manfred a run for his dinheiro. Unfortunately, Paris ran into some bad luck on the very first round and didn’t make goal. This disappointing result forced him to race and take chances on subsequent rounds. But the odds are not favorable when you are rolling the dice against the best in the world, so Paris met with mixed success. But he gamely fought on and was in with the blazers on some days.

A pilot launches into the cloud studded sky at Parana.

Making international friends is the best part of a World Meet. Left to right: Claudia from Columbia, Alberto from Spain, Heather from Australia and Flavio from Italy

International friends, Curt and Paris (US), Claudia (Colombia) and Antoine (France) The hotel yards were littered with pilots putting their gliders together on arrival US pilot Curt Warren ready to rock and roll

More successful was party animal Curt Warren. He finished second in this year’s nationals and surprised us all in his first world meet. He took a respectable 10th place and often led the pack when probing for lift. If he doesn’t move to Brazil where he left his heart, he’ll be a contender from hell. The rest of the team, Mike Barber, Carlos Bessa, Jerz Rossignol and Kari Castle, had mixed success in the varied conditions. Mike analyzed it this way: “We are great at the racing conditions, but when it gets to short-legged technical conditions, we suck.” Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

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Well, I wouldn’t be so harsh in judgment, but our 8th-place team showing was a disappointment. The reality is that some of the teams (Austrian, Brazilian and French, for example) are composed of 3 to 5 members who are in the top 20 in the world. It’s hard to beat an excess of talent! The World Meet is now just a memory. In fact, only the winner will be remembered in a year or two. But what lingers is the friendships and liaisons made at such a multicultural event. It is great to make friends with pilots from all over the world who share an equal enthusiasm and passion for our great sport. What better place to get together than Brazil, where even the capital city spreads its wings.

More Adventures Our Brazilian sojourn doesn’t end with the World Meet. Some of us stayed on to explore more of the country’s possibilities. In fact, I was torn between going to the Amazon, going to the beach at Porto Segura, going to the competition in Ceará state or heading south with some Brazilian pilots. Those that went to Ceará were treated to a movable feast: they flew from town to town with parties waiting for them at each step of the way. After four days of flying, they ended up at the beach at Forteleza on the north coast of Brazil. All their hotels and food were comp’ed by the towns, and every pilot won prize money. The one who walked away with the most marbles was none other than Curt Warren. What a guy! I didn’t miss much fun, since I went to Atibaia, about 11 hours south of Brasilia by car. This city of 100,000 sits below a huge granite outcropping known locally as “The Rock.” The town itself rocks, as the local pilot community, consisting of scores of hang and para pilots, are the center of activity. The city has purchased a landing field at the edge of town for permanent use of the pilots. A hang-glider/paraglider shop sits at one end of the field and the clubhouse sits on one side. Restaurants and outdoor cafes complete the amenities. This is the place to be on a weekend, as many of the town’s active set turns out to watch the flying activities and mix with the sky tribe. I had a new Litespeed S to fly for a write-up and was eager for airtime. I really appreciated the enthusiasm for flying exhibited by the local pilots and my friend Michael Cipra, who ferried me around, housed me, and introduced me to the nightlife. The flying was wonderful as we soared The Rock and another site named Extrema. I was waiting for some incredible challenge at this latter site, but it turns out that Extrema is the name of the town nestled below the flying mountain. continues on page 47… 46

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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On The Rock, we just launched off the gradually curving granite. One day it was blowing complete tail. No problem— we merely jumped off the backside and went down the drain through a gap. After zooming away from the mountain to get away from any ugliness, we all picked up leeside thermals offering a lift to cloud base. My flights were little cross-country triangles within 15 miles of the town, but others took full advantage of the early spring flying and racked up some kilometers. I was content to land back at the home port and wallow in the decadence of the party zone. A competition pilot surveys the prospects. At Extrema, I saw a pilot’s takeoff fantasy: two ramps placed on either side of the narrow mountain were very well built and as large as a ballroom dance floor with a flat section and a perfect slope. You could literally set up or lay out three gliders on each ramp. The Sequatchie Valley ramp in Tennessee may be sexier, but these ramps were impressive by their sheer titanic dimensions. When I asked where such wonderful facilities came from, the reply was simply “the town”—as if that was expected.

The nights in Atibaia have their own special charm. But other than mention the incredible meals and dancing various forms of forro (the native dance), I’ll pass on the details. It’s a sure thing that I’ll be back. In fact, the flying is so good in this part of Brazil that I have hooked up with a Brazilian pilot to put together some flying tours. You won’t want to miss the flying in the land of too much fun.

What about the PG Worlds? See the sidebar next page…

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

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THE PARAGLIDING WORLDS In March, Brazil will again play host to a flock of foreigners, all vying in the sky to become the ace of the year. Paraglider pilots will descend on the lively little town of Govenador Valadares for the pre-worlds. This venue has seen many meets come and go, including PWC stages and hang-gliding world meets. I have flown there on several different occasions and fondly consider it to be one of my favorite places to fly. Cross-country routes extend in almost every direction, and ample landing fields are everywhere (especially if you can land on a slope). It’s the thermals that make me dream of GV, however. They are strewn like pebbles on a beach across the terrain that stretches like a lumpy green carpet away from the central launch volcano. They are big, gentle and tall with a crown of friendly cumulus.

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 48 goes live.

At launch, many gliders can leap in unison on either side of the huge takeoff area. Often, the wind is coming up both sides of the peak, and flying in general takes place in light-to-nothing winds. Triangle flights are the order of the day. All the way, you are accompanied by the ubiquitous urubus (black vultures) that serve as thermal markers and escorts to the next spot of lift. In my estimation, Valadares is the perfect place to fly, and that’s without even considering the legendary night life. I could go on and on about the attractions of Brazil for adventuresome pilots, but I would begin to sound like a repetitive rapper overstating the point. Pilots who have been to Brazil know what I’m talking about. Those who have never been won’t know what they are missing until they take a trip to this southern gem and sample the high and nightlife in the land of free-wheeling, free-living, and free-flying.

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 • December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding USA • (no credit cards or phone orders)

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�� By Kay Tauscher Photography by Drew Ludwig

changed much. It’s still the old mining town with a ski resort polish. As you drive into town, you feel as though you’re stepping back in time with all the historic buildings lining Main Street and the small mountain-town feel. The chill of fall was in the air, which along with my nervousness and excitement, literally made me shiver in anticipation.

I learned to fly in Aspen, about as close in flying style as you can get to Telluride. I like thin air and edgy thermals. I guess you could say that I love abuse. As September approached, my goal seemed an over-whelming task. I had no oxygen system (recommended for this site) and no extra money to buy one. Furthermore, I had no one to watch my four-year-old son (no easy chore), and I hadn’t gotten the previous competition experience this summer that I had yearned for. The closer the comp date came, the further my goal seemed to slip through my hands.

I managed to arrive in town by Monday, the second practice day, which turned out to be the best flying we had all week. I woke up early and walked to Baked in Telluride (a Telluride institution) for a croissant and coffee. Afterward, we loaded (or should I say “crammed”) into the Suburbans and headed to launch.

“Personal Goal #3 for 2003: Fly Nationals in Telluride, Colorado” his was on my list of personal goals for this year. As a newly-certified P4 pilot from Boulder, Colorado, Telluride seemed a good place for me: high-altitude mountain flying—my forte.

Then, within days of the start of the competition, things began to fall together in a way that only happens when something is meant to be. A hang-gliding friend offered me his oxygen system (he happened to have it in his car—what luck). Then, the Saturday before the comp began, a close friend offered to keep my son for the week (truly a miracle). Another friend offered to care for our old ailing dog. Several pilot friends who’ve flown in previous Nationals had been encouraging me to fly, despite my lack of competition experience. It seemed to me that the Gods were smiling on me that week. So, I smiled back and drove to Telluride. Telluride The last time I’d been to Telluride was five years ago. It hadn’t Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

Overwhelmed That pretty much sums up how I felt at launch the first couple of days. Just getting a handle on all the added gear was in itself a challenge. The oxygen system, although needed, is generally bulky and heavy. The tank fills up half of your backpack cavity and the tubing had to be downright wrangled. And then there was the oxygen regulator, my GPS (which I had yet to master), and my vario. Clearly, just knowing how to deal with all this gear is half the battle in a comp. The old-timers were obviously comfortable with their pre-comp launch preparations. We newcomers were flailing a bit. On top of all of this, there was the matter of being prepared if you landed in the very remote San Juan Mountains, very likely out of radio or cell phone contact. You needed to have enough warm clothes, food and water (ideally) to hike out on your own if need be. And don’t forget your tree-rescue kit. 49

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With all these extras, I would guess that most of us were flying a good 15 to 20 pounds heavier than usual. Just the feel of your harness as you waddled to launch was awkward. Add in the #@%!! butterflies in your stomach and you begin to get the picture. All this gets topped off with the thought of launching in

front of about 75 people, many of who are some of the including many of the top pilots in the world, and almost all of whom have more flying experience than me. Right—and then there is the fact that you get about 30 seconds to launch before being hassled by the Launch Crew or their General. Let’s just say, it’s all a mental challenge. The Mountains Once we launched, we were treated to a spectacular view in every direction. The peaks surrounding Telluride are beautiful but intimidating, and can only be described as big, jagged and rocky. They tend to be surrounded by long ridgelines and gentle slopes, which made for long glides back to the valley(s) if lift was nowhere to be found. If you’re not careful, it is easy to find yourself low above the trees and getting blown onto the lee side of a ridge. Bottom line is,

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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this was seriously “big air” with lots of wind sharks and snakes lurking around ready to strike at any moment. It was clear from the start that there would be no relaxing while flying here. Relief Days 1 and 2 of the comp were blown out. Although there was some disappointment, I think many of us were relieved to have time to adjust to the altitude and allow our bodies to regenerate before officially starting the comp. I flew to Cortez, Colorado with friends to see the Mesa Verde Indian ruins. It was great to get our minds off of the comp for a while. We had a thrilling return flight in a duel-engine Cessna in very high winds. My bump tolerance went up a few notches that afternoon. Thanks to an amazing pilot, Jan Voegeli, I lived to fly another day. We’re Off On day 3, they send us off mid-afternoon with a challenging first task in minimal lift. We were to fly to Lift 9, Palmyra (large mountain within view of launch), Greenback Mountain (on the valley’s north side), Palmyra again, Lift 9 again, and then finally a 14-mile leg to Meadows southwest of Lizard Head pass. It would be a 27-mile Race to Goal.

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We decide to carry on, as a tribute to our fellow pilot, Bruce Tracy, and the sport he loved. In the midst of this awful news, there was at least one inspiring story. Scott had asked us before the meet began to “take care of our own” throughout the competition. Two pilots did just that. Honza Remanjek, who works in Sun Valley, and Dave Wheeler from Airplay in Washington State, risked their own safety to top-land the previous day in order to administer CPR to Bruce until rescue personnel could reach him. This was a selfless act of heroism on their part that humbled us all. A race to goal of 25 miles is eventually set for the day. The first waypoint is once again, Palmyra, the location of the previous day’s fatal accident. My stomach turns when I hear this. Once in the air, I can’t seem to get my GPS set properly to direct me to the exact turn cylinder of Palmyra. As I fly in this direction, I begin to get low and the air begins to get rowdy. My “fight or flight” syndrome kicks in and I decide to flee. I head back to the main LZ, deflated and disappointed with my GPS ineptitude. Yadda, yadda, yadda The week brings more of the same for me: big tasks, minimal confidence and concern over my inability to master the use of my GPS while in the air. Although the scenery is spectacular and Continues on page 58…

Jan launches early, well ahead of the pack, and we sit and watch like vultures. He barely sustains for a long time. With patience, he finally climbs out and manages to make the first waypoint and then the second. As he climbs out, pilots begin to launch left and right. (It would later be confirmed that Jan’s strategy of launching early paid off. He was headed toward goal when the task was cancelled.) Many of us launch and sink out relatively quickly and land in the LZ on the edge of town. As we pack our wings away, we hear the news that there is a red glider down near the first waypoint, Palmyra Mountain, which is surrounded by some large bowls with gnarly air. A dark cloud moved in over the LZ. Another pilot is reported as down in the trees, but is quickly confirmed to be okay. We listen intently to our radios and hear that they are administering CPR to the first victim. Some tears were shed as the mood in the LZ shifted. They cancel the rest of the task in order to bring a helicopter in to evacuate the downed pilot. The somberness of that afternoon sets the tone for a couple of days. The Day After Emotions are running high. There is talk that the Ski Company may shut down the comp and the site. It is confirmed at the morning pilot’s meeting that we lost a pilot during the first task. Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

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R A T I N G S

Region Name

RatingOfficial

H-1 1 YACOV YACOBI

Region Name

RatingOfficial

Region Name

RatingOfficial

PATRICK DENEVAN

H-2 3 JESSE NICHOLS

RAY LEONARD

H-4 2 BRUCE BOUSFIELD PATRICK DENEVAN

H-1 1 MARTIN FREIWALD JOHN MATYLONEK

H-2 3 FERDY GONDO

ROB MCKENZIE

H-4 8 MICHAEL HAAS

GARY TRUDEAU

H-1 1 SAM WAGNER

RUSSELL GELFAN

H-2 3 RICHARD PASSY

JAMES GARDNER

H-4 9 TOM GARTLAN

DOUG ROGERS

H-1 1 DENNIS HEMMINGER

J.MATYLONEK

H-2 5 JULIA FLEMING

KEITH BIEN

T-1 2 CLARENCE PRATHER

JOE GREBLO

H-1 2 MATTHIAS ROSCHKE

P. DENEVAN

BRAD KUSHNER

T-1 3 GEORGE STEBBINS

ROB MCKENZIE

H-1 2 NEAL CRUZ

PATRICK DENEVAN

H-2 6 LLOYD DAUGHERTY

H-2 6 J ALLEN RAHI CHRISTIAN THORESON

T-1 8 MARC FINK

PAUL VOIGHT

C. THORESON

H-2 7 FRANK BEISEMANN

BRAD KUSHNER

T-1 9 KELVIN PIERCE

PAUL VOIGHT

H-1 2 DAN BRNCIC

THEODORE MACK

H-2 7 THOMAS MCGRATH

BODHI KROLL

H-1 2 HANS DAHLSENG

H-1 2 HAROLD WICKMAN

THEODORE MACK

H-2 9 ROGER HARRIS

JOHN ALDEN

H-1 3 JESSE NICHOLS

RAY LEONARD

H-2 9 FRANK MURPHY

JOHN ALDEN

H-1 3 FERDY GONDO

ROB MCKENZIE

H-2 9 JEREMY SWERDLOW

GREG BLACK

H-1 3 RICHARD PASSY

JAMES GARDNER

H-2 9 DOUGLAS PATTON

C.THORESON

H-1 5 JULIA FLEMING

KEITH BIEN

H-2 10 RICK RESTMEYER

BRADLEY GRYDER

H-1 6 J ALLEN RAHI CHRISTIAN THORESON

H-2 10 CARLOS GARZON

GREGORY MICK

H-1 7 FRANK BEISEMANN

BRAD KUSHNER

H-2 10 GEORGE FITZGERALD

H-1 8 PHILIP ANDERSON

CHRIS LARSEN

H-2 10 MARCO WEBER

MALCOLM JONES

H-1 8 DANIEL CHORLTON A. TORRINGTON

H-2 10 JAMES WOLBERT

MATTHEW TABER

H-1 8 ROBERT TOCCI

STEVEN PREPOST

H-2 10 MATT HILTMANCHRISTIAN THORESON

H-1 8 LYNN CHANG

Chris Larsen

H-2 10 BARRY PLEMMONS

C.THORESON

STEVEN PREPOST

H-2 10 STEPHEN HECHLER

C.THORESON

CHRIS LARSEN

H-2 10 JASON HECHLER

C.THORESON

H-1 8 MARK ALEXANDER H-1 8 PAUL GRAHAM

ROBERT LANE

H-1 9 WESLEY COMERER TONY MIDDLETON

H-2 10 DAVID KISSICK CHRISTIAN THORESON

H-1 9 ROGER HARRIS

JOHN ALDEN

H-2 10 MARC VINARUB

MALCOLM JONES

H-1 9 ROBERT BRUCE

RANDY GROVE

H-2 10 FRANK DAVIS, JR

C.THORESON

H-1 9 RICHARD MANNING

RANDY GROVE

H-2 10 ERIC CART

H-1 9 FRANK MURPHY

CHRISTIAN THORESON

JOHN ALDEN

H-2 10 BRIAN SIMONS CHRISTIAN THORESON

H-1 9 DOUGLAS PATTON

C. THORESON

H-2 10 JASON BATTERSON

H-1 10 CARLOS GARZON

GREGORY MICK

H-2 11 DAVID SCALSKYCHRISTIAN THORESON

H-1 10 GEORGE FITZGERALD

STEVE WENDT

ROBERT LANE

H-2 11 CHRIS CHANEY

JEFFREY HUNT

H-1 10 MARCO WEBER

MALCOLM JONES

H-2 11 SABRINA WELCH

JEFFREY HUNT

H-1 10 JAMES WOLBERT

MATTHEW TABER

H-2 11 JOSEPH TALAFOUS

JEFFREY HUNT

H-2 11 JOHN BYRNE

JEFFREY HUNT

H-1 10 MATT HILTMANCHRISTIAN THORESON

H-2 11 DORON SAYAR

JEFFREY HUNT

H-1 10 BARRY PLEMMONS

C.THORESON

H-2 13 PETER MORGAN MICHAEL ROBERTSON

H-1 10 STEPHEN HECHLER

C.THORESON

H-3 2 DIEV HART

H-1 10 JASON HECHLER

C.THORESON

H-3 2 MICHAEL SODERSTROM

H-1 10 JAY PIERCE

CHRISTIAN THORESON

PATRICK DENEVAN C.PRATHER

H-1 10 DAVID KISSICK CHRISTIAN THORESON

H-3 3 ALAN CROUSE

ROB MCKENZIE

H-1 10 MARC VINARUB

MALCOLM JONES

H-3 4 MERLE LOUCK

CHAD KOESTER

H-1 10 JOSE MOJICA

ROBERT HASTINGS

H-3 4 PAUL YUNKER

CHAD KOESTER

H-1 10 FRANK DAVIS, JR H-1 10 ERIC CART

C.THORESON

CHRISTIAN THORESON

H-3 4 MICHAEL FARMER H-3 4 ADAM WEST

CHAD KOESTER

PETER CJ ANDERSON

H-1 10 BRIAN SIMONS CHRISTIAN THORESON

H-3 7 PETER FENEHT

BRAD KUSHNER

H-1 10 JASON BATTERSON

STEVE WENDT

H-3 8 DANIEL EGGERS

JEFFREY NICOLAY

H-1 11 CHRIS CHANEY

JEFFREY HUNT

H-3 8 J.D. GUILLEMETTE

STEVEN PREPOST

H-1 11 JOHN BYRNE

JEFFREY HUNT

H-3 9 RICH KLINGER

ERIC SHIEVER

H-1 11 DORON SAYAR

JEFFREY HUNT

H-3 9 ADAM ARKFELD

JAMES ROWAN

H-1 11 JEREMY NIGHTINGALE STEVE BERNIER

H-3 10 JOSEPH BRZOZOWSKIBRADLEY GRYDER

H-1 13 PETER MORGAN MICHAEL ROBERTSON

H-3 10 BRYAN HASLAMCHRISTIAN THORESON

H-2 1 SAM WAGNER

H-3 10 HOWARD (SKIP) PITA

RUSSELL GELFAN

JAMES TINDLE

H-2 2 XIAOMING CHEN PATRICK DENEVAN

H-3 12 JOE SCHMUCKER

JOEL SPANO

H-2 2 DOUGLAS HAHN

PATRICK DENEVAN

H-4 1 KURT HARTZOG

RUSSELL GELFAN

H-2 2 JOE HALLER

PATRICK DENEVAN

H-4 1 TRAVIS BROWN

RUSSELL GELFAN

H-2 2 HAROLD WICKMAN

C.THORESON

H-4 2 MATTHEW TERKUILE

KEN MUSCIO

T-1 12 NORMAN PRICE WILLIAM UMSTATTD

Region Name

RatingOfficial

P-1 1 ROBERT BUNGER

DENISE REED

P-1 1 JONATHAN MARTIN

D MARK RYAN

P-1 1 JEFF BERTRAND

SCOTT AMY

P-1 1 KALE HUSA

MARC CHIRICO

P-1 1 CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS P-1 1 CODY OLSON

D. STROOP ABE LAGUNA

P-1 1 SCOTT PRATSCHNER

DENISE REED

P-1 2 NATHAN LEE

JOHN VAN METER

P-1 2 CHARLES JOK

WALLACE ANDERSON

P-1 2 SAPTARSHI ROY P-1 2 PETER REXER

JUAN LAOS CHRIS SANTACROCE

P-1 2 HERB MOORE III

HUGH MURPHY

P-1 3 PAUL OLDENBURG

DAVID BINDER

P-1 3 JASON GILBERT

JOHN VAN METER

P-1 3 SERGIY KORNIYCHUK

CLAUDE FISET

P-1 3 ROBERT COOMBS

TIM NELSON

P-1 3 WAYNE METZGER

TIM NELSON

P-1 3 PETR SALOMON

ROMAN PISAR

P-1 3 NED ISRAELSEN

JOSHUA MEYERS

P-1 3 CHARLES RHEEM

KYOUNG KI HONG

P-1 3 WILLIAM DE AGUIAR

M. DE BARROS

P-1 3 MARK BLAIR

DAVID BINDER

P-1 3 BRIAN GABRYELSKI

JOSHUA MEYERS

P-1 3 VICTOR SOELBERG PETE MICHELMORE P-1 3 RANDALL WHITE

ROB SPORRER

P-1 3 RICK WALLACE

BO CRISS

P-1 4 BETH VROOM

GUILLERMO LUPI

P-1 4 RANDALL SMITH

DIXON WHITE

P-1 4 CHET MORITZ

BRUCE WALKER

P-1 4 T LEE KORTSCH

WILLIAM SMITH

P-1 4 EMILY SCOFIELD JONATHAN JEFFERIES P-1 4 BILL GIBBS

CHRIS SANTACROCE

P-1 4 BRUCE CROSSLEY

WILLIAM SMITH

P-1 4 DAVID REHA

GREGORY KELLEY

P-1 4 PAVEL KOHOUTEK

KRIS HUSTED

P-1 4 VIKTOR REHA

GREGORY KELLEY

P-1 4 CASEY HUMES

JAKE WALKER

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

N E W

Region Name

RatingOfficial

P-1 4 GARY BEGLEY

DIXON WHITE

P-1 4 HANNA KRIEGER

WILLIAM SMITH

P-1 4 AARON BYBEE

CHRIS SANTACROCE

Region Name

RatingOfficial

P-2 3 MARK BLAIR

DAVID BINDER

P-2 3 BRIAN GABRYELSKI

JOSHUA MEYERS

R A T I N G S

Region Name

RatingOfficial

P-3 2 DAVID CHERNE

ANN SASAKI

P-3 3 NORMA SALGADO

ROMAN PISAR

P-2 3 VICTOR SOELBERG PETE MICHELMORE

P-3 3 JASON GILBERT

P-1 4 LAYFE ANTHONY

STEPHEN MAYER

P-2 3 RICK WALLACE

BO CRISS

P-3 3 GLENN RASMUSON

GABRIEL JEBB

P-1 4 CHUCK TOWT

MARK GASKILL

P-2 4 KEN OUDEMAN

BRUCE WALKER

P-3 3 MICHEL CARIOTIS

ROMAN PISAR

P-1 4 BECKY NILSON

THOMAS WEBSTER

P-2 4 SAMUEL HOOVER NICHOLAS GREECE

P-3 3 RICK LITTMANN

JOSHUA MEYERS

P-1 4 ROBERT LOWE

BRAD BLOXHAM

P-2 4 BETH VROOM

GUILLERMO LUPI

P-3 3 DAVID PAINTER

KYOUNG KI HONG DAVID JEBB

P-1 4 DAVID WELLMAN

JOHN VAN METER

STEPHEN MAYER

P-2 4 TOMMY LE CLAIR

KRIS HUSTED

P-3 3 CHUCK SKEWES

P-1 6 RICK ARTHUR

THOMAS WEBSTER

P-2 4 RANDALL SMITH

DIXON WHITE

P-3 3 DEAN STRATTON

P-1 7 EMIL WEILER

STEPHEN MAYER

P-2 4 CHRIS KATES

P-1 8 GARY TRUDEAU

JEFFREY NICOLAY

P-1 8 RON KOHN

JEFFREY NICOLAY

P-1 8 SCOTT MC HATTIE

ALISTAIR RITCHIE

P-2 4 EMILY SCOFIELD JONATHAN JEFFERIES

P-3 3 VICTOR SOELBERG PETE MICHELMORE

P-1 8 DAVID KLEIN

JEFFREY NICOLAY

P-2 4 BILL GIBBS

P-3 4 LORI FITZGERALD

BO CRISS

GRANGER BANKS

P-3 3 GAVIN BEHR

P-2 4 CHET MORITZ

BRUCE WALKER

P-3 3 JARED BOASEN

DAVID JEBB

P-2 4 T LEE KORTSCH

WILLIAM SMITH

P-3 3 PAUL GAIGALAS

ROB SPORRER

CHRIS SANTACROCE

DAVID JEBB

DALE COVINGTON

P-1 9 MACIEJ SZCZEPANSKI CHRIS BOWLES

P-2 4 ANDREW MC ADAMS GREGORY KELLEY

P-3 4 ARMIN KLOTZ

GUILLERMO LUPI

P-1 9 STEVE POPE KEN HUDONJORGENSEN

P-2 4 BRUCE CROSSLEY

WILLIAM SMITH

P-3 4 KELLY MANGRUM

STEPHEN MAYER

P-1 9

P-2 4 DAVID REHA

GREGORY KELLEY

P-3 4 SPENCER MANGRUM STEPHEN MAYER

KRIS HUSTED

P-3 4 CHESTER FRANTZ CHRIS SANTACROCE

JAMES JORDAN III HUDONJORGENSEN

P-1 10 ANTHONY ROGERS, MDDAVID BINDER

P-2 4 PAVEL KOHOUTEK

P-1 10 LUIS AMEGLIO

DAVID JEBB

P-2 4 VIKTOR REHA

GREGORY KELLEY

P-1 10 ROBIN PASSILLA

GABRIEL JEBB

P-2 4 CASEY HUMES

JAKE WALKER

P-3 4 PAVEL KOHOUTEK

P-1 10 HERVE THOMAS

STEPHEN MAYER

P-2 4 GARY BEGLEY

DIXON WHITE

P-3 4 VIKTOR REHA

WILLIAM SMITH

P-3 9 JOEL SEMANOFF

P-1 11 STEPHEN GAY

WALLACE ANDERSON

P-1 12 DAVID KOEHN

DAVID BRIEN

P-2 4 AARON BYBEE

P-1 12 CHRIS WSZEBOVOWSKI

P-2 4 HANNA KRIEGER

P-3 4 DAVID REHA

GREGORY KELLEY KRIS HUSTED GREGORY KELLEY LARS LINDE

CHRIS SANTACROCE

P-3 12 LUIS TAWARYS

FABRICIO RODRIGUES

P-3 13 JOAQUIN KLEIN

JOSH WALDROP

M. SANTOS

P-2 4 LAYFE ANTHONY

STEPHEN MAYER

F. RODRIGUES

P-2 4 CHUCK TOWT

MARK GASKILL

P-1 12 APARECIDO SILVA

F. RODRIGUES

P-2 4 ROBERT LOWE

BRAD BLOXHAM

P-4 2 NATHAN LEE

P-1 13 JOAQUIN KLEIN

JOSH WALDROP

P-2 4 DAVID WELLMAN

STEPHEN MAYER

P-4 3 BRIAN KIBLER

KARI CASTLE

THOMAS WEBSTER

P-4 3 MARK BOLIARIS

ROMAN PISAR

P-1 12 REINALDO BESSONI

P-4 1 LUCIE ALAM KEN HUDONJORGENSEN JOHN VAN METER

P-1 13 GUILLAUME PIROT THOMAS WEBSTER

P-2 6 RICK ARTHUR

P-1 13 SHANGHARSA BISTA DALE COVINGTON

P-2 7 EMIL WEILER

STEPHEN MAYER

P-4 3 WILLIS MORRISS

C.LANGAN

P-1 13 MR SURYA BASTAKOTI D. COVINGTON

P-2 8 GARY TRUDEAU

JEFFREY NICOLAY

P-4 3 JASON GILBERT

JOHN VAN METER

P-1 13 CHENG HIU FUNG JOHN MC DONALD

P-2 8 RON KOHN

JEFFREY NICOLAY

P-4 3 DEAN STRATTON

P-2 1 ROBERT BUNGER

DENISE REED

P-2 9 MACIEJ SZCZEPANSKI CHRIS BOWLES

P-4 4 KATE TVEITE

ETIENNE PIENAAR

P-2 1 SAMUEL MULDER

KELLY KELLAR

P-2 9 STEVE POPE KEN HUDONJORGENSEN

P-4 4 BRAD BARLAGE

OTHAR LAWRENCE

P-2 1 JONATHAN MARTIN

D MARK RYAN

P-2 9 JAMES JORDAN III HUDONJORGENSEN

P-4 4 PAUL BRIGGS

J C BROWN

P-2 1 KALE HUSA

MARC CHIRICO

P-2 10 JOSEPH PHILLIPS III

P-4 4 GREG BABUSH

SCOTT MACLOWRY

P-2 1 CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS

P-2 10 ANTHONY ROGERS, MDDAVID BINDER

P-4 5 TOM WUTHRICH THOMAS BARTLETT

P-2 1 CODY OLSON

ABE LAGUNA

P-2 10 ROBIN PASSILLA

GABRIEL JEBB

P-4 5 DESTIN PETERS

P-2 1 SCOTT PRATSCHNER

DENISE REED

P-2 10 HERVE THOMAS

STEPHEN MAYER

P-4 5 BRIAN HOWELL

P-2 2 NATHAN LEE

JOHN VAN METER

P-2 12 DAVID KOEHN

DAVID BRIEN

P-4 8 MARC FINK

P-2 2 CHARLES JOK

WALLACE ANDERSON

M. SANTOS

P-4 8 DAVID MORRIS

P-2 2 SAPTARSHI ROY P-2 2 PETER REXER

D. STROOP

W. ANDERSON

BO CRISS

JUAN LAOS CHRIS SANTACROCE

P-2 2 HERB MOORE III P-2 3 PAUL OLDENBURG P-2 3 JASON GILBERT

P-2 12 CHRIS WSZEBOVOWSKI P-2 12 REINALDO BESSONI P-2 12 LUIS TAWARYS

FABRICIO RODRIGUES

HUGH MURPHY

P-2 12 APARECIDO SILVA

DAVID BINDER

P-2 13 FRITZ LAM MAN KIT

JOHN VAN METER

P-2 13 JOAQUIN KLEIN

F. RODRIGUES

SCOTT HARRIS SCOTT HARRIS DWAYNE MC COURT JOHN GALLAGHER

P-4 10 CHUM MCCRANELS CASAUDOUMECQ P-4 12 DARIUSZ MACIAG

LARS LINDE

F. RODRIGUES

P-4 12 MARK DAVIES

GABRIEL JEBB

LESLIE SHARP

P-4 13 ADRIAN AUSTIN

KIM GALVIN

JOSH WALDROP

P-4 13 FIONA YOUNG

KIM GALVIN STEVE ROTI

P-2 3 WILLIAM CARPENTER

GABRIEL JEBB

P-2 13 GUILLAUME PIROT THOMAS WEBSTER

T-1 1 DALE RICHARDSON

P-2 3 SERGIY KORNIYCHUK

CLAUDE FISET

P-2 13 SHANGHARSA BISTA DALE COVINGTON

T-1 1 CHRISTIAN ROSSBERGTODD WEIGAND

P-2 3 ROBERT COOMBS

TIM NELSON

P-2 13 MR SURYA BASTAKOTI D. COVINGTON

T-1 1 SHAWN HASSE

P-2 3 WAYNE METZGER

TIM NELSON

P-2 13 CHENG HIU FUNG JOHN MC DONALD

T-1 2 ERIC HACK

PATRICK EAVES

P-2 3 PETR SALOMON

ROMAN PISAR

P-3 1 ERNIE FRIESEN

DELVIN CRABTREE

T-1 3 JOHNNY DRESSER

ROB SPORRER

P-2 3 NED ISRAELSEN

JOSHUA MEYERS

P-3 1 BETH FRIESEN

DELVIN CRABTREE

T-1 3 TOM HAMPTON JRCHRIS SANTACROCE

P-2 3 CHARLES RHEEM

KYOUNG KI HONG

P-3 1 NIK PETERSON

ENLEAU O CONNOR

T-1 3 CHRISTOPHER GRANTHAM R. SPORRER

P-3 2 NATHAN LEE

JOHN VAN METER

P-2 3 WILLIAM DE AGUIAR

M. DE BARROS

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

STEVE ROTI

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. For more complete information on the events listed, please see our Calendar of Events at www.ushga.org

DECEMBER 28, 2003 – JANUARY 4, 2004: P2+ Tapalpa, Mexico Trip#1 Join Parasoft on their 10th year of flying trips in Mexico. Granger Banks (303) 494-2820. www.parasoftparagliding.com/MexTapal.html DECEMBER 2003–APRIL 2004: Valle de Bravo, Mexico and more. www.flymexico.com 1-800-861-7198.

Competition

JANUARY 2-4, 2004: Paragliding Maneuvers Course, central California. Contact Enleau O’Connor / O’Conner Safety in Flight Training, (530) 227-4055. info@gonetowing.com

Until Dec. 31, 2003: The Michael Champlin World X-C Challenge. Open to paragliders, hang gliders, rigid wings and sailplanes. Visit http://www.hanggliding.org or contact John Scott (310) 447-6234, fax (310) 447-6237, brettonwoods@email.msn.com.

JANUARY 3-10, 2004: Valle de Bravo Mexico with Ken and Kevin Biernacki. Two-can Fly Paragliding/ Ken Hudonjorgensen, Draper UT, (801) 572-3414, khudonj@qwest.net, www.twocanfly.com

JANUARY 8-20, 2004: Pre-World Hang Gliding Championships, Hay, NSW Australia. Practice days: Jan 6&7th. hotdc@tpg.com.au

JANUARY 3-10, 2004: 7-day central Mexico tour w/Dixon White & Juan Laos. Contact Juan juan.laos@realpvs.com or (925) 963-7802 for reservations.

FEB. 28-MARCH 6, 2004: 2004 Manilla (Australia) Paragliding Open. Contact: skygodfrey@aol.com or www.flymanilla.com APRIL 16-24, 2004: FlyTec Hang Gliding Championship At Quest Air, Florida. Register online at: www.flytec.com or call (352) 429-0213

clinics, meetings, tours DECEMBER/JANUARY 2003/4: Mid Atlantic Airsports – Spain and the Canary Islands. www.midatlanticairsports.com/trips.html DECEMBER 5-7, 2003: Paragliding Maneuvers Course, central California. Contact Enleau O’Connor / O’Conner Safety in Flight Training, (530) 227-4055. info@gonetowing.com DECEMBER 12-14, 2003: Paragliding Maneuvers Course, central California. Contact Enleau O’Connor / O’Conner Safety in Flight Training, (530) 227-4055. info@gonetowing.com DECEMBER 13-20, 2003: Paragliding Southern CA trip. Two-can Fly Paragliding/ Ken Hudonjorgensen, Draper UT, (801) 572-3414, khudonj@qwest.net, www.twocanfly.com DECEMBER 15, 2003 – JANUARY 3, 2004: PG tour of Western Australia, P3 or higher. Contact Mike Eberle, North American Paragliding at napi@fun2fly.com, (206) 320-9010.

JANUARY 4-11, 2004: Paragliding Mexico Tours, Valle de Bravo. P2 rating w/50 flights required. Jeff Ferrell and Chris Santacroce are your guides. (801) 255.9595. www.4superfly.com JANUARY 4-11, 2004: P2+ Iguala, Mexico Trip. Granger Banks (303) 494-2820. www.parasoftparagliding.com/mexico.html JANUARY 9-11, 2004: Paragliding Maneuvers Course, central California. Contact Enleau O’Connor / O’Conner Safety in Flight Training, (530) 227-4055. info@gonetowing.com JANUARY 11-18, 2004: Paragliding Mexico Tours, Valle de Bravo. P2 rating w/50 flights required. Jeff Ferrell and Chris Santacroce are your guides. (801) 255.9595. www.4superfly.com JANUARY 11-18, 2004: P2+ Iguala, Mexico Trip. Granger Banks (303) 494-2820. www.parasoftparagliding.com/mexico.html JANUARY 16-18, 2004: Paragliding Maneuvers Course, central California. Contact Enleau O’Connor / O’Conner Safety in Flight Training, (530) 2274055. info@gonetowing.com JANUARY 18-25, 2004: P2+ Tapalpa, Mexico Trip. Granger Banks (303) 494-2820. www.parasoftparagliding.com/MexTapal.html JANUARY 22-25, 2004: Paragliding Maneuvers Course, Tampa, Florida. Contact Enleau O’Connor / O’Conner Safety in Flight Training, (530) 227-4055. info@gonetowing.com

DECEMBER 5-17,2003; DECEMBER 27, 2003-JANUARY 8, 2004; JANUARY 22-FEBRUARY 3, 2004: Fly Ecuador this Winter! www.thermaltracker.com

JANUARY 31-FEBRUARY 14, 2004: Paragliding tour of Brazil. Variety of P2-friendly thermal sites with local guides. Lead by Marty Devietti of Airplay. (925) 963-7802. www.paraglide.com

DECEMBER 19-21, 2003: Paragliding Maneuvers Course, central California. Contact Enleau O’Connor / O’Conner Safety in Flight Training, (530) 227-4055. info@gonetowing.com

FEBRUARY 1-8, 2004: Paragliding Mexico Tours, Valle de Bravo. P2 rating w/50 flights required. Jeff Ferrell and Chris Santacroce are your guides. (801) 255.9595. www.4superfly.com

DECEMBER 28, 2003 – JANUARY 4, 2004: Paragliding Mexico Tours, Valle de Bravo. Jeff Ferrell and Chris Santacroce are your guides. (801) 255.9595. www.4superfly.com

MARCH 1-10, 12-22, 2004: Traveling Brazil Tour, HG March 1-10, PG March 12-22. Check www.pyramid.net/advspts/brazil.htm for more details or call Adventure Sports (775) 883-7070.

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

The “other” Lookout Mountain… Colorado’s best-known local drive-up site Mount Zion, known to the local pilots as “Lookout Mountain” above the Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado. Lookout is home site of the Rocky Mountain Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association, USHGA chapter #21, and is flown almost daily by HG and PG pilots alike.

Jan “Loopy” Voegeli top lands. Photo: Steve Ford

Local favorites Jerry Cooper and Steve Ford sharing the air. Photo: Jan Voegeli.

Obligatory “sun-behindthe-wing” image. Photo: Steve Ford.

John Isham over the brewery. Photo: Steve Ford Few things in this life, in heaven or on earth are as enjoyable to a pilot as brewery thermals.

Steve Ford blue-skyin’ it out front. Photo: Brian O’Malley

Lookout’s launch and picturesque winding road as seen from the air. The large “M” on the mountain is a local landmark visible from all over the Denver metro area. It represents the Colorado School of Mines which owns the land in the L.Z. Photo: Tim Meehan

Launch • a mere 900 vertical feet above the L.Z. has seen X-C flights of nearly 200 miles and altitudes of 17,999 feet originate there. Photo: USGS EROS Data Center Local site expert Steve Ford on his Litespeed • Photo: Brian O’Malley

Local up-and-coming favorite Karl Decker in front of launch. Photo: Jan Voegeli

In the distance: Denver. In the foreground: Golden. In the air: USHGA 2002 Instructor of the Year, Mark Windsheimer— countering the conventional wisdom that instructors never get to fly. Photo: Steve Ford

Local pilot Jerry Cooper with his new camera. Photo: Steve Ford

P G

N A T I O N A L S

Continued from page 51…

the aspen leaves begin to turn a gorgeous shade of yellow, my disappointment in my performance invades my whole being. My friends keep me buoyed and convince me to continue to launch and make an effort, and I do, but my heart just isn’t in it. My friends, who’ve competed for years, tell me that I’m expecting too much. They tell me of their first comps and the mistakes they made. It helps my bruised ego a bit. The top pilots wallow in their successes and most of the rest are falling short of their personal goals. I remind myself that my goals were to come, watch, fly and learn. When I don’t let my ego get in the way, I realize that I succeeded in those goals. I just wish I could have done a little better. But then I reflect on all the great people I’ve met, all the friends who supported me and allowed me to do this, and just the atmosphere of being with other pilots who share the same passion for flying that I do. I spent all week talking about flying. What more could I ask for? That was awesome just in and of itself. How could I be disappointed?

telling us the first day of our instructor’s certification course that the first rule of paragliding is to “just show up.” I remember he demonstrated this on a cloudy day when it began to drizzle. He showed up and got out his wing and flew in the rain for a few minutes with a big smile on his face. Well, I’d shown up for my first Nationals and managed to win an award despite a poor flying performance and despite being completely GPS-illiterate. He’s right, I thought. The first rule of paragliding is to just show up. I suspect I got more out of the week than I even realize at this time. Would I do it again? You bet your sweet #$%@ I will. Continues on page 62…

The Awards Banquet I am told on the final day that I will receive an award. “For what?” I ask. “You came in third in the women’s division,” they inform me. “But there were only three women competing,” I say. I don’t feel like I deserve an award. As I walk up to the stage after Scott calls my name I have my hand covering my eyes, shielding them from the crowd of more deserving pilots in the audience. I whisper in embarrassment to Martin Orlik as I hug him “I’m not worthy.” It reminded me of getting the “Coaches Award” in high school for basketball. The Coaches Award always went to the player with the best attitude, who had tried the hardest, despite the outcome. It was not given to the most talented player or the highest scorer. It seems my fate is set. I am the perpetual “Coaches Award” winner. That night, as I reflected back on the week, I remember Chris Santacroce 58

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

E D I T O R ’ S

Continued from page 42…

Doug Stroop, Paragliding instructor For myself, I try to always remember there is no such thing as a “routine” flight. This helps me remain thorough and consistent in regards to the conditions and my preflight. It sounds silly, but I see mistakes happen all the time (not just at the training hill) as a result of poor preflight. In my opinion, whatever you do for a preflight, whatever order, it needs to be exactly the same, every time. If you are anal about performing the preflight a specific way every time, it is easier to recognize when you have missed something. Never be complacent about your preflight. Conditions obviously play a huge role in the decision to fly. I constantly remind myself to be selfish about my flying. The

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

only person I fly for is me. It only matters to me if I fly or not. If I don’t think I can fly at 100%, I don’t fly. Rob McKenzie, High Adventure Hang Gliding and Paragliding Preflighting a hang glider for flight: It’s easy to get a routine of checking the details like safety rings and cables, etc. But it’s wise as part of your preflight to step back (literally) and get the whole picture. Walk away from your wing 5 paces and walk around it looking at it for overall shape and symmetry. Also look down the wing’s upper surface from the nose, again looking for shape and symmetry. Things like folded mylars and snagged reflex bridles are sometimes tough to see without this “shape and symmetry” check.

C O R N E R

Dave Wheeler, paraglider competition pilot Always do as much as you can to reduce your requirement on luck for a safe flight, especially when it comes to the weather. Check the weather. Be more inclined not to launch if the conditions are good right now but the forecast is for worsening conditions. On the other hand, it might be a good idea to hang around on launch if the conditions are questionable right now, but the forecast calls for improving conditions. Don’t be afraid to wait for conditions to improve.

Steve Pearson, Wills Wing test pilot We’re always in a hurry to set-up and get off the hill as quickly as possible when we’re test flying, and that problem is compounded by the Continues on page 65…

A C C I D E N T S

Accident Reports: Fatalities By Peter Reagan NOTE: As with any active outdoor sport, paragliding carries inherent risks. Yet paragliding within the established operating limitations—considering pilot ratings, weather conditions and equipment Peter Reagan performance ratings—can be predictable and reasonable for a wide variety of pilots. Pilots are encouraged to know and respect their own limitations, and then to exercise conservative decision making when flying. Since our last report, five more paragliding fatalities and one disappearance have been reported to USHGA. This brings the total in the US to seven deaths this year. It remains difficult to generalize from small numbers if there are common causes. We have full details on three of the fatal accidents, and will publish them here. Two of these involve wind speeds higher than the pilots anticipated. Generalizations are difficult about the remaining reports. Flat ground: Chris Williams, a self-taught pilot with about three years of experience, was kiting his glider in a relatively strong wind. In order to keep from being blown back, he tied himself to a vehicle with a line about 55 feet long. He was picked up in a gust. A companion grabbed his harness as this was happening to try to prevent him from being dragged up. They both went to an estimated height of twenty feet. The glider spun around a couple of times and both people hit the ground with considerable force. The helmet-less companion was bruised and had extensive head lacerations. The pilot, who had a full-face helmet, suffered extensive head injuries and was rendered unconscious. Both were rushed to a hospital, but because of the remote location, this took three hours. The pilot died two weeks later of his extensive intracranial injuries. 60

Tethering in a soarable wind was a moderately common practice in the early days of paragliding and in the late eighties was even used for instruction. However, because of variable wind speeds, it produced an unacceptable number of very severe injuries and has been abandoned. Currently we feel that tethering or static line towing is never appropriate. The lockout phenomenon is unpreventable without proper training, smooth conditions, and a quick link—none of which this pilot had. The response of the bystander to grab the harness was understandable but futile and extremely dangerous.

Desert site, mid-day. June 28. An experienced XC pilot, 45-year-old Ronald Rosepink disappeared after leaving his vehicle at an occasionally-used isolated desert launch. Air search was carried out for one week and no further information was acquired. There is not enough data to comment on this mystery. Perhaps it illustrates the value of letting someone know what your plans are. It also demonstates the obvious risks related to flying alone. Finally, there are locator technologies that will become increasingly available in the next few years and crosscountry pilots would be well served to consider them, as they are refined.

Infrequently used desert site: Charles Holden was a 41-year-old novice pilot with five years of experience, but who only flew occasionally and had been rated just 1 year ago. Wind conditions at launch were reasonable but approaching thunderstorms threatened worsening conditions. At the time of the accident a local airport reported gusty winds of 15-20 mph and occasional lightening. A non-pilot witness reported that the flight went well until the pilot approached the LZ when the glider suddenly sank very rapidly. About a quarter mile short of the LZ, the pilot hit an apricot tree and an adobe wall before slamming into the ground. Strong winds dragged the glider and the pilot’s head hit a sharp rock, which penetrated his helmet and caused brain trauma. The pilot was found unconscious but breathing. Evacuation was within an hour but the pilot died from his head injuries on the way to the hospital.

There was also the following report: Desert site, mid-day 100 degree heat: Beginner pilot with about 15 hours was seen soaring over a recognized site about 200 feet above the ground. A non-pilot observer noted that half of his wing collapsed and remained closed all the way to the ground. The pilot suffered a broken neck and was dead when help arrived. The glider was DHV-1 and was flighttested many times later. Many unilateral collapses were induced and there was always spontaneous recovery. There is strong circumstantial evidence that the pilot had been drinking alcohol, and it is known that he was under extreme stress.

We have all been taught to stay out of the air when active thunderclouds are nearby. It seems that many of us still need to learn this simple rule from experience. We can’t all be lucky enough to survive this lesson.

Coastal site, mid-day thermals: A quite experienced pilot was ridge soaring in front of the hill when he thought a small thermal crossed his path. He initiated a 360 toward the hill to keep the lift. He popped out of the thermal and realized he didn’t have space to complete the turn. He raised his legs, leaned even more, and cranked more brake to try to avoid the ground but crashed on the hillside after about 200 degrees of turn. He was

There were two disappearances. It has been well publicized that Scotty Marion failed to return from a long cross-country flight in Switzerland. The other event is reported below:

The remaining two fatalities will be described more completely when we have better details available. Here are a couple of non-fatal accidents, illustrating obvious errors:

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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immediately uncomfortable and driven to the ER but work up revealed no new fractures. (Instructively, the pilot did have two old spinal fractures) The lesson here seems straightforward. This pilot initiated his 360 by turning toward the hill. Never do this. When shifting from ridge lift to thermaling, there is always a moment during your first 360, where you turn toward the hill, but the initiation of the turn must be outward. If there is concern that the thermal is only close to the ridge, fly closer to the ridge before starting the turn, or better, give up on that particular thermal. Thermal conditions are by definition unpredictable enough that you need to allow a lot of ground clearance. Desert site, mixed thermal and ridge lift. Strong conditions had ameliorated and two pilots launched. One noticed virga and immediately landed. The other used the lift to gain about 800 feet of altitude, then he started to be blown back. He pulled big ears and descended to the top of the ridge, drifting backward at 5 mph. Touching down, he pumped out his wing, and was immediately dragged downhill, hitting embankments and repeatedly being pounded into the ground. He made no effort to disable the wing. He stopped roughly 300 feet downhill from his point of touchdown. Local pilots noted no major injuries, but many cuts and abrasions, as well as strong odor of alcohol. I’ve had two injury accidents in my 12 years of flying. In both cases the ER checked my blood alcohol (zero). Some are tempted to use alcohol or drugs to bend reality a little when they fly. This is extremely dangerous. It is not legal. It jeopardizes our status under FAR 103. PLEASE don’t do it.

he didn’t release the brakes but grabbed the risers to get into his seat. Immediately his wing had a full frontal deflation and he stalled to the ground, suffering bruises to his thigh and abdomen. The lesson: First fly the glider. It’s ok to dangle until you have reasonable ground clearance. We can all learn techniques to get into our seats without releasing the brakes, or worse, pulling them down as we reach for the seat. Using the newer stirrup/speed bar setups can simplify this process. This has been a very painful year to be writing paragliding accident reports. We can speculate about the increase in fatalities over the last couple of years. We note that some victims are only occasional flyers. Statistical variation may be a part. But I wonder if we all need to rethink how slowly we fly when close to the ground. Pilot age may be a factor. I think that the average age of paraglider pilots is increasing, or at least we are developing an increasingly large group of very experienced pilots. The pilots who have died are often older. I did a little research into motor vehicle accidents and older passengers are much more likely to suffer fatal injuries than younger ones. We just don’t bounce as well. That observation should lead us older pilots to buy more conservative gliders, to leave more margin for error, and to re-evaluate our own goals. New trainees of a certain age should not expect to fly like some younger pilots can. For most of us, there is a lot more to life than long XC flights. Though I find the number of fatalities sad and worrisome, I am buoyed by the efforts of many pilots to report their incidents to help others improve their safety. We really appreciate what you have done.

Mountain site, mid-day. An experienced pilot who had not flown for an extended time since his last flight completed a very routine reverse inflation and left the ground after 1 or 2 steps. After launch, 61

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Footnotes The launch crew and “General” were a group of amazing, dedicated volunteers there to assist at launch and make sure things ran smoothly. They were headed up by Susan Dyer (the General), who did an awesome job at getting us all off in a timely and safe manner. My tongue-in-cheek fun-poking here is only to convey the stress of the launch situation. This dedicated group of volunteers is to be commended. We couldn’t have pulled this event off without them. Furthermore, my thanks to Scott MacLowry (Meet Director and Organizer), Chris Santacroce (Co-Organizer), Mitch McAleer (Meet Steward and Safety Director), and Tim Meaney (Scorekeeper). My hat is off to all these individuals and all the local Telluride Airforce members (such as Erik Larsen and friends) who helped make this great event happen. I would like to express our deepest gratitude from all my fellow comp pilots and me.

by Mike Steed

his all starts on a gray drizzly morning, the beginning of a long lonely drive. The news on the radio is grim: memorial services for the second anniversary of 9/11. NPR runs a piece about Chinese “orphans” who are abandoned by their parents because they have a clubfoot or cleft palate. Enough of that. I put in a CD. The Byrds, some shamelessly familiar music from my youth, with songs like Hey Mister Spaceman and Eight Miles High. Suddenly an old biplane flies across the interstate, barely above the semi trucks. It climbs and banks into a teardrop turn, then dives and crosses back. Not the season for crop dusting—someone is just out having some fun. The plane follows the edge of a forest at about my speed, and then banks sharply around the last big oak. Just after I lose sight of the plane, an Osprey appears and is following the next row of trees, then turns sharply around the last tree and disappears. The sublime imitates the absurd. Up the road further, a flock of commuters scatters as I turn downwind. A window of sunshine grows in the distance, and I’m on an easy glide to yet another paragliding nationals. It is a curious annual migration. This year we are at Telluride, a magical place of high mountains that rise suddenly out of a desert. People converge from all over, each interrupting their own unique year-long personal odyssey to do so. The typical participant at the nationals has entered three or more times, and returns faithfully like a swallow to Capistrano. Ask why they return and it is hard to get a straight answer: the T-shirt, the free Red Bull, the chicks. I suspect it has more to do with flying the big stuff among like-minded pilots who know how. My first nationals was at Chelan in 1995. Most of us knew little about paragliding at Chelan, arguably including the meet organizers and meet director Mitch McAleer. We relied on a couple of locals to share what they knew. One was Bruce Tracy, easily recognizable in medical scrubs, brushy mustache, and perpetual grin. Being from the remote town of Omak he didn’t often fly in crowds, but that didn’t discourage him from diving into a gaggle and following top pilots around to learn their secrets. He provided a touch of sanity when launch conditions got dangerous, and helped us discover some pretty good flying. Bruce is here in Telluride, having signed up and paid first. Mitch is back this year, now as meet steward and safety director. He has mellowed and gotten a haircut or two, as have we all. Well,

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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maybe not Dave Prentice, perpetual hippie jungle boy. Len Szafaryn has apparently thrived through another year of just being Len, and Kari Castle is again the chick of choice for dozens of guys. It is good to see everyone again. All this is made possible by sponsors, a small group of local pilots, lots of volunteers from all over, and the considerable efforts of Scott MacLowry, this year’s meet director. Conditions before the meet seem to alternate between good and blown out, and the first two comp days are blown out. Thursday we go up to find easy launch conditions, and although the wind technicians aren’t yet climbing high, we declare task one. It turns out to be a poor day, and almost everyone struggles to gain the mere thousand feet required to reach the first turnpoint. After repeated assaults up the ridge and retreats back down, I finally climb enough to cross a bowl to the upwind ridge and from there up Palmyra Peak. About the time I reach the turnpoint, I hear on the radio there has been a crash. I pass above the bowl but can’t see anyone on the ground, only the pilot (Honza Remanjek) making a difficult landing on the ridge. I hear later that the crash was fatal, and much later that it was Bruce. Apparently unwilling to retreat down the ridge, he had been searching for lift low in the bowl. The next day the weather conditions are better, but several of us apparently don’t have it together mentally. Jeff Huey lands after seeing that his riser isn’t attached properly. Len finds himself on the ground way up near the second turnpoint and faces a long hike to town as he is coming down sick. Johnny VanDuzer tries to sneak over a spine low and takes a big whack, complete with falling-throughthe-lines recovery. My first error is following the crowd away from the start, despite having sunk too low for a safe valley crossing. I think I might cruise around a basin on the opposite side and find something, but all I find is relentless sink. This puts me too low to comfortably fly out to the valley, surrounded by trees and aimed at the sun-baked rock face across the canyon. There is a strong punch of lift above the rocks, then the lift tapers to zero as I continue along the west side of the canyon. My next mistake is to turn back—zero sink is all I need to escape the canyon, and thermals punching up through downhill sink make horrible air. Back above the rocks I take two big whacks but deal with them and gain some altitude. I fall out of a thermal, hit the brakes hard to counter a frontal, then the brakes go mushy and I’m apparently in a parachutal stall. This is new. A couple of seconds of speedbar does nothing as the air falls away beneath me. I’m off the speed bar when the wing finally hits something, like maybe an invisible train. My wing catches the eye of a pilot flying miles away, like a fishing lure flashing in the current. With risers twisted and wing spinning on the horizon, I go for the reserve, but can’t reach it.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

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Oh, the risers have bound up the brakes, so I slip out of the brake and try again, a wimpy toss that doesn’t open right away. As I grab to pull it back the parachute starts to open with a reassuring tug, I get my feet under me, and I’m deposited gently on the ground, wing and reserve in trees. Some might say it is time to call it quits. I considered it, especially after seeing the wing and parachute are damaged. But Yaro Lahulek comes to my rescue with a new parachute and Gradient Aspen loaner. Conditions are marginal and a free-fly day is declared, as if to say “go check out that new wing.” Then two more days, two excellent tasks, and the air is gentle to me. I round out the event with two long flights in spectacular scenery, just happy to be there. The morning after the competition, I pull onto the road headed for home. The local Telluride radio station is playing some funky blues, a fresh and new sound for me, and an appropriate mood. During the last few days a swath of aspen trees has turned the upper slope a stunning yellow. Come to think of it, I too have turned a new shade on top—more gray hairs to add to my collection. But of course we all know that to be a myth—the gray hairs mark the passing of time and say nothing about what you have done with your years. The night before Bruce died, he shared some Oregon Pinot Noir with fellow camper Yaro, and they discussed wine, travel, life, and death. Bruce spoke of some elderly people he had met in his medical practice—people whose body parts had failed one by one, and only then did the person suddenly realize they hadn’t lived their life yet. Bruce was at peace knowing that he had lived his life fully, and could die happy at any time. We will miss Bruce. He was probably the old man of the competition this year, a title I don’t feel ready to inherit. But I’ll give some thought to living these remaining years as fully as Bruce did.

Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63

Name ORLIK Martin REED Eric PRENTICE David COHN Josh MESSENGER Jamie HUEY Jeff EWALD Joerg VOEGELI Jan COVINGTON Dale GUNNUSCIO Brad ROSENKJER Luis HOISINGTON Zach CRISS Bo REJMANEK Honza WHEELER David BEN-TOVIN Yariv SWAN Ryan SNITSELAAR Carl MCCUNE Thomas HOFFMAN Douge CASTLE Kari BELCOURT Bill HILDEBRAND Ras Chip HUNT Jon VON ZABERN Rob BIERNACKI Keven VAN DUZER John HUGHES Thayer DECKER Karl KELLEY Greg PACHURA Dustin ROBINSON Ross SWAIN Gavin SPORRER Rob WEINSTEIN Joshua ZAENGLEIN Brett STEED Mike DYER Kent BROWN Jack KEANE Pete CRISTOL jeff BABUSH Greg GREECE Nick WILSON Steven PATTY Tanner BURKS Bill HEIM Rob REVENKO Irene STRATTON Dean BASTIAN Chad GLATTE Hayden HENRY Patrick JEBB Gabriel MARTIN Reese DONNOVAN Rich SORCE Thomas HASSE Shawn SZAFARYN Len TAUSCHER Kay KIBLER Brian PIENAAR Pine MEEKS Casey NELSON David

Glider Mac Para Margus28 Gin Boomerang 3 Ozone Prototype Windtech Nitro Edel Excel Gin Boomerang 2 Firebird Hornet SP Nova Kryptm Edel Ace ProDesigh Titan 2 Nova Radon Gin Nomad Edel Millenium Windtech Syncro ProDesigh Project Nova Argon Gradient Avax RSE Windtech Syncro Windtech Quarx Gin Boomerang 3 Edel Ace Advance Sigma Gin Boomerang 2 Ozone Proton GT APCO Bagheera Firebird Tribure Gin Gangsta APCO Presta Freex Blade Gin Boomerang 3 Nova Argon Windtech Syncro Nova Aeron Ozone Octane Gradient Aspen Grid Firebird Dragon 2 Windtech Syncro Windtech Syncro Gin Gangsta Ozone Octane Gin Boomerang

Dragon 2 Gin Oasis Advance Epsilon 3 APCO Keara Windtech Serak Gin Oasis Gin Boomerang 3 Advance Epsilon 4 Gradient Bliss APCO Keara Gin Oasis

Nation CZE USA USA USA GBR USA CHE USA USA USA ARG USA USA CZE USA ISR USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA

USA USA USA USA USA USA USA

USA USA USA

T1 207 115 117 206 148 120 164 210 126 73 199 121 124 168 172 173 122 111 156 73 119 169 105 183 119 105 154 117 120 111 120 73 105 117 73 124 115 73 126 73 73 120 112 73 115 73 DNF 126 121 107 104 112 73 73 73 73 73 158 73 73 73 120 73

T2 572 449 425 262 427 143 421 363 291 434 364 354 294 438 170 341 136 262 335 169 199 341 371 269 430 136 341 397 136 136 136 190 136 136 136 404 136 399 252 171 206 136 136 341 136 169 136 136 165 136 136 231 136 136 136 136 136 176 136 200 136 ABS ABS

T3 766 730 669 734 722 784 630 740 523 658 606 677 654 756 487 469 760 647 340 799 351 348 348 522 672 377 245 90 343 245 229 254 608 236 128 343 351 252 94 99 217 244 233 236 348 346 396 245 343 241 231 257 348 227 222 91 75 ABS 53 ABS ABS ABS ABS

T4 694 928 755 762 603 768 585 486 807 572 567 583 594 223 750 589 489 446 598 381 745 551 561 385 127 683 510 589 510 604 593 554 213 536 685 121 389 195 446 551 383 378 383 192 215 198 237 252 112 198 167 ABS ABS 120 120 211 126 ABS 63 ABS ABS ABS ABS

Total 2239 2222 1966 1964 1900 1815 1800 1799 1747 1737 1736 1735 1666 1585 1579 1572 1507 1466 1429 1422 1414 1409 1385 1359 1348 1301 1250 1193 1109 1096 1078 1071 1062 1025 1022 992 991 919 918 894 879 878 864 842 814 786 769 759 741 682 638 600 557 556 551 511 410 334 325 273 209 120 73

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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Continued from page 59…

distractions of making adjustments to the gliders and often helping other pilots get ready. Most of the gliders we’re test flying have never been flown and our standard assembly sequence already includes a comprehensive preflight inspection. I include one more personal safety check as part of my routine. If, in the interval between hooking-in and taking my

first step, I have any passing thought related to the airworthiness of the glider or being hooked in, I put the glider down and check it out. On rare occasions, that thought and the corresponding check might happen 2 or 3 times in one launch sequence and even though I’m tempted, I never ignore the subsequent checks.

Continues on page 68… Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

M A R K E T P L A C E

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Web “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.

Full -Color Display Advertising

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N ED WE PC A L AR S TS IMF IE E ND T S

Now advertising in your magazine is easier (and a better value) than ever! As part of the ongoing evolution of Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, we’ve initiated an overhaul of our advertising department. The first, most visible changes can be found in our Classified section. Previously, advertisers who didn’t want to spend the money on a large display ad had no option other than a Classified Ad. Over the years, the Classified became cluttered with various graphics and logos embedded within ads. That made the section hard to read, and greatly increased costs to the advertisers who wanted to include their artwork. But now there’s a better way to advertise: The USHGA Marketplace Advertising Section. The Marketplace offers a new opportunity for small business owners and cost-conscious advertisers. Gone are the gray graphics embedded in classifieds—we now offer full-color ad space at the low rate of just $150 per month (or $125 with an annual contract). The new Marketplace Ads are 2-inches by 3-inches, and fit 9 to a page. Advertisers can provide their own digital files or use one of several ‘templates’ offered by the USHGA Art Department. That’s right— affordable, full-color ad space, and we will help design your ads, too!

As part of the revision to the ad package, our new Classified Section no longer offers the ‘embedded graphics’ option— Classifieds will be text-only. The new Classified Ad rates make it easier and more affordable to use that section, as well. With the streamlined Classified Section and the new, full-color Marketplace Section, advertising in Hang Gliding & Paragliding has never been so EASY and AFFORDABLE. For more information on our advertising options, contact ushga@ushga.org, or call (719) 632-8300.

New!

Marketplace Display Ads

NEW CLASSIFIEDS

NEW “ECONOMY” CLASSIFIEDS available beginning with January issue of Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine (Volume 34, issue 1). Less expensive, more effective, easier to order and place. 25-words. First line is bold face at no additional charge. All this for only $10. Each additional word is $1. WHAT A DEAL!

Old classified: ($12.50): ULTRASPORT 147 – Beautiful geometric sail design in red, blue and black, 100 hours flight time, Hall wheels $1,500 OBO. (315) 785-3639, imaginehg@aol.com 25-words: $10! Free bold face in the first line of text, additional words $1 each. What could be easier? New classified: ($10) ULTRASPORT 147 – Beautiful geometric sail design in red, blue and black, 100 hours flight time, Hall wheels $1,500 OBO. (315) 785-3639, imaginehg@aol.com

2 x 3-inches Full-color More info: Contact artdirector@ushga.org

ULTRASPORT 1 4 7 – Beautiful geometr i c s a i l d e s i g n i n r ed , b l ue a nd b l a c k , 1 0 0 h o u r s f l i g h t t i m e , H a l l wh eel s $ 1 , 5 0 0 O BO . ( 3 1 5 ) 7 8 5 - 3 6 3 9 , i ma gi n e hg @ao l . c o m

Graphics? Display ads are much more cost effective and can be placed in the classifieds section if you want.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

(would have cost $12.50 before) Figure 35 characters per line. Call USHGA headquarters and ask Jeff to send you our handy classified composer assistant form… 67

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Continued from page 65…

S TAT E M E N T O F OW N E R S H I P, M A N AG E M E N T A N D C I RCU L AT I O N , PS For m 3526

Marty Devietti, Airplay paragliding instructor and competition pilot I make sure that not only the “in air” conditions look good, but the launch and landing conditions as well. I pay special attention to the landability before flying. No flight is remembered as a great one when the landing is poor.

Publication Title: HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING

Publication Number: ISSN 1543-5989

Filing Date: September 29, 2003

Issue Frequency: Monthly

Number of Issues Published Annually: 12

Annual Subscription Price: $42.00

When conditions are active (read: thermic) I make sure I have eaten something before the flight so I am not caloricly challenged. I love to keep energy snacks with me that fit in my flight suit or flight deck and fuel up just prior to launching. I always want to be sharp when I fly, but especially when flying in midday thermals. Staying hydrated is important too, but pee just before you take off!

Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 219 West Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs, El Paso county, Colorado 80903-3338

In order to maintain focus in flight, I never fly mad. When I am bugged about something, or someone, I ground myself until I can get the issue resolved. I learned this from my Mom.

Extent and Nature of Circulation

15a. Total Number of Copies 10,297 Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 months; 10,200 No. copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date. 15b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation. 15b1. Paid/Requested Outside County Mail Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 9,904 avg./issue preceding 12 months; 9,849 for Sept 2003. 15b3. Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution: 21 avg./issue preceding 12 months; 21 for Sept 2003.

Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: Same

Full Names and Complete mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., Jayne DePanfilis, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330.Editor & Managing Editor: Dan A. Nelson, PO Box 1537, Puyallup WA 98371.

15c. Total Paid and /or Requested Circulation: 9,925 avg./issue preceding 12 months; 9,870 for Sept 2003.

Owner: United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 219 West Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903-3338. Officers, at the time of filing: Bill Bolosky, President, 8426 316th Pl SE, Issaquah WA 98027; Jim Zeiset, Vice president, 13154 County Road 140, Salida CO 81201; Russ Locke, Secretary, 868 S Mary Avenue, Sunnyvale CA 94087; Randy Leggett, Treasurer, 7112 Little Creek Road, Bangor PA 18013.

15e. Free Distribution Outside the Mail: 0 avg./issue preceding 12 months; 0 for Sept 2003.

10.

Fly safely,

Dan Nelson

11.

12.

15.

Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities.: None. Tax Status. The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months.

13.

Publication Title: HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING

14.

Issue Date for Circulation Data below: September 2003.

15d. Free Distribution by Mail 15d1. Outside County as Stated on Form 2541: 9 avg./issue preceding 12 months; 13 for Sept 2003.

15f.

Total Free Distribution: 9 avg./issue preceding 12 months; 13 for Sept 2003.

15g. Total Distribution: 9,934 avg./issue preceding 12 months; 9,883 for Sept 2003. 15h. Copies not Distributed: 363 avg./issue preceding 12 months; 317 for Sept 2003. 15i.

Total: 10,297 avg./issue preceding 12 months; 10,200 for Sept 2003.

15j.

Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 99% avg./issue preceding 12 months; 99% for Sept 2003.

16.

Publication of Statement of Ownership will be printed in the December 2003 issue of this publication.

17.

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. Jeff Elgart, Circulation, September 29, 2003.

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

C L A S S I F I E D S

NEW CLASSIFIEDS

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. PA R A G L I D I N G A D V I S O R Y

Used paragliders should always be thoroughly in spected 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

AEROMAX MAGIC 4 166 - $500. Beautiful Aeromax glider bags & Prime harnesses. (505) 523-5181, airmax2u@yahoo.com AEROS STEALTH KPL 2-13 - White w/purple undersurface, very clean glider $1,400. (909) 676-4523, lkcostanza@earthlink.net AIRBORNE CLIMAX 13 — One nearly new $4,995; One demo, looks new $4,595. 1-800-688-5637, fly@hanglide.com AIRBORNE STING XC2 175 New, never taken out of the box. Only test flown by Lookout staff prior to shipping to me $3,000. (512) 335-9459, whmoody@swbell.net. MOYES LITESPEED 5 Good condition, low airtime $3,900. (909) 798-2588. Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

AV8 — ICARO The Laminar MRX 700+ is available. Fly the glider flown by the US National Champion and both the Men and Womens World Champions. (760) 721-0701, indasky@yahoo.com and www.icaro2000.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 CLEARANCE SALE — School use, one season. Falcon 1s and 2s. 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) 223-8683, Cloud9SA@aol.com. Largest selection of new and used gliders in Michigan. K4+ - Custom sail, great condition and flies great $500. MOYES harness, new, never been flown, all the extras, includes towing package and front mount chute, red/black, fits 6’1” $450. (209) 532-1302 anytime. MOYES LITESPEED IV — Zoom frame, 30 hours $3500 Cell: (408) 761-1670, craig@aerialchair.com PACAIR PULSE 10M – Excellent condition, faired downtubes, speedbar, includes harness, helmet, vario, manuals & batten patterns $2,000. 1-800-943-3620, jgjoern@sisna.com TARGET 180 - Like new, only two flights for total of 1 hour. White upper surface, dark blue under surface. Perfect beginner glider $2,200. (512) 335-9459, whmoody@swbell.net. ULTRASPORT 147 – Beautiful geometric sail design in red, blue and black, 100 hours flight time, Hall wheels $1,500 OBO. (315) 785-3639, imaginehg@aol.com WWXC 142 — $1,100 OBO. (303) 921-1508, rmartin@ball.com E M E R G E N C Y PA R A C H U T E S

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: 915-379-1567, www.mojosgear.com

RISING AIR PARAGLIDING SERVICE AND REPAIR — Since 1988, specializing in all types of paragliding & powerchute repairs, repacks, inspections. Pricing and service request form available at www.risingair.biz, badbones@risingair.biz. (208) 554-2243. 20 GORE PDA — w/swivel $375. 20 gore $199. Used Quantum 330s, 440S, 550s. some paraglider reserves, too. Inventory changes monthly, some trade-ins accepted. Raven Sky Sports (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com HARNESSES

AEROMAX GLIDER BAGS & HARNESSES – Regular $59. XC $58, waterproof $90. PRIME XC cocoon $189, PRIME X cocoon $159, Prime Trainer $125. (505) 523-5181, airmax2u@yahoo.com THE BUG / SUPRONE POWER HARNESS - Stability, performance and comfort. Climb to altitude on your terms! Complete harness ready to fly. Electric start, Silencer kit, Prop lock & more... $5,688 delivered. US Distributor & Service Center, Ken Brown (530) 888-8622, Sportwings@aol.com CG HARNESS – w/Lara Gold chute & swivel $1,500 OBO. Eric Raymond tandem harness, chute, swivel $800 OBO. Reggie Jones (619) 445-3633, reggieandvicki@cox.net HIGH ENERGY TRACER POD HARNESSES — And other brands, too. 5’ to 6’6”. Sizes and styles change monthly, $300-500. Cocoons $125-$200 each. Many others available. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com M-2 – Fits 6’ pilot $250. (619) 920-4140 San Diego. MOSQUITO NRG POWERED HARNESS - Like new, with electric start. One folding prop, one fixed prop. Only used once for less than one hour $4,000. (512) 335-9459, whmoody@swbell.net MOSQUITO - 30 hours, auto decompression, air filter $2995. (858) 292-1552. PARAGLIDERS

AIR SPORTS USA – WWW.FLYFORFUN.NET GIN BOLERO Small $1,700. High Adventure Air Bag Harness, medium $300. Reserve chute, medium $300. Flytec 4005 variometer $200. Ginglider flight suit, small $100. 8” Raptor hook knife $40. Paragliding pack $100. (250) 344-5707, (250) 344-0415. OZONE PROTON GT XL - DHV 2-3, good 69

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shape, red/blue, min. flights, good sink rate $1,700 OBO. tandemrudy@hotmail.com, (510) 776-2341 RIGID WINGS

AEROS STALKER - 2002, w/tips, white/blue, under 10 flights, under 10 hours, best offer. (315) 498-5112, mclark@lodestonebanking.com ATOS – Small, low hours, extras $5,500. (608) 221-3681, gdinaauer@aol.com AV8 — STRATOS RIGID. World championship rigid wing. We stock Stratos and Atos parts. Call (760) 721-0701 or email indasky@yahoo.com EXXTACY 160 Clean, reinforced for tandem or microlight, rigged for solo, custom flap pockets $5,000. (602) 320-6439. EXXTACY 160 — 1997, excellent condition $3,000 OBO. (714) 898-4121, grimjay@oco.net EXXTACY 160 - Good condition, splits in half, padded waterproof bags, XC bag, tandem control bar $3,500. EK (970) 209-8376 GHOSTBUSTER 2000 - Very clean, complete w/recreational control frame, wheels, full race Wills Wing control frame, extra downtubes, extra carbon fiber base frame, spare keel, XC splite bags, many many extras: complete make up for racing $5,500. http://members.cox.net/ reggiefiles/glider “More Bang For the Buck”. Reggie Jones (619) 445-3633, reggieandvicki@cox.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. P O W E R E D PA R A G L I D E R S

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 paragliding training videos “ Starting Paragliding”, “Weather to Fly”, “The Art of Kiting”, “Paraglider Towing” and “Lifting Air”. Airplay and it’s sister schools are dedicated to thorough and competent instruction at perfect beginner training areas. Drive up to 360 degree treeless, rockless and uncrowded launches. Land in wide-open fields, beginners enjoy many flights each day. Excellent individualized instruction with state-of-the-art lesson plans and equipment. Comprehensive ground schooling with an emphasis on micrometeorology. Great new and used gear, specializing in Windtech, Gradient, Swing and Airwave. In Arizona or Washington RESERVATIONS are required. POB 2626 Flagstaff, AZ 86003 call (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, tandem and towing instruction and special events. USHGA certified. Handling the latest equipment. Call (760) 753-2664 for information, airjunkies@worldnet.att.net THE HANG GLIDING CENTER — PO Box 151542, San Diego CA 92175, (619) 265-5320. 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 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. Year-round 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

Come fly with Rob Sporrer (USHGA’S 2002 INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR!) and the rest of Eagle Paragliding’s excellent instruction staff. 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. We offer YEAR ROUND instruction, equipment sales, SERVICE, and support. By appointment only. www.FlySantaBarbara.com (805) 968-0980.

FLY ABOVE ALL — Experience year-round paragliding instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA! Our friendly, experienced staff offers handson, personalized, radio-controlled 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.

December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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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) 262-1055, fax (408) 262-1388. mission@hang-gliding.com www.hang-gliding.com

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. 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

TORREY PINES GLIDERPORT — Come soar in San 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-FLY-TEAM (359-8326). Also, tune in to the Internet Paragliding Talk Show at www.worldtalkradio.com every Tuesday 9-11:00am (PST).

MOUNTAIN WINGS — Look under New York. FLORIDA

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 in-flight 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.

FLY THE RIDGE - At the epicenter of Florida’s converging coastal winds. XC over 75 miles in any direction. U2’s set up, harnessed and ready to fly. New management and staff, experienced aero-tow pilots, friendly instruction, camping, swimming, fishing. One hour from either Florida coast on State Road 80 between Clewiston and Labelle. (863) 805-0440. www.TheFloridaRidge.com Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

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 & 2002 National Champion. From your first tandem to advanced X-C 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

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, 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... 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 71

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GRAYBIRD AIRSPORTS — PARAGLIDER TOWING, XC, thermalling, instruction, equipment. Dunnellon Airport (352) 245-8263 www.graybirdairsports.com

MARYLAND

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — See ad under Georgia. Nearest mountain training center to Orlando (only 8 hours). GEORGIA

BIRDS IN PARADISE — Hang gliding & ultralight flying on Kauai. Certified tandem instruction. (808) 822-5309 or (808) 639-1067, birds@bird sinparadise.com www.birdsinparadise.com

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 specialty-customer 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

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) 8745433 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, tandems, complete accessories. Visit our website www.kingmountaingliders.com or (208) 390-0205. ILLINOIS

RAVEN SKY SPORTS — (312) 360-0700, (815) 489-9700 or (262) 473-8800. 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 MAINE

DOWNEAST AIRSPORTS — Paragliding and hang gliding instruction; quality equipment sales. Specialize in “biwingual” cross-over training. Extended training/tour packages with lodging in magnificent Acadia NP available by reservation. in_a_cloud@hotmail.com, Marc (207) 244-9107 www.downeastairsports.com 72

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! Ph 410.634.2700 Fax 410.634.2775 24038 Race Track Rd Ridgely, MD 21660 www.aerosports.net hangglide@aerosports.net 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: 2003 Upgrade Wills Talon Comp, U2 145, U2 160, Falcons; Moyes Litespeed 4, Sonic 165; Airwave Magic Kiss 154. Outrigger wheels and other accessories in stock. Cloud 9 Field, 11088 Coon Lake Road West, Webberville, MI 48892. Cloud9sa@aol.com http: //members.aol.com/cloud9sa. Call for spring tandem lessons and flying appointments with the DraachenFliegen Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field (517) 223-8683, DFSCinc@aol.com http://members.aol.com/dfscinc

TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLIDERS — Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450’ sand dunes. FULL-TIME 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. December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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NEVADA

NORTH CAROLINA

ADVENTURE SPORTS — Carson City, Sierra tours, tandems, sales. (775) 883-7070 http://home.pyramid.net/advspts

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 - 979.229.2699 email: sburns@austinairsports.com Fred Burns - 281.471.1488 email: austinair@aol.com 3810 Bonita Lane, La Porte TX 7771 WWW.AUSTINAIRSPORTS.COM

NEW JERSEY

MOUNTAIN WINGS — Look under New York. NEW YORK

AAA FLIGHT SCHOOL — In Ellenville. Mountain Wings Hang Gliding and Eastcoast Paragliding Center. The Northeast’s oldest, largest and most professional training center. Sales, service, demos, towing , ultralight training, pro shop and the “best damn training hill” anywhere. mtnwings@hvc.rr.com www.mtnwings.com (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) 777-7000, WWW.FLYFORFUN.NET FLY HIGH HANG GLIDING, INC. — Serving S. New 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.

GO...HANG GLIDING!!! — Jeff Hunt. Austin ph/fax (512) 467-2529 jeff@flytexas.com www.flytexas.com

• TANDEM INSTRUCTION • AEROTOWING • BOAT TOWING • BEACH RESORT • TRAINING CAMPS • FOOT LAUNCH • OPEN YEAR ROUND • PARAGLIDING • EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVICE

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. Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

TEXAS

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, Fly Products, Fresh Breeze. US importer of MacPara Technology paragliders (Eden II and Muse) (713) 494-1970 Houston, www.macparaUSA.com UTAH

CLOUD 9 SOARING CENTER — Once again, we are the closest shop to the Point of the Mountain. Utah’s only full time PG/HG shop and repair facility. Contact 1-888-944-5433 or www.paragliders.com 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 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 73

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VIRGINIA

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

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) MEXICO

BLUE SKY — Fulltime instruction and service at Manquin Flight Park near Richmond. Wills Wing, Moyes, Flight Design, Aeros, Doodlebug and Mosquito dealer. Steve Wendt (540) 4326557 or (804) 241-4324, www.blueskyhg.com, blueskyhg@yahoo.com WASHINGTON

D I X O N ’ S A I R P L A Y PA R A G L I D I N G — Please see our classified ad under Arizona. www.paraglide.com

FLY BAJA MEXICO - Join us for our twelfth year paragliding at La Salina, Baja, Mexico, February 21 to 28, 2004. Some of the most consistent flying conditions in North America. Beach front accommodations and all ground transportation to and from San Diego Airport included. Beginners welcome: $1,175 includes all instruction and equipment. Para 2 and above rated pilots with their own equipment: $899. DVD of flying in La Salina available on request. Call 1-800-PARAFLY or visit our web site at www.paraflypg.com

WISCONSIN

RAVEN SKY SPORTS HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING — The first and oldest aerotow flight park in the USA, open 7 days a week since 1992. Featuring INTEGRATED INSTRUCTION of foot-launch and aerotow tandem skills, at package prices to beat any in the USA. Seven beautiful, grassy training hills facing all wind directions and a new 360 degree manmade hill under development. Four Dragonfly tow planes, no waiting! Four tandem gliders on wheeled undercarriages. WW Falcons and Falcon2s for training from the very first lessons. USUA ultralight and tug instruction. Free camping. Sales/service/accessories for all brands. Open March 1st thru December 1st. Contact Brad Kushner, PO Box 101, Whitewater WI 53190 (262) 473-8800 phone, (262) 473-8801 fax, www.hanggliding.com, info@hanggliding.com WYOMING

Don’t Pay Retail for your Flying Gear

Certified Full Face Helmets $149 www.OnlineFlyingGear.com onlineflyinggear@mindspring.com MC/Visa/Paypal

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) 641-9315, orders 1-866-238-2305.

WINTER FLYING VACATIONS – VALLI DE BRAVO and beyond. www.flymexico.com, 1800-861-7198, December – April, in and out on Sunday, PG & HG. Discounts for returning clients, other discounts vailable. $895 PG, $1,095 HG w/glider included. Lodging at a Grand Hotel or houses, go flying every stinkin’ day.

• • • • • PARTS & ACCESSORIES

AEROMAX GLIDER BAGS & HARNESSES – Regular $59. XC $58, waterproof $90. PRIME XC cocoon $189, PRIME X cocoon $159, Prime Trainer $125. (505) 523-5181, airmax2u@yahoo.com

ORDER ONLINE AND SAVE Water/Dust Resistant Push Button Field Replaceable Finger Switch Heavier Gauge Wire/Improved Plugs Increased Strain Relief at ALL Joints

SPECIAL PRICE $99.95 Extra finger switch $19.95 w/purchase. Dealer inquiries welcome. Call (913) 530-8829. MC/Visa. Visit our website at www.flightconn.com, mikedillon@flightconn.com

JACKSON HOLE PARAGLIDING - Come to Paragliding 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 74

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SOARING DREAMS

MINI VARIO — World’s smallest, simplest vario! Clips to helmet or chinstrap. 200 hours on batteries, 0-18,000 ft., fast response and 2 year warranty. ONLY $169. Mallettec, PO Box 15756, Santa Ana CA, 92735. (714) 966-1240, MC/Visa accepted, www.mallettec.com 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. w w w. h i l l c o u n t r y p a r a g l i d i n g . c o m 1-800-664-1160 for orders only. Office (915) 379-1567.

SPECTACULAR TROPHIES, AWARDS! — Hang gliding & paragliding gifts and accessories. Contact Lisa Tate, 11716 Fairview Ave., Boise ID 83713, (208) 376-7914 or (208) 484-6667, www.soaringdreamsart.com VARIO SALE - 15%-20%-25% off! Varios and flight accessories, call Valley Wings (308) 783-2080 6AM-10AM mountain time TEK

FLIGHT

PRODUCTS

SOARING — Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $55. Info. kit with sample copy $3. SSA, P.O. Box 2100, Hobbs, NM 88241. (505) 392-1177. BIRDFLIGHT: AS THE BASIS OF AVIATION Otto Lilienthal’s genius in scientific observations and analysis, documented in this work, became the basis for the experimentation of the early pioneers in aviational flight. The “hero” of the Wright brothers, Otto is considered to be “The Father of Gliding Flight.” Lilienthal’s definitive book has been out of print for almost a century, but is now available to everyone for a wonderful and absorbing journey into aviational history. 176 pages, 16 photographs, 89 drawings and 14 graphs. $19.95 (+$5 s/h) Call USHGA 1-800-616-6888, or order off our website www.ushga.org HARRY AND THE HANG GLIDER is a beautifully illustrated, hardcover children’s book with 40 color pages written for pilots to share the dream of flight! To order: send $24.95 plus $3 shipping to SkyHigh Publishing, 201 N. Tyndall, Tucson, AZ 85719 or call (520) 628-8165 or visit http: //www.flash.net/~skyhipub Visa/MC accepted. BAG IT! — If you don’t have your copy of Dennis Pagen’s PERFORMANCE FLYING yet, available through USHGA Headquarters $29.95 (+$6 s&h for UPS/Priority Mail delivery). USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. 1-800-6166888 www.ushga.org

The world-class XCR-180 operates up to 3 hours @18,000 ft. and weighs only 4lb. Complete kit with cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula and remote on/off flowmeter, only $400.00.

Camera mount (A or B) $48.50 ($6 S&H). Vario mount $23 (S&H included). 6” wheels $29.75, 8” wheels $34.75, $10 S&H pr. Web page www.tekflight.com for more. TEK FLIGHT Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. Or call (860) 379-1668. Email: tek@snet.net PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

HAWK AIRSPORTS INC — P.O. Box 9056, Knoxville, TN 37940-0056, (865) 945-2625. World famous Windsoks, as seen at the Oshkosh & Sun-N-Fun EAA Fly-Ins. Hawk@windsok.com, www.windsok.com Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

FLY THE WING! Hooking Into Hang Gliding, by Len Holms. This is the perfect book for those curious about the sport of hang gliding. Written at a level which will not swamp the reader with daunting amount of technical details, you will learn about hang glider wings and the skills needed to fly them. 84 pages with photos and illustrations. $12.95(+$5 s&h). USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. 1-800-616-6888 www.ushga.org

THE ART OF PARAGLIDING — By Dennis Pagen. Step by step training, ground handling, soaring, avoiding dangers, and much much more. 274 pages, 248 illustrations. The most complete manual about paragliding on the market. $34.95 +$5.00 s/h. USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. (719) 632-8300, fax your MC/Visa/Amex to (719) 632-6417, www.ushga.org, ushga@ushga.org MISCELLANEOUS

gpscablestore.com - Check our large selection of communication and power cables, adaptors, remote antennas and accessories. Smokin’deals and free shipping NEW APPAREL, VIDEOS, BOOKS & POSTERS — Check out our web page www.ushga.org 75

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“AEROBATICS” — Full color 23”x 31” poster featuring John Heiney doing what he does best-LOOPING! Available through USHGA HQ for just $6.95 (+$5.00 s/h). Fill that void on your wall! Send to USHGA Aerobatics Poster, PO Box 1300, Colorado Springs CO 80933. (USA & Canada only. Sorry, posters are NOT AVAILABLE on international orders.) SPECIAL-Aerobatics poster & Eric Raymond poster-BOTH FOR $10 (+$5 s/h). Check the merchandise section of our web site www.ushga.org for a color picture of these beautiful posters.

HANG GLIDING CHRISTMAS CARDS Black and white etching style. $10 per dozen, $18 for 2 dozen, $33 for 50, or $60 for 100. Plus 10% for shipping. Send a self addressed stamped evvelope for an assortment selection sheet to: TEK FLIGHT Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098 or call (860) 3791668. On the net: http://www.acreation.org or mail cards@acreation.org WORLDWIDE INTERNET PARAGLIDING TALK SHOW — WWW.WORLDTALKRADIO.COM Listen live or to the archives! Live Tuesday 9-11: 00 am (PST). Call toll-free, 1-888-514-2100 or internationally at (001) 858-268-3068. Paraglider pilots and radio hosts David and Gabriel Jebb, want to hear about your stories, promotions/ events or insight: they also take questions! VIDEOS & DVDS

*NEW* STARTING POWERED PARAGLIDING is a great introduction to the sport of powered paragliding. It shows what to expect from first lessons, first solo flight, to advanced techniques. Covers ground school with simulator training and paraglider wing ground handling, equipment fundamentals of the wing and power pack, importance of weather to fly, and expert pilots showing advanced techniques. Features animated modeling to illustrate climb/descent attitudes and flight patterns plus spectacular in-air footage and great soundtrack. 44 minutes $36.95 ALSO AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price. 76

*NEW* LIFTING AIR For Paragliding-How to Thermal and Soar. Master the principles of lifting air with Dixon White, Master Pilot, USHGA Examiner, and USHGA 2002 Instructor of the Year. Learn where to look for thermals and ridge lift, how to stay in the lifting air to climb efficiently, and deal appropriately with the dynamics of the soaring conditions. This is for beginner, intermediate and the advanced pilot wanting to brush up. A must for all paraglider and powered paraglider pilots. Divided into 5 sections: Prerequisites for Lifting air, Active Piloting, Ridge Lift, Thermal Lift, and Cross Country. 40 minutes $39.95 ALSO AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price.

PARAGLIDER GROUND HANDLING & THE ART OF KITING, by Adventure Productions. Learn techniques and tips for easy ground handling with this instructional program. Get in tune with your glider and improve your flying skills while on the ground. Various wind conditions are covered with the successful and proven industry-standard techniques of Dixon White-Master rated pilot, USHGA Examiner and USHGA’s PG Instructor of the Year. This is for the beginner, intermediate & advanced pilot who wants to do some brushing up on his skills. Be a master of your paraglider. 44 minutes $36.95 ALSO AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price.

*NEW* PARAGLIDER TOWING Instructional. Learn the fundamentals of paraglider towing with Dixon White, Master Pilot, USHGA Examiner, and USHGA 2002 Instructor of the Year. Basic how-to and safety tips are covered along with a discussion on towing rigs. Gives you a better understanding of paraglider towing. 24 minutes $24.95 ALSO AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price.

IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT MOUNTAIN By Adventure Productions. Searching for the perfect mountain, perfect flight, and the perfect experience that challenges our essence and satisfies our quest for adventure. This paragliding odyssey takes you to St. Anton, Austria; Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; Sun Valley, Idaho; Point of the Mountain, Utah; and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Features in-air footage, aerial maneuvers, and local pilot tours. 44 minutes $36.95. NOW AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price.

SUPER FLY HARD by Super Fly. A worldwide flying adventure film featuring Chris Santacroce, Rob Whittall, Othar Lawrence and Pablo Lopez. Filmed at the most beautiful flying locations in the world-Hawaii, Switzerland, Turkey & Utah. This films shows the beauty of flying, the latest aerobatic maneuvers and an introspective look into why we fly. 40 minutes $35.95 SPEED TO FLY with Jockey Anderson. A complete video guide to cross country paragliding. Great air-to-air and in-board footage with Jockey as he takes you around the world, providing flying tips and interviewing the top pilots. Covers thermaling, decision making, competition flying and speed to fly. 70 minutes $39.95 A HIGHER CALLING by Dawn Treader Productions. Winner “People’s Choice Award” at the Banff Mountain Film Festival 2000. A story of six friends attempting to fly cross country together as a group through western Nepal, where finding launches & landings becomes a daily routine. Become immersed into the Nepal culture upon every landing. Superb editing. 45 minutes $32.95 BALI HIGH, by Sea to Sky Productions. A paragliding adventure film. Great flying and a great adventure on the exotic island of Bali, Indonesia. A result of wild imaginations, weeks of filming and three unsupervised pilots in a land of serious fun. Great flying footage. 38 min $29.95 STARTING HANG GLIDING, by Adventure Productions. Produced especially to promote the sport. Covers basic preparation, weather, proper attitude, ground handling, launching and those first flights. 30 min $29.95

WEATHER TO FLY, by Adventure Productions. A much needed instructional video on meteorology. Dixon White, Master pilot and USHGA Examiner, takes you through a simple step-by-step process showing where to acquire weather data and how to interpret it. This video will help pilots of any aircraft understand more about modeling and forecasting. You’ll learn about regional and local influences and how to determine winds aloft and stability. “Weather To Fly” is an over-all view packed with useful details and includes great cloud footage. It is a straight-forward presentation that is easy to follow. 50 min. $39.95 ALSO AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price. HANG GLIDING EXTREME & BORN TO FLY by Adventure Productions, great hg action $34.95 each. ALSO AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price. TO FLY: DISCOVER PARAGLIDING TODAY — USHGA’s 7 minute promotional video, now only $9.95 PLUS FREE SHIPPING (in the USA). 1-800-616-6888, www.ushga.org STARTING PARAGLIDING, by Adventure Productions. Covers basic preparations, weather, proper attitude, ground handling & those first exciting launches. 30 min $29.95 ALSO AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price. TO FLY: DISCOVER HANG GLIDING TODAY — USHGA’s 7 minute promotional video, now only $9.95 PLUS FREE SHIPPING (in the USA). 1-800-616-6888, www.ushga.org December, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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Call USHGA (719) 632-8300, fax (719) 632-6417, email: ushga@ushga.org, or order from our web page www.ushga.org. Please add +$4 domestic s/h (+$5 for two or more videos). Great to impress your friends or for those socked-in days. Perfect gift for the launch potato turned couch potato. STOLEN WINGS & THINGS

INDEPENDENCE DRAGON - Stolen August 29th, 2003 from a car in SAN DIEGO, CA. Red & Grey, size XS, 2” white patch on upper canopy, taped broken sheath, 3rd right D riser, upper line. Medium P4 harness, rear/top mount reserve, gloves & radio antenna in pockets. Both in light grey Independence backpack. Reward. Diana Tung (760) 2710425, dineorama@yahoo.com PRO-DESIGN TARGET – Paraglider, stolen August 8, 2003 from car at WINTER PARK RESORT, COLORADO. Red w/large comp numbers “42” on underside, Pro-Design Concept Air harness & reserve, blue helmet, Ball M19e vario, Yaesu FT-411E radio, Hanwag boots. Contact: Mark Ziegler 970-887-3066 mzig@rkymtnhi.com STOLEN FROM MULLER WINDSPORTS, Cochrane, Alberta, Canada between July 1820, 2003. APCO ALLEGRA MEDIUM YELLOW #600271, in purple stuff sack; APCO FIESTA MEDIUM RED #765452 , new; APCO PRIMA 24 VIOLET #25818 , faded bag, w/first harness; APCO FRONT MOUNT RESERVE MAYDAY 20 w/Y bridle; APCO CONTOUR LARGE HARNESS, black/blue; UP TETON HARNESS, large, grey/blue. Please contact us if you have any information: fly@mullerwindsports.com, (403) 932-6760, fax (403) 851-0737 or contact Cst. H. Boilard, Cochrane RCMP (403) 932-2211, fax (403) 932-2842. APCO XTRA COMP PARAGLIDER & SUPAIR HARNESS — Paraglider, stolen June 4th, 2003 from SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. Purple w/white underside, minor repair work. Purple SupAir backpack comp harness w/whire rear mount reserve, log book, green Protech helmet. Terry Stuart, (425) 369-9920, upland_ contracting@yahoo. TRACER HARNESS — By High Energy Sports, stolen Feb. 9, 2003 from car at VALLE DE BRAVO, MEXICO. Magenta with blue stripe and new parachute. Also taken: panoramic helmet size small, wills wing back pack. Please contact Somer Hughes, somer@austin.rr.com Hang Gliding & Paragliding: December, 2003

GIN BANDIT — Stolen May 4th, 2003 from pick up truck in GREELEY, COLORADO. Size x-small, purple w/ Jackson Hole Paragliding logo, w/blue Critter stuff bag. Contact Matt Combs (307) 690-7555, mcparagliding@hotmail.com ADVANCE SIGMA 5’S — Two, stolen April 10th, 2003 from LAHOLLA VILLAGE (close to TORREY PINES GLIDERPORT, LA JOLLA, CA). One Advance Sigma 5, 28 meter, aqua, serial # 26702, w/black & dark blue bag. One Advance Sigma 5, 31 meter serial # 26813, w/yellow & black bag. Reward$$$ Bob Ryan (714) 3507860, turbobobryan@cox.net TRIM HARNESS PACK & EQUIPMENT Stolen Sept. 21, 2003 on the road to the Rampart Ridge launch at SNOQUALMIE PASS, WASHINGTON. Black/blue trim harness pack With blue/purple striped CG-1000 pod chest entry harness, 26 gore Odyssey parachute, white Uvex carbon fiber helmet w/PTT2 mike & headphone, Ball M-19e vario, Garmin Etrex GPS. Contact Gary (206) 283-2185, braundesign@msn.com VISION CLASSIC — Stolen October 25th, 2002 from a van in SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. Size small, orange/white. Small women’s harness, black w/orange trim, w/front mount reserve chute. Flight bag w/helmet, boots, pants, etc. Trisha Ross (360) 402-5767, diligentanesthesia @yahoo.com

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES

The rate for classified advertising is $10 for up to 25-words of text. The first line of your ad will be set in bold face at no additional charge. Each additional word over 25 is $1.00 per word. Phone number = 2 words. Email or web address = 3 words. AD DEADLINES: All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing 2 months preceding the cover date, i.e. December 20th is the deadline for the February issue. Please make checks payable to USHGA, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330, (719) 632-8300. Fax (719) 632-6417 or email: ushga@ushga.org your classified with your Visa/MC or Amex account number. INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

ADVENTURE PRODUCTIONS........................65 AEROLIGHT ..................................................46 ANGLE OF ATTACK.......................................13 APCO AVIATION...........................................50 BRAZIL ADVENTOURS ..................................46 CRITTER MOUNTAIN....................................12 DAN JOHNSON............................................48 DIXONS AIRPLAY..........................................79

SMALL GIN BOLERO #31247 & Genie II Harness by fraud ring in Singapore at Jl.Gandaria IX No:4, Gandaria kebayoran baru, City: JAKSEL, JKT-IND. Also fraudulently ordered by delta_trikes@astaga.com: Alinco DJ-195 radio, Gin Flight Suit, Gin Reserve and Lazer helmet. Contact granger@parasoftparagliding.com or (303) 494-2820.

FLY ECUADOR ..............................................62

STOLEN WINGS ARE LISTED AS A SERVICE TO USHGA MEMBERS. Newest entries are in bold. There is no charge for this service and lost and found wings or equipment may be called in (719) 632-8300, faxed in (719) 632-6417, or emailed at ushga@ushga.org for inclusion in Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. Please call to cancel the listing when gliders are recovered. Periodically, this listing will be purged.

MOJOS GEAR ...............................................33

FLY MEXICO...................................................5 FLYTEC USA..................................................80 HALL BROTHERS...........................................14 HIGH ENERGY SPORTS ...................................3 INDEPENDENCE/FLY MARKET ......................65 MOYES AMERICA .........................................59 MPH SPORTS ...............................................51 PARAGLIDER MAGAZINE ..............................58 PRO DESIGN ................................................23 SPORT AVIATION PUBLICATIONS .................47 SUPER FLY ......................................................2 THERMAL TRACKER PARAGLIDING ...............61 TORREY PINES..............................................63 TRAVERSE CITY HG & PG..............................44 U.S. AEROS...................................................21 USHG FOUNDATION ...................................32 USHGA.........................................................10 WILLS WING ................................................18 77

P R O D U C T

L I N E S

St. Paul, Minn. -- The vote is in! Members voted yes on both initiatives, overwhelmingly so (84%) on the towing question but convincingly (62%) on the powered harness (HG & PG) question. Now, as politicians advise after elections, we must consolidate and move forward. Griping about the results, if you took a not-winning position, no longer benefits anyone.  I doubt we’ll experience many problems from powered harnesses for three reasons: (1) not that many of them flying… a few hundred, realistically, and many of their pilots respect silent-flyer sensibilities; (2) most powered harnesses won’t show up at flying sites. They don’t have to… they can launch almost anywhere. Plus, clubs running sites always have had and still do have the right to make their own rules about who can launch and land on property they control; and, (3) powered harnesses find their best demand from pilots who otherwise must travel to mountain sites or tow parks.  Regretfully, the status of nanotrikes (lightweight trikes intended for soaring flight) in USHGA remains uncertain, but they’re an even smaller segment at this time so their operation shouldn’t cause any major case of hiccups. ••• It was a real pleasure for me and several other USHGA board members to observe fellow hang glider pilot, Dudley Mead and his team practice launching an authentic reproduction of a 1902 Wright Glider (FMI: wright-brothers.org). On October 6th I got to burn many digital photos of Dudley and Klas Ohman getting their highest flights ever (30-40 feet AGL).  Klas, a Navy jet jockey, tended to land on the skids (probably as the Wright brothers did) while Dudley reflexively lowered his legs to foot land the 120 pound glider. “Old habits die hard,” Mead kept saying.  Much like windy cliff launching, Wright Glider pilots need help to get airborne. With someone positioned at all four corners of the Glider’s lower wing, grasping an interwing strut, the quartet runs to launch the old-time reproduction. As Dudley and other pilots took their turns flying the tricky-handing wing, the launchers in early October were often hang glider pilots and USHGA board members. Kenny Brown, Paul Voight, Davis Straub, and Bruce Weaver (among others) took enthusiastic runs down the sand dune. On a “Tether” call from the prone pilot, the trailing edge runners dropped off leaving just the two leading edge pullers heaving ho until the pilot shouted, “Release.” ••• Returning to nanotrikes, the market leader is surely Lookout Mountain Flight Park with more than 150 SkyCycles in customer hands. An upgraded model, SkyCycle X, incorporates numerous improvements at no increase in the $5,500 cost of the trike carriage. The sum includes a 28-hp Zanzottera or a 22-hp Zenoah G-25 engine. The hang glider wing is extra, of course, but many HG pilots own at least one that might be used for the nanotrike. Upgrades to the X model include improved ground handling by lowering the C.G. and increasing the wheelbase, a more inclined seat, and side carry bags. Lookout added, “The rugged, aerodynamic, cantilevered rear landing gear has been P

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retained.”  LMFP is also representing the even-tinier Australian-built PowerLite nanotrike. FMI: 877-426-4543. ••• As many know, Matt Taber is adept at finding ways to help Lookout Mountain Flight Park succeed. In addition to the nanotrike line, Matt has started selling powered, two-seat trike ultralights. Matt’s foray into conventional ultralights represents the only powered company I know of that is directed solely by hang gliding businessmen. U.S. Aeros boss GW Meadows, long established as a successful importer of the Ukraine-made hang glider line, contracted with Taber to market the Aeros brand of trike ultralights.  In addition to hang gliders, Aeros supplies somewhat heavier wings for use on numerous trike brands. Aeros builds the French-designed Sky Ranger fixed wing ultralight under contract, and GW reports that the Ukraine company is well along on a fiberglass ultralight sailplane. In this wide line the team of Meadows and Taber saw an opportunity. Given Aeros boss Alexander Veronin’s good relationship with GW, expanding the U.S. Aeros line made sense.  The Velocity trike is already known to American ultralight pilots as the Venture, a name given by its former importer. Of special interest to non-powered HG pilots is the Velocity’s capability to perform hang glider towing. ••• In other motor news, paragliding guru Alan Chuculate has completed preliminary flight testing of a lightweight trike specially designed to aerotow paragliders. His stated goal for the Paratug is, “being able to aerotow solo paragliders at 23 mph and at 25 mph when tandem.”  Chuculate uses a modified Wills Wing Condor, the large wing built by the Southern California leader for slope training. The HG builder isn’t comfortable with the use of their Condor on powered aircraft but Alan had always planned to change it. He redid elements of the airframe using 7075 tubing and plans to upgrade the sail to stouter cloth. “It’s fair to say Condor was just a starting point,” Alan says.  I’ll have more on Chuculate’s Paratug in successive columns as it represents a ground-breaking effort to bring paragliders into the world of aerotow parks. Meanwhile, FMI: alanc@san.rr.com ••• Finally, at the fall 2003 USHGA board meeting, nearly everyone came out of their seats and dashed to the window when well-known British pilot, Ben Ashman, flew over the beach at Kitty Hawk in his suprone powered harness, the Doodlebug. Ben has flown a Doodlebug across the English Channel, so a little jaunt from a local airport to the beach was no great cross country. Yet I found it fascinating to observe the keen interest from many pilots who have no intention of flying with power. Kenny Brown’s Moyes America enterprise is importing the rig. FMI: flyamoyes@aol.com. ••• 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! i

Award Winning Instructors USHGA Instructors of the Year Dixon White & Marty DeVietti

PERFECT PROFILES

Team Pilots Josh Cohn World Declared Goal Distance Record - Nitro 2003 Winner Florida and So. Cal. Open - Nitro 2002 US Natl. Champion Serial Class - Syncro 2001 US Natl. Champion Serial Class - Quarx Kari Castle 2003 US Nat. Female Champion - Quarx 2002 US Nat. Female Champion - Quarx 2001 US Natl. Female Champion - Quarx/Serak

Specializing in beginner instruction. Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon & Washington

Visit our updated website to order from our convenient on-line store and for information on our specialized clinics. S.I.V., Thermal and tours to Mexico, Brazil and Austria. Videos, Books and much more!