USHGA Hang Gliding & Paragliding Vol36/Iss4 April 2006

Volume 36 Issue 4 April 2006 $4.95

A Publication of the United States Hang Gliding Association

w w w.ushga.org

Jayne DePanfilis, Publisher: jayne@ushga.org C. J. Sturtevant, Editor: editor@ushga.org Joe Hartman, Art Director: jhartman@brandingironmedia.com Martin Palmaz, Advertising: martin@ushga.org Thayer Hughes, Contributing Editor: thayer@ushga.org Staff writers: Matt Gerdes, Jon Goldberg-Hiller Staff artists: Harry Martin, Jim Tibbs Office Staff: Jayne DePanfilis, Executive Director, jayne@ushga.org Martin Palmaz, Business Manager, martin@ushga.org Rick Butler, Information Services Director, rick@ushga.org Erin Russell, Admin. & Memb. Services, erin@ushga.org

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1543-5989) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 1685 W. Uintah St., Colorado Springs, CO 80904, (719) 632-8300, 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.

Canadian Post Publications Mail Agreement #40065056.

Canadian Return Address: DP Global Mail, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, ON N9A 6J3

USHGA Officers and Executive Committee:

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES IN PUBLICATIONS:

Lisa Tate, President, lisa@soaringdreamsart.com Felipe Amunategui, Vice President, dr.amunategui@att.net Elizabeth Sharp, Secretary, Elizabeth.Sharp@heii.com Mark Forbes, Treasurer, mgforbes@mindspring.com

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 © 2006 Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine.

REGION 1: Bill Bolosky, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Jim Macklow, Urs Kellenberger, Paul Gazis. REGION 3: David Jebb, John Greynald, Tad Hurst. REGION 4: Steve Mayer, Jim Zeiset. REGION 5: Lisa Tate. REGION 7: Tracy Tillman.

REGION 8: Gary Trudeau. REGION 9: Tom McCormick, Felipe Amunategui. REGION 10: Steve Kroop, Matt Taber.

REGION 11: Gregg Ludwig. REGION 12: Paul Voight.

REGION 13: Dick Heckman. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Russ Locke, Elizabeth Sharp, Dennis Pagen, Bruce Weaver, Riss Estes. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Bob Hannah, Steve Roti, Connie Locke, Ed Pitman, Jennifer Beach, Dutcher Sterling, Len Smith, Bill Bryden, Randy Leggett, John Harris, Jan Johnson. 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 United States 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 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 email: 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.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine welcomes editorial submissions from our members and readers. We are always looking for well written articles and quality artwork.

Feature stories generally run anywhere from 1500 to 3000 words. If your topic demands more or less than this, you should discuss options 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 via email to editor@ ushga.org, 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 email or telephone.

Contact: Editor, Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, editor@ushga.org, (425) 888-3856.

For change of address or other USHGA business, call (719) 632-8300, or email ushga@ushga.org.

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

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

Corralito, Argentina Photo: Jeff Cristol

DEPARTMENTS Editor’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

TRENDS IN PARAGLIDER DESIGN

USHGF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

There’s no doubt that today’s wings are radically different from the first paragliders. Design changes are influenced by both performance and safety considerations.

Master’s Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

By Mike Steed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Pilot Briefings: News and Events . . . . . . . . . . 8 Air Mail: Readers Write In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Travel: Argentina Skies, Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

GOING TO THE PARTY:

Comp Corner: Pilot Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Lauren Tjaden’s Journey (So Far)

Comp Corner: Further Adventures of Matt and Jimmy: Vertigo 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 PG Accident Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Sometimes an almost-frivolous decision can have life-changing results.

Lauren never imagined her desire to party with the big boys and girls would take her directly into worldclass competing.

Flight Report: First Time Thermal Soaring. . .60

By Belinda Boulter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 New Ratings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Croak and Cluck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Index to Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Mike Sandlin rolls into the air in his Goat at Horse Canyon, California. This unusual hang glider is featured in an article in the March 2004 issue of Hang Gliding & Paragliding.

TREE RESCUE TECHNIQUES FOR PARAGLIDER PILOTS Oregon pilots fly many sites that are in close proximity to high evergreen trees, and they’ve developed rather sophisticated methods for extricating themselves from a tree encounter without calling for costly rescue crews.

Here’s the latest iteration.

By Ancil Nance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

KNOW WHEN TO CALL IN SICK Sometimes the weather creates sudden eye problems in pilots – they just can’t see going to work that day! Staff writer Matt Gerdes offers some tips to help you make the best use of this excuse.

Photo: John Heiney

By Matt Gerdes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

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April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

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THERE IS POWER IN OUR NUMBERS! A USHGA member requests assistance in countering military encroachment on the freedom of free flight.

By Ursula Hadd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

HOOKED ON HANG GLIDING A long-time hang glider pilot recounts his rather unorthodox introduction to the sport.

By Rodger Furey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Gallery. . . . . . . . 62

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April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

Photo: Chris Amonson

I’ve just returned from the Bay Area, where Aaron Permenter, are profi led in the Comp Corner, along Swepston and I traveled to participate in a seminar with their request for your assistance with fundraisfor hang glider photographers. It was a small gath- ing for their World Meet, which is happening in ering that included pilots who’d started hang glid- Florida next month.

Many contributors submit to the magazine being back in the early ‘70s right through those who’d learned in the 21st century, and it was a worthwhile cause they have information that they want to share experience for all of us. Renowned Bay Area photog- with the rest of us, both for our benefit and for the rapher Bob Ormiston displayed a wide selection of benefit of the writer. Adam Graham, who’s written his “mounted” photos, along with his camera mounts, previously published articles about his site acquisiand explained his criteria for a well-composed photo tion grant from the USHGF, brings us up to date and how he goes about composing his images when with the progress the Wyoming pilots are making the camera is far out of reach. Aaron’s presentation towards securing the Sand Turn LZ. Mike Steed focused on the technical aspects of camera mounts, documents and analyzes changes and advances in including his unique dangle mount, which hangs 18 paraglider design since the last time he bought a new feet below the glider and captures those amazing in- wing. Staff writer Matt Gerdes provides a guide for air images of his loops and wingovers. Most of the forecasting the weather and deciding if it’s a day to participants brought their own mounts for Aaron call in sick and go fly. Ursula Hadd sent in probably and Bob to critique – the variety of materials and the longest Letter to the Editor I’ve ever received construction techniques attests to the creativity and – because her topic seemed of interest, and because inventiveness of these pilot/photographers. Most of she is requesting assistance from the pilot commuthe participants discovered that they have, in their nity, I’ve printed her letter as a feature article.

I want to extend a special thank-you to our accollection, photos that are well deserving of publication – you’ll be seeing some of these images, as cident reporters, who without fail provide their well as new ones composed and captured this season, monthly column discussing and analyzing accidents in future issues of this magazine. Thanks to Daniel in the hope of avoiding the need for the rest of us Pifko for taking the time and the initiative to bring to learn the same lessons through first-hand expethis group of talented and motivated photographers rience. Jon Goldberg-Hiller’s paragliding accident together with the goal of improving the quality of column focuses on the risks of low maneuvering in the hang gliding photography in our publication! landing and while scratching, and suggests a change Meanwhile, in this April issue, I’d like to remind in mindset that might help keep us in one piece and you to keep your sense of humor close at hand. Our able to enjoy our airtime. This month’s Master’s Tips gallery photos were selected and captioned with ab- column is, at the request of several readers, a reprint solutely no respect for either photographer or photog- of Mike Meier’s 1998 article, “Why Can’t We Get a raphee. Enjoy! Equally irreverent is staff writer Matt Handle on This Safety Thing?” Mike is writing from Gerdes’s account of the Red Bull Vertigo 2004, an the perspective of a hang glider pilot, but his analyaerobatic comp that he almost participated in. Matt sis of our safety-related decision-making processes is won’t be at Vertigo 2006, but Aaron Swepston plans as relevant to paragliding as it is to hang gliding. I to compete there, along with fellow U.S. hang glider urge you to read Mike’s article, and to take the time aerobatic pilots Mitch McAleer and John Heiney, all to ponder how this “safety thing” relates to you and of whom are regular contributors to Hang Gliding & the many and varied plans you have for your future Paragliding magazine. Recently returned as a “regu- flying. lar” contributor, staff artist Harry Martin presents Finally, I’m hoping one of you can solve a mystery his second installment of “Croak and Cluck,” a goofy for me. A while ago I received a package of slides duo who will be appearing bimonthly until one or the and CDs from headquarters. One envelope, labeled other meets his demise, or Harry runs out of ink.

“Max Ortiz,” contained two slides and a CD. We Some of our best articles are from pilots who scanned the slides and I mailed them off to Max, who simply have to share an incredible personal flying graciously returned them with a note saying they’re experience. J. Allen Rahi, a relatively new hang pilot, not his. One slide, which looks like an original, has picked a great day to try out aerotowing at Lookout this penciled-on information: Mt. Magazine, ARK, Mountain, and describes the euphoria of his first Dave Dunning & Rob (on left), 2/3/93. The other, thermal fl ight that took him above the mountain of a yellow paraglider, has no writing on it at all. If launch and above many of the more experienced either or both of these slides are yours, please contact pilots as well. In “Hooked on Hang Gliding,” Rodger me at editor@usgha.org and I’ll return them to you.

Furey reminisces about an unorthodox introduction Please continue sending me your articles and to hang gliding; no camera was handy to capture the photos. At the Bay Area photography seminar, I was moment, but staff artist Jim Tibbs’s illustrations do asked what type of articles I wanted. My answer: the job far better than even Aaron’s dangle-mounted Whatever type you are inspired to write! Our magacamera could have done! Jeff Cristol continues his zine readers have such a wide range of interests and account of his paragliding travels through Argentina experience levels that any well-written article about – Jeff and his wife Ursula had several cameras at hand, free fl ight is appropriate and welcome. Please don’t and they captured the beauty of this rugged country email huge photo fi les – contact me for uploading in both words and photos. Belinda Boulter profi les information. I look forward to hearing from you!

Women’s World Team pilot Lauren Tjaden, and points out that our best pilots are often “best” at many other things in their lives. Two other Women’s World Team members, Judy Hildebrand and Raean

C.J. Sturtevant

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Moyes Earns Bragging Rights on Their Home Turf

By Vicki Cain Photos by Olli Barthelmes

Corinna Scwiegershausen launching her Moyes Litespeed S 3.5 at Mt. Emu

The first major competition of Australia’s summer season, the Bogong Cup, has just finished with excellent results for Moyes Gliders. Seven tasks were flown with Litespeed S’s winning every day.

Attila Bertok is on fire! After winning the first day he never relinquished the lead throughout the whole competition, finishing 423 points clear of 2nd place.

The daily results: Task 1: Attila Bertok, Litespeed S 5 Task 2: David Seib, Litespeed S 5 Task 3: Steve Moyes, Litespeed S 4.5 Task 4: Attila Bertok, Litespeed S 5 Task 5: Gerolf Heinrichs, Litespeed S 4 Task 6: Gerolf Heinrichs, Litespeed S 4 Task 7: David Seib, Litespeed S 5 The final results: 1st place, Attila Bertok (Hungary); 2nd place, Gerolf Heinrichs (Austria); and in 3rd place, Olli Barthelmes (Germany) on a Litespeed S 4.

The whole motley crew

The glider stats were also impressive for the Moyes team, with 40 of the competitors at the Bogong Cup choosing to fly a Moyes glider, which equates to 60% of the field. The breakdown shows 40 pilots (60% of the 66 pilots) flying Moyes gliders, 19 on Airborne wings (29%), four flying a Wills Wing (6%) and three on an Aeros (5%).

The WPRS (world) ranking shows seven of the top ten ranked pilots in the world choose to compete on a

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Moyes wing. Congratulations to the raked and the horseshoe pit ready. OnMoyes team for this excellent competi- site campgrounds are great for camping, and for the less hardy there’s plenty of tion showing! lodging on-site and also with 10 minutes drive. Come and join the folks at LookLookout Mountain Flight Park Invites out Mountain Flight Park for that weekAll Hang Glider Pilots to April Demo end – and stay a while longer.

Days Pilots of all skill levels, including beLookout Mountain Flight Park (in Rising Fawn, Georgia) will be hosting ginners, are welcome to join the party. the Demo Days Fly-In April 22-23. Pi- For more information, contact LMFP at lots from around the nation and beyond (706) 398-3541, online at www.hanglide are invited to come to Lookout and enjoy .com. the festivities and fun. There’ll be a big cookout Saturday night and lots of action Northern California 2005 Pilot Summit throughout the weekend. Rob Kells of By Ben Rogers Wills Wing will have the T2, U2, Sport2 175 and other gliders available for demo.

Come fly a new wing and enjoy the opportunity to speak with one of the leading authorities on modern gliders!

Fun competitions will offer a different spin on competing, with most of them focusing on technique and safety rather than the usual spot/duration/distance The San Francisco Bay Area has more goals. Some examples: than 600 hang gliding and paraglidThe sweetest launch: The prettiest ing pilots, and it’s only natural that pilaunch, based on simple criteria such lots should congregate to socialize, plan, as eyes up, nose control and keeping fly, and exaggerate the year’s great fl ights. the glider pulled in all the way through The combination of a half-dozen clubs launch, will win. Everyone’s the judge. managing more than 20 sites – many of After dinner, the hosts will pull out the which have complex governmental rules videotapes of the launches and everyone and expensive yearly maintenance fees – will get to have a few laughs and cheer makes solidarity even more important. the loudest for the pilot with the “sweetUSHGA members sometimes hear est” launch. more about the confl icts and tension inThe safest landing: The judging format herent in such a large and multi-winged will be similar to the above. Instead of group; certainly, the diverse needs of difhaving a tiny spot for people to hit, there ferent wings, sites, clubs, and even the will be a very wide circle to land within. perpetual tug-of-war over our organizaThe focus will be on wings level, no pitch tion’s name sometimes dominate email oscillation, good speed coming in, nice lists and club discussions. However, my flare timing with no ballooning. Safest participation in the Wings of Rogallo and smoothest landing gets the loudest club (WOR), various fly-ins, and several cheers and wins the prize. paragliding and hang gliding email lists Short distance competition: Way- has revealed a huge interest in finding points will be chosen the day of the com- unity across clubs and pilots. petition, all within view of launch to Many pilots have suggested unitmake this a spectator event. Depending ing energy and money towards common on conditions, the difficulty of the task goals. Over the last two years, the idea of may be increased for advanced pilots. merging WOR with the Bay Area ParaSink rate competition may also be in- gliding Association (BAPA) was occacluded. sionally a topic on several forums. While This is a great time for foot-launch pi- no action was taken, it seemed obvious lots to learn aerotowing and for aerotow that getting together once or twice a year pilots to learn foot launching. might prove beneficial and fun.

As usual, the LMFP staff will keep And so the idea of a pilot summit was the bonfire stoked, the volleyball court born. It started out as a WOR-BAPA April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

joint meeting, but soon grew to include the Coastal Condors (Santa Cruz area), Sonoma Wings (Santa Rosa and surrounding environs), Mother-Lode Sky Riders (McClure folks), and Fellow Feathers (Fort Funston flyers). Several clubs chipped in to rent the Palo Alto Community Center, and Cheryl Cohen started planning for the potluck. Volunteers organized educational presentations, and soon others were donating prizes.

Not only did both of our regional directors show up (Paul Gazis and Urs Kellenberger), but USHGA president Lisa Tate flew in for the event.

The response was awesome! While I was hoping for at least 90 people to get a “happening” atmosphere, some counts came in at 175. The event turned out to be a great opportunity to briefly meet the club officers and hear club news, and Lisa updated members on USHGA initiatives.

But equally important as the news was the camaraderie and stories shared during this brief moment of unity.

In addition to the speakers and socializing, presentations were given on emergency radio use and soaring forecasts using blipspots. Other events were planned, but pilots generally showed more interest in hanging out and watching movies.

A big thanks goes out to all who helped and donated door prizes (Juan Laos, Bill Jablon, Kenny Brown, and others). We’re all hoping that next year will be bigger and better – perhaps our summit could be held in conjunction with the USHGA Board of Directors meeting in October.

Look for better presentations, a movie festival, and more BS than you can wang a wing at.

hump or two of rock “eyes” jutting out to break its clean lines. It is a privately owned, gnarly old mountain top with protected species of plant and animal life, and it’s a great place to fly hang gliders and paragliders.

Photo: Beth Burgis

John Harris, Jonny Thompson, Windsor Coggeshall, Chris Moore and Bruce Weaver. The celebration included watching the latest videos of snowkiting and landboard kiting all made possible, of course, by the Rogallos’ great invention.

Mr. Rogallo said he was ready to take another fl ight on Jockey’s Ridge!

Bubba Goodman just off launch on a November afternoon

Tater Hill has been home site to a small but devoted bunch of pilots for over 20 years. Located about eight miles north of Boone, North Carolina, on NC Highway 421, Tater is 2000’ AGL (above ground level) and 5000’ ASL (above sea level). The top is mostly open grass and is ideal for top landing and re-launching without breaking down. The take-off is a shallow slope and although a light breeze up the face makes for an easier launch, you can even get off in no-wind conditions. I’ve self-launched hang gliders in 0 to 30-mph winds and paragliders in winds up to 15 mph. I’ve top landed going backwards in both my hang and paraglider. You can drive right to launch, no hiking. The LZ, a mere 4:1 glide away and visible from the top, is not huge but it’s big enough.

Tater faces westward and can be flown 230° to 340° depending on the strength of the wind. Springtime air is the best – I’ve been over 12,500’ ASL. Climb rates during the comp should be in the 300800 fpm range and we almost always have clouds. You can go cross-country, mountain-hopping around or over the back. Landing areas are there but sometimes you do have to search for them. As is typical of the East Coast, there are lots A New East Coast Comp Site: Tater Hill of trees and power lines to be aware of

By Bubba Goodman Happy Birthday, Mr. Rogallo!

USHGA Sanctioned Paragliding but also lots of open green fields.

The longest fl ight from Tater is NelPhoto courtesy John Harris of Kitty Hawk Kites Competition: Tater Hill Paragliding Open, son Howe’s 98-miler in a hang glider; Francis Rogallo celebrated his May 7-13 94th birthday on January 27th, 2006, Tater Hill, or more formally “Pota- Bill Jenkins flew 35 miles in a paraglider with his wife, Gertrude and friends. to Hill” if you’re into maps and formal- a few years back. We’ve done lots of 20Surrounding Gertrude and Fran- ity, gets its name from its shape: It looks to 60-mile fl ights on hang gliders and a cis in the photo are, from left to right, somewhat like a big Irish potato with a few good out-and-backs on paragliders.

Safe Pilots Awards For 500 and 1000 Consecutive Safe Flights The USHGA would like to congratulate the following pilots for earning USHGA Safe Pilot awards: ¯ Jugdeep Aggarwal (paraglider) of Santa Cruz, California, has logged 500 consecutive safe fl ights, earning him the Gold Safe Pilot award; ¯ Bruce A. Rhymes (hang glider) of Susanville, California, has logged 1000 consecutive safe fl ights, earning him the 1st Diamond Safe Pilot award; ¯ Steven Wilson (paraglider) of Redmond, Washington, has logged 1000 consecutive safe fl ights, earning him the 1st Diamond Safe Pilot award.

Mike Meier’s “Master’s Tips” column in this issue takes us back to the roots of the Safe Pilot award, and reminds us that it’s not just the logging of injury-free fl ights but also a mind-set focused on safe flying that qualify a pilot for these awards.

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

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call Bubba Goodman at (828) 266-3871.

Photo: Beth Burgis

Red Bull Announces Vertigo 2006: The First FAI World Hang Gliding and Paragliding Aerobatic Championships The world’s leading hang gliding and paragliding acro-pilots will converge in Looking down on the Tater launch the small, peaceSince Tater is privately owned there is ful Swiss town of a locked gate on the road up, but I’m alVilleneuve on the most always available to go if it’s good; shores of Lake all it takes is a phone call. Turn-around Geneva this sumtime is about 20 minutes and access is mer from August via a rough gravel to rock to dirt road. 18 to 27. More than 120 pilots will exSometimes a 4-wheel-drive is necessary plore the limits of their sport for 10 days, but normally a 2-wheel-drive truck will with the goal of going down in history as make it just fine. the first official World Champion in acroBoone is a beautiful little hippie col- flying. Thousands of spectators are exlege town. There’s lots of outdoor stuff pected to gather at Place de l’Ouchettaz to do from biking (just ask Lance Arm- for the thrilling event as the pilots transstrong), climbing and white-water raft- form the skies above Lake Geneva with ing to miles and miles of hiking trails. their vertiginous maneuvers, demonBoone was recognized by Adventure strated in typical Red Bull style with the Sports magazine last May as one of four highest degree of precision.

Watch for more information about ultimate multi-sport vacation destinations in North America, along with Du- the program, the pilots and the events rango (Colorado), Bend (Oregon), and – from the qualifying rounds to the North Vancouver (Canada). Grandfather finals – and about the regulations for this Mountain is nearby, where the Masters first world aerobatic championship, at of Hang Gliding event was held for sev- www.redbull-vertigo.com. eral years during the early ‘80s.

Boone also offers some great places Carbon-Fiber Racing Pod to eat when you’re done playing, ranging From Flytec USA from organic veggie and loaded burritos to fi let mignon and sushi, as well as the usual array of fast food fare. It’s a tourist destination so there are plenty of places to stay. You have the choice of anything from campgrounds to motels to a log Flytec cabin in the woods or a quaint B& B on USA announces a the river. new aerodynamic pod for Springtime climate is sometimes on the 5030/Compeo, designed for compethe cool side but we have in years past tition pilots and serious XC pilots who gone right into summertime temps by prefer to fly with the fl ight computer only. early May. The average high for May is The Flytec 5030/Compeo fits snugly in 69°, the average low 48°. Of course the this new carbon-fiber instrument pod air temperature at 8000 or 10,000 feet that is strong, light and has the beautiful will be a little chilly, so be ready for any- finish of an Italian sports car. Features thing. Hopefully we’ll have light winds include: and high bases and a lot of fun. * Simple 5030/Compeo attachment Registration for the Tater Hill Open * Internal pitot tube pass-through closes on May 6th, the day before the * Very light and strong carbon-fiber start of the comp. For more details visit construction our Web site at www.flytaterhill.com or * Secure bracket that allows pod to be

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rotated up for landing * Bracket adjustable for glider controlframe rake (adjustment tools included) * Clamps for round, airfoil and airstream tubing available * Padded carry bag included * Vario purchased separately Pods for some older instruments and the Garmin 12/72/76/96 series are also available.

For more information on the CarbonFiber Racing Pod, call your authorized Flytec or Brauniger dealer or contact Flytec USA at 1-800-662-2449 or (352) 429-8600, FAX (352) 332-8611, email info@flytec.com, www.flytec.com.

Ozone’s New Tandem Paraglider Ozone announces its new Magnum Tandem as the “ Professiona l ’s Choice” – the Magnum is designed for professional tandem pilots; it’s strong and versatile enough for any professional tandem pilot, with excellent performance and handling in all conditions. It launches easily in no wind, and comes up smoothly in high wind. In fl ight, it is pitch- and roll-stable for a smooth ride, and features trademark Ozone handling for precise and dynamic piloting.

Fewer diagonals and more attachment points distribute the load smoothly across the canopy. An aspect ratio of 5.11, and 46 cells, give a clean sail design and efficient performance, while still retaining benign launch characteristics and a light weight. The Magnum’s profi le was created specifically for the needs of a tandem glider, and its planform and sail tension were designed especially for comfortable brake pressure, easy launches, and performance.

The Magnum is all Porcher Marine fabric, with the new Porcher Skytex 45 Evolution on the upper surface. This new material is extremely durable and stretch resistant, creating a more precise feeling in fl ight and ensuring that the glider will last for hundreds of hours.

More information is available from your Ozone dealer, or at www.flyozone .com.

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

APCO Designs a Parachute to Resupply National Park Rangers in Kenya Photos courtesy Kenya Wildlife Service

Some time ago APCO was contacted by the Kenya Wildlife Service to design a small parachute for airdrops of water, food and supplies to park ranger units in Kenya’s national parks. APCO designed a small parachute with an automatic deployment system suitable for safely delivering 20-liter canisters of water, or up to about 30 kilograms of food supplies. After testing and approving the initial prototype, APCO fulfi lled orders for several dozen of these parachutes, which are now in active service.

APCO’s contribution to wildlife and nature conservation in Africa is clearly appreciated, as expressed in the following letter from Bill Clark, who is responsible for this project on behalf of Kenya Wildlife Service. Bill says, “I have recently returned from Kenya where we conducted a training program with KWS rangers in Tsavo National Park. Attached are a few photos of your wonderful parachutes delivering drinking water and food to ranger units on the ground.

“The KWS rangers are very grateful for this new delivery possibility. And I think the elephants are also grateful – because with this new capability, KWS can provide them with better protection!

“The training went very well, and your parachutes are performing most admirably! This is an important contribution to nature conservation in Africa. Many thanks!”

ly or you will plant yourself in the snow.

A New Flying Sport, and a New SportLanding happens the way the fl ight did Specific Wing From GIN Information obtained from Philippe Re- – fast ! The ground is rushing by, so it’s naudin, Sup’Air-USA, and the GIN Web crucial to be lined up well in advanced for your approach. site Until now, pioneers in this emergThis is what’s ing new sport have used skydiving paracoming down the chutes or modified kites. GIN Gliders pipe: a new sport decided early on to be the first manufacbranching out turer to create a wing specially designed from paraglidfor speed flying. They call it the NANO, ing. “Speed flying” and it’s specifically adapted to the rewas created by quirements of speed flying. It’s now out paraglider pilots and available in four sizes: 10m 2, 12m 2, 13m 2 and 14m 2.

Pick your wing size according to your weight and, more importantly, your flying experience. The smaller the glider the faster you go. (For size comparison, an average paraglider is about 28m 2.) The 13m 2 and 14m 2 are for beginners and intermediates. The 12m 2 requires the skills of a highly experienced pilot who has a and skydivers looking for a new sensa- very precise level of control. The 10m 2 is tion and to create a link between gliding for the best expert pilots only, and is curby ski and gliding through the air. Su- rently available solely to GIN Speed Flyper-fast small wings are now used to blast ing Team pilots. This (barely larger than down numerous ski resort slopes in Eu- a handkerchief) 10m 2 wing will skim rope. Ski resorts in France (where the along at well over 100km/h! sport was born), Switzerland, Austria, ItNovices on the larger wings will be aly and Germany now permit speed fly- flying at a more reasonable 35-70km/h. ing on their slopes, hopefully in separate The NANO gliders have a trim system to areas to keep the flyers from smacking allow the pilot to speed up or slow down into the skiers! Reportedly, the first offi- fl ight. GIN claims that these wings are cial speed flying school will be opening in very easy to launch, extremely solid in the French Alps in 2007. fl ight and responsive to pilot input.

The game is to boogie down the slope as fast as possible and as close as possible to the snow – touch-and-go, wing tips, waga (low pass and touching the ground with one hand) are among the favorite routines.

The take-off technique for speed flying is different from the usual paraglider launch: you cannot use the front risers.

Instead, it’s similar to a paraskiing launch, Speed flying is an exhilarating expewhere you let the wing drag behind you rience that should be practiced with care as you get almost to full speed (you can- and in a carefully chosen environment. not run since you are on skis, so you have More information on GIN’s NANO to depend on your body weight to bring speed flying wing is here: http://www the wing up). When it attains spinnaker .gingliders.com/products/nano.php#. shape the wing will come up, reducing Information on the Radical, a lightthe drag and allowing your ground speed weight harness from Sup’Air that’s to accelerate for liftoff. appropriate for speed flying, is here: The speed is reported to be incredible http://www.supair-usa.com. and one can hear the wind rushing into the helmet. Turns must be made light-

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

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Emergency Response to Accidents in Remote Areas: How Can We Speed Up the Process? (email, 1/17)

David Jebb’s article on fl ight accident readiness covered a lot of good, basic areas. You watch a bad incident – the pilot falls 40 or 50 feet to the ground and bounces. This is serious! You immediately call 911 for assistance, and are told the “potential victim” must be examined by a professional EMT to evaluate their condition!

Because we often fly in semi-remote locations, the EMT response can be close to an hour. And if once they arrive, they determine the pilot has a broken back and they call for a med-evacuation helicopter, by now close to an hour and a half has gone by. The “golden hour” has passed during which the pilot’s injuries could have been fatal. In the case that inspired this letter, the pilot survived with severe back injuries.

How do we get across to the 911 operators that we in the flying community have some basic grasp of what is serious?

Wally Adams, USHGA #65172

Gary Trudeau, USHGA Region 8 director, responds: In the thirty years that I have been associated with the emergency medical system (EMS) this question has come up a lot.

Speeding up the emergency response system is a very difficult process. The system is set up to only allow a trained professional to make the call for more advanced trained professionals.

Before anyone gets a bad taste in their mouth about this, you must understand why EMS is set up this way. Dispatchers get

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card with every membership renewal. It is also on their Web site along with a copy of the article I wrote for the October 2004 issue of this magazine. That information has been available for about 18 months now. How many of our clubs and flying sites still don’t have emergency procedures that are known to every pilot flying our sites?

There are many other things that can be done, way too many things to list in a response to a letter. Any club or individual that is interested in setting up emergency procedures for your local flying sites can feel free to contact me. I will be more that happy to assist you in making things safer for our many calls every day from all types of people fellow pilots.

Gary Trudeau, GTET595@aol.com, claiming an emergency. Many of these callers over-exaggerate the severity of the illness/ (413) 743-0147 home, (413) 822-4860 injury. People tend to do this for several rea- mobile sons. They either get all excited due to emotions getting the better of them, they want It’s Mostly About the Noise… to speed up the response because it is a friend (email, 1/16) or relative, they don’t have the training to I have been a hang glider pilot now make an educated call for more advanced for 20 years living in California. I pricare or they just want the whole incident marily foot launch but have done some to be over as quickly as possible. Also, there truck towing. I live summers in northern is only a limited amount of resources avail- California, near the Oregon border by able to handle all the incidents that happen. Lakeview, and Sugar Hill is my local site.

This necessitates a prioritizing of incidents to My home is in a pristine rural area where make sure the more severe one are handled the locals are friendly and the area is first. These are a few reasons why dispatchers QUIET most of the time. When I fly my are forced to turn over control of the decision hang glider the locals do not realize I am process to a trained professional. flying unless they look up or happen to be I don’t want anyone to get discouraged by around the vicinity where I am landing this. There are many things that we can do to and they catch sight of me. speed up the process.

We do, however, have a couple of First and most important is to get some noisy powered paragliders in the area. sort of training in first aid and CPR. I Many mornings in the summer I have teach and can comment about how good awakened to a noise that sounds like a the American Heart Association program chainsaw at full revs. Being a pilot I reis, but the other major organizations like alize rather quickly that this is a PPG the American Red Cross or National Safety cruising around in the early morning’s Council both have very good basic first aid light, non-thermally air. A few times I and CPR programs that can be completed have grabbed my binoculars and climbed in about eight hours. If local pilots have this to a high point with a view of our beautitraining we can cut the golden hour down to ful valley and have located the offending minutes by us being the trained personnel on noise, a PPG flying on the other side of the scene right away. With proper training the valley, below the ridge top, some four we will know what to do and what infor- miles from my location. mation to relay to the dispatcher to speed up We also have light aircraft fly almost the response when it is truly needed. directly over us at times, but within a Secondly, we can adopt a standard few minutes the light aircraft has passed emergency procedure for all our flying sites, us and we can no longer hear it. Not so something that I tried to do a couple years with the PPGs – we get to listen to them ago. This will help eliminate the confusion all the time they are cruising our valley. that might happen as we fly different sites. They normally fly below the ridge tops USHGA distributes an emergency procedure and the sound echoes around the entire April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

valley, making most of the local residents aware of their presence. They of course fly very slowly and, it seems, at full power most of the time and usually in the quiet of the morning. The PPGs in my area do NOT use their motor to climb to altitude for soaring purposes.

My wife and I are the only hang glider pilots in the valley, and since that’s quite obvious by the large HG’s on our vehicles, we are often asked by local residents if that was us waking them up the other day.

My reply is always, “If it has a motor and you can hear it, it is not us,” and I point out that we belong to a hang “gliding” association. The word “gliding” to me, and the point I am trying to get across to my neighbors, implies NO MOTORS and therefore NO NOISE. Another example: At the Hat Creek, California, flying site we were landing our hang gliders about one hour before sunset on a beautiful calm evening when we were treated to a gaggle of PPGs all launching from the main HG LZ. The PPGs had either no idea or just did not care that they were taking off in our landing pattern. We dodged the PPGs to land, but the noise in this normally quiet LZ continued to be unbearable. An angry local landowner agreed. The “hang glider” – actually a PPG – that was flying around his ranch house and then diving on his cows brought the wrath of this normally very friendly landowner down on the local free-fl ight community.

I very strongly feel that as a gliding organization we need to have a NO MOTORS/FUEL-LESS policy and let the motor folks join the already established USUA which is for powered ultralights (which is what PPGs and PHGs are). Insurance is available for all motorequipped ultralights including PHGs and PPGs through the USUA. What do we as an organization gain from incurring more liability insuring people with motors? I feel that the liability would be far greater due to the ability to fly over unlandable terrain, and in our area where fire danger is a big concern most of the summer, hot motors with fuel on board landing in dry fields increases the fire danger. People who have inadvertently started wildfires in the past have been made to pay for damages. One such claim could run into the millions.

According to the USUA Web site, in- aircraft types. But none took over my surance for powered ultralights is $375 passion like foot-launched flying – both per year, as opposed to the $59 insurance free flying and motoring. I intently want currently available through USHGA. to preserve this form of fl ight and its selfOne such large claim through the regulated status. Anybody who thinks USHGA insurance and we all may have our freedom is a given needs only listen our premiums doubled or tripled. to politicians who want serious limits to I have heard the argument that using airspace, limits that would close some tugs or ground-based towing activities is free-flying sites in addition to airports the same as having a PPG or PHG, but near many big cities. this to me is a very different thing, be3. PPGs uniquely can launch from cause the noise and nuisance is limited to about anywhere and get places where one area and not several buzzing chain- they ought not. That makes an untrained saws all spread out in the sky.

PPG pilot a big liability. If one of these However annoying I find the noise gets into an airliner or causes other probfrom my local PPGs, I do not wish to lems, the publicity could be devastating stop them from exercising their right to – bringing pressure on politicians to act fly. I do, however, object strongly to them and landing us in the regulatory hot seat. becoming a part of my gliding associa4. Like it or not, our fates are intion that I joined because it supported tertwined. When a PPG fatality haphang “gliding.” I feel that the inclusion pened some time ago, the headline said of motors in the USHGA would be “Paraglider,” not “Powered Paraglider.” In a mistake and would not in the long the eyes of the public, there will be little run encourage more members. I hear a differentiation. lot of dissent from HG pilots I know, 5. Of probably 3000 active PPG who normally have a “united we stand” pilots, a little over 500 are represented policy, talking of starting/joining a new by the USPPA. That leaves a lot who can organization (or reverting to the original) be reached and the numbers continue to in the event of an all-inclusive USHGA/ grow. My goal is to do what’s best for the sport, working with and within whatever USHGPA. The paragliders are here to stay and organization best accomplishes that goal.

I for one embrace them, but please vote As both a free-flyer and motor flyer, I beNO on power and let us distance our- lieve that having USHGA adopt power would benefit the sport and USHGA. selves from these NOISE polluters.

6. Having insurance, especially if it Roger Jackson, USHGA #43812 can be tied to ratings, will encourage pilots to get training by virtue of sites that What Happened to the Power Vote? would probably require pilots to have the (email, 1/18) The decision over incorporating power insurance (and therefore the rating).

7. Sites that can be (and have been) seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Didn’t the members indicate their desire used by PPG pilots or free-fl ight pilots for this in a vote? Are we going to let a getting towed will probably open up.

8. It will not adversely affect soaring very vocal minority decide our fate? The BHPA adopted power some time ago sites. Those who run or own existing sites and their sky isn’t falling. As a passion- can limit the use of power regardless of ate pursuer of paragliding, both with and what USHGA does.

9. We can avoid “diluting” USHGA without power, I believe this should be resources to power as has already been approved for the following reasons.

1. As a USHGA member, I and many done with the 10% rule (no more than others want to enjoy our member benefits 10% of USHGA resources can be used when flying our foot-launched paraglid- for power issues).

If we, the members of USHGA, want ers (or hang gliders) whether powered or unpowered. Even if insurance was avail- to have our benefits apply when flying our able through USPPA or USUA, why craft, whether or powered or not, then should a USHGA member have to join we should be allowed the opportunity to decide it as we’ve been told we would. another organization?

2. Like other members, I fly lots of Jeff Goin, USHGA #72579

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More About the Noise (email, 1/17)

One of the many attractions of our wonderful sport, for me as for many others, is that it is silent and environmentally friendly. Powered paragliders are neither. Just as the advent of jet skis ruined many otherwise peaceful and quiet locations used by sailboats, PPGs pose a similar threat to the environment and to our sport itself. Because they are so noisy, PPGs cause much annoyance and ill will among the general public. Our sport suffers from perceived guilt by association in the minds of many members of the public who may not distinguish between PPGs and our own marvelously quiet and environmentally friendly form of flying. The same applies equally, of course, to powered hang gliders.

I believe USHGA should publicly, clearly and explicitly dissociate itself from PPGs and PHGs, and concentrate on its mission of promoting our sport as defined in the Articles of Incorporation – i.e. “fuel-less fl ight systems and aircraft capable of being launched by human power alone.”

Martin Beresford, USHGA #44028

Silent Flyers Will Be Guilty by Association (email, 1/17)

In 1982, before I took up hang gliding, I got interested in flying ultralights.

When I read about a local dealer/instructor who had made a pioneering trip barnstorming across the country in one, I made an appointment to visit and see what it was all about. I watched him launch and fly around, and while the idea of such fl ight had been appealing, the reality of it had one insurmountable negative – it was NOISY! A chainsaw running right behind my head. What fun!

Later that year I started hang gliding lessons, and 15 years later I took up paragliding as well. Despite the differences and the controversies between these two modes of flying, there is one strong common bond: We fly silently. As a pilot, I appreciate that lack of noise and because a lot of my flying has been out in the countryside, I continue to enjoy the quiet when I am on the ground.

Last year I had the experience of finding one of my favorite camping and flying

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sites invaded by powered paragliders, and the experience verged on nauseating. The noise echoed off the cliffs. On a beautiful walk in the early morning we were assaulted by these airborne lawn mowers for a radius of several miles as they repeatedly launched and landed, under power all the time.

Over the years, hang glider and paraglider pilots have learned the delicate balance we enjoy with the public for the privileges we have to fly over the countryside. We can lose that tolerance in so many ways – it is hard to imagine why some members of USHGA seem intent on changing the organization to embrace and promote a type of flying that will only strain that precarious relationship.

I believe this will be a particular problem in rural areas, where we often fly at unregulated sites over farms, ranches and the homes of people, many of whom have chosen their way of life to exclude the worst aspects of city life such as unrelieved noise.

Ultralights and powered paragliders are slow-moving aircraft and often fly at low altitudes. Their noise is persistent and far-reaching in an otherwise quiet countryside. Its spread – and support and encouragement from USHGA will promote that – will win us no friends among the general public. We will become identified with such noisemakers and will not be able to distance ourselves from their negative connotations.

USHGA’s by-laws should not be changed to allow their membership. We are an organization devoted to free fl ight.

To change that would be a travesty of our history and ultimately damaging to our future.

How about an article on how to shortpack a hang glider for shipment and/or gliders with easier short-packing features?

Hugh McElrath, USHGA #76062

Making Our Flying Safer (email, 2/3)

I was very impressed with Rob Kells’s article in the February issue, “How Safe is Your Flying?” As a ski instructor with experience in risk management, this topic is close to my heart and crucial to the maintenance of our flying sites, the viability of the companies that provide product and most importantly, human life and well being. I emailed Rob conveying these same sentiments and we spoke of an article written by Mike Meier a few years ago (“Why Can’t We Get A Handle On This Safety Thing?”). Rob’s article touched on a few of the ideas presented in Mike’s safety article. I feel that Mike’s is the best article to date on the subject of safety tactics, and many new members haven’t read or heard of it. Is it possible to re-print this article in a future issue of the magazine?

I have used many of the ideas learned from Mike’s article in my ski teaching over the last few years. In my opinion, dialogue and articles like the ones mentioned are the most important issue we have. Professional pilots (many of my friends are professionals, and I quiz them about safety strategies) take pride in their culture of safety, while too many of the rest of us are turned off by the simple mention of the word “safety.” Whether we have to find a new word for safety, or market the concepts in a different way to appeal to our collective mentality, we Rob Reiter, USHGA #37604 need that culture of safety that “pilotsfor-pay” have.

I have been hang gliding for 27 years; I Reader Appreciates the Diversity of have nine friends who have lost their lives Flight Modes flying and countless ones injured. Almost (email, 1/26) The magazine just keeps getting better! without exception, with some education Really enjoying all the international and focus in the right areas, they would flying content and the alternative fl ight all be alive today. These deaths didn’t modes (powered harness, sailplane) cov- need to happen – like many, they hapered. Also the Kagel to Palmdale cross- pened because of a series of preventable country story. As a budding bi-wingual mistakes. Please consider re-printing this (H-3/P-2) and ultralite/general aviation article to open people’s eyes to the erropilot, I am interested in anything that neous concepts that can cause death and injury. I re-thought my own safety tactics fl ies. after reading Mike Meier’s article and April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

would like to think it’s one of the reasons I’m still here writing this email.

Val Stephens, USHGA #39141

(email, 1/14)

I just wanted to let you know I found the January centerfold of Matt Gerdes feelin’ it in Hawaii extra sexy! Thank you.

Harry Martin, USHGA #15705

Photo courtesy GIN Gliders

Val, you were one of several readers who wrote to say they were inspired by Rob’s Matt Masarik, USHGA #80951 column to read the entire text of Mike’s article. We’ve reprinted it, with Mike’s permis- Suprone Flying, in All Its Glory sion, in this issue. (email, 1/24) In the article on the DoodleBug in Covers and Centerspreads the January issue of HG&PG mag, I was (email, 2/3) surprised to see that none of the pictures The chalk pastel by Carmen Musgrave actually showed the harness in all its gracing the front cover of the February glory with the pilot in the suprone posi2006 issue of HG/PG is marvelous. Too tion. Would it be too much to ask you to bad the mailing label can’t be peeled publish this picture? off. I would have voted for that image to Thanks for the great work on our fine appear in the centerspread. mag.

Ken Brown, USHGA #32342 Speed flying GIN’s new NANO

Ken Brown “bugging” photographer Ray Bailey April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

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Campfire Stories from the Turn: Part Two (An Update on the Status of Sand Turn, Wyoming) Article and photos by Adam Graham week of work on the project. Steve Rathbun, an engineer and surveyor by trade, is an accomplished hang glider pilot who has a special connection with Sand Turn, as it is the site where he fi rst took fl ight approximately 25 years ago. With his prior knowledge of the Turn, and a strong connection to the site, he offered his time and talents to the cause.

Steve spent several days in Dayton, working on the surveying and layout of LZ One. With his data, we were able to lay out a tentative LZ area for folks to try out over the Getting Ready for the Fly-In fly-in weekend My wife Lynn and I arrived in Dayton one week before the start of last year’s Steve Rathbun setting up for surveying, waiting for the Labor Day fly-in, in preparation for a flying to get good (note glider on his truck in the rear)

to test the final design. When we met with local surveyors who would be involved in creating the final plat, Steve was able to share his ideas in person. The Sheridan County Planner also reviewed our plan and encouraged us to forge on.

The Sunday before Labor Day Steve and I, along with a group of local pilots, were at the Turn waiting for the perfect thermal. We all launched in the early afternoon and most folks had great fl ights, climbing out well above the Bighorns. I worked my way out over the valley toward Dayton, sharing a light thermal with a local hang glider pilot for almost 30 minutes. As we circled over the Tongue River canyon, I wondered who I was flying with, not realizing how well we would know each other by the end of the week.

Photo: Jake Kilfoyle

It was only a year and a half ago (September of 2004) that the Sand Turn Trust was born. Through a great deal of time and work on the part of many individuals, significant progress has been made toward placing five acres of LZ One into permanent trust, thereby securing this beautiful site forever. Through donations from the national flying community, and with the help of a matching funds grant from the United States Hang Gliding Foundation, we are drawing closer to our fundraising goal. We hope by the second anniversary of the trust’s formation, the project will be completed. We are still actively fund raising, and need to keep the ball rolling to make this all happen.

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April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

We labored hard that Labor Day weekend, but we rested on Sunday, and since it was a bit breezy we spent the day in the Tongue River canyon, mountain biking and enjoying the river. That evening, a number of pilots gathered at the training hill north of Dayton, and with the help of a light south breeze, some new pilots got their feet off the ground for the first time, in much the same way as Steve Rathbun had started his flying career 25 years earlier.

A Friend Remembered

This year’s fly-in was special for another reason. One of our fellow pilots, Jerry Davidson, was severely injured four years Steve in the breakdown area after our great thermal flight ago in a hang gliding accident at the Point of the Mountain in Utah. Jerry horseshoes were actually called staples, dealt amazingly well with his injuries, The LZ Fence Project My fellow thermal pilot was Ryan and that having lots of beer on hand is a and over those four years continued to Sheeley, a local rancher who is the fifth requirement for fence building, especially contribute to all of our lives with his hugeneration in his family to live and work when trying to recruit extra help. Bit by mor, kindness and good nature, popping the ranch in the Dayton area where his bit, sections of fence began to take shape. in at our annual fly-ins when he was able, family came to homestead over 100 years With haying going on, Ryan divided his to say hello and share in the spirit of the ago. Ryan listened to our plan – build time between the ranch and helping us annual meets. Four days before this year’s a perimeter fence around the entire out with our project. Each evening, he event, Jerry passed away from complica39-acre piece of land in order to shield would arrive to give us a boost, encour- tions related to his accident. It was Jerry’s the five-acre LZ from any future cattle/ age us through all our cuts and bruises, wish to have his ashes spread over the pilot interactions, leave the LZ fence- and help develop the game plan for the beautiful Bighorn Mountains, from the less and obstacle-free, do this on our next section. “If you can fence together site he loved so much, and with a little own over the next couple of years with as a married couple for a week without help from the weather (and a long-time whatever time and money we had avail- killing each other, you better just plan on friend and pilot), that is exactly what able – and he then kindly volunteered his dying together,” Ryan quipped. We man- occurred. This year’s fly-in will be time and equipment to help build the aged, but without the help of Steve, Ryan, remembered as a tribute to a friend and fence. Ryan met us at the LZ on Monday Nito, Dave, Jared, Chris and others who fellow pilot.

The whole crew on launch evening, and after a few minutes of warm pitched in, Lynn and I would probably on Labor Day weekend still be lying next to a half-dug perimeconversation, Lynn and I both knew we were starting a friendship that would ter fence posthole, with ravens picking at our lifeless bodies. Our thanks to all who endure for years to come.

In the following days, Ryan loaded helped us avoid that fate! and transported all the fencing materials to LZ One, brought his tractor and The 2005 Labor Day Fly-In auger on-site for digging postholes, and In the following days, reinforcements taught us a great deal about fencing. arrived from near and far: Steve and Kim We learned that those nails shaped like Mazella from Salt Lake city, my mother and her boyfriend Jim Bennett from Laramie, Andy Macrae of Bozeman Paragliding. We needed all the help we What’s Next? could get, and were very happy to see During this memorable event new everyone so willing to pitch in. While friendships were born, old friends were Steve M. and I pounded in the final steel remembered, and at the end of the long fenceposts on the perimeter, Andy and weekend Lynn and I left Dayton for anJim took on the project of building other six months of fund raising, paperH-braces in the bottom of a problematic work fi ling, and planning for Memorial gulley running down the center of the Day 2006. With the help of donations property. from individuals at this year’s fly-in, we Ryan in the tractor, with us sighting posts April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

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or a paraglider (winners’ choice). That’s odds of 1 in 120 for each ticket. Also, over the past year, we have accumulated other prizes for the give-away, including technical packs, climbing ropes, expedition gloves and headlamps from Black Diamond, expedition tents from EMS, six Aerial-chairs donated by Craig Hines of AerialChair, a $100 gift certificate from Soaring Dreams Studio (flying art), three expedition jackets from Patagonia, The fence, with a new streamer in place, just before an autographed copy of Winter Dance (an we left ice climbing guide to the Montana Rockare $1500 closer to the matching funds ies), a fi xed-wing aerial tour of the Salt goal. We’re not done yet, though – there Lake valley, reserve repack/glider inspecare still 110 raffle tickets left, and we need tion/hang glider or paraglider tows and to have them all spoken for before we can powered paragliding introductory lesson hold the raffle and give away those glid- from Chris Santacroce at Super Fly in ers. Your help is still desperately needed! Salt Lake City. I am still working hard If this is the fi rst you’ve heard of the on the prize-gathering process, and I exSand Turn project, here are the details of pect that before we have the raffle, there our fund raising efforts. We’re holding will be an even more extensive list of a raffle, with exactly 240 tickets. Each prizes. Please help us complete this projticket costs $100, and we will be giving ect, and purchase a chance at winning a away two grand prizes of a hang glider great prize. A donation of $100 gets your

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name on a ticket for the drawing. To donate, please send your check, made out to “Sand Turn Trust,” along with your contact information and email address to: Lynn or Adam Graham 1915 West Morton Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84116 For more information, call Adam Graham at (801) 355-1093, or email me at sadamg@hotmail.com. You can also check out the Dayton link at bozeman paragliding.com. We hope to have the rest of the tickets spoken for by Memorial Day, and you do not have to be present to win.

Special thanks to all who have helped with, and continue to contribute to, the project. Saving this beautiful Wyoming site would not be possible without you.

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

Trends in Paraglider Design Article and artwork by Mike Steed Photos by Jeff or Ursula Cristol

It has been about six years since I went shopping for a new wing. The world has changed a bit since then, so I needed to do some research. This is an attempt to sum up what is happening out there.

Aspect ratios creeping up Aspect ratio (wing span divided by average wing chord) is one measure of a wing’s potential performance and safety level. A low-aspect beginner wing will rarely have a malfunction, and can be expected to recover quickly if the pilot doesn’t interfere. A comp wing or highaspect DHV 2-3 wing requires appropriate pilot inputs to recover from malfunctions that can occur more easily. A particular concern is a frontal collapse – a rare event on most wings, and likely to fi x itself before you know what happened. On a high-aspect wing, a frontal can quickly become a front horseshoe, and without proper inputs, things can go downhill from there.

But performance and aspect ratio go hand in hand, so what is your skill level and risk tolerance? In the table below, use projected aspect ratio to compare performance levels, while flat aspect ratio may be a rough indicator of a wing’s (lack of) inherent safety.

In 2000 I bought a Nova Argon, which for many years was about the highest aspect ratio you could find in a DHV 2-3 wing. (Arguably, I have been learning how to fly it ever since.) Since then, the 2-3 category has progressed slowly while manufacturers have turned their attention to refining mid-range wings or pushing comp wing performance. Interestingly, as comp wing aspect ratios have climbed, the projected wingspan has not kept pace – instead, the wing chord has been reduced for speed. The DHV 2-3 category is following the same trend, with similar span and increased wing El Jaire, Argentina April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

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airfoils only at the most simplistic level – measure the wing thickness near the center B-line attachment and compare.

The airfoil serves two main purposes – generating lift as efficiently as possible, and giving the wing some measure of pitch stability. The most efficient airfoil for a fi xed-wing plane would probloading compared to predecessor wings. ably not work on a paraglider, because Now we are seeing a resurgence of 2-3 it would surge forward under dynamic wings, with higher aspect ratios and per- load. Pitch stability can be improved by formance. Most made it into the table, lengthening the lines, so the designer can though I have no specs on the Boomer- trade off airfoil efficiency and line drag.

The airfoil also defines the internal volang Sport or other unfinished designs. ume of the wing. More volume improves the collapse resistance of a wing, and flatAirfoils improving?

The airfoil shape is important, but tens the surfaces due to the internal preshard to quantify. The buyer can compare sure. But a fatter wing performs best at

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slower speeds and has more momentum due to the weight of the air. (Enclosed air typically weighs slightly more than the fabric.) We don’t notice the momentum issue because the fatter wings are typically slower and more pitch-stable.

The most visible aspect of the airfoil is the leading edge opening. Most wings have a leading edge slot about four inches wide. Some new 2-3 wings (Magic4, Tycoon, Boomerang Sport) have much narrower slots, presumably for better nose behavior at full speed. The precision of the airfoil shape may also be improved by having only a single cross-port hole per rib instead of several (Tycoon). Either feature could impair inflation behavior, so check it out.

Skinnier lines and sparser structure Line diameters have dropped by 1/3 or more since I last bought a wing. Part of this is due to stronger fiber, part due to thinning or elimination of the sheathing layer. Unsheathed lines are becoming more practical (less impractical?) as UV protection schemes have improved.

To achieve their aspect ratio, midrange wings typically have 50 to 60 cells.

Most have some sort of internal rib structure to allow sparse line attachments, although you can still find mountaineering wings, DHV 1s, and a few DHV 1-2s that have lines attached at every cell.

These look like square O’s – empty cells without diagonal ribs. I call cells with diagonal ribs A’s if there is an opposite wall, or V’s if not. A few wings still have diagonals in every cell and attachments every two – call them AA. The AOA structure, with diagonals in 2/3 of the cells and line attachments every three, is still popular.

The compound structure O:AOA, goes one further by supporting an additional cell with only a tiny increase in line drag. The potential disadvantage is line tangles in the extra upper cascade. The paired compound structure 2xO:AOA is gradually becoming the standard for midrange wings, and line tangles have not been a big problem.

High-performance wings, including comp wings, typically have 70 to 80 cells.

Subtract the tip cells, divide by six main lines (almost all wings have six mains on the A, B and C risers) and you need to support 10 or 12 cells per line. Triples

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In general, more tip means more chance for a cravat. But tips do serve a purpose – besides adding to the wingspan, the tips provide some of the tension that helps smooth the rest of the wing. If the tip is short, the outer wing must curve down more to provide the missing tension. Different wing structures need more or less tension; a wing with too few cells for its aspect ratio will need more tension to flatten the surface. Likewise, a wing with cascade lines so short that they are nowhere near perpendicular to the wing will need more tension. The tip-cell counts in the table may be off by one, since most manufacturers do not indicate if there is a diagonal rib in the base cell. Some tips with three or more cells include inboard (3x) or quads (2x2x) have been used to Tycoon is the fi rst to use this structure attachment points at a mid-tip diagonal accomplish this. Comp wings use the for inner lines. Again, I worry about line rib, probably useful for shaping the tip.

Besides spanwise structure, the oth2x2xAOA design almost exclusively. tangles, but Nova has experience with Besides keeping you from falling out this structure on the outer lines of sev- er big factor in line drag is the number of the sky, the structure also influences eral wings. of rows of lines. The Magic4, like the the usability and behavior of the wing.

The strangest structure (3x2xVOV) is FR2, has no D lines whatsoever. All othIn general, less weight is better, for both found on the Apco Salsa, a wing that can er wings have D lines, although many launching and surge behavior. You can’t claim an incredible 113 cells in the me- cascade some or all of those off the Cs. buy a paraglider that will last forever, dium size. But Apco’s cell counts only A few wings have a couple of E attachsimply because it would be too heavy to apply to the front half of the top surface, ments at mid-wing, and the Form3 has E launch and fly safely. Fewer ribs means since the V-ribs appear only in the front attachments all across the inner lines. less weight (and less cost), so good de- of the wing. Other surfaces of the Salsa I have not verified dimensions providsigners try to simplify and minimize the M have a more modest 41 cells, with line ed by manufacturers. Caveat emptor, and structure. We are beginning to see light- attachments for each one. happy flying! weight double-compound structures There is almost always a stabilo line (OO:AOA), where only two of five cells to the wing tip, which supports as few have diagonal ribs. I believe the Nova as one cell or as many as five or six cells.

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Going to the Party: Lauren Tjaden’s Journey (So Far)

By Belinda Boulter

Lauren launching at the ECC Photo: Belinda Boulter

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Photo: Belinda Boulter

Flying her Sport 2 at Highland Aerosports April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

Photo: Paul Tjaden

Photo: Belinda Boulter

competition, but it wouldn’t be her last.

And in fact, Lauren has been competing most of her life, though in a very different sport. She grew up riding horses, competing in Western events as a girl in Minnesota and Colorado – and as a young woman she even put in a stint as a professional barrel racer in Germany, where she toured with an American-style rodeo. Looking for a change and starting with nothing, Lauren managed to parlay a two-week riding workshop in England Lauren Tjaden at Quest Air into a full scholarship at one of the UK’s Things were tense. It was the end of most prestigious riding schools. Th is was the last day of the 2005 South Florida her introduction to the world of ThreeInternational, and most pilots were re- Day Eventing.

Sometimes referred to as an “equeslaxing in the shade at the Florida Ridge fl ight park. But Lauren Tjaden couldn’t trian triathlon,” Eventing is made up stop pacing. Jono Fisher, who had led of three distinct parts: dressage (demthe meet’s Sport Class that morning, had onstrating control, balance, and poise), launched late and was yet to be heard cross-country (a rugged timed endurfrom. Lauren, in second place, had made ance event), and stadium jumping. It not it to the Lake Placid goal that day, her only demands a high level of horsemanfi rst time at goal in her first competition ship, but tremendous stamina and physiever, and thought she stood a chance of cal courage. In a way you could say that Lauren has been “flying” for most of her edging Jono out.

Finally at dusk the call came from Jono life, in the company of horses.

Lauren also loves to fly down a ski – he had landed out – but the scores were close enough that the winner was still slope, and it was while she was living in doubt. At last Meet Director David in Vail in the early 1980s that she met Glover called everyone to attention with Paul Tjaden. They were married in 1986 a few opening remarks. When he finally and a few years later moved together to began the awards with the Sport Class Loudon County, Virginia. Soon she and and announced that Lauren had finished Paul had a farm and were making their in first place, the applauding pilots had to living entirely from buying and selling smile as she jumped up and down, eyes horses. A number of their horses were flashing, arms flailing, yelling, “Hurray!” successful in international competition, with unrestrained glee. Clearly, this may and the Tjadens gradually developed a have been Lauren’s first hang gliding good reputation and a loyal clientele.

Lauren and her horse Vincent. They still compete in Florida.

“I’d always had a horse business,” says Lauren. “Training, boarding, teaching – I did whatever I had to, to survive in the business. We were lucky to be in that business because we were passionate about it, it was something we loved.

But we had no other life, and it was difficult to earn a living. Eventually we were burned out.” They may not have realized it, but they were ready for the next adventure.

One day a neighbor invited Paul over to try out his new powered parachute, and Lauren, always game, got to test it out too. “I figured I probably wouldn’t die the first time,” she laughs, “but I loved it. It wasn’t exactly quiet, but there I was just hanging out in the breeze. So Paul and I started looking for an aviation sport.”

Serendipity struck when the Tjadens’ best friends were driving home from the Maryland shore and passed Highland Aerosports. They stopped to take a ride in the tug but also ended up taking tandem hang gliding fl ights. They came back to Lauren and Paul raving, “We’ve got to do this!”

“I thought it was the most impractical, stupid sport in the world,” says Lauren of her first glimpse of hang gliding.

“But gradually I got sucked in. I loved the people at Highland. And I just had a ridiculous amount of fun.”

Paul learned quickly, but, Lauren says, “I set a record for tandem aerotows. It was a joke that I supported Highland with my tandem fees. I finally soloed on the second to last day of the 2001 season – in

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fact, Highland stayed open the following day just for me, so I could have two more solos. The day after that they closed for the winter.”

Highland may have stopped, but the Tjadens and their friends were far from ready for that; they decided it was time to learn mountain flying. They sought out an instructor through their local club, the Capital Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (CHGPA), and were initiated into the joys of mountain flying.

Soon she and Paul were regulars at their local sites, Woodstock (closest and easiest) and High Rock, flying through the winter whenever time and weather allowed.

Asked if her riding experience had made it easier to take risks and overcome fear, Lauren became thoughtful. “I enjoy flying a tremendous amount. But I am also very capable of becoming afraid.

I know a number of pilots with a lot of physical courage, but I don’t count myself among them. On the other hand, I think my tendency to be a little bit chicken has been a good thing because I’ve demanded a high level of skill from myself.

“I was a total joke in the club because I insisted on going back to the training hill every time I thought there was a flaw in my launch technique. I thought if I had a flaw in anything it would come back to bite me. Flying isn’t a very natural thing for me – I always felt I was a much more natural rider – so I resorted to drill, drill and more drill. Of course like most people I want to accomplish goals and move forward.”

Photo: Paul Tjaden

Photo: Belinda Boulter

Lauren and Paul at the ECC awards barbecue

Before long Paul and Lauren had lier, and she still loved it. It had certainly made the trip to Florida for some winter served her well flying in Sport Class. flying, and Lauren had earned her Hang But with the Women’s Worlds com3 at Quest Air Soaring Center. Lauren ing to her home town in 2006, the lure was now the president of CHGPA, where was strong to at least try for a place on her enthusiasm was put to good use in the U.S. team. True, it seemed like a encouraging new pilots. Paul bought an stretch after one competition. Yet it was Atos, and Lauren too began to venture conceivable that Lauren could earn the cross-country more and more. necessary WPRS points if she entered Finally, the Tjadens sold their Vir- both the East Coast Championship (at ginia horse farm, and last December they Highland Aerosports, her old stomping moved to Groveland, Florida. Their real ground) and the Big Spring Open. estate business lets them fly just about evThe ECC was not an easy five days. ery day that’s good, and Lauren earned For one thing, Lauren woke up sick on her Hang 4 this past March – just in time Day 1, so that each day was a challenge. for a five-day competition clinic spon- And it wasn’t easy competing in the Open sored by Flytec. class against high-performance topless What made Lauren decide to com- bladewings. She finished in the bottom pete? “As usual I wanted to go to the half of the field. party!” she laughs. “Also, I had always “I was sometimes disappointed in heard that by competing you can learn my flying performance,” she wrote later, a tremendous amount. The clinic here “but I got much more XC experience at Quest Air really helped because we and began to understand that even very did tasks every day, and we got so much good pilots have bad days, sometimes information, with ground school ev- through no fault of their own. Highland ery morning, and evening talks. I loved is where I learned to fly, so getting to that. Then crewing at the Flytec Nation- enjoy the company of so many old friends, als helped give me a good idea of what a both in the air and on the ground, was competition is like. The progression was wonderful. And perhaps the greatest ideal. Steve Kroop had discouraged Paul pleasure I got from this comp was seeand me from competing at the Flytec ing the fun and enthusiasm for XC that meet because he felt it was such a tense, resulted from the Sport Class being held. stressful environment for relatively new I had pleaded with many of my friends to pilots. The Florida Ridge meet seemed enter, and to have the comp be such a like the easiest, most stress-free place to positive, confidence-building experience start. Paul was going to compete there. for them was special. I did also get to When I went on the Florida Ridge Web savor the immature and profound joy of site I saw they had a Sport Class – that passing over grounded pilots some of the seemed perfect for me.” days – very fun.”

Spurred by her success at Florida The ECC was only the warm-up for Ridge, and encouraged by Paul and other the Big Spring Open, a full-scale intercomp pilots, Lauren began to make more national event at the venue where the plans to compete. “I’m greedy,” she said 2007 Worlds will be held. The Open right after that meet, “and of course I’m meant a far larger field of competitors, flattered when people are so encouraging. crowded gaggles, and some daunting But I’m also conservative. And I know tasks. Instead of the green fields of Florthe limits ida or Maryland, there were open, arid of my glid- plains and big Texas thermals. All the er.” Lauren contenders for the U.S. Women’s Team had only tak- were there, and they looked to be in top en delivery form.

“I was extremely intimidated at first,” of her brand new Wills says Lauren, “– by the terrain on the Wing Sport drive in to Big Spring, which looked un2 135 six landable to me, by the pavement that we months ear- launched from, and by the big, sharp, conditions that I had heard so many Lauren with instructor Chad Elkins, preparing for her first solo flight at Highland Aerosports

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resent the United States, instead of just fi lling a spot.”

We can’t wait to see how the U.S. women do in May.

Photo: Belinda Boulter

rumors about. I did not expect to place together around a big table. Lauren was well with my king-posted glider and feeling disappointed; she hadn’t really draggy harness. However, I had a tre- performed to her own standards. In admendous learning experience. In so many dition, she had opted not to fly on a day regards – balancing ambition with safety, of strong winds and threatening storms, dealing with the dangers of weather, fly- and she believed that decision alone had ing safely in a gaggle, taking charge of cost her the spot she wanted so badly on the ground crew, and the often almost the team. But when, halfway through immediate validation in the air that the the meal, Davis Straub came over to tell decisions I made were either good or poor the women his new preliminary WTSS – I grew as a pilot and personally, as well. ranking based on the meet’s final scores, “The other pilots were unbelievably Lauren was shocked to tears to learn she helpful. Mike Barber, Pete Lehmann, had earned enough points for a slot on and Kevin Carter, as well as Fred Per- the team.

Lauren is realistic, but determined: menter, were just a few who went out of their way to help me. I formed friend- “It is a well known fact that there is litships with all of the women, and liter- tle competition for slots on the women’s ally all of them assisted me at key mo- team, and that is the reason a pilot of my ments. What a fabulous group of strong experience, flying my equipment, had a women. At the end, I was ready for more. chance to gain one of these slots. I am I wished we could fly another week so I obviously aware of this. But I don’t care could use all my new knowledge and do how I got the slot. I did, and I take it seriously, even if few others do. I am learnmuch better.”

The last night in Big Spring, as pilots ing to fly my new topless glider and will gathered for dinner at a Mexican restau- devote myself over the next eight months rant, the women competitors were sitting to becoming a pilot who can proudly rep-

Launching at the ECC

Belinda Boulter was a hang glider pilot for ten years. She is married to Davis Straub, and travels the world as his companion and support crew. She enjoys being a part of the flying community.

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Photo: ©Walter Rowe

Why Can’t We Get A Handle On This Safety Thing?

By Mike Meier

(Reprinted with permission from the September 1998 Hang Gliding magazine) If I were to ask you to characterize the view that the “uninformed public” has of hang gliding, what might you say? You might say that they think of hang gliding as a “death sport,” or, at the very least, an “unreasonably unsafe activity.” You might say that they think hang glider pilots are “thrill seekers” who recklessly disregard the inherent risks in what they do. You might say that they are under the mistaken impression that hang gliders are fragile, unstable flying contraptions blown about by the winds and only partially, and inadequately, under the control of the occupant.

If confronted by this attitude in a spectator, how might you respond? You might say that once upon a time, in the very early days of the sport, it was true that gliders were dangerous, and pilots behaved in an unsafe manner. You might

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point out that in recent years, however, the quality of the equipment, the quality of training, and the level of maturity of the pilots have all improved immeasurably. You might point to the fine aerodynamic qualities of today’s hang gliders, the rigorous certification programs in place for gliders, instructors and pilots, and you might give examples of the respectable occupations of many hang glider pilots: doctors, lawyers, computer programmers. You might make the claim that hang gliding today is one of the safer forms of aviation, and is no more risky than many other action-oriented sports.

Later on, you might laugh about the ignorant attitude of the “woofo.” Or, you might wonder, “Why is it, after all these years, that the public still doesn’t understand? Why can’t we educate them about what hang gliding is really like, and how

safe and reasonable it really is?”

So now let me ask you another question. What if they’re right? What if they’re right and we’re wrong? And what if I can prove it to you?

Let’s take a look. First of all, you have to admit that year after year we continue to kill ourselves at a pretty depressing rate.

Anybody that’s been around this sport for very long has probably lost at least one friend or acquaintance to a fatal hang gliding accident. Most of us who have been around for more than 20 years have lost more than we care to think about. It’s true that we have seemingly made some improvement in the overall numbers in the last 25 years; between 1974 and 1979 we averaged 31 fatalities a year. Since 1982 we’ve averaged about 10 per year. In the last six or eight years, we may have dropped that to seven per year. On the

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Photos: Josh Morell

confessional accident reports, skip this part. I won’t be offended.) We were out doing some production test flying at Marshall Peak in San Bernardino. For those of you who haven’t flown there, Marshall is a rounded knob in the middle of a 2200’-tall ridge in the foothills along the northern border of the east end of the Los Angeles basin. It’s a very reliable flying site – probably flyable 300 days a year and soarable on most of them. It was July, in the middle of the day, but the conditions were not particularly strong.

We were landing on top, which we do whenever conditions are not too rowdy, because it vastly enhances efficiency. I was flying a Spectrum 165, and setting up my approach. I’ve logged about 100 top landings a year at Marshall for each of the last 15 years. Even so, I know for a fact that at the time, I was not complacent. I know because I have a clear memory of what I was thinking as I set up my approach. In two weeks, I was due to leave on a three-week family vacation abroad, and I was thinking, “You damn well better not get yourself hurt before your trip or your wife is going to kill you.”

At the same time, I wasn’t anxious. I was flying a Spectrum, the conditions were only moderate. I’d made lots of successful landings on more difficult gliders in more challenging conditions. I hadn’t had an unsuccessful landing attempt in longer than I could remember. I was relaxed, yet focused. My intent was simply

to fly a perfect approach. Such intent is always a good idea when top landing at Marshall; the landing is challenging, and a sloppy approach can quickly get you into trouble. I knew exactly where I wanted to be at every point in the approach: position, heading, altitude and airspeed. I executed the approach exactly as I wanted to.

You top land at Marshall half crosswind, gliding up the back side of the hill.

You come in hot, because the gradient can be extreme, and there’s often some degree of turbulence. The time interval from 40-mph dive, through round out, to flare is very short. I was halfway through this interval, past the point where one is normally rocked by whatever turbulence

Photos: Josh Morell

other hand, what has happened to the denominator in that equation? In 1978, there were 16 U.S. manufacturers viable enough to send teams to the manufacturers’ competition in Telluride. Today we don’t even have a manufacturers’ competition. My guess is that the fatality rate hasn’t changed much, and almost certainly hasn’t improved in the last ten years. I’d guess it’s about one per thousand per year, which is what I guessed it was ten years ago.

So the question is, why? The equipment gets better and more high-tech every year, we know more about teaching than ever, we’ve got parachutes, rockets to deploy them, full-face Kevlar helmets, wheels, FM radios for emergency rescue.

We’re all about 20 years older, and commensurately wiser and more conservative.

How come we’re not safer?

I’ve been asking myself variations on this question for as long as I can remember.

Three years ago I had an accident, and in thinking about that accident I thought that maybe I had stumbled onto some little insight into the answer. I’ll share it with you.

Here’s the story. (If you don’t like reading “there I was” stories, or other people’s

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Photo: Paul Voight

is present, when both my left wing and the nose dropped suddenly and severely.

I went immediately to full opposite roll control, and managed to get the wings and nose just level when the basetube hit.

Having turned 90 degrees, I was traveling mostly downwind, at a groundspeed of probably 30 mph. The right downtube collapsed immediately, and the right side of my face and body hit the ground hard.

Very briefly, I thought I might die. For a slightly longer time, I thought about paralysis. Within a minute, I knew I was mostly OK. In the end, I got away with a slightly sprained ankle and a moderate case of whiplash. I had three weeks to think about the accident while I bounced around the rutted dirt roads of East Africa trying in vain to keep my head balanced directly over my spine to

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moderate the pain.

The thing was, I never considered at the time of the landing that I was anywhere near “pushing the envelope.” I’ve done dozens of landings at Marshall where I did feel that way. All during the previous two summers I had been top landing RamAirs at Marshall in the middle of the day in much stronger conditions.

I had never had a crash. Thinking about it, I couldn’t even remember the last time I had broken a downtube. I tried in vain to think of a clue that I had missed that this was going to be a dangerous landing.

Finally, I was left with only one conclusion. What happened to me was nothing more or less than exactly what the potential result was, during any of the times I had landed under similar, or more challenging, circumstances. That was a dan-

gerous landing because of what could have (and did) happen. The corollary, of course, is that all the other landings I had done, on more challenging gliders, in more challenging conditions, were also dangerous. (In fact, they were more dangerous.) And they were so in spite of the fact that no bad results ensued in any of those landings.

And suddenly I felt like I was beginning to understand something that I hadn’t previously understood.

You see, here’s how I think it works.

The overriding determinant of pilot safety in hang gliding is the quality of pilot decision-making. Skill level, experience, quality of equipment – all those things are not determinants. What those things do is determine one’s upper limits. More skill gives you a higher limit, as does more experience or better equipment.

But safety is not a function of how high your limits are, but rather of how well you stay within those limits. And that is determined by one thing: the quality of the decisions you make. And how good do those decisions have to be? Simply put, they have to be just about perfect.

Consider the type of decisions you have to make when you fly. Do I fly today? Do I start my launch run at this time, in this cycle? Do I have room to turn back at the hill in this thermal? Can I continue to follow this thermal back as the wind increases and still make it back over the ridge? Each time you face such a decision, there is a level of uncertainty about how the conditions will unfold. If you make the “go” decision when you’re

99% sure you can make it, you’ll be wrong incentive is a healthy respect for the poson average once every 100 decisions. At sible dangers of failure, and our ability to 99.9%, you’ll still be wrong once every evaluate our prospects for success. And thousand decisions. You probably make here’s where we get caught by a math50 important decisions for every hour of ematical trap. Let’s say I’m making my airtime, so a thousand decisions comes decisions at the 99% level, and so are all every 20 hours, or about once or twice a my friends. Out of every 100 decisions, 99 do not result in any negative conseyear for the average pilot.

So, to be safe, you have to operate at a quence. Even if they’re bad decisions, more than 99.9% certainty. But in reality, nothing bad happens. Since nothing bad 99.9% is virtually impossible to distin- happens, I think they’re good decisions. guish from 100%, so really, for all intents And this applies not just to my decisions, and purposes, you have to be 100% sure but to my friends’ decisions as well, which I observe. They must be good decisions to be safe.

And now I think we can begin to un- – they worked out, didn’t they? The next derstand the problem. Let’s fi rst consider natural consequence of this is that I lower this: We all have a strong incentive to my decision threshold a little. Now I’m make the “go” decision. The “go” decision making decisions at the 98% level, and means I launch now, relieve my impa- still, they’re working out. The longer this tience to get into the air and avoid the goes on, the more I’m being reinforced annoyance of the pilots waiting behind for making bad decisions, and the more me, instead of waiting for the next cycle likely I am to make them.

Eventually, the statistics catch up because the wind is a little cross and the glider doesn’t feel quite balanced. It with me, and my descending threshold means I turn back in this thermal, and collides with the increasing number of climb out above launch and stay up, in- opportunities I’ve created through bad stead of taking the conservative choice decisions. Something goes wrong; I blow and risking sinking below the top and a launch, or a landing, or get blown over maybe losing it all the way to the LZ. It the back, or hit the hill on the downwind means I choose to fly today, even though side of a thermal. If I’m lucky it’s a $50 conditions are beyond my previous expe- downtube or a $200 leading edge. If I’m rience, rather than face listening to the unlucky, I’m dead.

If we can agree at this point that “there I was” stories of my friends in the LZ at the end of the day, knowing that I making 100% decisions is the only safe could have flown but didn’t, and know- way to fly, it then becomes interesting ing that they did and were rewarded with to consider, as an aside, what the sport of hang gliding would look like if we all enjoyable soaring fl ights.

So the incentive is there to choose “go.” operated this way. Pilots would choose The only thing we have to counter this to fly in milder, safer weather condi-

tions. They would operate much more comfortably within their skill and experience limitations. They would choose to fly more docile, more stable, easier-to-fly gliders. Landings would be gentle, and under control. Hang glider manufacturers would sell two downtubes and one keel for every glider they build (the ones that come on the glider) instead of three or four replacement sets like they do now.

There would be far, far fewer accidents.

(As it is now, there are about 200 per year reported to USHGA.) There wouldn’t be any fatalities, except maybe for one every couple of years if a pilot happened to die of a heart attack while flying (it’s happened once so far as I can remember).

Since this isn’t anything like what the sport of hang gliding does look like, we might conclude that hang gliding, as it is presently practiced, is an unreasonably unsafe activity practiced by people who lack a proper and reasonable regard for their personal safety. In other words, we might conclude that the “uninformed public” has been right about hang gliding all along.

If you don’t like that conclusion, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to like any of the coming ones either. But let’s first ask this question: If we wanted to address this problem of bad decisions being reinforced because they look like good decisions, how would we do it? The answer is, we need to become more critically analytical of all of our flying decisions, both before and after the fact. We need to find a way to identify those bad decisions that didn’t result in any bad result.

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Photos: Josh Morell

Let’s take an example. You’re thermaling at your local site on a somewhat windy day. The thermals weaken with altitude, and the wind grows stronger. You need to make sure you can always glide back to the front of the ridge after drifting back with a thermal. You make a decision ahead of time that you will always get back to the ridge above some minimum altitude above the ridge top, say 800 feet. You monitor your drift, and the

30

glide angle back to the ridge, and leave the thermal when you think you need to in order to make your goal. If you come back in at 1000’ AGL, you made a good decision. If you come back in at 400’, you made a bad decision. The bad decision didn’t cost you, because you built in a good margin, but it’s important that you recognize it as a bad decision. Without having gone through both the before and after analyses of the decision (setting the

800-foot limit, observing the 400-foot result), you would never be aware of the existence of a bad decision, or the need to improve your decision-making process.

This was one of the main ideas behind the safe pilot award. The idea wasn’t to say that if you never crashed hard enough to need a doctor, you were a safe pilot. The idea was to get pilots thinking about the quality of their decisions.

Not just, “Did I get hurt on that fl ight?” but “Could I have gotten hurt?” During the first couple of years of the safe pilot award program, I got a few calls and letters from pilots who would tell me about an incident they’d had, and ask for my opinion as to whether it should be cause for them to re-start their count of consecutive safe fl ights. I would give them my opinion, but always point out that in the end it didn’t matter, what was important was that they were actively thinking about how dangerous the incident had really been, i.e. what was the actual quality of their decision making.

Looking back on it now, I would say that the criterion for a “safe fl ight” – any fl ight that didn’t involve an injury indicating the need for treatment by a licensed medical professional – was too lenient. Today I would say it shouldn’t count as a safe fl ight if, for example, you broke a downtube. A few years ago (or maybe it was 10 or 12; when you get to be my age, it’s hard to tell), we had a short-lived controversy over “dangerous bars.” The idea was that manufacturers were making dangerous control bars, because when smaller pilots with smaller bones crashed, their bones broke before the downtubes did. (Today, most of the complaints I hear are from the other side, pilots who would rather have stronger downtubes even if their bones break before the downtubes, because they’re tired of buying $65 downtubes, which they’re doing with some regularity.) I have a different suggestion for both of these problems. Why don’t we just stop crashing?

Of course I know why. The first reason is, we don’t even recognize it as “crashing.” I continually hear from pilots who say they broke a downtube “on landing.” (I even hear from pilots who tell me – with a straight face, I swear – that they broke a keel or a leading edge “on

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

Photos: Josh Morell

landing.”) The second reason is, we don’t think it’s possible to fly without breaking downtubes from time to time. I

mean after all, sometimes you’re coming in to land and the wind switches, or that thermal breaks off, or you’re trying to squeak it into that small field, and you just can’t help flaring with a wing down, sticking the leading edge, ground looping, slamming the nose (WHAAAAACK!) and breaking a downtube.

We regularly observe our fellow pilots breaking downtubes, which also reinforces our perception that this is “normal.”

I’m going to go out on a limb here. I’m going to say that if you’ve broken more than one downtube in the last five years of flying, you’re doing something seriously and fundamentally wrong. Either you’re flying too hot a glider for your skills, or you’re flying in too challenging conditions, or at too difficult a flying site.

Now let’s ask one more thing. If hang glider pilots stopped dying, and if hang glider landing areas stopped resounding with the sound of WHAAAAAACK every second or third landing, (in other words, if hang gliding started looking like fun, instead of looking both terri-

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fying and deadly), do you think maybe the public’s perception of the sport might change? (Not “do you think more of them would want to do it?” because in truth, no, they probably still wouldn’t.) But do you think maybe they’d stop thinking we were crazy for doing it?

Maybe they would.

And maybe they’d be right.

Mike Meier, one-fourth of the Wills Wing owner/manager team, has been analyzing and writing about hang gliding and paragliding safety issues for decades. You can reach him at mike@willswing.com.

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31

Tree Rescue Techniques for Paraglider Pilots Article and photos by Ancil Nance

Getting out of a tree is usually not a problem for paraglider pilots, and the clinics I’ve attended have demonstrated how to set a rappel on a tree limb and slide on down. I’ve known a few people who have needed that skill over the years, but it seems so common-sense that I had ceased paying attention to the subject.

That all changed, and my interest peaked when I saw how high Charlie Phillips had been snagged by a tree at Ecola State Park in Oregon.

We had been flying for about an hour in smooth strong air, which became stronger just after I landed. Charlie was still in the air when conditions got too strong. I saw him get blown back, and I went into the forest looking and calling for him. When I finally saw him all I could say was, “Oh, s#%t!” He was snagged 20 feet out from the tree trunk, on the bottom branch, about 115 feet above me.

He wasn’t carrying a tree kit, so even if he had known what we know now he would have still been stuck. There is the lesson: Flying near trees demands a bit of forethought. But I wondered, even with the tree self-rescue kit that we’ve been carrying for years, would he or I have known what to do? I don’t think so, because we had never practiced using the glider itself as a rappel anchor. This incident got me thinking that we needed to give it a try, take it from theory to practice.

Stu Caruk, inventor genius, had also been thinking about rappelling from trees. He designed a rappel/belay device that is smaller than a carabiner, has wrench slots for link nuts, and best of all, it can be pre-rigged with a Munter hitch and kept as part of a rappel rope kit.

At our next clinic I first tried the old way, using a carabiner and Munter hitch combination and a stirrup fi xed to the anchor point at the quick link risers to take pressure off the harness risers. While everyone

32

rope and the LetMeDown rappel device.

Woohoo!

But let’s get personal: If you and your paraglider or hang glider were snagged in a tree, how would you get out of the situation? That would depend upon how high you were and whether or not you could get out of your harness and onto the tree safely. It would also depend upon what safety equipment you were able to reach.

The Munter hitch

Photo: Vaughn Ripley, virtualinks.com

watched, I struggled, and after a couple of attempts I was able to make it work.

I could’ve gotten out of a tree using the glider as an anchor.

Stu, watching with a grin, said, “Let’s make it simpler.” He set the LetMeDown rappel device to the rappel rope. That was simpler, since it was pre-rigged, I did not have to remember how to tie a Munter hitch and I did not have to use a ‘biner wrap. I was ready to go.

Brad Hill proposed using the speed system, anchored to the rappel device, to stand on and take the weight off the harness risers, instead of an extra loop. That met Stu’s demand for making things simpler. It was one less piece of equipment to carry in the tree kit.

Brad and I tried his idea and it worked.

Paul tried it and it worked – after he repaired his speed system (a pulley broke when he stood on the bar). Pat’s speedbar LetMeDown rappel device with loops

popped off, a broken line. Sarge tried the Hill/Caruk method and it worked. We were on to something.

We had a simple, bombproof way to set an anchor and rappel off the glider itself. We could get ourselves out of any tree if we carried a long enough rappel

No rescue kit, no radio, flying alone…

There are three levels of situations: 1. Simplest is when you are snagged by a tree and you can grab a branch and climb down.

2. More complex is where you can grab a branch but you need to rappel down because it would not be safe to climb down.

3. The most difficult situation is when your glider is snagged and you are hanging below it far from the tree, unable to reach any branches.

The rest of this article will explain how to deal with situations 2 and 3 above.

Below is a list of the basic items you need in order to be self-extricating. Your list will vary, depending on what you find you need after practice with your equipment.

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

• Radio (to let your friends know your situation) • Whistle (to help people locate you) • Flashlight (it could be dark before you get to the ground) • 4mm-6mm Perlon line, long enough to get out of any tree you may encounter (120’ seems reasonable). This should be pre-rigged with at minimum a locking ‘biner, but best would be the LetMeDown rappel device on one end and a knot on the other, all stuffed in a small bag.

• The rappel device or carabiner mentioned above • Safety loops made of Kevlar: 10”, 4’, 6’ and 10’ (you may need all or none, depending on the situation) • A couple of carabiners (locking are safer) • Small flare gun (pencil type, with screw-in cartridge, for emergency use only when there is no danger of fire) – online source: SG-67 Pocket Launcher http://www.signal-flares.com/ products%201.htm.

• A small folding saw if your harness has room (will prove handy for freeing your glider from the tree) • Small pliers or a wrench to use on the quick links holding the lines to the risers

(sometimes it is easier to get a glider from Situation 2 the tree if the lines are completely free If you can’t climb down, then you will of the risers). The LetMeDown rappel need to stay in your harness and rig a device has wrench slots that fit most rappel. Before setting up a rappel be sure quick link nuts. It’s available from http:// to use a loop to tie onto a good branch www.towmeup.com/. for safety, using a loop and cinch hitch.

A word of warning: All of this is just Attach your rappel rope (4mm-6mm theory unless you practice it. Rappelling is a Perlon) to a solid branch or around the dangerous activity, and experienced climbers tree with a figure-eight knot, bowline, or have shortened their height and even their any method you have practiced and know lives by underestimating the need to check is safe. If you have a pre-rigged ‘biner and double check each step. Practice in a safe with a Munter hitch threaded already, environment before you try this from a tree. or the LetMeDown rappel device, be Rappelling from a glider is risky in the ex- certain that the rappel ‘biner or device is treme, and is not recommended, but we ex- attached correctly just below the anchor plain how anyway. point and that your harness is attached to Situation 1 the rappel equipment. This may require If you get snagged by a tree, the fi rst a 10” loop of Perlon between the two thing to do is radio to your friends that harness ‘biners. If you are standing on a you are either OK, or injured and need branch, then the weight is off your risers assistance. If you see that you are in and you can now unhook from the wing easy reach of a good branch or the main and unclip the safety loop. You are now trunk, radio that information as well, so on the rappel rope ready to descend.

There are three ways you can be atthat a massive rescue effort is avoided.

Determine whether you can safely tie tached to the rappel rope.

1) You have only a carabiner, no speinto the tree with a loop while you try to get the glider free. If that can’t be done cial device, so you use the ‘biner wrap safely, then just climb down. Either leave method, winding loops around the side the harness with the wing, or wear it as of the ‘biner opposite the gate. You can control your descent by holding the you climb, or drop it.

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

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down-hanging end of the rope.

2) You have a ‘biner and know how to rig the Munter hitch or you have prerigged a ‘biner with the hitch threaded, ready to go. Descent rate is easily controlled if you have the correct number of wraps on the ‘biner side opposite the gate.

3) You are attached to the rappel rope with a pre-rigged LetMeDown rappel device. I have been rappelling for many years, and in my opinion this is the only method that makes sense for glider pilots to use, especially if they have little or no experience in setting a rappel with a carabiner. The device is smaller than a carabiner. It is pre-rigged and already attached correctly to your rappel rope, and it has two strong loops to attach safely to your harness carabiners. You will save time and be in safer conditions with this device.

Situation 3

Youare snagged in a tree, too far from any branch or the main trunk to make a safe descent possible from a tree anchor.

You must now anchor your rappel rope through the quick links where the risers join the lines. Run the end of the rope through the riser quick links. This is a last-ditch method because you can only guess how well your glider is snagged to the tree. In most situations it will be fairly obvious. If your glider is spread over many branches and the lines seem to be spread all over the place, then you could be really stuck. If your glider is caught on the sagging tip of a single branch, then you should start thinking about how best to survive a fall.

I think that if I were in doubt I would go ahead and rig the rappel and try to get to the ground as soon as possible. If it looks dicey, then don’t change the aspect

34

of your glider risers. Leave them in their relative positions, maybe even testing to see which riser is carrying the most weight, and see if weight shift alters the glider distribution. This will call for your best judgment, as there will be no going back. No one can predict what is best.

If you feel that the glider is probably going to hold, and darkness is approaching (meaning there is little chance that a rescue team is going to send a climber up the tree to help you down) then it is up to you to decide if anchoring your rappel to the quick links is reasonable. If it is, and if you are smart enough to have a bag with your rappel rope and a pre-rigged LetMeDown rappel device. This proLetMeDown rappel device, here’s what vides an anchor for the speed system so that you can stand on the speed bar to you do: 1) Thread the rope through the quick links at the upper end of the risers. Tie it off there with a figure-eight knot or a bowline (practice before you need to tie).

2) You now have an anchored rappel rope with the LMD device on the rope near the anchor. Hanging down from the LMD are two loops that you will need to attach to the harness ‘biners. If you have already pre-rigged the LMD loops with a carabiner on each side, then you simply clip each ‘biner to the harness ‘biners before the next step.

release pressure on the harness carabiners. If you use the stirrup method, now is the time to rig a stirrup loop cinched around the clot of risers and anchor rope knot. The loop must be long enough for you to step into but short enough to take the weight off your harness risers. Only real practice will determine this, but a 6’ loop should be a good starting point.

4) Just in case it really doesn’t reach the ground, tie a knot on the end of your rope so as not to drop off.

5) Wrap the rappel rope around the rappel device in a manner that will keep it from slipping when you put your weight on it. It must take your weight, when you 3) Attach the ends of your speed- stand on the speed bar, without slipping. bar lines to the bottom slot in the One method of making it non-slip is to April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

Available Exclusively From

take a loop (bight) of the rope and hook it in the notches on the left side of the LMD device. Then bring another bight

through that loop and pull to the right, cinching it tight. This must be practiced and any other method that you come up with while hanging in the tree is OK if it works.

6) Stand on your speed bar until you are vertical. This should un-weight your harness ‘biners and allow you to unclip the risers one at a time and clip the LMD loops in their place. Practice this in a safe environment in order to determine if your speed system is strong enough.

(In the first demonstration session two systems broke.) Brad Hill came up with this speed system method after watching me use the stirrup method. The stirrup method, using a 6’ loop anchored to the riser quick links, works OK. If your speed system does not allow its use for weight release, then you will need to use the 6’ loop to stand on temporarily while you un-weight your harness. Since it is temporary, the loop can be anchored

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35

to the quick link area, cinching it just above the rappel rope anchor clot. You may find it handy to have a chest clip-in point: make a 4’ loop, give it one twist to make a figure eight, and put it over

your back and slip your arms through the loops. Now you can use an extra carabiner to clip in to the rope/anchor to hold you upright while working on the exchange.

7) While standing on the speed bar or loop, with the weight now off your harness risers, carefully release the loops that have cinched the rappel rope around the LMD device, feeding the line slowly and putting your weight on the rope, stepping off the speed bar (or out of the loop) for a descent, holding the down-hanging end in your right hand. Four wraps in the LMD device Munter hitch is a good place to start, but you may need more or less, depending on your weight and the diameter of the rope. The same holds for the ‘biner wrap method. Find how many wraps will hold your weight on the line

Notes: Practice of this or any other tree extraction method is a good idea. We found that some problems could develop if the speed system didn’t allow a person to stand comfortably, so a stirrup may be necessary for some situations. Also, the release of the harness carabiners from the risers and the attachment to the anchor may need to be done with one hand, and some risers are more difficult than others to remove from the carabiners. Try your system before you really need to use it. What can you do with the equipment you have with you in fl ight?

If other people show up at the base of the tree, then you can alter these steps a bit. Your small diameter line can be lowered and a larger diameter rope can be hauled up. Also, the LetMeDown rappel device can be controlled by someone on the ground

36

that you will be using.

8) After a try or two we were able to get to the ground in about 15 minutes using the speed system method and the Let MeDown rappel device.

Wouldn’t that just amaze the rescue teams, to see you standing on the ground below a glider 120 feet high in the tree?

You could make up all kinds of stories!

holding the end of the rope, in case the person in the harness becomes incapacitated. There are all sorts of variations and practice is the only requirement.

In choosing the diameter Perlon to use, remember that a knot can reduce the strength rating by a third. So a 4mm line rated at 750 pounds drops to 500 pounds. That’s still OK, if you don’t bounce or weight it suddenly. Minimums work until unexpected circumstances blow them out. I weigh 175 pounds without glider, so I have opted for 120 feet of 4mm Perlon.

A figure-eight knot used to anchor to a branch or through the risers does not diminish the strength rating of the line as much as other knots. Sharp edges near the anchor point must be avoided since the descent may saw the rope back and forth.

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thermals. Keeping a logbook with past weather conditions briefly recorded will always be an asset to assessing the day’s potential.

At Chelan, our home site in eastern Washington, we know it’s going to be a good one when the pressure is around 30.05 inches or 1015mb, winds aloft are light out of the west or west-southwest,

Whidbey Island (Washington) winds are hard to forecast. John Kraske, Andrei Akaikine, Patti Fujii and Ernie Friesen enjoy a picnic while they wait for soarable conditions.

Too much wind at a thermal site (Pine Mt., Oregon) blows the thermals apart and makes for unpleasant flying, even if launch conditions are manageable.

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Photo: Chris Amonson

There are five major factors that will help you decide “weather to fly”: ° Surface winds and winds aloft ° Barometric pressure ° The thermal index (TI) ° Location of the jet stream ° Approaching fronts Evaluating these factors will help you get a picture of what it will be like out there, and there are several ways to gather the information needed to paint that picture. One of the easiest and most accurate ways is by calling the pre-fl ight briefer. In most of North America it’s a toll-free call to a real live person, who has access to a huge database of weather information. There is a kind of formula for getting the answers you need from the briefer, as you will see in the final paragraphs. The Internet is also a great place to get weather data, anytime, anywhere.

Perhaps one of the most important things is knowing your proposed site.

Every site has its own peculiarities, and knowing them is beneficial not only to predicting the best days of flying, but to your safety as well. Some sites react poorly to certain wind directions, or need the atmospheric pressure to be within a general usable window to yield the best

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8 01. 2 5 5 . 9 5 9 5 37

WINDS ALOFT Commonly recorded at intervals of 3000 feet, winds aloft are one of the most important factors of the day’s weather. High winds aloft can be a drag if an inversion layer breaks mid-day and you end up landing out, going backwards.

Too much wind almost always decreases the organization of lift, making climbs more difficult. The right amount of wind can create epic conditions for flying cross-country, so look at the forecast carefully, from the surface to 12,000 feet, or 18,000 feet if you’re flying a higher altitude site. Ideally, wind will be light on the surface, gradually increasing to less than 25 knots at 12,000 feet (or the likely ceiling of usable lift).

Low pressure plus a high thermal index can cause conditions to change rapidly.

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THE PRESSURE Barometric pressure is a crucial factor that will determine the day’s character.

If the pressure is high, expect thermals to be small and bullet-like if there is enough heating, or almost non-existent if there isn’t. Commonly, thermals are disorganized and unpredictable when the pressure is too high, with large areas of sink occurring in places that might normally harbor great lift.

If the pressure is too low, watch out – an overly unstable atmosphere can ruin your whole day.

Photo: Bruce Goldsmith

and the jet stream is far north of us. By recording weather data in our logbooks on the best days, predicting the weather becomes simple.

Low pressure combined with a high thermal index can rapidly lead to overdevelopment and cloudsuck. In general, watch for clouds that grow to be taller than they are wide, as those indicate lift that can be stronger than most pilots enjoy, and can even be dangerous.

Medium to mild low pressure can help to create the conditions that we live for. Get in the habit of checking and recording the atmospheric pressure in your log book every day you fly. The best days will probably follow a trend that you can use to your advantage in your morning weather analysis. Typically 30.00 to 31.00 inches (around 1015mb) is good.

THERMAL INDEX The thermal index is a tool for determining the strength of lift and the potential for over-development. It is a simple formula using puddle temperatures and the dry adiabatic lapse rate to find a measurement that will help you determine the day’s atmospheric stability. It sounds complicated, but isn’t – it’s a quick and helpful tool, although I won’t go into it in depth, as that can cause drowsiness.

To get the TI, we need to know the puddle temps on the ground and the

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

altitude of the freezing level. Low puddle temps and a high freezing level will give us a mellow TI. High puddle temps and a low freezing level will indicate a less stable atmosphere, and a high TI. Puddle temperatures: Look at the day’s forecasted high – let’s say it’s 75 degrees. If your site is in a drier climate, and the terrain is dry grass or dirt and rocks, there is the potential for puddle temps to reach 110°F. Sounds high, but try leaving a thermometer on the ground at around noon for about 10 minutes, and see what you get.

Adiabatic lapse rate: This is the rate at which rising air cools – about 5.5°F per 1000 feet altitude gain. If you predict a puddle temp of 110°F at 2000 feet, and the freezing level is at 12,000 feet, then there is a temperature difference of 78°F over those 10,000 feet. The adiabatic lapse rate tells us that there should be a 55°F difference. Subtract 55 from 78 – you get 23, which is the TI. For novice pilots a TI measurement of around 10 or 15 is great, and advanced pilots will enjoy anything up to around 35. Above 35 is pretty unstable, and you’d might as well go to work.

Metric conversion: The dry adiabatic lapse rate is 10ºC per 1000m. In general, even the most turbulence-hungry pilots should avoid a metric TI measurement of more than 20.

THE JET STREAM One pre-fl ight briefer scoffed at a lowly paraglider pilot asking for the location of the jet stream. He sneered, “Lear Jet pilots call in and don’t ask about the jet stream!” Indeed, what is happening at 35,000 feet would seem to be of no concern to us. However, years of careful weather observation by para and hang pilots in the western U.S. has shown that when the jet stream is within 100 miles (160km) of our site, it directly affects flying weather, and usually in an unpleasant manner. Surface winds can change suddenly and unpredictably, winds aloft can increase quickly throughout the day, and thermals tend to be very disorganized, and sometimes hardly usable.

In the morning the pressure can be perfect and stable, and winds aloft may indicate the probability of a nice tail wind, but by the time you get to launch

and look at the weather, it will most likely have deteriorated to the point that you experience a miraculous recovery and end up at work by lunch. The jet stream being within 100 miles of your site is usually a great reason not to call in sick.

APPROACHING FRONTS This one is pretty self-explanatory. By either looking at a satellite image or asking the briefer, find out if there will be a significant piece of weather arriving in your area by mid-day. Don’t expect it to stay sunny all day, or the briefer to tell you anything you don’t ask about.

It actually takes only about 10 minutes to gather and assess all of this information. You should be looking for light winds aloft – hopefully from almost zero at the surface increasing gradually with altitude, a medium to medium-low pressure, a TI of around 20-25, (10-20 metric) the jet stream being more than 100 miles away, and no significant fronts on the horizon.

If you haven’t been recording weather conditions on XC days in your logbook, then start doing it if you care about forecasting fl ight weather. Not all of us can fly whenever we feel the urge, and choosing the best days carefully is how you will get the most out of your flying.

GATHERING INFORMATION From the Prefl ight Briefer: Dial 1-800WX BRIEF. When you get the briefer on the line, give him your name, and specify that you are a paraglider or a hang glider pilot. Ask for winds aloft from the surface through 12,000 feet, plus temperatures. The information will be given in a series of numbers – learn what they mean. Ask for the pressure in your area, the location of the jet stream, whether or not there are any significant approaching fronts or systems in the vicinity, and finally, ask for a “synoptic outlook.” That’s weather nerd-speak for “give me the low down on what’s up.” Don’t ask the briefer for the TI, figure it out for yourself.

On the Internet: In the U.S. try www .paraglide.com/Weather.html.

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

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A Plea For Assistance: There Is Power in Our Numbers!

Artwork by Jim Tibbs, staff artist The USHGA office recently received this I already had visions of floating on my to enjoy a solid meal and the rest of the letter from a Ms. Ursula Beatrice Hadd, back in a slick of suntan lotion with a snowy evening in the comfort of the mailed from an APO address. It is longer mai tai propped upon my stomach. Then hotel bar. One thing struck me funny: than our normal “ letter to the editor” policy he thanked me again, said he would call They were very interested in my weight.

Now, a woman’s weight is a closely guardallows, but due to its seemingly urgent na- back in a day or two and was gone.

There wasn’t much to go on and jeez, I ed secret – I won’t admit to any more than ture we thought it prudent to run it in its thought, that tropical island sure seemed 100 pounds. As we danced around the entirety as a special feature. more remote by the minute. I didn’t get subject one of them – Sgt. Juan, I think It is amazing what can happen in a my hopes up, but every time I had to – said, “I can tell she’s perfect. Let’s move year. You can have the adventure of a run outside on a sub-zero errand I found on.” Well, I’m no cover girl, but I never lifetime, you can fall in or out of rela- myself thinking of what could be in have to buy beers in a bar full of cowtionships, you can end up in hot water or store. I didn’t have to wait too long. boys. Still his declaration was flattering. a cold cell. I have done all of these in the The initial call was on a Monday; by I found out later what he meant. The rest past year, and it is the reason I am writ- Wednesday I had a ticket waiting for me of the evening was spent signing papers ing with this appeal to the pilot commu- at the local regional feeder and was bound swearing me to secrecy and waiving my nity. I have always felt we were a special for Denver on Northwest. In Denver I was rights to sue the government, etc. etc.

After I had signed my life away (or bunch and now I need some special help. met by three rather military looking men Well, when you go begging it’s always who picked up my luggage and led the so I had imagined), they all smiled, and good to begin at the beginning. So here way to a waiting car. The obvious leader Lt. Sparr said, “Now we can get down introduced his protégés as Lt. Mike Sparr to the nitty-gritty. Let me explain our goes…

It was a year ago last January when I and Sgt. Juan Valez, then said, “I’m Earl program. We are involved with surveilwas hunkered down in my home north Earle, you can call me Earl. I’m head of a lance for the Army and Marines. We of Livingston, Montana, trying to stay secret government program which, if you have stealth drones and RPVs such as the Predator, but these vehicles have multiwarm, safe and sane. I was successful at pass muster, we would like you to join.”

After we checked into a nearby ho- million-dollar price tags and require very only the first two. Around that big sky country the flying shuts down when the tel Earl started in. “First,” he said, “let well-trained operators to assure reasonbirds wander southward. It’s a long haul us find out more about your background.” able success. What we want is to send in from January to spring and spring comes They asked about my family and em- individual units that can size up a situasome time in May if it’s in the mood. So ployment history. Halfway through this tion and quickly come back to land near imagine my intrigue when I read an ad exercise I got the feeling that it was all deployed troops. The Predator and its in the classifieds of the January issue of perfunctory and they already knew all like need runways or ship support. We Hang/Paragliding mag that said some- the answers. I had been vetted, probed want portability and versatility that these and thoroughly investigated. Well, I’m larger craft can’t provide. So we have thing like: Small Hang Glider and Paraglider Pi- sure they didn’t find much to worry devised a feasibility study for what we call lots Wanted for a Special Training Program. about, for I was too young to have en- the Gorilla Guerilla Group or GGG.” It wasn’t until after we flew to Miami Want to spend time on a tropical island? joyed the adventurous ‘60s and I lived Want to make generous pay? Want to work too far up in the redneck belt to get into the next day and boarded a camouflaged with animals? Want to be part of a cutting- any kind of serious trouble. But the main military transport heading south for edge research team? If this appeals to you, gist of their queries was to see where my five hours, then landed on a small strip sentiments lie. I could tell they want- on what they called Mono Island, that I call 1-800-625-9300 for more info.

So I called. The man who answered ed someone who was liberated, not learned that the project actually was emthanked me, with a Texas accent, for liberal, and conservative, not a conserva- ploying chimpanzees. The idea was to calling and then began with questions. tionist, so I tailored my answers to their teach them to hang glide and paraglide He wanted to know my flying experience questions appropriately. Even though I and send them cross-country equipped and whether or not I had any instruc- felt as out of place amidst these military with mini cameras and GPS units to tor ratings. Also he delved a bit into my flat-toppers as a crasher at a Mormon survey a potential hostile situation. My background and personal statistics such family picnic, I desperately wanted that job was to act as chief instructor, and I as age, weight, height and tendency to tropical island prize. realized they wanted a small person sunburn. I really liked the last one, for So I passed muster and we broke up who’d be close to the chimps in size. I

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had my misgivings and doubts right from the beginning, to be sure, but the generous pay and that tropical island dream lulled me into complacency and compliance.

The island was no disappointment. The next day they took me around the place. I figured it was roughly 20 miles long by 10 wide. It had a 2000-foot-high backbone essentially along its middle with golden beaches everywhere. We drove the whole perimeter in two hours. Along the way I scouted out launch points and noted the prevailing winds. Landings could be made everywhere along the beaches lapped by the crystal aquamarine sea.

Palm trees were plentiful and especially thick around our bungalows and training headquarters. There were ample supplies on hand and two full-time cooks who catered to our whims as long as they had a seafood theme. I did get my mai tai, but found I was mostly too busy to float in a sea of oil.

Within two days of my arrival I started my first training session. Most of the chimps were ex-circus performers and therefore had had a lot of human contact. They were well behaved for a group of hyper adolescents and I had plenty of help from the project managers and a few workers who seemed to speak only Spanish. The chimps were all named after Republican U.S. presidents or first ladies. I quickly learned to put names to features and was soon able to distinguish Mr. James from Abe, Dwight, Ronnie, Nancy, Abigail, Dick, George, Laura and Woodrow.

I began by running with them down a sand dune. They did the best they could on their stubby legs, and it was clear they were having the time of their lives right along with me. The next step was to get them airborne The GGG had purchased a couple large hang gliders and paragliders so I took each of my simian pupils for rides on both types of gliders. This process went on for a week and I carefully noted which chimp seemed to prefer which type of flying – seated like an airplane pilot or proned out like a bird. It turned out that the field was about evenly split so I separated their lessons.

To my surprise, it was actually easier teaching the hang glider chimps since they didn’t have to loft the glider – just

aim it and run. Eventually the smooth sea breeze and their excellent mimic ability helped develop their basic skills faster than some humans I have taught.

In three weeks they were all taking sled rides from the different launches I had found and opened up. Their launch skills were so-so, given their limited ability to run, but the steady breezes took care of that and besides, I was told that mostly they would be towed up in their field of work. They exercised good control in the air to be sure, for they had a sixth sense of balance and positioning, which made sense given that they were arboreal in their natural habitat. The landing was what they really excelled at, for their relatively long arms allowed them to flare effectively on both hang and para gliders.

I was very pleased with my students’ progress, as were my own overseers, Earl and his cadre. Somewhere in the third week, however, I detected a problem. It seems that Mr. James, a very powerful 80pound specimen, had developed a crush on me. OK, that’s happened before in a bar back home when some cowboy with

how they picked up the skills naturally. I often postulated that one of them could become national champion given enough guidance.

As soon as they had some reliable thermaling skills, I started taking them on little cross-country excursions. Nothing big at first – we would drift a few miles down the ridge then return. From their constant howls of delight, I could tell they were hooked on flying. I once saw Abe dive on a frigate bird and the whole troop screamed in amusement.

Then I began noticing that Abigail was always dogging me. She would come into my thermal and soon catch me up.

Her lighter wing loading made it difficult to stay with her, but I figured my superior brain could outfox her. Much to my shame, I found that I was in competition with her and I must admit that more often than not she beat me. On those occasions I would sulk after the fl ight and I swear that she was hooting and gesturing in derision. But all-in-all I was in a pilot’s paradise, flying every day, playing in the surf after the sun dropped and eating like a gourmet. The human company wasn’t much to write home about and I had to rebuff a couple advances, but I didn’t need to talk to humans too often, for when I felt lonely I had my chimps – they never were contrary or demanding.

We developed a strong bond.

I was living a dream, but things couldn’t go on like this, I knew. Eventually I would have to turn loose of my little pupils so they could get on with their assignments. I was saddened by the inevitable, but heartened by the thought that there would be a new crew to teach once the program proved successful. I had no an IQ barely equivalent to Mr. James’s doubts that it would. But then something would dog me around and have to be cut happened to send my high-flying plans off at the knees. But in this case, I surely into a tailspin.

I normally would spend the evenings couldn’t dismiss my student. So, I let him follow me around because, in truth, he did walking alone along the beach, or playeverything to please and was indeed my ing in the surf. Sometimes I would just best student. But the complexity increased lie out under the full moon and let my when it became obvious that Abigail was thoughts drift anywhere but back home enamored with Mr. James and therefore to the prolonged winter misery. But this night I was thinking of my friends crossjealous of me. Exceedingly jealous.

This state of affairs went on for weeks, country skiing and huddling around an while I was getting my furry little pi- inviting fireplace. I guess I got a little lots to learn to thermal. The big light homesick. So I wandered back to the thermals along that tropical shore were compound to make a call on the satellite ideal for the class and it was amazing phone. I wasn’t expected back so soon,

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43

for I heard snatches of an argument surely not meant for my ears. I crept closer and could tell it was the others discussing my apes. Some were advocating sending them right off to some confl ict or other – there’s so many it’s hard to keep track.

That reality had been in the back of my mind, but what shocked me were the references to carrying ordnance and mini-missiles. Suddenly it dawned on me that I had been setting my furry companions up for actual warfare.

They would be firing and fired upon. No doubt they were considered expendable and while the training program cost a bit, the amount was peanuts compared to a single stealth RPV. Right then and there I decided to take matters into my own hands, consequences be damned. I slipped into the kitchen, stuffed some food supplies into

44

a tote bag, then snuck over to my room to grab a blanket and some personal items. Then I went looking for my flying buddies. I found them in their enclosure, mostly sleeping or grooming. They

perked up when they saw me for it always meant something fun – usually flying. They were no doubt curious as to why we would be flying at night, but they all followed me like the Pied Piper as I led them out the gate, back towards the jungle and up into the hills.

The island of Mono is pretty thick with trees in the center and quite rugged. I had surveyed it often from the air and had a pretty good idea where to go.

Up on the mountain several streams rush seaward and there are rock ledges and grottos which are ideal for shelter from the occasional rains. As we progressed my little companions started getting more and more excited. I realized that they really hadn’t had the freedom to romp through the jungle in years, or perhaps ever. Some of them started swinging from vines and scrambling up trees.

I let them have their fun, for I figured we would have until morning before they were discovered missing along with me.

We gradually neared the 1000-foot altitude and I found us a snug little overhang to nest in. The chimps automatically gathered some soft vegetation and we spent the night cozy and free of care.

The next day I took them higher and as far away from the compound as we could get. I eventually found a great shelter and began to relax. In the next few days the chimps settled into a routine of foraging, playing, grooming, squabbling, dozing and eating. Food was pretty easy

to come by because the place was a Garden of Eden with fruit and nuts everywhere. I began to think we had made it.

We could hold out forever here in our little corner of paradise. Of course, I was being naïve. What made me think the government wouldn’t muster all its resources to find us?

The end came soon enough, but from a different quarter than I’d imagined. My chimps began showing signs of restlessness alternating with listlessness after a week, and by two weeks they were positively stir crazy. I recognized the symptoms, for it happens to me every winter.

They were horny to fly! By the third week they started drifting back down the mountain toward the compound. I tried to stop them, but there was no way I could explain to them the danger they were in. Eventually everyone left – often with baleful looks back towards me, but they left nonetheless. Finally, the only one who remained behind was my faithful Mr. James. He would cast soulful looks in the direction of civilization, but then shake his head as if to say he knew where his duty lay, then come over to me and give me a hug. I was in a dismal mood after losing almost all of my companions, but his antics always made me smile.

We stayed together for another week and I figured we would be left alone, but I didn’t reckon on the power of love. It was one early morning, an hour after sunrise, when I heard a noise in the underbrush.

There I saw with glee a chimp scrambling up towards our aerie. I was delighted when I recognized Abigail. No doubt her attraction for Mr. James brought her back. But then I saw her looking back several times and when three soldiers came into view I knew we had been betrayed. In her jealousy she had revealed our hiding place. I have often pondered since how she knew she could get rid of me by bringing the others to us, but all I can figure is that she heard me arguing with Earl at times and figured we were enemies. She got her revenge for being a spurned female in love.

The rest of the events are pretty much a blur. The soldiers found us in our primitive home, surrounded us and marched

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

us down the mountain. I say us, but really it was only me. The chimps were free to follow and the last I saw of any of them was Mr. James looking forlorn as I was loaded on a plane in shackles.

After that fl ight in the dark, we landed near some military base. The heat let me know we were still in the tropics, but that’s all I could tell for I was blindfolded. I did hear the sound of vehicles, barked commands and marching boots, and then I was placed in a cell and there I languished for what seemed like weeks. I was getting three meager meals a day and little else. There was no diversion and the only fellow prisoners I could hear down the row spoke in a harsh foreign language sounding something like Arabic.

The break came when one of my jailors began talking to me. He wouldn’t tell me where I was, but he did provide occasional company, even if he did smoke foul-smelling cigars. After I told him

why I was incarcerated he became more sympathetic. I was held without a lawyer or any communication, but he offered to smuggle out letters to friends and family on occasion. I wrote home, but haven’t heard a thing. Then I hit on the plan to write the USHGA membership, knowing the power in numbers.

And this is my appeal. The reason I think it may be effective is because most of you understand the need to be free to fly. You also understand the dilemma I faced in training pilots who would use our sports for military purposes. I hope you join me in preventing the powers that be from compromising the beauty of what we are doing. I know my thinking was clouded in accepting the job in the first place, but I thought I was bringing the magic of fl ight to another species.

How wonderful was that? I also hope you will write your congressperson and any other authority you can think of to urge them to let me get a swift and fair trial.

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I know I will have to pay for absconding with government property (the chimps), but it was all returned and I look forward to making restitution and being free to fly again some day.

The other hope I hold dear is that my chimps will take the opportunity that their skills affords them and fly XC to freedom once they hear gunfire and explosions. In the days we were together on the mountain I worked to train them to be afraid of explosions by clapping rocks together and making the chimp gesture for danger. Who knows?

Sincerely, U. B. Hadd

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By Jeff Cristol

Photos by Ursula and Jeff Cristol Traveling with a paraglider and a bag full of cameras, my wife Ursula and I spent over two months visiting the premier flying sites of Argentina. The first half of the trip we visited and flew in the southern part of the country: El Bolson, Bariloche, Mendoza, several sites in the Sierra de Cordoba and La Rioja. (See the March issue of this magazine.)

After several days flying in La Rioja, we headed north, catching a 4:00 a.m. bus so I could get to Tucuman in time to fly. The flying at Tucuman is famous throughout Argentina for the smooth, broad thermals. Moist conditions here

1BSU mean fewer flyable days than at the desert sites to the south, and pilots rarely get very high, but friendly locals and a beautiful launch make this a great paragliding destination.

We found our way to Florencia’s hostel. Florencia is extremely welcoming, and only rents to pilots, and her house is within walking distance of the landing zones. Soon local pilot Mauricio Serra picked us up, drove us to launch and gave us a great site introduction. The local club, Loma Bola, owns the takeoff situated in the middle of the 30km-long San Javier Range. A paved road leaves

from the suburb of Hierba Buena on the edge of Tucuman and takes pilots to the grassy launch.

Typically, there are lots of clouds, and the air is humid. The best months to fly are October through November; the rainy season is January through February. This year Loma Bola and Tucuman hosted the Argentina Nationals. Again I saw an unusual number of Gradient gliders, the legacy of Luis Rosenkjer and his marketing ploy of winning the Nationals on an Aspen, and lending Aspens to his friends who also all took top places.

Loma Bola, the local club, owns the takeoff for this lovely flying site.

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and reminding pilots of the right-hand thermaling rule for the house thermal in front of launch and to the right.

We were shown a really nice time in Tucuman, visiting with pilots in the evening and getting rides back when landing out. There are a couple optional landing zones, one close to the hill and the other close to the meeting place at a store on the edge of the city. True to the wet nature of the range, I was rained out several days. Still, I got to fly enough to get to know the site, although I didn’t get to fly up and down the range as I’d hoped, and I never climbed very high over launch.

Some of the best flying in the country is in the north, and we still had a long way to go to get to Lima, Peru, for the Christmas holidays with Ursula’s family. So again, we boarded a bus right after my last fl ight in Tucuman and left for the next site, Tafe Del Valle, in a high valley on the other side of the range. After several hours driving around and through the mountains, we arrived late and tired.

We carried our gear to a local hostel and contacted the only local pilot, Freddy Powell, who agreed to take off work the next day to take me flying. Once again the local hospitality outshone the local food, or even the flying. Among thick dark clouds we hiked above town, eventually flying through a small hole in the soup for a sled ride down. Argentina pilots, like Chileans, call top-to-bottom fl ights a “piano,” a metaphor I really like.

Without time to explore some of the Gradient gliders are common at Tucuman. other potential high mountain flying Tucuman’s smooth thermals rise from comes easier after a few passes, and the in the nearby Andes, we headed north again for Salta. When pressed, Luis was the dense forest below launch. There is grassy hillside is huge. normally no prevailing wind, so the therThe clubhouse offers shelter from rain reluctant to pick favorites, but eventualmals slowly track their way up spines, or and a place for weekend barbeques. Tree ly he gave his opinion that the best flywhat the locals call fi los, from the flats tops surrounding launch sport wind- ing in Argentina is in and around Salbelow. This phenomenon creates a nice socks, or mangas, which literally means ta. Our guidebook spoke highly of the breeze to launch into. As with most sites, shirtsleeves. There are signs describing city, with a lively nightlife and lots of cotop landing seems tricky at first but be- the site, noting the local radio frequency, lonial history to check out. Local pilot

The view from Tucuman launch towards town

The huge, grassy launch area at Loma Bola/Tucuman makes for easy top landing.

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At Corralito we met lots of local pilots who shared their site, their knowledge and their tight circle of friends with us.

I was introduced to some of the different varieties of hierba mate, a hot tea drink served in a special gourd with a straw.

The entire trip I watched Argentineans enjoying mate, any time of day. Thermoses of hot water and a mate appeared any time there was a small wait or a short We lucked into some great flying weather at Kiting on the Corralito launch break and a group of pilots were gathered.

Corralito!

Traditionally mate is very strong, but Marianna Farjat kindly introduced us to season, which runs December through people add sugar and spices for variety. many of the other pilots, and took us to February. The Corralito site is half an The gourds, or mate, are made from the Corralito, the most-used of Salta’s fly- hour out of town, and has a locked, gated, porongo fruit, and the metal straw that ing sites. Marianna owns the Gran Hotel two-wheel-drive dirt road for access. The strains the tea is called a bombilla desPresidente, a four-star hotel on the cen- thermals are broad and smooth and top cana. The gourd is refi lled with hot watral plaza, but we found less extravagant landing on the spacious clearing is easy. ter, and then passed to the next person. accommodation.

The launch is 650 meters above the tobac- The custom is that if you don’t want to The best months for paragliding in co fields at the landing zone. Launching be offered more, you say “gracious” when Salta are August, September and Oc- into a good cycle is important, but low handing the empty mate back. tober. We were lucky catching great saves at the bottom of the hill are also Two local tandem pilots, Alejandro weather at the beginning of the rainy possible.

Haro and Omar Lopez, took me to another local site just north of the town of San Lorenzo. Horses carried our gliders during the hot hike up the hill. This launch isn’t as high as Corralito and it’s more challenging to soar here. Still, midday thermals call pilots into the air. Alejandro and Omar shared their site and helped me with my Spanish, explaining that a gaggle of birds, or bandera, is also a gaggle of paragliders. They also described the difference between male and female condors and the local cuervos, or buzzard, which is all black.

The launch is a beautiful grassy clearing on the edge of a ridge rising above new suburbs of Salta. There are many optional landing spots, but the normal field is huge and right next to the road to the hill. The day we flew was too sunny with few clouds. Pilots who get high here often fly to the southwest around the city to the Corralito site.

The unstable conditions with big but

A beautiful day at Corralito, the most-used site in the Salta area

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San Lorenzo’s LZ options are numerous.

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dozen local pilots regularly fly from this 500-meter-high ridge.

Pablo gave me a great site introduction, pointing out various reasons why this is an advanced site. With the strong headwind on the way to the landing zone, and the large forest to cross, this is definitely a committing launch. Novices or pilots with low-performance equipment should consider flying only when conditions look especially good. The best season here is the same as in other northern areas of Argentina, with the greatest number of flyable days in September and October, and the rainy season December through February. The mountains and valleys around Jujuy are green and wet, in stark contrast to the nearby altiplano of Bolivia and northeast Chile, an extremely high desert at 14,000 feet just a few hours away.

The clear blue sky meant few thermals and relatively short flights at San Lorenzo.

With this final successful fl ight, soarnon-threatening clouds that we had flown trip. The small international circle of pi- ing high over the forests for over an the last few days were what we needed. lots is as strong as ever on those dusty hour, drifting back with the strong wind, fighting to stay out front in the shortInstead, it was challenging to soar longer dirt roads!

Our final destination in Argentina lived thermals, I completed an incredible than an hour in the on/off blue thermal was Jujuy, two hours north of Salta. We tour of many of Argentina’s paragliding cycles of the afternoon.

We passed a last day in the Salta area caught yet another 5:00 a.m. bus and met sites. We would leave the next day with a sharing local bus seats with two young up with Jujuy’s local instructor, Pablo Al- group of Salta pilots for the Pacific coast French pilots in a search for the fabled tea, who kindly took off work to act as in Chile. flying at Cuestro del Obispo. We all met our guide.

In Jujuy we asked a taxi driver the difat the bus station at 6 a.m., even though the sky was dark and moisture hung in ference between a hotel and motel in Arthe air, and the weather prediction was gentina. He laughed as he explained the normal two-hour time limit at motels, for rain.

After several hours retracing our way and the implications.

We met up with another local pilot south, we entered the foothills of the Andes mountain chain, and climbed up into and headed north to the flying site of El the clouds. A famous local tourist attrac- Jaire. This is another afternoon thermal tion is a train ride that winds up to the site with big peaks cresting the mouncrest of the Andes. It is called “The Train tains behind launch. El Jaire has strong The incredible scenery at El Jaire of the Clouds,” after which we named our valley winds, with another ridge-soaring fruitless expedition “El Collectivo de las site farther upstream. The grassy launch The wonderful people who were so Nubes.” The site at Cuestro del Obispo knoll was clear-cut especially for para- friendly, kind and caring are what made has huge relief and the valley obviously gliding, and there is a shaded parking our two months so incredible. There are holds great promise for free fl ight. For- shelter and a table with stools. About a great sites in Argentina, and the countunately we were well entertained by our try has very high standards for travel, friends’ wild antics and fun energy. I refood and lodging. Almost everywhere ally enjoyed meeting the oncoming bus we went there was an active club or oron top of the pass, changing buses with ganized flying scene. The locals without our paragliders in the middle of nowhere, exception were unbelievably welcoming and switching our travel from one direcand supportive. Ursula and I thank each tion to the other to the bewildered looks and every one who took the time and enof the other passengers. The French piergy to share their love of flying and the lots were on their way south to eventubeauty of their local sites with us. ally fly tandems in El Bolson with the El Jaire is an advanced site, at least partly because friends we’d met at the beginning of our of the large expanse of forest that must be crossed before reaching landable terrain.

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=dd`ZY dc =Vc\ <a^Y^c\

By Rodger Furey

My introduction to hang gliding was a was that the prints headed up the mountain bit unorthodox. As I understand it, peo- instead of down, which at the time I found ple had been flying from Mt. Yougottabe strange, so I decided to investigate. The in Kidding, Maine, for years. I was rent- footprints led me to the northwest side of ing a house near the mountain and work- the mountain where there is a near-vertical ing as a truck driver for the local quarry. I’m granite face, and it was there I came across not from Maine originally – I moved there the owner of the footprints, hooked into for a few years in the early ‘90s because I a hang glider, the first I had ever seen up had a couple friends who lived in the area close, and struggling to get the glider to the and they had told me that the quarry money edge of the cliff all by himself in somewhat gusty conditions. wasn’t bad.

I rushed up to see if he needed any help This story takes place in late March, if I recall correctly. There was still some snow at and found myself quickly indoctrinated and lose both of them at the same time. I let the top of the mountains in the area. I was into the loyal order of wire crew people. I go, but the glove did not. The clip snagged hiking alone near the summit of Mt. You- grabbed one of his side wires and, with a the side wire as Don (or Ron) launched, and gottabe when I came across a truck buried little instruction, helped him get his glider before I knew what was happening I was up to its axles on the only 4x4 trail to the pointing into the wind and somewhat stable. over the edge.

The first few seconds I thought I was a top. I noticed a pair of footprints in the snow The guy’s name was Don, or maybe Ron. He and mud that indicated that the driver had gave me a brief primer in wire crew etiquette, goner. The glove slid down the side wire left the scene. What caught my attention particularly the part about letting go when to the corner of the control frame, where I frantically grabbed the control bar with my he yelled, “Clear!”

Standing so free hand. The glider was in a high-speed close to the edge of dive, hundreds of feet above the nearest tree, that cliff was un- and Ron or Don was screaming in my ear, nerving. I had al- “Let go! Let go!” Yeah, right.

I’m not sure if there was some instincways thought that hang gliders must tive understanding of the center of gravity be a bit crazy to do at work or if I just wanted to make sure that what they do, and I wasn’t going to separate from the glider, standing on the but I swung my feet up and wrapped them edge of a preci- around the screaming Don/Ron. Now, no pice holding back sexual innuendo snickering from the peaa bucking kite in nut gallery! I was in a fight for my life high winds did here, scared shitless. That little maneuver nothing to alle- somewhat corrected the situation and Ron viate that notion. (or Don) managed to get the glider under When the time control, which put a cork in that incessant came for Don (or screaming of his. was it Ron?) to yell, This was an improvement from just a few “Clear!” I did in fact moments earlier, but we were still in a pretty let go, exactly as precarious predicament. My arms were on instructed. fire and my feet were on the verge of slipping Un f o r t u n a t e - apart, so I pulled my hand free of the glove, ly I was wearing a grabbed the risers of his harness and pulled pair of those heavy myself into a seated position on the guy’s back. skiing gloves, the That maneuver I doubt I could ever repeat in kind that have that a million years – a gallon of adrenaline can metal clip near do miraculous things. Well, this set off anthe wrist so you other bout of screaming but it soon stopped can clip the pair when Don/Ron realized that we were now of gloves together in a pretty stable situation. The glider was

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under control and this unexpected passenger no longer felt like he was going to drop to his death at any instant. In fact, after a few minutes I actually found myself sort of enjoying the view!

Now, this is where the story gets a little weird. There we were, flying out over the valley, I assumed so we could land as quickly as possible and clean our collective drawers, when I heard this beeping noise. I noticed

for the first time the small instrument ed like a reasonable plan to me. The sliding cluster on one of the downtubes. Damn and rolling went fine but Ron/Don hadn’t if ol’ Don/Ron didn’t pull a 360! anticipated the result of a sudden drop in Remember, I was new to this hang wing loading and he lurched up into the gliding thing; I had no idea what air, screwed up his transition and blew out was going on but it didn’t take long both downtubes.

We talked for a while as he broke down for me to understand that the beeping meant that we were going up… the glider. I gave him some money for the broken downtubes – it seemed the least I and I didn’t say a thing, not a peep.

It seemed like a long time but I could do – and he told me about this hang would guess we climbed for about gliding school in New Hampshire. It was ten minutes or so and gained a few kinda weird – we didn’t talk at all about thousand feet. Neither of us said a what had just happened, nothing. I think word to the other guy. I’m not sure we were both still in shock.

In the end he took off to retrieve his what was going through his mind, but I was in the middle of a near religious experi- truck and I finished my hike home. That ence. It was during those few minutes that I summer I started taking hang gliding lessons at Morningside Flight Park, always became hooked on hang gliding.

About twenty minutes later we were wondering when I would bump into Ron/ circling over a large field and Ron (Don?) Don again. It’s been 15 years and I’ve never spoke up for the first time since his earli- seen him. Maybe that experience drove him er screaming episode. He explained to me out of the sport, I don’t know. Too bad. It that I needed to slide off the harness as he would be nice to have someone to corroboskimmed along the ground and roll when I rate my story. hit the ground at 20 mph or so. Considering what I had just been through it sound-

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51

Profile of a World-Class Pilot: Judy Hildebrand

and traveler, Judy was soon off to the 50th Profile of a World-Class state, glider in tow (although she detoured for several months of Colorado mountain air- Pilot: Raean Permenter Article and photo submitted by Judy time before heading to Makapu’u on Oahu). Article and photo submitted by Raean “I wanted to fly hang gliders and learn how to Raean took her sail boats in a warm and beautiful place,” says fi rst hang gliding Judy. She is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed caplesson in 1982 and tain with thousands of sea miles under belt. the sport has been She eventually moved to Florida, and hang the center of her life gliding took a back seat for a while until “I fiever since. In 1984 nally got a car that would make it out of Broshe met Fred Perward County.” She learned to truck tow in menter, who prothe sugarcane fields, and it was there that she posed on their fi rst did her fi rst cross-country fl ights and some tandem fl ight. They were married on the small club competitions circa 1991.

The year 1975 and “standard” gliders Judy’s fi rst “real” comp was the 1999 Wal- launch ramp of High Rock, Maryland, and marked the beginning of Judy’s flying ca- laby Open; since then she has flown many the wedding party flew down to a reception reer. “My boyfriend was one of two dealers places around the country and the world in in the LZ. Fred and Raean have been flying in SE Pennsylvania, and after being a driver comps or just for recreation. Judy was part of together ever since. and photographer for a while I decided it was the bronze-medal Women’s World Team in Raean was one of the earliest and most actime for me to have some fun,” she recalls. Greece in 2000. “I turned 50 that year and tive female mountain pilots living in the midThe rest, as the saying goes, is history. was so thrilled to be part of the team and fly Atlantic region, regularly flying sites throughJudy’s mentor was Linda Tracey, one of in Greece,” she recalls. She flew again for the out Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, the only female pilots back in 1979. Linda in- team in Chelan, Washington, in 2002, where and Virginia. She was the fi rst woman to fly vited Judy to come to Hawaii for some trade- the team earned the silver medal.

XC from the High Rock site, and for 15 years wind flying. Being a consummate adventurer Judy now lives on Lookout Mountain in was extremely involved in local club activiGeorgia, one mile ties, site management and preservation. She from launch. She learned to truck tow in 1993 and became

is part owner of a aerotow rated in 1995.

In 1999, Raean attended an advanced boutique and also

owns her own nat- pilot’s course with the number-one-ranked ural food whole- U.S. pilot, Mike Barber, of the World Team sale business. Too Academy at Wallaby Ranch in Florida. She much work and ex- found the insightful instruction invigorating tensive family issues and began to seriously pursue cross-county have kept her from and competitive flying. With the support of flying as much as her husband Fred she has flown in seven mashe’d like lately but jor international competitions and earned her she is determined fi rst World position as a winning teammate of to make more time the 2002 silver medal U.S. Women’s World for the activity that Team in Chelan, Washington. She qualified she loves, and to be for but was unable to participate in the 2004 an asset to the 2006 Women’s Worlds in Austria.

Now a Florida resident, Raean thought team. “I feel comfortable aerotowing she had retired from competition but the

– as a matter of fact, opportunity to fly again with her U.S. World ! " # ! $ it is my preferred teammates and good friends in her home method of getting state motivated her to re-enter the comp %& ' !' ( ) (( * +! +! ! ! !, airborne. My love is scene. At the 2005 Big Spring Open Cham

flying XC and Flor- pionship in Texas she was the highest placing ) - %.' ) (( * / ) %0' ) (( * "1' ' $ ida is a great place woman, and she is eagerly and confidently for that, so it is with looking forward to participating as a 2 ! ! 3) 34 (! !, - 5! ! + a lot of excitement member of the U.S. Women’s World Team at 6.& 6778 &96 & . ' : + that I look forward the 2006 Women’s World Championships next : ! : ;! 6776<

to once again be- month in Florida. ) ( =& / 4 !> (! 3 ; ; ( ; * (( ing part of the U.S. 2 3 ; () , ) (( * !;; 8 ! ; Women’s Team.”

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Further Adventures of Matt and Jimmy: We last encountered the intrepid Mattand-Jimmy duo back in the December 2005 issue, while they were in the Swiss Alps practicing for this very event.

Having survived their shake-down runs, they’re now in Villenueve for the real thing. Jimmy remembers it thus: Looking down at my partner, I knew we were both in trouble. Matt had a hopeless number of line twists, and his glider was in a wretched state of misbehavior. He was

Vertigo 2004

doing all he could to sort it out, but he was getting low. When the glider dived forward into a wicked spiral, out came the red-andwhite reserve that I knew was inevitable.

Matt splashed into Lake Geneva, just missing a jetty and a forest of sailboat masts. The rescue boat was instantly there, and I was right. We were in trouble.

The head judge met Matt at the dock. We had flown out of order, out of the “ box,” and out of control. Now we were out of the comp.

They don’t call it Vertigo for nothing!

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By Matt Gerdes, staff writer Photos ©Red Bull-Denis Balibouse

It was a little disappointing. We had been training hard for at least a few minutes, and this was Vertigo, man! The mother of all comps. The biggest acro event of the year.

And we were out of it almost before it had begun.

There are three kinds of people at Vertigo: staff, competitors, and spectators. Outnumbering the competitors considerably, the staff were everywhere doing everything – serving beer, judging, and assembling the seemingly endless supply of Red Bull propaganda.

Smallest in numbers were the pilots, a mere 29 two-person paragliding teams and nine hang gliding pilots. As usual, Vertigo had attracted the best there is, a massive talent pool that included names like Neuenschwander, Maurer, Roten, Llorens, Steffen, Hediger, Pitocco, and of course the Rodriguez brothers, who have invented half the paraglider maneuvers and won the competition five times in a row.

Just as impressive as the action in the air was the number of people who showed up to watch it. Thousands of spectators poured into Villenueve to watch paragliding and hang gliding (honest!). The grass was trampled into a slimy mud pit.

Music and announcers blared over the P.A. Drunks got drunk. Airhorns, applause, whistles, and shouts encouraged the competitors. It was just like an international soccer match, minus the fighting and the British louts with painted faces – actually, we saw one of those, too.

Vertigo 2004 was a three-day event but it was only on the third and final day that everything came together in the afore-mentioned climax. For a while, it looked as if the weather was going to crap on everything.

Weather is the only true obstacle that any competition organizer should have to surmount. Clouds cover take-off and darken the moods of the public and the competitors, particularly when it is 15°C

53

on launch (that’s just less than 60°F) and every pilot is looking at the likelihood of getting very wet. This was the case for the first two days of the comp. A stationary low was parked to the northwest of Villeneuve, sending clouds and showers across the lake, with winds sometimes strong enough to warrant the storm warning light in the harbor being turned on.

The light thing happened on Friday, while we were running the preliminary rounds. Several teams had launched before someone in the organization noticed that the storm light was on – and all of a sudden, we weren’t allowed to fly, because of the image this would create for the public. As if anyone in town cared or knew that there was a little blinking light in the harbor! As if anyone actually thought that we were sane in the fi rst place – here are a bunch of dirty foreigners camping out of vans, wagons and even compact cars, our gliders and wet undergarments strewn around the parking lots among empty beer bottles and cans of Red Bull, and we’re supposed to be portraying an image of clean, responsible young pilots? I’m sure it worked!

That first day of the competition was to be the preliminary round, with each team displaying a set of pre-determined maneuvers for the inspection of the jury.

There was not enough time to run every team through two rounds, however, so it was decided that only the teams who hadn’t competed before, or hadn’t competed recently, would be tested. All nine teams qualified without problem,

and we all moved on to the first round. and I fell past it, upside down and backUnfortunately, wind and clouds on take- wards. I’ll just stall out again, I thought off prevented anyone from flying, and to myself. Before I could stall my wing, pilots sat around in the cold for most of it had turned once, 360 degrees. No the morning, most dressed in bathing problem, I can fi x that, I thought again. suits and T-shirts in preparation for a But before I had finished the sentence quick fl ight followed by a water landing. in my head, the glider spun twice more No one had brought water or food, above me, and I was low, with brake lines or clothes suitable for waiting out the locked in the twists. mini storm. We had plenty of Red Bull, I looked over my shoulder and down though, and most of us had consumed – sailboat masts, and a jetty. Hmm, cool. at least two or three of them in lieu of Looks like I finally get to try my reserve food or water. “Another bully?” someone parachute – and out it came. would ask, as we amused ourselves by I wasn’t ready to get wet. My phone tossing empty water bottles at each other was in my pocket, I was fully dressed in around the tent. We’d been sitting there a fleece and cotton pants, and my glider for half the day, after having been rushed needed to be dry for our second run that to launch by stressed organizers telling afternoon. SPLASH! I hit the water hard us that we had minutes to spare. enough to look up and see almost a meter After freezing our asses off for four of murky green Lac Leman. Not good. hours, and seeing that no one was flying, That head judge was waiting for me at or would be flying soon, and that there the dock, as Jimmy described. His colwere 20 teams ahead of us on the list, league was handing him a cold beer – apJimmy and I decide to fly down. We’d parently it was warm and comfortable just practice our run together and then enough down here to stroll around in a get some lunch and warm clothes, pee T-shirt and drink cold Kronenbourg. On away some caffeine and B vitamins, and take-off 10 minutes ago, we competitors then return to launch for our run. were huddled around a campfi re waiting We ripped through our run and it was for a cold cloud to clear and the wind to going quite well, when all of a sudden die down so we could fly. mine fell apart. I knew it was going to I explained to our reception commithappen right before it happened. My tee why we had flown down instead of third tumble was weak. I should have sitting in the cold – for some reason he stopped it. It was so obvious, I don’t seemed very upset with me. know why I let it go again. But there it “And for thees you are all WET!” he went, right past me the third time, right said when I finished. Apparently I was as it lost all momentum, turning into a the first Vertigo pilot to ever throw his desiccated jellyfish as my lines went slack reserve and get all wet, and it was going to be a serious problem.

“Why did you fly weethout permission?” he snarled.

“Hmm, permission?” I said. “Didn’t know I needed permission to fly my paraglider when the competition wasn’t running.”

“You were outzyde de weendbox! It is very obveeous! From ze beach to ze boat to ze buoys!”

“Obvious?”

“We are not happeee, not hapeee about thees.”

“I’m going to go get some food,” I said, and left to find Jimmy and lunch.

With that, Jimmy and I earned the distinction of being the first pilots in the history of Villeneuve to be disqualified for free flying, even before the fi rst run of

Gliders, reserve parachutes and laundry drying in the sunshine

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Even the best pilots sometimes have less-than-perfect moments (in this case, a sketchy exit from a SAT).

the competition had begun.

On Friday, a series of upsets occurred.

First of all, certain teams were unable to complete all of the maneuvers in their plan, due to inadequate altitude. For instance, Andy Hediger splashed down in the middle of a McTwist, which would normally earn a zero, but instead the team got to go again, along with five other teams who complained about inadequate altitude. Mathias Roten landed a 13-square-meter glider in the crowd, apparently unwilling to risk getting wet.

Another team was disqualified for flying over the crowd, but somehow Mathias escaped disqualification after landing IN the crowd. And the most upsetting upset of all, the Rodriguez brothers were not in first place. Dominique Steffen and Mathias Roten were leading, and due to bad weather on Saturday, their names were posted above the Rodriguez brothers’ for an entire 48 hours...

Saturday: rain, wind, wind, rain, wind. But fortunately, our rigid brethren are hardly bothered by high winds, and the hangies got a full round completed, much to the satisfaction of the crowd.

Sadly, Mr. McAleer’s antics were sorely

missed, and everyone wishes for his return soon so we can see some real hang glider aerobatics.

On Sunday, the sun came out, much to the relief of everyone in Villeneuve.

Spirits rose and pilots flew. In fact, it was nonstop action. Two paragliding rounds were flown, split by a round of hang gliding, and following all of it, the expression session. It would have been nice to have been more than just a spectator. Jimmy and I had some great BASE/para combination surprises planned for the expression session, but the logistics of finding room on the packed buses and then getting past the launch Nazis made it far too easy for us to drink beer and spectate.

At the completion of Sunday’s first round, Felix and Raul Rodriguez were immediately back on top. After winding up a perfect synchro spiral, they bumped top skins and exited into perfectly executed, high-scoring McTwists and tumbles.

Never out of sync, they performed the most difficult tricks in both directions, always with massive amounts of energy and fluidity.

But the SAT team was certainly not the only show in town. In fact, their

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third place finish on Friday was just an indicator of how far the rest of the field had progressed. All of the top five teams had moments of absolutely mindboggling mojo, with McTwists and every known variation of violent off-axis spins being the most popular theme. Synchro spirals were also a mainstay of almost every team, and the speed at which teams rushed towards the ground with their gliders just inches away from each other, and sometimes even touching, made the crowd scream every time. When all was said and done, the Rodriguez brothers were on the podium for the fi fth time, and they deserved it. The Gin team was a close second, with “Against the Grain” (Austrians on Raptors) in third.

The hang gliding round went off quickly. We won’t try to sound like we know what we are talking about. Massive loops, wingovers, and flat spins with smoke trails are quite impressive. Trying to spot land on the raft looks totally impossible but it is fun to watch. Results were Fredy Bircher in first, Thomas Koller in second, and Jon Gjerde in third.

As incredible as the synchro paragliding was to watch, the most impressive

55

energy going, but build a rhythm and turn it into the rhythmic SAT. A more accurate name for the trick would be the “endless tumble,” as it looked as if they could do it as long as strength or stomach would allow. Felix went straight over his glider something like 15 times!

Paragliding and hang gliding were not the only airborne spectacles. When the weather cooperated, you never knew what would come falling out of the sky.

We saw skydiving in many different shapes. There were regular skydiving formations that were easily visible due to the smoke trails. We saw canopy stacking and downplanes by the crew guys. BASE jumpers leapt out of both airplanes and paragliders. There were some impressive low pulls by these nuts. One BASE jumper with a wingsuit sucked it down so low that he only had a few seconds of a canopy ride before landing. Of course the Renegades were performing their tricks at any opportunity. They really have the “hangover” figured out and with two canopies stacked on top of each other and one hanging upside-down below, they would fly right past the crowd and not separate till just before landing.

And then there were the wipeouts!

We were not the only team to crash and burn. On the day I had to throw my reserve, mine was just the first of four we would see that day. Team Advance had a mid-air collision that resulted in synchro reserve rides. Both pilots separated after reserve inflation and landed in the water.

A demonstration skydiver ended up with both main and reserve chute out but managed to fly them both to the ground.

And this was just the fi rst day!

The second day was pretty much a wash except for the hang gliders, but the flying happened outside of the compe- Roten says the centrifugal force makes carnage resumed on Sunday and everyone tition. For me, two things really stood it hard to stay sitting upright in the har- was in on it! The hangies all tried to land out from the rest of the acro spectacle: ness! As with the tumbles, he would re- on the raft; all but one didn’t. A tandem Mathias Roten on a 13m 2 Boomerang verse directions without breaking stride. pilot threw down the sickest tandem and the rhythmic SAT/tumble. Several A dozen or so to the left, a dozen or so to acro routine I have ever seen. He tried to times between rounds Mathias would fly the right, back and forth until he was 20 finish it off with a death spiral that nearly this tiny glider and give us a taste of the meters over the water, then exit and stick ended in death. The two slammed into the water right against the concrete wall future. With the little glider, his routines the landing. Awesome! were fast and furious. Straight over the My favorite maneuver was the rhyth- at the edge of the lake. The glider ended top of his glider he would tumble with mic SAT as best performed by Felix up in a tree and they in an ambulance. incredible speed. He never had a collapse Rodriguez and Antoine Montant. This Fortunately both were fine. The organizor slack lines and he would reverse direc- maneuver would begin with a SAT or ers, however, were not fine with it and tion at will. Then came the helicopters. tumble. Then using weight shift and the canopy was removed from the tree via The speed was dizzying to watch and brakes, they would not just keep the the quickest method – cutting the lines.

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Smoke outlining synchronized spiral paths

The closest call may have been during the last run – a wild, no rules, no scores, no-holds-barred expression session. Alexander Meschuh, from the third-place team “Against the Grain,” fell right into his glider during a tumble. He plummeted horribly towards the lake. Seemingly seconds before impact, a reserve miraculously popped out to the relief of everyone, Alexander in particular, I am sure!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Good: 1. Free Red Bull: Bored? Drink a Red Bull. Tired? Drink two Red Bulls. Constipated? Drink three Red Bulls. Need to fight the crowds of pilots lining up for the buses to launch?

Drink four Red Bulls.

2. The food: A section of the buffet was devoted entirely to fresh blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries next to a couple of vats of fresh whipped cream to smother them in. The kebab also earned honorable mention.

3. The organization (at least part of it): Everything that Alain Zoller touched during this event seemed to turn to gold, and he was a positive, magnanimous example of an event coordinator.

4. Swiss ladies roaming the spectator area in tank tops and swimwear.

Bad: 1. Free Red Bull: By day three pilots and spectators alike were wandering around, with wild eyes and frizzy hair, clutching crumpled silver-and-blue cans. Only the sponsored athletes seemed unaffected by the binge – apparently a tolerance can be built, but it takes time. Lines of men and women suffering from the diuretic effects of “The Juice” April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

curved around booths of spun-out product reps, who were constantly trying to get someone to watch their booth while they went to get more Bull.

2. The food: Oh my god, if the Red Bull hasn’t sent you screaming to the front of the WC line in spite of angry shouts in nine foreign languages, the 13 pounds of berries you consumed at breakfast and the hot sauce you asked that Turkish guy to smother your kebab in, surely will.

3. The organization: Alain Zoller couldn’t touch everything, and anything that chief juror touched turned to the opposite of gold, whatever that is.

4. Not enough Swiss ladies in swimwear.

Ugly: There is nothing ugly in Switzerland, except the T-shirts they gave us…

Vertigo 2006/The First FAI World Hang Gliding and Paragliding Aerobatic Championship will be happening in Villenueve this August 18-27. The Matt-and-Jimmy team will not be among the participants, but even without that entertainment Red Bull guarantees a spectacular aerobatic event, as always, weather permitting.

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Close-to-the-Ground Maneuvering:

High Risks In Landing and “Scratching”

By Jon Goldberg-Hiller

Spring soaring near Boise, Idaho

A P-2 pilot flying at a tropical coastal site in mellow conditions crashed while landing due to poor pattern judgment. The landing zone of this site is oriented such that it has a long runway when winds are predominantly from the east and a very short runway bordered on the downwind side by a busy road and a short rock wall when patterns must be set up to accommodate relatively infrequent northerly wind conditions.

Although the pilot had flown the site once before, this was his fi rst time landing to the north. He flew to the vicinity of the landing zone and turned several 360s to lose altitude. Coming out of a 360 for final approach, he recalls thinking he was too high; he decided to abandon final for one more revolution. As he finished the additional 360 he realized he was likely to land just short of the field. With few good options, he continued to fly towards the field, hitting an elevated windsock and its standard with one wingtip. This turned his wing and he was catapulted against the rock wall and bounced back into the road. An oncoming car narrowly missed his settling wing. The pilot sustained a broken ankle, which required two surgical pins, and a cracked vertebra.

He is recovering nicely.

This accident reminds us of the importance of a proper landing pattern.

The injured pilot reported that he had

58

Photo: Jeff Meyer

no alternative maneuvers in his mind when he decided to take one more turn to decrease his altitude. Unfortunately, the circular turn away from the field precluded his making further adjustments as it forced him to look away from his landing area. As most pilots learn in their career (sometimes the hard way), wind gradients near the ground and obstacles that come into view only at the last minute often make adjustments on final approach critical to safe landings, especially in restricted spaces. Gradients, frequently caused by mechanical turbulence near the ground (often called “friction”), lengthen the glide slope vis-à-vis the ground when landing upwind. This phenomenon often tricks the pilot’s eye.

We all learn to judge when our glide path “looks about right” and should take us safely into our landing zone. Gradients that slow the wind with decreasing altitude may make us vulnerable to stalling if we visually maintain a constant glide slope by unconsciously pulling brakes as our groundspeed increases. We are only safe when we remember to use our ears to judge our airspeed and keep it appropriate for both safe fl ight and an effective final flare. Turning away from the field close to the ground makes us lose both visual and auditory information and may require extraordinary maneuvering close to obstacles as we recover our proper

orientation. We lose effective information about gradients and our attention is necessarily turned away from obstacles.

For these reasons and others, we are likely safer in most cases when we admit to ourselves that final approach is named such for a very good set of reasons. Once we commit to final we should not turn away from our landing zone and we should begin to judge final conditions (e.g., wind, obstacles) and make limited adjustments that maintain our attention to these factors.

In this pilot’s case, it would have made much more sense to use S-turns near the upwind edge of the field, with each turn made toward the desired landing area.

In that fashion, he would have bled altitude without degradation of position and without turning fully away from his chosen area. He could have sensed gradients (or thermal cycles) in this curving pattern, scanned the landing area for new obstacles, and he would have had the option to orient himself into the wind at any time with no more than a 90-degree turn.

For an inexperienced pilot or a pilot landing in an unfamiliar small landing zone, it would be a smart practice to have an experienced pilot at the site walk the landing pattern and various options prior to launch, stressing what to think about if turns for final are high or low. This exercise reinforces the recognition that good

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Photo: Fernando Amaral

The 2005 Paragliding Worlds, Brazil

landing patterns can help moderate the risks of flying close to the ground.

Our vulnerability near the ground is revealed by the next two accident reports.

A P-2 pilot with one year of experience launched a DHV 1-2/2 (accelerated) glider from an inland training hill in midday early-winter conditions.

Thermal cycles were gusting about four mph while several pilots sustained short thermal fl ights above launch. Wind increased to 14 mph, gusting to 18, when the pilot launched into a lull. He was soaring for several minutes in significant lift and sink when, at launch altitude, he experienced a 25% asymmetric deflation on the right side. A witness reports that the pilot weight shifted to the left (inflated) wing when “suddenly, the wing pitched forward and entered a severe spiral dive to the left. The pilot spiraled about 1.5 revolutions with lots of energy and disappeared beneath the ridge line.”

The pilot crashed into the hill and was airlifted to a hospital where he spent five days while doctors stabilized a fractured vertebra.

A P-4 pilot with 13 years of experience was flying at the upper weight range of a CEN Performance/DHV 2 wing in an inland mountain site in midsummer, during midday. The weather forecast was for strong lift. The pilot launched and searched for a thermal in the shallow bowl immediately in front of launch. The bowl was known as a thermal source when conditions permitted, and the pilot appeared to be scratching while waiting for a thermal release.

The pilot was observed to suffer a “huge” asymmetric collapse on the uphill side of the wing while approximately 30 feet AGL (above ground level). The wing slowed relative to the pilot and then

turned abruptly, and pilot and wing both dived into the ground. The pilot crashed face down, injuring his shoulder. He was transported to the hospital by ambulance and released.

These similar accidents to pilots with very different degrees of experience intimate the dangers inherent in flying in thermic conditions close to terrain. In the case of the advanced pilot, the wing loading may have contributed to the speed and severity of the collapse and the subsequent dive. Nonetheless, as in the case of the less experienced pilot, the lack of adequate altitude means very little opportunity remains to regain control of the wing before a potentially dangerous impact.

Accidents such as these are some of the most painful to report and analyze – and I have reported on similar accidents in the recent past. The truth is that many of us fly sites where launch is not far above a favorite thermal generator, and memories of quick ascents above launch can often cloud our recognition that conditions are simply unfriendly to the unexpected (but fully predictable) problem of severe turbulence encountered close to the ground.

Where thermals cannot be encountered with greater ground clearance (such as farther out from launch), perhaps we must acknowledge that such sites are like one-armed bandits: No matter our preparation, the risks of losing the flying game may be somewhat fi xed. We may mitigate our losses by betting less (i.e., flying in more moderate-appearing conditions), or by flying to less risky thermal generators. But while we are maneuvering for and with thermals proximate to the terrain, we have wagered our whole stake.

If we fully acknowledge these risks, how might it change our flying behavior?

The Master’s Tips column in last month’s issue offers some guidance on setting up a safe approach for various landing fields and conditions. This month’s Master’s Tips column, written by Mike Meier from the perspective of a hang glider pilot, addresses the decisions we make while flying that affect our safety. In spite of that hang gliding context, most paraglider pilots will easily relate to the decisionmaking quandaries that Mike points out.

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First Time Thermal Soaring

Photo: Jono Fisher

By J. Allen Rahi, USGHA # 81393

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I was working under – and there was cloudbase, right there! WOW! This is so cool! I wasn’t sure where the center was, so I tried turning wider to find some stronger lift. This proved difficult since I didn’t have any instruments except that air speed indicator that didn’t work right.

Later on I was trying another thermal out in front of the ridge when I spotted a red tail hawk circling below me. His rotation was counter to mine (even though I’m sure I got there fi rst). I thought about turning around to match him but decided against it since I was centered pretty well and didn’t want to take the chance of losing the core. It was really hard trying to watch him when we were circling in opposite directions! I kept expecting to see him rise past me but somehow I lost A new pilot launching from the mountain at Lookout him. As I got up over the ridge, I noSunday morning I got in line early ticed the windsock at launch was indiThe weekend started out really lousy with me having to work in Kentucky behind several first-time soloing pilots. I cating strong, straight-in wind. I looked on Friday and Saturday. That meant no didn’t have any instruments on the glider farther down the ridge and noticed anchance of getting home to Oklahoma except an airspeed indicator (which, it other windsock doing the same thing. I where I’d have the opportunity to fly. All turned out, didn’t work properly anyhow). thought, Great, I’ll do some ridge soarsummer thus far I’d been working out- No matter, I was just going up for a fa- ing here, too! side with plenty of free time on my hands, miliarization round since it would be I flew over launch low enough to see so for entertainment I’d watch the clouds. my first solo at Lookout. The morning the spectators’ faces looking up at me and In the mornings, a few wisps would start air was smooth and calm so I practiced remembered it wasn’t many months back to appear and by lunchtime big cotton simulating the 270-degree thermaling when I was standing in that very spot balls were commonplace. Occasionally, technique that has been discussed on the looking up at the gliders and wishing so when I returned from lunch, the cotton message boards. Just as the discussions badly that I could be up there. Then a balls would have developed into tower- had said, after a few times I didn’t have strange thing happened: The lift stopped! ing cloud streets. Frequently, I talked to to consciously pick a point to come back The ridge didn’t make any turns and it was myself about how this would be the time to. With the mountains all around, it just still just as steep. What was happening? to be up there, flying down one street seemed obvious.

As I turned around, I saw the two windAfter lunch, I had a few mid-day socks still indicating straight-in wind, so and returning on another. My, my, my, how I dreamt of being up there. When fl ights, which gave me the opportunity I went back across launch, got a few hunI would see the tops billowing out with to play around in some up air and prac- dred over and soared on down the ridge. those white, well-defined puffs and the tice the 270 technique some more. Not I was thinking, Man, this ridge goes on bottoms dark and concave, even with counting the first early morning fl ight, for 20 miles, how far should I dare? Then the little experience I have, I just knew the third time was the charm. The poor all of a sudden the same thing happened tug pilot was working through lunch – I flew out of the lift. I quickly turned I could stay up.

On this particular Saturday, as I was trying to get all the pilots up so I brought around again and those socks were still leaving work, I suddenly had a brain- him a Coke and a sandwich. He more straight out. What…? How…? storm: Why not go to Lookout Mountain than adequately rewarded me with a tow I finally figured out this was a huge for some aerotowing? I didn’t have any to 3000’ – right into great thermal activ- thermal coming up the slope, centered at of my fl ight gear with me, but I made a ity! I played around there, not sure if I launch. I took advantage of a great opporquick call to LMFP and they assured me was going up but certain that I wasn’t tunity to practice coring a thermal that I it would be no problem. For a nominal going down. had a good reference of where the center After a good long time I twisted my was and how far the edges extended. fee I could use their knee-hanger harness neck to look up above me to see what Now it was time to put the results of my and a helmet.

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practicing efforts to use. I followed that core up and up until I started getting too far behind the ridge. Since I was flying a Falcon and could only see trees below me, I decided not to take any chances. I’ll just head down and take this one back up again, I thought. Well, by the time I got back down it was gone. The windsocks were limp but the spectators were still watching me. As I flew over them again, I just waved and said to myself, Yeah!

This is great!

At this point I was down below launch close to the treetops, remembering my first mountain launch. I was flying the same path as before but I’d been in calm air then. Part of a conversation from last night came to me: Where there is lots of lift there might be lots of sink nearby.

So I headed away from the mountain to get more clearance above the trees. I was contemplating setting up a south approach to the LZ when I started going up again. Since I had just demonstrated my ability to core easy thermals, I decided to try this one.

Then, all of a sudden I got hit hard by a bullet. Now mind you I didn’t have any instruments (except that airspeed indicator that didn’t work right) but I’ll bet I climbed at least 200 feet in six seconds.

It didn’t last long but there was no sink coming out of it either. So I just went around again and hit it for another couple hundred feet. Now when I say hit hard, I mean it was so strong that if I’d had to hold on to keep from falling, I wouldn’t have been able to. I was accelerating that fast.

I hit it again and again until I couldn’t take it any more. Now here I was way up over the ridge again, looking down on all those high-performance topless gliders scratching around trying to get up. It was hard to contain my joy, thinking, Here I am way, way higher than those guys for the second time. (And I’ll bet those guys had instruments!) But the price I had to pay was now becoming apparent – I was getting worn out. How long had I been up, anyway?

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I was so tired when I came down to land that I couldn’t even flare. I tried to push my arms out but they just wouldn’t go fast enough. I checked with the ground crew collecting the tow tickets and he estimated it must have been one and a half hours since I launched. What a great day!

I am so grateful to everyone for your patience during my learning. Every little bit that I pick up here and there gets put aside for when I get days like this to put it all together. If I was a bragging kind of guy I would boast of how a first-time thermaling pilot stayed up for one and a half hours, almost getting to cloudbase, and out-performing topless gliders – all done on a Falcon, and without instruments. But instead, I’ll just thank you all again for your assistance in my learning, and thank God for creating a wonderful place to play.

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Gallery

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Parachutes are still required at many sites, but flying with one of these new miniature reserve pilots strapped to your chest is now considered the ultimate in safety.

Ride ‘em cowboy! Alex Palmaz rides his tandem student off Walches launch in Aspen, Colorado.

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Chris Santacroce demonstrating the paraglider tow Hokey Pokey steps to Min Zhou

“You put your left foot in...”

That’s what it’s all about!

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Exercising their rights for free-flight under the law, French bovines prepare for launch at St. Hilaire. (Watch out for land mines!)

Henry’s final words: “That’s the last time I buy a !@%#*!^! tent on e-Bay!”

Lacking sophisticated instruments, NW pilot C.J. Sturtevant tests for wind speed and direction the old-fashioned way.

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Don’t let this happen to you! The effects of hypoxia are cumulative and irreversible.

Use your oxygen!

Shunned for his explosive flatulence, Oswald was forced to improvise for some New Zealand high-wind soaring.

Pete Seargent demonstrates the obvious solution to the “chores vs. flight time” dilemma. Judy Leden lends her support.

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Gallery Credits Page 62: Jackson Hole pilot Jon Hunt with son Perrin as ballast Photo: Anne Band

Page 63: Photo: Tomek Pegiel

Page 64: Photos: James Bradley

Page 65: Photos: Top: Dick Jackson; bottom left: unknown; bottom right: Aaron Swepston

Page 66: Photos: Top left: Steve Roti; top right: Shane Nestle; bottom: Judy Leden

Page 67: Photo: Mike Steen

For years Steve used this technique to check for traffic from behind, until someone pointed out that it’s easier to just turn one’s head.

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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.

SANCTIONED COMPETITION April 8-13: Florida Ridge U.S. Hang Gliding Nationals, Clewis-

ton, Florida. $275 entry fee, $150 tow fee. For more information go to www.thefloridaridge.com.

April 16-22: Flytec Championship at Quest Air. Groveland, Flor-

ida. $325 entry fee, $195 tow fee. For more information go to www.flytec.com.

pilots. Registration opened in December, www.flylaragne.com for more information.

June 18-24: Vulcan, Alberta, Canada. Canadian Hang Gliding Nation-

als. Aerotow. More information at http://events.dowsett.ca/?q=2006/ hgnats/vulcan.

June 26-July 11: Chelan, Washington. Chelan Cross-Country Clas-

sic. XC competition for hang gliders and paragliders. Entry fee $75, after June 10 $90. No racing – pilots call their own tasks and are scored on their best 4 of the 6 days. A Single Surface/Sport Class hang glider meet will be included as part of the CXCC. Hang glider pilots who do well in the CXCC are eligible for reduced entry fees in the Single Surface and Sport Class Nationals (August 6-12, Leakey, Texas). Contact tommyp_25@yahoo.com for more information.

July 5-9: King Mountain Hang Gliding Championships, near Moore,

Idaho. Five days (Wednesday-Sunday) of serious but fun XC competition with open, recreation and team classes, handicap scoring, bonus May 18-27: Groveland, Florida. 10th FAI Women’s World Hang GlidLZs, staff and sportsmanship awards plus driver awards. $60 registraing Championships, 3rd FAI World Hang Gliding Class 5 Championships, tion includes full-color long-sleeve shirt with collectible Dan Gravage de16th FAI World Hang Gliding Class 2 Championships. More information at sign, maps, awards party, movies, pilot briefings, prizes and more. Event http://www.naa.aero/html/airsports/index.cfm?cmsid=83. is a fund raiser for the Idaho Hang Gliding Association. More informaMay 7-13: Tater Hill Paragliding Open, near Boone, North Carolina. tion and pre-registration packet from Lisa Tate, meet director/organizer, 1915 S. Arcadia St., Boise, Idaho 83705, (208) 376-7914 or email to More information at flytaterhill.com. lisa@soaringdreamsart.com.

May 30-June 3: Woodrat Mt., Ruch, Oregon. Paragliding Rat Race. Registration opens February 15, $295 before April 1, $350 FLY-INS before May 20. More information at www.ratracecomp.com.

April 22-23: Lookout Mountain Flight Park, Georgia. Demo Days and June 4-10: Highland Aerosports, Ridgely, Maryland. East Coast Hang Fun Fly-In, with competitions entitled Sweetest Launch, Safest Landing, Gliding Championships. Registration opens March 15. Entry fee $225, Short Distance. Rob Kells will be there with his usual bevy of Wills Wing after May 20 $275. More information at www.aerosports.net. gliders. Pilots of all skill levels, including beginners, welcome. Barbecue, bonfire, camping, foot-launch, aerotowing, prizes, fun! More information: August 6-12: Big Spring Open. Includes Single-Surface and Sportwww.hanglide.com, 1-800-688-5637.

Class Nationals and Flex-Wing Pre-Worlds. Flex-wing advance registration opens March 15 for top 30 U.S. NTSS-rated pilots and top 50 CIVL- May 19-21: South Carolina Springtime Fly-In at 1500’ Glassy Mounrated pilots, and all rigid-wing pilots. Flex-wing general registration opens tain, near Greer, South Carolina. Come and enjoy flying and competApril 1. Entry fee $350 during first month of registration, add $100 after. ing (spot, duration, X-C, balloon toss and more). Plaques awarded to Reduced fee ($195) for Single Surface and Sport Class. More informa- 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in all competitions (except balloon toss). tion at Flytec.com. $20 entry fee for competition flying, $10 for fun flying. Fly-In T-shirts are available. Contact Paul Peeples, PO Box 2121, Brevard, NC 28712; August 27-September 2: Sun Valley, Idaho. U.S. Paragliding Na(828) 885-2536 or (828) 553-3777 (cell); pbrannenp@msn.com. (Due tional Championships. Registration opens February 15. Entry fee $325, to tree restrictions at launch, paragliders cannot be flown at this site.) after July 15 $400. More information at www.flysunvalley.com.

May 19-22: 34th Annual Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding Spectacular!

Fly where the Wright Brothers flew. Fun team and individual competition COMPETITION for everyone from H-1 to H-5. Prizes for every competitor. Street dance, April 8-9, May 13-14, June 10-11, July 15-16, August instructor reunion, Rogallo BBQ (meet Francis Rogallo). Dune compe12-13, September 16-17, October 6-8: Northern California tition Friday-Sunday, tow competition Monday. 1-800-FLY-THIS, KittyCross-Country League weekends, location to be decided three days be- hawk.com, hangglidingspectacular.com. fore the weekend. All sites will be within a four-hour drive of the San Francisco Bay Area. Cost: $5 per race. More information: Jug Aggar- May 27-29: 30th Annual Starthistle Fly-In, Woodrat Mt., Ruch, Orwal, jaggarwal@es.ucsc.edu, or check the Web site for the Northern egon. RVHPA’s fundraiser to cover operating costs for Woodrat. H-3/PCalifornia XC League at http://www.sfbapa.org/ and follow the link for 3 ratings required, or H-2/P-2 with signoff by an instructor familiar with Woodrat. $25 entry fee covers site insurance donation, door prize enthe XC League. try, Saturday night BBQ, fun fly-in entry. More information at www.rvhpa June 2-8: Mt. Yamaska, Quebec, Canada. Canadian Paragliding Na- .org. tionals. More information at http://events.dowsett.ca/?q=2006/pgnats/ May 27-29: Spring Fling at King. King Mt., near Moore, Idaho. $20 yamaska. entry fee. The Fling is a great time to introduce yourself to King. Hang June 10-17: 2nd Annual Ozone Chabre Open, Laragne, France. and para pilots warm up for the upcoming mountain XC season or simply Serial-class cross-country paragliding event, with lots of extras. Entry ridge soar for hours. King Mountain Gliders is the place for the 5th anfee 130 Euros includes transport to launch, retrieves and entry to all of nual all-you-can-eat dinner. XC cash prizes for HG/PG. More information the organized events including skills seminars and parties. Limit of 120

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April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

at kingmountaingliders.com or call Alan Paylor, (208) 390-0205.

June 2-4: Moore Mountain, North Carolina. The Buzzard Hang Gliding

Club “30 Years of Hibriten Mountain” Fly-In Celebration. For more information contact Vince Furrer at (704) 398-2303 or by email at zwei@aol .com, or David Smith at (828) 758-7590.

July 1-4: Seventh Annual Winds of a Hurricane Fly-In, Hurricane Ridge,

Utah. Last year’s intermediate and advanced hang glider and paraglider pilot participants got above 14,000’ and flew more than 80 miles!

Intrigued? Contact Grant Hoag for more information: ghoag@brwncald .com.

July 28-30: 2006 Texas Open/USHGA National Fly-In, Leakey, Texas. It’s been so much fun before, we’re doing it again! Hang gliders, paragliders, rigid wings, whatever! Come on down. Aerotow, truck tow, even foot launch, we’ll get you in the air! Fun competitions, great Hill Country soaring, cash prizes, family fun, real Texas BBQ, excellent XC potential. Plan your trip now – don’t wait until it’s too late to find lodging (Leakey is a Hill Country vacationing mecca). More info at http://flexwing.org/txopen.

April 29–May 1, May 2-4 and/or May 5-7: Over-the-

water maneuvers/safety paragliding course. Coaching by SuperFly Chris Santacroce and Kay Tauscher. Attend one, two or all three courses. Cost: $600/3-day course. Class size is limited. Course location TBA, but within 2 hours of Denver. Contact Peak to Peak Paragliding, (303) 8170803, info@peaktopeakparagliding.com.

April 2006: India Odyssey Paragliding Tour. Join Jeff Cristol and Ad-

venture Tour Productions to the spectacular Himachal Pradesh in Northern India and fly the foothills of the Himalaya. From friendly conditions and beautiful grassy launches and landing zones to huge cross-country out-and-return over jagged snowy peaks, the flying is simply astounding. We stay in a mainly Tibetan village below the site, so the cultural and religious aspects of the adventure are enormous. More information: adventuretourproductions.com. For questions or to reserve a spot, contact jeff@adventuretourproductions.com.

May 2006: Touching the Andes of Peru Spring Tour. Join Jeff Cristol and Adventure Tour Productions to the Andes of Peru, Jeff’s 10th trip to the high mountains of Peru where he intimately knows sites throughout the country. The fall 2005 tour flew 10 different sites in 12 days and delivered an incredible experience of the Andean people and culture as well CLINICS, MEETINGS, TOURS as superb flying. More information at adventuretourproductions.com. For questions or to reserve a spot contact jeff@adventuretourproductions April 8-9: Paragliding tandem clinic in the San Francisco Bay Area. .com.

For aspiring tandem pilots and T-1s and T-2s working towards their T3. Includes classroom time as well as learning to fly tandem by flying May 4-24: Maneuvers Training Courses by Jackson Hole Paraglidwith existing tandem instructors and/or the tandem administrator. Must ing at the Palisades Reservoir, Alpine, Wyoming. Coaches Scott Harris have met prerequisites before signing up. $300. Contact Juan Laos at and Matt Combs. Two Pro-Tow Hydraulic winches, both water and truck juan@advancedparagliding.com for details. towing. Call to reserve your days. (307) 690-8726, www.jhparagliding .com.

April 14-30: Paraglider spring training in sunny Florida – get ready for the summer season! Three- to five-day combo courses, including May 19: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites. PG advanced kitover-the-water maneuvers training and cross-country clinic. 50-mile ing and inflation techniques clinic. For clinic description and prerequisites flights are possible for new XC pilots. Space is limited. Contact David go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572Prentice, (505) 720-5436, email earthcog@yahoo.com.

3414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

April 15: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites. PG Tandem 1

clinic. For clinic description and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail .com.

May 20-22: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites. PG thermal clinic. For clinic description and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail .com.

April 16-17: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites. PG ridge

May 25-28: Utah XC flying sites. PG cross-country competition clinic. soaring, side-hill and toplanding clinic. For clinic description and prereq- A friendly introduction to cross-country flying with instruction from U.S. uisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) and North American XC record setter and 2005 U.S. National Champion 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

Bill Belcourt, and Ken. All aspects of XC & competitions will be covered.

More information and prerequisites at www.twocanfly.com or contact April 22-23: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites. PG InstrucKen Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com. tor Recertification clinic. For clinic description and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, May 26-29: Peak to Peak Paragliding, near Denver, Colorado. 4twocanfly@gmail.com. day XC special course focused on honing active flying skills and learning (or improving) cross-county flying. This is a great way to experiApril 22-24: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites. PG Inence beginner to advanced XC flight in Colorado without the stress of structor Training clinic. For clinic description and prerequisites go to mountain flying. Depending on the class size, we may have two tow www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, rigs for maximum flights. Get individual instruction from Chris Santatwocanfly@gmail.com. croce (SuperFly) and Kay Tauscher (Peak to Peak). $400 for the April 29-30: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites. PG Tan- 4-day course. Contact Peak to Peak Paragliding, (303) 817-0803, dem (T-2 and T-3) clinic. For clinic description and prerequisites go to info@peaktopeakparagliding.com. www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, June 2-4: Tandem Certification Clinic – Presented by tandem admintwocanfly@gmail.com. istrator Scott Harris at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming, last year of Aerial Tram! More information: www.jhparagliding.com or (307) 690-8726.

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June 3-4: Utah flying sites. PG mountain flying clinic. For clinic de-

scription and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

June 9-11: Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Instructor Certification Program

presented by instructor administrator Scott Harris. More information: www.jhparagliding.com or (307) 690-8726.

June 16-25: Alaska’s fourth annual “10 Days of Solstice” Fly-in,

hosted this year by the Arctic Air Walkers and Midnight Sun Paragliding, LLC. Fly Alaska’s premier sites of unsurpassed beauty and take part in contests, prizes, and camaraderie. Chris Santacroce will instruct an over-the-water safety clinic on days 7-10. More information at www.midnightsunparagliding.com.

June 18-25: Midnight Sun tour, Alaska. Peak to Peak Paragliding’s

Kay Tauscher will lead a group of pilots to Alaska’s beautiful mountainous countryside for long days of great flying. Primary destination is Alyeska Resort, but other sites may be visited as well. $750 for guiding and advanced instruction for one week. A flight from Eagle Glacier on the evening of the summer solstice is available at an additional cost. Accommodations and food not included. info@peaktopeakparagliding.com or (303) 817-0803.

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS ACE SIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 ANGLE OF ATTACK . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CRITTER MOUNTAIN WEAR . . . 50 FLYTEC USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 GRADIENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 HALL BROTHERS . . . . . . . . . . . 74 HIGH ENERGY SPORTS . . . . . . . 36 JUST FLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 KITTY HAWK KITES . . . . . . . . . 25 MOYES AMERICA . . . . . . . . . . . 45 O’CONNOR FLIGHT SCHOOL . . . 57 OZONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 SPORT AVIATION PUBLICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . 33

SUPER FLY . . . . . . . . . . . 35,37,39 THERMAL TRACKER PARAGLIDING . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 TORREY PINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 TRAVERSE CITY HG&PG . . . . . . 70 USHGA CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . 51 USHGA CALL FOR PHOTOS . . . 31 USHGA DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 USHG FOUNDATION . . . . . . . . . 16 USHGA RENEW . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 WILLS WING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 WOMEN’S WOLRD TEAM . . . . . 52

MARKETPLACE ADVENTURE PRODUCTIONS. . . 71 CLOUD 9 SOARING CENTER . . . 71 FLY AXIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 FLYTEC USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 JUST FLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 KITTY HAWK KITES . . . . . . . . . 71 LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN . . . . . . . . 71

OZ REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 POCKET PTT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 SUPERFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 THEWINDYPLANET.COM . . . . . 71 USHGA BOOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 USHGA XC FLIGHT AWARDS . . 72 X1 HIDDEN MOUNTAIN . . . . . . . 72

July 7-9: PG maneuvers (SIV) clinic with Chris Santacroce and

Ken Hudonjorgensen. For clinic description and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

August 5-12: Snowbird, Utah. Snowbird-to-Colorado XC record at-

tempt. For event description and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail .com.

September 22-24: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites.

PG thermal clinic. For clinic description and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

October 7-8: Utah flying sites. PG mountain flying clinic. For clinic

description and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

October 20-22: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites. PG

instructor training clinic. For clinic description and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

October 20-21: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites. PG in-

structor re-certification clinic. For clinic description and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 5723414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

October 28-29: Point of the Mountain and Utah flying sites. PG

tandem (T-2 and T-3) clinic. For clinic description and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 5723414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

January 3-14, 2007: Valle de Bravo, Mexico. Thermal and XC

instruction tour. For more information and prerequisites go to www .twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

February 10-17, 2007: Southern California tour. For more information and prerequisites go to www.twocanfly.com or contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 572-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com.

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April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

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April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

New Pilot Ratings Ratings issued during December 2005 Hang Gliding Division Paragliding Division Rating Region Name H-1 2 Yeung Pai H-1 2 Jacob Kaminker H-1 2 Trevor Cole H-1 2 Katharine Cochrane H-1 3 Jaromir Wagner H-1 3 Angelica De Santos H-1 10 Clay Humphrey H-1 11 James Johnson H-1 11 Brenda Osborne H-2 2 Robert Smith H-2 2 Terrence Carlson H-2 9 Glenn Hardy H-2 9 Janni Papakrivos H-2 10 David Brandner H-2 10 Pessina Guy H-2 10 Nicola Sarn H-2 12 Brad Zamft H-2 12 David Modrak H-3 1 Abe Laguna H-3 2 Kollin Tierling H-3 3 Jaromir Wagner H-3 3 Donald Banas H-3 4 Fred Kaemerer H-3 4 Benjamin Bj Herring H-3 12 Ed Williams H-4 2 Leon Dauksa H-4 2 David Brose H-4 3 Jaromir Wagner H-4 5 Taylor Blain

City Hayward Petaluma Petaluma Forestville Lawndale San Diego San Juan Dayton Texarkana Garberville Milipas Baltimore Rockville Orlando Palmetto Jonesboro South Salem Towaco Bothell Milpitas Lawndale Long Beach Littleton Parker Wurtsboro Eureka Eureka Lawndale Billings

State Rating Official CA Patrick Denevan CA Barry Levine CA Barry Levine CA Barry Levine CA Joe Greblo CA John Ryan PR Keishya Salko TX Gregg Ludwig AR Chris Price CA Joe Weeth CA Patrick Denevan MD Richard Hays MD Richard Hays FL Robert Lane FL James Tindle GA Christian Thoreson NY Barry Levine NJ Paul Voight WA Russell Gelfan CA Patrick Denevan CA Joe Greblo CA Joe Greblo CO Mark Windsheimer CO Mark Windsheimer NY Tony Covelli CA David Brose CA Jon James CA Joe Greblo MT James Tindle

Rating Region Name City P-1 1 James Lee Aloha P-1 1 Amanda Houle Vancouver P-1 2 Tadashi Nitasaka Glen Ellen P-1 3 Peter Follett Papaikou P-1 3 Angelica De Santos San Diego P-1 3 Chinchien Huang San Marcos P-1 3 Oleg Sotnik Chatsworth P-1 4 Adam Stockland Boulder P-1 13 Peter Hanbury-bateman London P-1 13 Ralf Groneberg Berlin P-1 13 Patrick Lemaire Queen Charlotte Isla P-1 13 Iain Clarke Muiglar P-2 1 Stephen Torgesen Seguim P-2 1 Andrey Mikhay Renton P-2 1 Rob Kyne Vancouver P-2 1 Randolph Morgan Baker City P-2 1 Summer Barham Ashland P-2 2 Del Barnwell Emeryville P-2 2 Vincent Spohn Orinda P-2 3 Jose Madrigal Chula Vista P-2 3 Jason Huszar Valley Center P-2 3 Brent Hawkins San Diego P-2 3 Joe Teichert Oak View P-2 4 Michael Glasgow Salt Lake City P-2 4 Ty Thornton Pleasant Grove P-2 4 Adam Stockland Boulder P-2 4 John Endman Slc P-2 4 Tim Robinson Salt Lake City P-2 10 Thomas Saunders Gainsville P-2 11 John Alvey Corpus Christi P-2 11 Paul Linder Kansas City P-2 12 Mark Norkus Neptune P-2 12 Askia Jacob New York City P-2 13 Peter Hanbury-bateman London P-2 13 Ralf Groneberg Berlin P-2 13 Peter Balfour Eastlothian P-2 13 Patrick Lemaire Queen Charlotte Isla P-2 13 Robert Vickars Burnaby Bc P-2 13 Matt Vickars Burnaby Bc P-2 13 Stephen Wood Vancouver Bc P-2 13 Jeremy Hanen Vancouver Bc P-3 1 Pauline Hsieh Bellevue P-3 2 Joe Cruz Vacaville P-3 2 Simon Waddington Oakland P-3 2 David Allen Danville P-3 3 Mike Quinn Elsinore P-3 3 Lee Kahn Santa Barbara P-3 3 Kirk Rose Covina P-3 3 Juan Ramos Carlsbad P-3 3 Alaina Maloney San Diego P-3 3 Ryan Patronyk Santa Barbara P-3 3 Michael Estrada Lake Elsinore P-3 4 Alicia Harmon Draper P-3 4 Josh Johnson Telluride P-3 7 Dennis Emery Ames P-3 13 Martina Lang Agassiz, Bc P-4 1 Mark Miller Issaquah P-4 4 Ron Joseph Md Paradise Valley P-4 13 Derek Kovacic Agassiz, Bc P-5 2 Dr Jugdeep Aggarwal Santa Cruz P-5 4 Scott Maclowry Telluride

State OR WA CA HI CA CA CA CO

WA WA WA OR OR CA CA CA CA CA CA UT UT CO UT UT FL TX MO NJ NY

WA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA UT CO IA WA AZ CA CO

Rating Official Kelly Kellar Jim Eskildsen Wallace Anderson Christopher Langan John Ryan Gabriel Jebb Claude Fiset Kay Tauscher Ibrahim Onal Ibrahim Onal David Binder Murat Tuzer Gabriel Jebb Robert Rinker Jr Kelly Kellar Greg Gilliam Kevin Lee Jeffrey Greenbaum Wallace Anderson Joshua Meyers Marty Devietti Marty Devietti Rob Sporrer Chris Santacroce Chris Santacroce Kay Tauscher Chris Santacroce Chris Santacroce Chris Santacroce Stephen Mayer Marty Devietti Rob Sporrer Rob Sporrer Ibrahim Onal Ibrahim Onal Ibrahim Onal David Binder Dion Vuk Dion Vuk Dion Vuk Rob Sporrer Bo Criss Chris Santacroce Tim Kuenster Julie Spiegler Rob Mckenzie Rob Sporrer Kyoung Ki Hong Gabriel Jebb Gabriel Jebb Bo Criss Michael Masterson Jake Walker Rob Sporrer Chad Bastian James Reich Marc Chirico Alejandro Palmaz James Reich Mark Windsheimer Rob Sporrer

Corralito, Argentina Photo: Jeff Cristol

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HANG GLIDING ADVISORY: Used hang gliders should always be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigued, bent or dented downtubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with non-circular holes, and on flex wings, sails badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading edges.

PARAGLIDING ADVISORY: Used paragliders should always be thoroughly inspected before flying for the first time. Annual inspections on paragliders should include sailcloth strength tests. Simply performing a porosity check isn’t sufficient. Some gliders pass porosity yet have very weak sailcloth.

If in doubt, many hang gliding and paragliding businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you bring them to inspect. BUYERS SHOULD SELECT EQUIPMENT THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR SKILL LEVEL OR RATING. NEW PILOTS SHOULD SEEK PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION FROM A USHGA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR.

FLEX WINGS 2003 LAMINAR MR-14 with options red/purple. Excellent condition $3000 OBO. 2004 LAMINAR 13.7 07 purple/green. Excellent condition. $3000 OBO. Call Steve Lee, (423) 949-2176.

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, www.hanggliding .com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

FALCONS CLEARANCE SALE – School use, one season. Falcon 1s and 2s. All sizes $1250-$2500. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com, www.hanggliding .com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

FALCON 170 – magenta, excellent shape, low airtime, extra downtubes & basetube included. Comes with speed bar. $1200. 220 Dream, green, just 35 flights, less than 20 hours, like new. My tandem ship. $1800. Altair Saturn brand new, only one flight on it. Keel was cut for Mosquito use. Steal at $2500. TRX, excellent shape, comes with extra mainframe $1000. Sensor 510, yellow, 100+ hours, one of those magic sink rate gliders. Well cared for, my personal glider, $850. Gemini 134, singlesurface, made by UP, good shape, perfect for small pilot, $450. Contact TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS, Bill Fifer, (231) 922-2844, tchangglider@chartermi.net.

FALCON 195 with harness and helmet, all bought new in 2000. Red and gray. EXCELLENT (LIKE NEW) CONDITION! Less than 5 hours airtime! Prefer selling together. $3000 for everything OBO. Glenn (435) 840-2697 or glenn@tvsc.aros.net.

LITESPEED 3, all mylar, $2900 OBO; Airwave K2 145 $500 OBO, both in great condition, huddlec@yahoo.com, (304) 535-2759 (WV).

PULSE II – (11-meter), cocoon, chute (pda-20) speed bar, pneumatic tires, release, radio, helmet beautiful condition & 4020 Flytec vario. $2500. (321) 631-7417.

SPORT AT 167 – Good condition. $450. Sport AT 167 – Bad sail. $150. High Energy Sport Harness and parachute $200. Florida tomprahl@gainesville.com, (352) 481-3322.

EMERGENCY PARACHUTES INSPECTED RESERVES – For HG or PG $199+up.

Used Quantum, all sizes $475+up. Some trades accepted. info@hanggliding.com, www.hanggliding.com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports, (262) 473-8800.

FIREBIRD FLAME – (large-yellow $200), Edel harness (large with reserve $250), Ball vario ($300), Yaesu radio ($200), includes storage duffel and backpack, all excellent condition. Call Alan, (956) 227-2773, adiaz111@hotmail .com.

GIN BEETLE – Tandem 130/280 kg, best offer. (805) 276-1852.

SUP’AIR EVO-SIDE, med, red, hardly used $275. LARA 175, 20-gore PDA, never thrown, $200 each. Ball variom19, $150. Edel Quantum med. $300 OBO. (310) 3781180.

RIGID WINGS MISSION SOARING CENTER – Distributor for AIR Atos, world’s most popular rigid wing. New! Atos VX tandem or powered harness, incredible sink rate with a solo pilot.

(408) 262-1055, www.hang-gliding.com.

ULTRALIGHTS DRAGONFLY AEROTUGS – For up to $10,000 off the price of new ones! Enclosed trailer available for pickup/ delivery. www.hanggliding.com, info@hanggliding.com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports, (262) 473-8800.

EASY RISER KITS – $2200. Retro hang gliding is here.

Fun and adventure from the ‘70s. Information $10. Larry Mauro, Box 374, Mulberry FL 33860.

FLIGHTSTAR TUG – single seat Loadstar w/582 rotax. Aerotow kit, BRS, great shape, ready to aerotow hang gliders/sailplanes. $13,500. (703) 855-7397, www.blueskyhg.com.

QUICKSILVER SPRINT II ULTRALIGHT KIT – ready to build. Wife threatens divorce. Best offer. (805) 276-1852.

COSMOS SAMBA TRIKE – With Topless 14 wing. Like new. $7500. (541) 471-1585.

SCHOOLS & DEALERS ALABAMA

EMPLOYMENT NORTH WING DESIGN – is accepting applications for metal shop/wing and trike airframe mechanic. Also accepting applications for sail maker and sewing machine operator. Send application to: 3904 Airport Way, E. Wenatchee, WA 98802 or Fax (509) 886-3435 (www .northwing.com).

HARNESSES HARNESSES – 5’0”-6’5”. Cocoons $125+up. High Energy Cocoons $200+up, Pods $200+up. Inventory, selection changes constantly. Some trades accepted.

(262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com, www.hanggliding .com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

HIGH ENERGY COCOON – Like new condition with new LARA 175 parachute. Perfect for aerobatics. Fits 5’5” to 5’9”. (970) 252-0098.

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PARAGLIDERS

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK – The best facilities, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more. Wide range of accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877) 426-4543.

CALIFORNIA AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING – Year-round excellent instruction, Southern California & Baja. Powered paragliding, clinics, tours, tandem, towing. Ken Baier, (760) 753-2664, airjunkies@sbcglobal.net, airjunkies.com.

DREAM WEAVER HANG GLIDING – Competitive prices, state-of-the-art equipment. Complete lesson programs.

Northern California Mosquito harness dealer. Ideal training hill. tandem instruction. USHGA Advanced Instructor Doug Prather, (209) 556-0469, Modesto, California. drmwvrhg@softcom.net.

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

FLY ABOVE ALL – Year-round instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara! USHGA Novice through Advanced certification. Thermaling to competition training. Visit www.flyaboveall.com, (805) 965-3733.

GUNNISON GLIDERS – Serving the western slope.

Instruction, sales, service, sewing, accessories. Site information, ratings. 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230. (970) 641-9315, 1-866-238-2305.

EAGLE PARAGLIDING – SANTA BARBARA offers the best year round flying in the nation. Awardwinning instruction, excellent mountain and ridge sites. www.FlySantaBarbara.com, (805) 968-0980.

PEAK TO PEAK PARAGLIDING LLC – THE Front Range paragliding school, located in Boulder. Offering excellent state-of-the-art instruction. Equipment & tandems. (303) 817-0803, Info@peaktopeakparagliding.com, www .peaktopeakparagliding.com.

THE HANG GLIDING CENTER – PO Box 151542, San Diego CA 92175, (619) 265-5320.

MISSION SOARING CENTER – Largest hang gliding center in the West! Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment: Wills Wing, Moyes, AIR, High Energy, Flytec, Icaro. West Coast distributor for A.I.R. Atos rigid wings including the all-new VX Tandem Atos. Parts in stock. We stock new and used equipment. Trade-ins welcome. Complete lesson program. Best training park in the West, located just south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Pittman Hydraulic Winch System for Hang 1s and above. Launch and landing clinics for Hang 3s and Hang 4s. Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and custom training harnesses. 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035.

(408) 262-1055, Fax (408) 262-1388, mission@ hang-gliding.com, www.hang-gliding.com, Mission Soaring Center, leading the way since 1973.

O’CONNOR FLIGHT SCHOOL – Specializing in Safety In-Flight Training & Maneuvers Clinics and Aerobatic Instruction. Enhance your knowledge, increase your level of confidence, take your piloting skills to new levels. Overthe-water safety and aerobatics clinics. Enleau and Ann O’Connor, www.oconnorflightschool.com, (530) 2274055 and reserve your clinic.

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 fullservice repairs. Bring your family for our amazing sunsets and dining at the Cliffhanger Cafe. Importers for Para-tech and Independence gliders. We also carry AustriAlpin, Center of Gravity, Crispi and Sup’Air. 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 9-11:00 a.m. (PST).

WINDSPORTS – 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. (818) 367-2430, www.windsports.com.

COLORADO AIRTIME ABOVE HANG GLIDING – Full-time lessons, sales, service. Colorado’s most experienced!

Wills Wing, Moyes, Altair, Aeros, High Energy, Ball, Finsterwalder, Flytec, MotoComm and much more. Call (303) 674-2451, Evergreen, Colorado. AirtimeHG@aol.com.

FLORIDA FLORIDA RIDGE AEROTOW PARK – 18265 E State Road 80, Clewiston, Florida, (863) 805-0440, www.thefloridaridge.com.

GRAYBIRD AIRSPORTS – Paraglider & hang glider towing & training, Dragonfly aerotow training, XC, thermaling, instruction, equipment. Dunnellon Airport, (352) 245-8263, email fly@graybirdairsports.com, www.graybirdairsports.com.

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK – Nearest mountain training center to Orlando. Two training hills, novice mountain launch, aerotowing, great accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877) 426-4543.

MIAMI HANG GLIDING – For year-round training fun in the sun. (305) 285-8978, 2550 S Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133, www.miamihanggliding.com.

QUEST AIR - FROM 1ST FLIGHT TO 1ST PLACE – From your first tandem to advanced XC racing, fly with the innovators of aerotowing and champion instructors.

No-wait lessons. Higher tows = more airtime. 7 Dragonfly tugs. Safer carts. Huge LZ. Demos. Rentals. Storage. Sales & repair of everything HG. Clubhouse with kitchen, PC, satellite TV, cool toys, kegs, snakeboard races. Pool. Hot tub. Shade. Free wireless. Private lake. Rooms. Bunkhouse.

Tent camping. RV hookups. Indoor/outdoor showers. Laundry. Bobby Bailey sightings. Flytec Championships. 2006 Worlds. Largest U.S. HG record/comp sponsors, helping to keep it all going for YOU. Minutes from Orlando in Groveland, FL. www.questairforce.com, questair@mpinet.com, (352) 429-0213.

SEMINOLE-LAKE GLIDERPORT – We specialize in hang gliding/paragliding transition to sailplanes. Located between Quest and Wallaby in central Florida. (352) 3945450, www.soarfl.com.

WALLABY 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 minutes. 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

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

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-ofthe-art. F.H.G. INC., flying Florida since 1974.

GEORGIA LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK – Discover why 5 times as many pilots earn their wings at LMFP. We wrote USHGA’s official training manual. hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877) 426-4543.

HAWAII FLY HAWAII – Hawaii’s hang gliding, paragliding/ paramotoring school. Mauna Kea guide service. Big Island Hawaii, Achim Hagemann (808) 895-9772, www.aircotec .net/flyhawaii.htm, flyaglider@yahoo.com.

PROFLYGHT PARAGLIDING – Call Dexter for friendly information about flying on Maui. Full-service school offering beginner to advanced instruction every day, year round.

(808) 874-5433, paraglidehawaii.com.IDAHO

IDAHO KING MOUNTAIN GLIDERS – Alluring site plus shop supplying all your HG/PG needs. Instruction, equipment sales, tandems, complete accessories. Visit our Web site www.kingmountaingliders.com or (208) 390-0205.

INDIANA CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION – See Cloud 9 in Michigan.

MAINE DOWNEAST AIRSPORTS – Paragliding and hang gliding instruction, quality equipment sales.

Extended training/tour packages with lodging available. www.downeastairsports.com, in_a_cloud@hotmail.com, Marc (207) 244-9107.

MARYLAND HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS – Baltimore and DC’s fulltime 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! (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 and accessories.

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 Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field. (517) 223-8683, DFSCinc@aol.com, http://members.aol.com/dfscinc.

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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. www.mosquitoamerica.com.

NEW YORK AAA E-VILLE OUTFITTERS, MOUNTAIN WINGS INC. – Aeros, North Wing (845) 647-3377, mtnwings@hvc .rr.com , www.evilleoutfitters.com, Ellenville, N.Y. FLY HIGH, INC. – Serving New York, Jersey, and Connecticut areas. Area’s exclusive Wills Wing dealer. Also all other brands, accessories. Area’s most INEXPENSIVE prices! Certified instruction/service since 1979. Excellent secondary instruction! Taken some lessons? Advance to mountain flying! www.flyhighhg.com, (845) 744-3317.

SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK COOPERSTOWN – 160’ training hill with rides up. 600’ ridge – large LZ. Specializing in first mountain flights. Dan Guido, 293 Shoemaker Road, Mohawk NY 13407. (315) 866-6153, dguido@dfamilk.com.

NORTH CAROLINA KITTY HAWK KITES – FREE Hang 1 training with purchase of equipment! The largest hang gliding school in the world. Teaching since 1974. Learn to fly over the East Coast’s largest sand dune. Year-round instruction, foot launch and tandem aerotow. Dealer for all major manufacturers. Ultralight instruction and tours. (252) 441-2426, 1-877-FLY-THIS, www.kittyhawk.com.

OHIO CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION – See Cloud 9 in Michigan.

PUERTO RICO FLY PUERTO RICO WITH TEAM SPIRIT HG! – Flying tours, rentals, tandems, HG and PG classes, H-2 and P-2 intensive Novice courses, full sales. (787) 850-0508, tshg@coqui.net.

TENNESSEE LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK – Just outside Chattanooga. Become a complete pilot – foot launch, aerotow, mountain launch, ridge soar, thermal soar. hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877) 426-4543.

TEXAS AUSTIN AIR SPORTS – Hang gliding and ultralight sales, service and instruction. Steve Burns (512) 236-0031, sburns@austinairsports.com. Fred Burns (281) 4711488, austinair@aol.com, www.austinairsports.com.

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

UTAH CLOUD 9 SOARING CENTER – Once again, we are the

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closest shop to the Point of the Mountain. Utah’s only full-time PG/HG shop and repair facility. Contact 1-888944-5433 or www.paragliders.com.

VIRGINIA BLUE SKY – Full-time instruction at Blue Sky Flight Park near Richmond. Scooter, platform and aerotowing available. All major brands of equipment, with Mosquitos and Doodlebugs in stock. Steve Wendt (540) 432-6557, (804) 241-4324, www.blueskyhg.com.

WASHINGTON AERIAL PARAGLIDING SCHOOL AND FLIGHT PARKAward-winning instructors at a world-class training facility.

Contact Doug Stroop at (509) 782-5543 or visit www.paragliding.us.

WISCONSIN FREEFLIGHT AVIATIONS – The Midwest’s largest hang gliding school. Using both aerotow tandem and on-site training hill, 7 days a week, April through November. For the traveling hang glider pilot, rental equipment is available. Whitewater, Wisconsin, home of the Whitewater Hang Gliding Club. (920) 728-2231, Freeflight@charter .net, FreeflightAviations.com.

RAVEN HANG GLIDING, INC. – Now booking reservations for training hill and tandem aerotow lessons at two locations! www.hanggliding.com, info@hanggliding.com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports, (262) 473-8800.

WEEKEND SOARING TOURS - Wisconsin area bivouac tours based on the infamous biannual British Powered Hang Gliding Invasions of France, only we won’t tolerate warm beer. Operating every weekend in May through June from small airports throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. Routes finalized 24 hours before Friday afternoon launch. Visit www.weekendsoaringtours.blogspot.com or call Paul Olson (262) 770-0253.

WYOMING JACKSON HOLE PARAGLIDING – 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).

INTERNATIONAL FLYSUR EXPEDITIONS – Argentina-Chile-Costa Rica. Guided tours with USHGA Certified Instructors www.FLYSUR.com.

MEXICO – VALLE DE BRAVO and beyond for hang gliding and paragliding. Year-round availability and special tours, winter 05-06. Fly the extinct volcano, vagabond tours for those with wanderlust and more sites in the Valle area. Standard package in and out on a Sunday, $895 PG $1095 HG - includes all transpo, lodging, guiding and HG rental. www.flymexico.com, 1-800-861-7198 USA. VOLER PARAGLIDING - Argentina, Chile, Brazil - Guided tours with certified instructors info@volerparapente. com.ar - Transportation, lodging, guiding. More Info www .volerparapente.com.ar.

PARTS & ACCESSORIES ATTACH ANYWHERE SUPERLIGHT HG INSTRUMENT MOUNT – $30ppd! Replacement mount bands: $10 pr.

Flat-folding harness packs: $25-50. Harness zippers?

Straps! Varios. Gunnison Gliders, 1-866-238-2305.

BIG EARS PTT – $99.95. Includes speaker and microphone, radio connection, sealed finger switch. Choose the full-face or the open-face model. www.bigearsptt.com, (805) 965-3733.

CLOTHING – Embroidered and screen-printed shirts and hats with sharp hang glider artwork. Raven, Wills, TTT, and other brands. (262) 473-8800, www.hanggliding .com, info@hanggliding.com, http://stores.ebay.com/ raven-sports.

FLIGHT CONNECTIONS PTTII – for Yaesu, Icom, Maxon, Kenwood and most other 2-meter radios. $99.95. (913) 530-8829 md@flightconn.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. www .hillcountryparagliding.com, 1-800-664-1160 for orders only. Office (325) 379-1567.

GLIDERBAGS – XC $60! Heavy waterproof $100. Accessories, low prices, fast delivery! Gunnison Gliders, 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230. (970) 641-9315, orders 1-866-238-2305.

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. (949) 795-0421, MC/Visa accepted, www.mallettec.com.

OXYGEN SYSTEMS – The world-class XCR-180 operates up to 3 hours @18,000 feet and weighs only 4 lbs. Complete kit with cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula and remote on/off flowmeter, only $400. 1-800-468-8185.

TANDEM LANDING GEAR – Rascal™ brand by Raven, simply the best. New & used. (262) 473-8800, www.hanggliding.com, info@hanggliding.com, http:// stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

WHEELS FOR AIRFOIL BASETUBES – WHOOSH! Wheels™ (Patent Pending), Moyes/Airborne & Wills Wing compatible. Dealer inquiries invited. (262) 473-8800, www.hanggliding.com, info@hanggliding.com, http:// stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

WINDSOKS FROM HAWK AIRSPORTS INC – 1673 Corbin Lake Rd, Rutledge, TN 37861, 1-800-826-2719. Worldfamous Windsoks, as seen at the Oshkosh & Sun-N-Fun EAA Fly-Ins. Hawk@windsok.com, www.windsok.com.

PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS *NEW* AND THE WORLD COULD FLY - And the World Could Fly tells the story of how piloting for the masses became a possibility and then a reality. This is a tale of free flight in every sense of the term. Edited by Stéphane

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

Malbos and Noel Whittall, And the World Could Fly contains contributions from many parts of the world as well as much new writing. Together, the editors have more than fifty years of undiminished enthusiasm for foot-launched flight. And the World Could Fly is produced by the International Hang Gliding and Paragliding Commission (CIVL) to celebrate the centenary of FAI. It is a book which will appeal to anyone with an interest in free flight, whether an old-stager who can remember the early California days or a newcomer who wonders where it all came from. Call USHGA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site, www .ushga.org. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

BIRDFLIGHT – Otto Lilienthal’s genius in scientific observations and analysis, documented in this work, became the basis for the experimentation of the early pioneers in aviation. 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 aviation history. 176 pages, 16 photographs, 89 drawings and 14 graphs. $19.95 (+$5 s/h) Call USHGA at 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site, www.ushga.org. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. *NEW* CONDOR TRAIL, PARAGLIDING THE CENTRAL ANDES – the guidebook to paragliding and traveling in the Central Andes. It’s packed with 256 pages of maps, site descriptions, local lore, free-flight contacts and photos, all the information you need to plan your own Andean paragliding adventure. Most of the launch and landing access throughout the Andes is done with cheap public transportation. Condor Trail gives you bus routes to catch, areas to avoid, traveler tips, and contacts for the local flying communities throughout Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Northern Argentina, and Northern Chile. Call USHGA at 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site, www .ushga.org. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

tributor of hang gliders and paragliders. Two legendary pilots guide the audience through these extreme sports with their narrative. The docupic features competition in the extreme sports of aerobatic hang gliding, speed hang gliding and high-altitude cross-country paragliding. Wingmounted POV cameras provide the docupic with an inthe-air thrill ride from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast. Narrator Bobby Carradine threads us through the three decades. Call USHGA at 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site, www.ushga.org. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

PURA VIDA FLYING – By GW Meadows. 3 pilots, 3 weeks, 1 jungle, no rules. A trio of competition hang glider and paraglider pilots discover the true meaning of “pura vida” as they enjoy the jungles and beaches of Costa Rica. Hang gliding, paragliding, ultralight towing, kiteboarding and more. Awesome flying. $24.95. Order yours at www.ushga.org/store.

RISK & REWARD – By Jeff Goin. This 70-min. DVD exposes the risks and rewards of powered paragliding in a fun, action-packed adventure. You owe yourself this inside look that could easily save your life. Three years in the making, Risk & Reward gathers wisdom from a long list of instructors. Spectacular video from around the world sheds light on essential concepts with clarity and realism. $29.95. Order yours at www.ushga.org/store. *NEW* USHGA MAGAZINE ARCHIVE 1971-2004 – The DVD set holds the history of our sport, from the earliest days of bamboo and plastic to the present. Within these pages you’ll find the evolution of foot-launched flight from the first days of bamboo dune-skimmers to the modern variety of hang gliders, paragliders and rigid wings. Each PDF file is one complete magazine, just as originally published. Pages with color are produced as color scans, the rest scanned as black and white images. Future issues will be available on an update disk. Each disk includes Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 7 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux systems. $30 for members and $90 for nonmembers. Call USHGA at 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site, www.ushga.org. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

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 that will not swamp the reader with a daunting amount of technical details, you will learn about hang glider wings and the skills needed to fly them. 84 pages with photos and MISCELLANEOUS illustrations. $12.95(+$5 s&h). Call USHGA at 1-800616-6888 or order off our Web site, www.ushga.org. PO “AEROBATICS” POSTER – Full color 23”x 31” poster featuring John Heiney doing what he does bestBox 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

LOOPING! See www.ushga.org under store/misc for SEMINOLE-LAKE GLIDERPORT – We specialize in example. Available through US GA HQ for just $6.95 hang gliding/paragliding transition to sailplanes. Located (+$5.00 s/h). USHGA, PO Box 1300, Colorado Springs between Quest and Wallaby in central Florida. (352) 394- CO 80933. (USA & Canada only. Sorry, posters are NOT 5450, www.soarfl.com.

AVAILABLE on international orders.)

SOARING – Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $64. SSA, PO Box 2100, Hobbs NM 88241.

(505) 392-1177, ssa.org.

VIDEOS & DVDS VIDEOS FROM USHGA – WWW.USHGA.ORG *NEW* DARE DEVIL FLYERS – The 94-minute digital video docupicture covers all thirty years of hang gliding and all seventeen years of paragliding. It begins with the Bob and Chris Wills story – they founded Wills Wing, the only surviving American manufacturer/dis-

DVDS-VIDEOS-BOOKS-POSTERS – Check out our Web store at www.ushga.org.

WORLDWIDE INTERNET PARAGLIDING TALK SHOW – WWW.WORLDTALKRADIO.COM. Listen live or to the archives! Live Tuesday 9-11:00 a.m. (PST). Call toll-free, 1-888-514-2100 or internationally at (001) 858-2683068. Paraglider pilots and radio hosts David and Gabriel Jebb want to hear about your stories, promotions/events or insight; they also take questions!

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES – The rate for classified advertising is $10.00 for 25 words and $1.00 per word after 25. MINIMUM AD CHARGE $10.00. Phone

April 2006: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – w w w.ushga.org

number=2 words. Email or Web address=3 words. AD DEADLINES: All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions & cancellations must be received in writing 2 months preceding the cover date, i.e. March 15th is the deadline for the May issue. ALL CLASSIFIEDS ARE PREPAID. If paying by check, please include the following with your payment: name, address, phone, category, how many months you want the ad to run and the classified ad. Please make checks payable to USHGA, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. If paying with credit card, you may email the previous information and classified to ushga@ushga.org. For safety reason, please call your Visa/MC or Amex info to the office. No refunds will be given on ads cancelled that are scheduled to run multiple months. (719) 632-8300.

Fax (719) 632-6417

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS PRO-DESIGN TITAN II – Stolen mid-December 2005 from a locked car in Honolulu, Hawaii. White, yellow at back of bottom sail with Pro-Design MOVE harness, Kiwi helmet. $1000 reward for recovery of gear in good condition. Contact Ken Berry (808) 479-2115.

SKYWALK CAYENNE – Stolen mid-December 2005 from a locked car in Honolulu, Hawaii. Black with yellow and white striping, with Pro-Design Jam Pro harness, Kiwi helmet. $1000 reward for recovery of gear in good condition. Contact Ken Berry (808) 479-2115.

STOLEN WINGS ARE LISTED AS A SERVICE TO USHGA MEMBERS. NEWEST ENTRIES ARE IN BOLD. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS SERVICE, AND LOSTAND-FOUND WINGS OR EQUIPMENT MAY BE CALLED IN TO (719) 632-8300, FAXED TO (719) 632-6417, OR EMAILED TO 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.

Safty Tip: Taking an SIV Safety Clinic is one of the best forms of aviation life insurance you can get.

— David Jebb

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