Hang Gliding & Paragliding Vol38/Iss06 Jun 2008 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

www.USHPA.aero

JUNE 2008 Volume 38 Issue 6 $4.95

H A N G

G L I D I N G

MAGAZINE STAFF USHPA, Publisher: info@ushpa.aero Nick Greece, Editor: editor@ushpa.aero Greg Gillam, Art Director: art.director@ushpa.aero Martin Palmaz, Advertising: martin@ushpa.aero Staff writers: Alex Colby, Steve Messman, Dennis Pagen, Mark “Forger” Stucky, Ryan Voight, Tom Webster Staff artist: Jim Tibbs Staff photographers: Josh Morell, Jeff Shapiro OFFICE STAFF Paul Montville, Executive Director: paul.montville@ushpa.aero Rick Butler, Information Services Director: rick@ushpa.aero Martin Palmaz, Business Manager: martin@ushpa.aero Erin Russell, Office Manager: erin@ushpa.aero Michelle Burtis, Member/Instructor Services Administrator: michelle@ushpa.aero USHPA OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Lisa Tate, President: lisa@lisatateglass.com Riss Estes, Vice President: parariss@yahoo.com Rich Hass, Secretary: richhass@comcast.net Mark Forbes, Treasurer: mgforbes@mindspring.com REGION 1: Rich Hass, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Dave Wills, Urs Kellenberger, Paul Gazis. REGION 3: David Jebb, Rob Sporrer, Brad Hall. REGION 4: Mark Gaskill, Jim Zeiset. REGION 5: Lisa Tate. REGION 6: Gregg Ludwig. REGION 7: Tracy Tillman. REGION 8: Gary Trudeau. REGION 9: Felipe Amunategui, L.E. Herrick. REGION 10: Dick Heckman, Steve Kroop, Matt Taber. REGION 11: Gregg Ludwig. REGION 12: Paul Voight. REGION 13: Dick Heckman. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Leo Bynum, Riss Estes, Mike Haley, Jon James, Dennis Pagen. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR: Art Greenfield (NAA). The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding 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 USHPA supervision of FAI-related hang gliding and paragliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions.

P A R A G L I D I N G

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@ushpa.aero. ALL ADVERTISING AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MUST BE SENT TO USHPA HEADQUARTERS IN COLORADO SPRINGS.

M A G A Z I N E

lengthy items. Please edit news releases with our readership in mind, and keep them reasonably short without excessive sales hype. Calendar of events items may be sent via email to editor@ushpa.aero, 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@ushpa.aero, (516) 816-1333.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES IN PUBLICATIONS

The material presented here is published as part of an information The USHPA is a member-controlled sport organization dedicated to the dissemination service for USHPA members. The USHPA makes no exploration and promotion of all facets of unpowered ultralight flight, warranties or representations and assumes no liability concerning the and to the education, training and safety of its membership. Membership validity of any advice, opinion or recommendation expressed in the is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for Rogallo material. All individuals relying upon the material do so at their own risk. membership are $270. Pilot memberships are $75 ($90 non-U.S.). Dues Copyright © 2008 Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. for Contributing membership and for subscription-only are $52 ($63 nonFor change of address or other USHPA business U.S.). $15 of annual membership dues goes to the publication of Hang call (719) 632-8300, or email info@ushpa.aero. Gliding & Paragliding magazine. Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHPA number, previous and new address, and a mailing label from a recent issue. You may also email your request with your member number to: info@ushpa.aero. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1543-5989) (USPS 17970) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding 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

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

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

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. News releases are welcomed, but please do not send brochures, dealer newsletters or other extremely

Bivouac flight to the top of the Dolomite’s highest peak, the Marmolada. After a cold night the northwind decreased. An icy coat covered my wing, and morning broke above a sea of clouds. The conditions improved to the point where I was able to soar the north slope above this white beauty.

Felix Wölk's photography is featured in this month's gallery.

0806 EDITOR

PILOT BRIEFINGS

AIRMAIL

USHPA

SAFETY BULLETIN

CENTERFOLD

CALENDAR

MARKETPLACE

USHPA STORE

CLASSIFIEDS

RATINGS

DOCUMENTING SITES WITH GOOGLE EARTH Advanced capabilities of this Internet staple will help you get organized.

by Ernie Camacho. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

FLYING FESTIVAL Female pilotsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;heed the call!

by Angela Galbreath. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

PAGE 78

OLympic hang gliding You wish. So does Ryan Voight in this call to action.

by Ryan Voight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

ushpa member 00001 His name? Richard "Dick" Eipper.

by Jennifer Drews. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

transitioning to high performance When it's time, it's time. Make sure you're ready to make the leap safely.

s it up for pion, bank linger. m a h C o cr Swiss A as Buss ifel, female era | photo by Andre Judith Zwe m ca the

by Dennis Pagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

first gaggle You found a really nice thermal, all your own. But don't get too comfortable, here comes the gaggle. Get tips from the best on how to ride the big merry-go-round. by Rob Sporrer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

travel logs Hang gliding in Valle de Bravo. Paragliding over Greece.

by Denny Pistoll & Kim Galvin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

labor day lessons A torrid tale from the gust front.

by Mitch McAleer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

hang in there: Todd's saga Some people simply shouldn't fly.

by Mark "Forger" Stucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

GALLERY | FELIX WĂ&#x2013;LK Page 56

[left] Russ Locke and Melanie Pfister enjoying pre-flight pancakes. [lower left] Kevin and Melanie Pfister ready to go back to Jackson after a great flying trip. [below, from top to bottom] Connie Locke serving up some mean pancakes in Dunlap, California. Rob Sporrer, Corey, Mateo, and Kabir Cardenas at Santa Barbara club meeting. Dilly White, Bob Drury, Mike Forbes, William Mooney, and Verity Sowden at Bob’s lecture on flying in the Himalayas. Melanie Pfister at the airport in Salt Lake City. Seeing Dean Stratton and Andy Palmer on launch | Photo by Bo Criss. All other photos by Nick Greece

ust follow Eileen’s directions,” said the voice from the back of the rental car. Kevin and Melanie Pfister had named our navigation unit when we arrived in Los Angeles to escape the snow-locked state of Wyoming. “Eileen” had directed us to Fresno, but we were now lost in the hills surrounding the town of Dunlap. Sensing that the launch was nearby, we thought that by heading for the flag representing Dunlap on the GPS, good things would happen. However, as we passed that point on the map, we discovered (to our dismay) that the flag had been placed in a national forest. So, we reluctantly turned around and wandered down the mountain on a different route in hopes of finding some kind of flat pull-out where we could pitch tents and wait for first light to find launch. On the way down, we spotted a beacon of light in the pitch dark—a roadside bar. As Kevin and I approached the pulsating establishment, a face in the crowd came into focus sporting a massive smile—Connie Locke. Before we knew it, Connie, who helps direct the Foundation for Free Flight, had our group and her husband Russ in tow. We headed for their terrific abode where we spent the night and sampled a big dose of California hospitality, replete with an amazing pancake

breakfast the next morning. This is how our trip began and how it would continue for the eight days that we traveled around Southern California. Whether we were visiting with Rob Sporrer and the Eagle family in Santa Barbara or flying Torrey Pines with Bob Barry and the Jebbs, everyone we encountered exuded the amazing energy one can’t help but associate with our great sports. It made me realize what a wonderful community we are a part of. I’ve spent amazing amounts of energy traveling the globe looking for the perfect flying site. But this trip brought into perspective that it is the great people we encounter on our journeys—not the flying sites—that are the true treasure of free flight. This point was driven home to me again when I returned to Jackson and checked my inbox. I found a message there from a pilot with whom I had flown four years ago in Colorado. He wrote to congratulate me on my new charge and invite me to come fly Hawaii with him—further evidence of friendships nurtured during flying that transcend distance and time. I believe we get carried away with how many miles we went or how big the climbs were. Truth be told, without the wonderful people who make this sport what it is, our experiences would be a lot less special.

New | Improved | Buzzworthy

PilotBRIEFINGS MICROFIX PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON  Personal Locator Beacons (PLB’s) are electronic devices that can summon help from anywhere in the world. Like most emergency equipment, you hope you never have to use it; but considering the extreme nature of our sport, we’re all prime candidates to carry one. This new unit from ACR–the MicroFix–is a small, durable unit that sends an emergency signal to a network of satellites so rescue agencies can be notified to provide assistance. The system uses both geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites, so coverage is global. Its built-in GPS receiver provides very accurate location information, so you can be located quickly; but even without the GPS information, the satellite network can still determine your location using Doppler-shift positioning.

The MicroFix (http://www.acrelectronics.com/microfix/microfix.htm) feels solid in your hands; you can immediately sense that it comes from a long pedigree of electronics designed for military use. As a result, it’s a dense little package, but it will still float in its pouch and only weighs ten ounces. Operation is simple and directions are shown as a language-independent diagram on the unit, so you don’t need an instruction manual at the wrong time. The antenna is a flexible strip that is normally folded around the unit. When you unclip the end of the antenna out of its slot, it snaps open and is ready to tilt into position. Once the antenna is deployed, a big red on/off button that was previously protected from accidental use can now be seen. Press it for one second to turn on the MicroFix and call for help. The MicroFix communicates primarily on the 406 MHz international distress frequency, but it also uses the 121.5 MHz aviation emergency frequency so rescue teams can dial in on your position once they get nearby. The unit is $750 (street-price about $600-$650), but it’s only a one-time charge, and there are no recurring monthly, or yearly fees. The batteries have a shelf-life of eleven years, but ACR recommends having the batteries changed at an authorized ACR center on a 5-year cycle.

OZONE XC CHALLENGE MAKES GOAL  The third Ozone Carribean XC Challenge, held in the Dominican Republic at the site called Casabito, from Feb 17th thru the 23rd, was once again a success. The competition was organized by a highly competent team lead by Julian Molina. This was the second year it was held at Casabito, near the town of Bonao. The site is on the green side of the island and has mild conditions and a convergence that typically sets up in the in the afternoons. The format is a laid-back open-distance competition with emphasis on learning and having fun. The rules and scoring are like the OLC competitions–pilots can pick their own task as they fly, and the scoring rewards triangles, out and returns, and dogleg routes more than straight open distance. The 57 competitors, traveling from 13 different countries as far away as Japan and Greece, were rewarded with three flying days. The conditions lent themselves nicely to the format, allowing varied and diverse tasks. Jocky Sanderson provided insightful weather briefings every morning on launch, as well as an instructive and often humorous discussion every evening that included a chance to watch several different tracklogs from the day. The meet was haunted by windier than normal conditions, but Dag “Danny” Sundman (SE) managed to break the site distance record with a 63 km flight

submitted by David Guidos

MAURER GRABS INFINITE TUMBLE RECORD  Threetime PWC winner, Chrigel Maurer, proved his skills are not limited to cross country racing. He executed 155 consecutive tumbles (the infinity tumble) to take the record from Antoine Montant who previously held the title with 122 (set during the St Hilaire Festival 2007). While in an Infinity, the tumbles are linked one after the other giving the impression that the pilot is jumping rope. Chrigel used a new acro-wing developed by Advance. “My longest infinity tumbling (so far) lasted almost five minutes before I stopped over the Grindelwald landing field,” reported Maurer. 8

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

on the second flying day, putting him in the lead. After the third day of flying, only 32 points separated the top five competitors, leading everyone to believe it would be a close horse race. However, on the last two comp days, the conditions deteriorated and Danny maintained the top spot–winning the first comp he had ever entered! A big thanks to Julian and the rest of the team, and an extra big thanks to Jocky Sanderson and Ozone for hosting such a great event!

submitted by Dale Covington

NOVA ONE-HARNESS  This lightweight (1.9 kg, incl. Cygnus Airbag), reversible harness is perfect for pilots who prefer walking to the launch site. It’s extremely comfortable to carry, and the backpack is big enough to hold a neatly packed NOVA Mentor. NOVA’s Managing Director Wolfi Lechner says: “We still focus on the our core competencemaking paragliders. But why not use the great opportunity to offer a high-quality harness with our logo.” The NOVA ONE is manufactured of durable webbing and Cordura® fabric which is highly abrasion-resistant, and very easy to clean. Further features include outside pockets with easy access and attachment points for walking poles. The NOVA ONE is available in the sizes Medium (body height < 1.70 m) and Large (> 1.70 m). More information: www.nova-wings.com. NOVA MENTOR IN FOUR SIZES  NOVA launches its MENTOR in size XS. Altogether, the highend class 1–2 wing is now available in four sizes. The NOVA Mentor now covers the following take-off weights: XS S M L

70–90 kg 80–100 kg 95–110 kg 105–130 kg

With its combination of safety, performance and uncomplicated handling, the NOVA MENTOR might be “the hotty” of LTF class 1–2 wing. The German-language magazine “Gleitschirm” tested it, measuring an June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

L/D of 8.8. NOVA points out that this L/D is the best value ever achieved by a class 1–2 wing in the history of “Gleitschirm” tests.

TATER HILL MEET REDUCES ENTRY FEE  Beth and Bubba are reducing the entry fee by $100 to help the pilots with the rising cost of fuel. So the new entry fee is $175, instead of $275. More information: www.flytaterhill. com, (828) 773-9433. 9

Rants | Raves | Ramblings

AirMAIL

The opinions expressed in the letters published in this column are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the magazine staff or USHPA officials. While every effort is made to verify facts stated in letters, readers are urged to check the accuracy of any statement before taking action or forming an opinion based on the contents of a letter.

IN DEFENSE OF SEAGULL  Re: Article by Mark “Forger” Stucky, Feb. 2008 issue of the magazine. Mark states he remembers one week where three renowned pilots died flying Rogallo wings. He mentioned Seagull gliders twice. I feel I must come to the defense of Seagull gliders. I was a Seagull dealer from shortly after the Seagull III was introduced until the factory closed. I still have two Seagull IVs, two Seagull Seahawks and two 10 Meters. All are in safe flying condition. Seagull gliders are strong, easy to fly, have no bad flight characteristics and, as far as I know, have never had a structural failure. If a Seagull glider dived in from a 1000 feet, it would be because it was assembled incorrectly or modified or altered, assuming it was a Seagull III or later model. Curt Stahl was flying a Seagull V that had been altered, or modified, for competition. Neither of these occurrences can be

blamed on Seagull glider design. I had a Seagull V on order at the time of Curt Stahl’s accident. Seagull cancelled my order and offered me a Seagull IV instead, which I accepted. When asked why my Seagull V order was cancelled, I was told the “V” was too easy to modify, or alter, which would make it unsafe to fly. It should be noted that during that time period three major manufacturers had production gliders experiencing structural failures. One of those manufacturers had two models experiencing structural failures. One of those manufacturers is still producing gliders today, and they are top of the line gliders. I have one and enjoy flying it. My company, Fun Flite, later changed to Best Flite, taught many, many students to fly using Seagull IIIs, IVs and, on occasion, a detuned 10 Meter. I have had a Seahawk in turbulence so bad that I had no control over the glider and the battens were slamming down on the

crossbars. When I finally landed, there was no damage to the glider; all I had was a torn pant leg and a banged-up knee. In the future, I think that if an author wishes to name the glider, he/she should mention the cause of the accident so as not to raise concerns over the safety of the glider when the cause may be improper maintenance, incorrect assembly, pilot error or weather conditions. I came across an example of improper maintenance when I inspected a friend’s newly purchased glider. Because the heart bolt was too long, someone ground all the metal threads out of the nut so it would fit over the shank of the bolt. The only part of the nut holding everything together was the elastic nut-locking insert. I would still like to have a Seagull V for my collection.

submitted by Dean Whisler, Hang IV pilot Retired FAA Aviation Safety Inspector

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

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Mission | Policy | Membership | Involvement

A UnityMESSAGE

glider pilot, escape may not be an option. These differences make it hard to combine social events and fly-ins. A site that’s good for hang gliders may be almost unfliable for paragliders. A day that offers good XC prospects for paragliders might leave the hang glider pilots stuck on the ridge. Folks who fly one type of wing are unlikely to have buddies who fly the other. Even the post-flight stories can be different, which can make the two groups unlikely to mix at parties, buy each other beer, or fix each other up with dates. There are some situations in which the two communities can have competing agendas. Instruction is one example. Very Photo by Felix Wölk

I know what you’re expecting. If you fly hang gliders, you’re expecting me to say that hang gliders and paragliders have many things in common, and we’re are all in this sport together. If you fly paragliders, you’re expecting me to say that paragliders and hang gliders have many things in common, and we’re all in this sport together. And if you fly both types of wing, you’re expecting me to say that both types of wing have many things in common, and we’re all in this sport together. Of course, we all know that this is drivel. The two types of wing are profoundly different. Some of these differences are obvious. Hang glider pilots watch paragliders launch with a mixture of amusement and incomprehension, accompanied by snide remarks about the flight sequences in Woody Allen’s Sleeper. Paraglider pilots watch hang gliders land in the same spirit with which they used to watch Roadrunner cartoons. Other differences are more subtle, but may be more profound. As a long-time hang glider pilot, I cannot help but feel that there’s something morally wrong about being able to unpack a canopy, preflight, and be ready to launch in less than ten minutes. This makes a significant change on the debit side of “is it worth the effort to set up today?” equation, and may explain why those paraglider pilots seem so annoyingly enthusiastic. As a beginning paraglider pilot, I’ve gained a new appreciation for just how much fun it is to maneuver a hang glider in three dimensions. Climbing... diving... pulling on speed... you paraglider pilots don’t have a clue what you’re missing. There are significant differences in the ways both wings fly. Most hang glider pilots are taught to dive and get down first if they’re lowest pilot in the landing pattern. Why, I wondered, couldn’t paraglider pilots follow the same simple courtesy? After learning to fly both types of wing, I realize the absurdity of this question. Dive? On a paraglider? Right, yes, sure thing. And there’s that airspeed issue. If he runs into trouble–turbulence, a wind shift, an unanticipated venturi–a hang glider pilot can stuff the bar and try to escape. For a para-

by Paul Gazis

gether. We negotiate for insurance as a group and get significantly more bargaining power because we do. We deal with landowners who may not see a difference between hang gliders and paragliders. And for national issues, such as airspace access, tandem exemptions, changes to the FARs, and our interaction with the FAA, we’re much better off as one large community than we would be as two small and ineffectual ones. Also, ask yourself, are the differences between the two types of aircraft really very important? We both watch the same weather reports, make the same long drives, and feel the same thrill when we arrive at the LZ, stare up at launch, and wonder what the day will bring. We both make the same kinds of speculations as we head up the hill. We both feel the same glee when we’re climbing and the same disgust when we sink out. And we both tell the same kind of lies when we gather around the campfire at the end of the day. Finally, as a simple matter of logic:

Both types of wing fly Flying is cool Therefore, both types of wing are cool.

few schools teach both types of aircraft. Since most instructors specialize in the aircraft with which they feel most comfortable, it is natural for them to represent the alternative as inadequate, inferior, and unsafe. The consequences can be unfortunate. If Angelina Jolie shows up at Eustace Frockmorton’s Flight School looking for hang gliding lessons, and Eustace-a longtime paraglider instructor–warns her that hang gliders are so appallingly dangerous that even as simple a process as stuffing battens will most certainly lead to serious injury, this will not only be unlikely to win him another student..., but will quite possibly lose the foot-launched aviation community another potential pilot. As well as possible tie-ins with the next Laura Croft movie and Tomb Raider game. This is unfortunate, because in spite of our differences, we really are all in this to-

We all realize this. And at most sites, in most parts of the country, the two pilot communities are working together quite well. This might make a plea for unity seem redundant. But we can’t take such things for granted. It would be all too easy for the two communities to drift apart, lose contact with each other, and begin to work at cross- purposes. So attend each other’s parties. Join each other’s clubs. Read each other’s articles in the magazine. Trade stories about XC flights, swap route information, and pick each other’s brains. Work together to preserve sites. Give each other rides up the hill. Date each other’s girlfriends or boyfriends... no, wait, on second thought, this might not be such a good idea. Remember, we’re all in this together. We all fly the same air, and share the same interests, and worry about the same concerns. And if we don’t stand together in the face of adversity...how can we hope to stand up against those loathsome rigidwing pilots?

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

Photo by Felix Wölk Photo by Felix Wölk

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

Analysis | Preparedness | Incidents

SafetyBULLETIN 2007 PARAGLIDING ACCIDENT SUMMARY  Paragliding accident reports and fatalities were both down a bit from 2006 to 2007. There were eight reports with no injury. These entertaining and enlightening reports are covered in the quarterly column. In this annual statistical summary, we stick to the facts about injuries and fatalities. Here are the facts as you report them. In the U.S. in 2007 there were reports of four paragliding fatalities, three injured tandem passengers, and 37 injured pilots. We are confident that the fatality count is correct, even though one of them was not reported on the USHPA system. Three of the fatalities were relatively inexperienced P2 pilots, the other was a P3 (intermediate) pilot. Ideally, the fatality history should be compared to flight hours or some measure of activity, but such numbers are not available. Our only reliable base is the number

by Mike Steed

of association members, where we include paragliding-only members as well as the few hang+para members. There are undoubtedly a few active pilots who are not association members, but none showed up in accident statistics. Many injuries go unreported and, therefore, are not included in this summary, though we found enough information about a few unreported accidents to include them as well. About half (18) of the reported injuries were serious enough to merit at least one night in a hospital. But minor injuries certainly outnumber serious injuries, so our reports are incomplete. Please report accidents with the handy USHPA online system—we who are on the accident review committee thank you. We hope readers learn from these reports!

Accidents for the past two years tend to follow the seasons. However, they appear to be skewed toward the spring season when there might be more instability and rusty pilot skills. January looks safe, but only because we do not include accidents by US pilots while in Mexico or Brazil.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

The age of pilots in reported accidents spans the spectrum of the membership, but was a bit younger than the average age of the membership. Since we know little about pilot activity by age, feel free to speculate about which pilots are more active and which are more foolish.

The ratings of accident pilots were more in line with membership demographics than last year. Even though P2s had relatively few accidents, three were fatal.

Given the small base of female pilots, gender statistics vary widely from year to year. Female injuries were rare in 2006. In 2007 male injuries were down and female injuries were up, especially if two female tandem passengers are added to the pilot numbers in the chart.

The wings flown by injured pilots run the gamut of ratings, though we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have good numbers about how many of which wings are in service.

Over half the accidents could be traced to something that happened mid-flight. No accidents were attributed to landing, since,in all cases, mistakes were made well before the landing proper. While two of the accidents occurred at SIV clinics, they were not attributed directly to the SIV training. No accidents were attributed to towing or acro this year.

Back injuries continue to be reported most often, by an even wider margin than usual. This may say something about modern equipment, or may reflect pilot fitness and PLF training.

Asymmetric collapses are the most commonly cited cause of an accidentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an event that should be recoverable. In a few cases the pilot may not have had the necessary skills to handle such events, but in most cases the pilot was simply flying too low to recover. In many cases the pilot had been flying this low for long periods of time.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

Photo courtesy Red Bull Photofiles

Iquique Chile

November 2 0 0 8

Films | Books | Sites | Links | Gear

XALPS The blisters and sore muscles have healed, mistakes and triumphs reviewed and the mountains of the northern hemisphere are once again thawing out from a long winter. But thanks to the Red Bull X-Alps Movie, armchair athletes can virtually participate in one of the great adventure races of all time. The movie opens with dramatic, helicopter filmed vistas and the inevitable DaVinci quote, trite only to those surrounded by free-flight media. The narrator, with a voice like Dr. Hibbert from The Simpsons, is so intense that if he were telling you what kind of cat food he buys, you would consider it a life-or-death decision. He then goes on to explain the format of the race, in a manner that’s clear enough to enlighten non-pilots, but concise enough not to bore the rest of us. The soundtrack and sweeping scenery keep things moving along nicely to interviews with some of the top athletes. It becomes clear that some of these folks are more than obsessed. “My entire future revolves around the X-Alps race,” says ‘uberhuman’ Toma Coconea. As the race gets underway, the movie is a montage of short interviews, team camera segments and high-def helicopter footage. The helicopter footage is spectacular, but the angles play games with the viewers. Sometimes it appears as if the gliders are flying nearly 100 mph, and other times as if they are flying backwards. Some of the team camera segments are humorous, while others bring you up close and personal with some really ugly feet. These blister popping shots are not for the squeamish. The rain comes, right on cue for dramatic effect. You can almost hear Phil Liggett expounding on how the athletes are “suffering like dogs.” Without the precipitation, the narrator would not have been able to use [opposite] Coring fiercely in the Dolomites near the Marmolada turnpoint | photo by Oliver Laguero.

by Josh Riggs his cheesy line about how the “Sky kings have become rain kings.” Of course, it would not be a race without some inclement weather, and it wouldn’t be a Red Bull event without lots of advertising. Someone is pounding a Red Bull in nearly every sequence. One athlete is sipping on a Bull while finishing dinner, just as the narrator remarks that there is only time for eating and sleeping during the short night. Red Bull PM, I guess. A few of the shots seem a little contrived. We see one athlete sleeping in his harness, clipped in to his glider fully laid out on top of a mountain. Yet another shot is of Toma Coconea sleeping in the middle of the road. “Sometimes the athletes are too exhausted to make it to the next bend in the road,” quips the narrator. I don’t care how tired I was, I couldn’t sleep there! I, of course, would have liked to have seen more coverage of the USA teams. Nate Scales, with family in tow, put the hammer down on some of the locals. Honza Reimanek was deathly ill from some “heavy sausage” and couldn’t even start the race on the first day. Feeling slightly better, he was in 29th place on day three, and finished the race an incredible 9th. That’s a story that needs to be told. All in all, this is a well made movie that will amaze pilots and ground-dwellers alike. Excellent scenery, pearls of wisdom from exhausted athletes, and a high drama finish make this a fine armchair adventure. One caveat-watching this movie will probably make you feel pretty soft! It is worth noting that one dollar of every copy sold is donated to Wings for Life, a spinal cord research foundation. Check wingsforlife.com for more info.

Fly every day or get money back ! Over 11 years of combined experience leading tours in Chile ! videos, pics, and more . . .

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Visit the USHPA store, at www.ushpa.aero to purchase this and other great titles.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

Films | Books | Sites | Links | Gear

GoogleEARTH

DOCUMENT A SITE WITH GE  Let’s say you’ve never flown King Mt. In the April Hang Gliding and Paragliding Magazine, you read a report on the King Mt. meet, complete with photos showing the wonderful landscapes, descriptions of routes flown, LZ’s reached and more. It sounds like a great place to fly,

by Ernie Camacho

and with the upcoming meet consisting of five days of laid-back flying, a personal best or two might be made. But, there are so many variables. Where is King Mt.? The article talks about different routes, LZs, and hundred-mile retrieves. It would be nice if you could spend some time

over the next few months learning about the place so you wouldn’t be completely in the dark when you got there. Well, there is a way for you to learn about King and the surrounding area. You can even pre-fly the routes until you’ve committed every peak and road to memory. I’ll tell you how to do this, but, more importantly, I want you to consider applying the same site description treatment to the flying sites in your neighborhood. After all, there are pilots, both new and experienced, who might benefit from some pre-flying of your sites. The key to this site description approach is Google Earth (GE). If you don’t know about GE, you’re beyond redemption. GE has been around, in one form or another, for many years now, and as it has continued to add features and imagery, it has become a wonderful tool for our purposes. I’ll point you to several web-based resources since GE requires you to be web-based yourself. The caveat to using GE is that you really need a broadband connection to the internet, since a lot of imagery will be streamed to your computer. The website for accessing information

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about GE as well as downloading a free copy: http://earth.google.com Freelance blogs and helpful resources: http://www.ogleearth.com/ http://www.gearthblog.com/ http://googleearthuser.blogspot.com/ http://www.ogleearth.com/links.html#gob For this quick overview, I’m going to ask you to follow along, using the GE placemarks that were made for King Mt. You’ll find them on the Fly King Mountain website: http://www.flykingmountain.com/ge.html For those of you reading this article in

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509.886.4605 ultrikes@northwing.com

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your “reading room” (not in front of your computer), I’ll try to describe the GE tools you can use for documenting a flying site. But you’ll have to promise to load up GE, play with the King Mt. placemarks, and try to make a few of your own. GE uses various symbols to create placemarks to mark a point on the earth, such as: a point (placemark), a line or path (path), a shaded area (polygon), an image overlay (image overlay) and/or a photo (photo). Placemarks can show launches and LZ’s. You can add custom icons to help show the type of placemark. The Route 1 centerline is a white path

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

placemark. The Route 1 corridor is a semitransparent green polygon placemark. The Route 1 bonus LZ placemarks have been raised into the air so that you can see the farthest ones. Image Overlays are normally used to display a topographical or other map, but here I’ve used a .gif image, which lets me make some of the image transparent in order to put labels on the mountain ranges. A photo placemark (below right) can align photos of special locales with the GE terrain. For example, John Kangas’ photo of the glider park he’s building lets us see just where the park will be. I’ve also added

polygon placemarks to define the property (green) and where I think the runway (white) will be. You are able to add a description to a placemark. Since this description can include HTML code, you can put content in the placemark that will be displayed when you click the placemark. I’ve used this to present the King Mt. Route Guide, produced by John Kangas, inside Google Earth. John flew the King routes in his airplane, photographing landmarks along the way. I received permission to display them in the King Mt. Placemark Collection. For each photo, I first made a smaller copy that would fit inside a placemark description. Then, I moved around in GE until I saw the same scene depicted in the photo. One placemark option is to “snapshot current view” which will put you back in the same spot whenever you click on the placemark icon. That is, when you click on the icon, you’re taken to that exact spot, and the contents of the placemark description are displayed. You can compare the photo with what GE is showing. Some of these photos took me a while to locate in GE, but now I have both the photo and the surrounding countryside to give it context. And that’s not the best part. The photos

are grouped by route. For example, you can select the GE folder that contains all the route 1 placemarks with photos; then click on “Play Tour”. GE will take you to each placemark in turn, open the description when you arrive, and pause for a few seconds so you can study the photo before you fly to the next placemark. The GE webpage on FlyKingMountain.com explains how to do this, along with a lot of other information about using GE. The payoff for using Google Earth to study a site like King Mt. is that you’ll get some great flights. Now you can share the GPS tracklog of your flights with others, again by using Google Earth. The GE page on FKM explains the details, so I’ll just show you what a tracklog in GE looks like: Dan DeWeese sent me this log from a flight he made to Salmon, Idaho. Notice the nice climb out from launch. Dan crossed over to the Lemhi’s sooner than usual. It’s these tracklogs that really help to see how others are flying a site. The photos below illustrate another use of tracklogs and GE. After mapping several flights, Vince Endter was able to identify places along a route that consistently provide thermals. Those points have been identified in GE, and those placemarks can now be exported from GE into anyone’s GPS with minimal work. In conclusion, a placemark description can contain text, images, and videos. You can sometimes put an entire webpage inside a placemark. Placemarks can be animated over time, so you can fly your track-

log, although crudely. Speaking of flying, GE has a flight simulator mode. Couple that with an F-16 cockpit HUD overlay and you’re in for some fun. Flying with a mouse, even in flight simulator mode, can be tricky. Once you’re truly addicted to GE, you’ll have to get a 3Dconnexion Space Navigator. It’s a specialized joystick that works together with your mouse to give you the best navigation possible. It is possible to take GE on the road with you. You can store imagery in a cache file. With the proper version of GE, you can hook up your GPS to your laptop so that GE can show you where in the world you are. You can create a folder containing straight placemarks. You can then export that folder and convert those placemarks into uploaded waypoints in your GPS. And you can do the reverse. You can use placemarks to pinpoint a number of useful items: launches and landing zones, best routes to fly, landmarks, camp grounds, stores, gas stations, obstacles to avoid like angry landowners or power lines across landing zones. As you search the web for tips on using GE, using the links I gave you as a start, you’ll find that GE is very comprehensive. There are lots of ways you can use it to document your flying sites. Hopefully, pilots who are new to your sites will take advantage of this wealth of information and come fully prepared to fly the correct routes, stay away from restricted areas, and know the rules for the site. Then, you can concentrate on giving them the information for flying on the hill that day, knowing they have the background information already committed to memory. At least I can dream of that

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

2009 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS day. USHPA is issuing its annual call for nominations to the national Board of Directors. Nine positions are open for election in October 2008 for a two-year term beginning January 2009. Nominations not required for incumbents. You may nominate yourself if you wish. Nominations must be received at the USHPA office by July 14, 2008. Nominations are needed in the following regions. Current Directors, whose terms are up for reelection in 2008 are: REGION CURRENT DIRECTOR 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rich Hass 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Wills 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Jebb 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Gaskill 5 . . . . . NOMINATIONS NOT NEEDED 6 . . . . . REPRESENTED BY REGION 11 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tracy Tillman 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gary Trudeau 9 . . . . . . . Felipe Amunategui 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Kroop 11. . . . . NOMINATIONS NOT NEEDED 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paul Voight

STATES WITHIN REGION Alaska, Oregon, Washington Northern California, Nevada Southern California, Hawaii Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah Idaho, Montana, Wyoming Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, N.Dakota, S.Dakota, Minnesota New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont Washington DC, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, W.Virginia Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, N.Carolina, S.Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico Texas, Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas New Jersey, New York

Ballots will be distributed with the October issue of HANG GLIDING and PARAGLIDING magazines. USHPA needs the very best volunteers to help guide the safe development and growth of the sports. Send candidate nominations for receipt no later than July 14th to: USHPA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330. Biographical information about nominees should be received no later than August 4th, for inclusion in the October election issue of the magazine. This should include the following information: name and USHPA number, photo and resume (one page containing the candidateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hang/paragliding activities and viewpoints, written consent to be nominated and willingness to serve if elected). Nominate by mail or at the USHPA website. http://www.ushpa.aero/emailrdnomination.asp

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

Competition | Gathering | Clinics

FlyingFESTIVAL WOMEN HANG TOUGH TOGETHER  Hanging with a female pilot on launch is a rare and treasured experience for me. No, I am not a male pilot looking for love in the sky; I’m a woman pilot who finds herself more relaxed and more confident with female peers close by. When we fly we leave the stressors of our normal lives thousands of feet below, though flying itself presents us with a whole new set of challenges that force us to evaluate our personal safety. Flying for both male and female pilots can produce stress, but recent scientific studies show a response to stress in women that is specific to females: camaraderie among women helps negotiate perceived danger more effectively. Engaging in an activity that sometimes causes anxiety increases the bonds between women. Across flying communities, women are a commodity. Events such as female fly-ins, women’s competitions, and women’s flying festivals are especially beneficial for female pilots. The 2008 Women’s Hang Gliding Festival at Lookout Mountain Flight Park will be my first chance to experience many women pilots together in one place. I am looking forward to experiencing a launch, a break down area, and a sky full of women! This September, Lookout Mountain Flight Park will foster this idea of women together in flight by hosting its first annual Women’s Hang Gliding Festival. The festival will offer fun flying tasks off the mountain as well as at the training hills, non-stop opportunities for instruction on the hills or tandem, and 22

by Angela Galbreath

clinics led by world class pilots. It will be an opportunity to network with other female pilots and it will be a non-threatening atmosphere for rusty pilots and first timers. Non flying options great for family and friends include organized hikes, games, crafts, yoga classes, canoeing on local creeks and rivers, and visiting Lookout Mountain or Chattanooga. There will be dinner, a band, and other festivities every evening. Of course, female and male pilots enjoy the social aspects of flying with both sexes. Still many women pilots notice that they feel ‘more comfortable, more supported, and less competitive when other women pilots are around.’ A study in 2001, led by Dr. Shelley E. Taylor of UCLA, terms the female specific response to stress, ‘tend and befriend.’ Tending refers to caring for offspring and

peers. Befriending refers to selectively affiliating with like individuals. The ‘tend and befriend’ response contrasts the previously universal concept of ‘fight or flight.’ Deductive reasoning supports ‘tend and befriend’ because pregnant and nursing females cannot run away or confront danger lest they leave their offspring to die. Children abandoned by fighting or fleeing mothers would not have grown up to reproduce. Instead of running or fighting, women held tight to their children and clustered together. Dr. Shelley and her colleagues contend that female hormones evolved to encourage women to care for community members and band together in order to survive. The operations manager at Lookout Mountain Flight Park experienced empowerment when she actualized having a small child and flying. After landing one afternoon on schedule to feed her infant, she reflected, “This is way cool that I can do both!” She felt proud and satisfied nourishing her baby

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

under the shade of her UltraSport. The composition of chemicals released in stressful situations does not vary substantially between males and females. However, the effects of the stress hormones are altered by the normal array of hormones predominately present in each sex. All of our bodies release a hormone called oxytocin when stressed. Oxytocin calms and renders an animal more social. In several studies, women given oxytocin reported feeling more nurturing and friendlier than women who received a placebo. Men showed no response. Testosterone chemically inhibits oxytocin while its effects are enhanced by estrogen. In stressful situations, women affiliate with other women. An experiment by Brian P. Lewis in 2000 found that prior to a stressful experience; females choose to wait with another female over a male. Women are also more likely than men to rely on supportive female friends during challenges. Female participants in adventure sports often try to approach the sport in the same way as their male counterparts. In kayaking, climbing, mountain biking, and flying, women downplay feminine tendencies. After all, doing a sport ‘like a girl’ is usually an insult. Flying ‘like a girl’ has numerous positive implications. Intuitive light touch, finesse, attention to detail, and strong sense of self preservation are several generalizations made by flight instructors about women pilots. Flying ‘like a girl’ also implies that a pilot probably desires to experience flying with other women every now and again because of our particular response to stress.

Interactions among the women in my flying community are noticeably different than those between men. Generally, women pilots like to discuss flying and other areas of our lives. The men talk more exclusively about flying-specific topics. Women feel more consistently compelled to connect on a broader level. One female pilot described to me an exceptional morning of training on the hills at Lookout Mountain. Led by a female instructor, she and five other female students were together yearning to complete each of the tasks to advance towards a mountain launch. She felt an increased level of confidence as the ladies encouraged and supported one another. That morning stands out in her training as one of the most fun and productive. The conception of the Women’s Flying Festival took place when a few women in the Lookout Mountain flying community started a buzz about getting a sky a full of women together. The idea spread like crazy until nearly every woman in the community got on board and committed to helping out with an aspect of the festival. “Our female community has a blast when we get together. The fun factor can only multiply with more female pilots in one place,” they thought. The atmosphere will be great for all skill levels. Fun flying tasks such as the simple triangle task, best launch competition, ball drop, and spot landings will help pilots hone skills. Women pilots who have not flown in a while can take advantage of Lookout’s extensive staff at their finger tips for tandem and hill instruction. Bring a friend, and they can learn how to fly for the first time. In the evenings, we can all let loose after a good meal. The main goal of the festival: to celebrate women flying and have a great time together! So, if you’re a group of aerotow pilots who want to get their foot launch rating, or its been a while since you’ve been in the air and you want to get back up there, or you just want to fly with and learn from a group of great pilots, join us. We would love to see you in September. For more information on the 2008 Women’s Hang Gliding Festival at Lookout Mountain Flight Park September 25-28, visit www.hanglide.com, email fly@hanglide. com, or call 1-800-688-5637.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

A Closer Look

OlympicHANGGLIDING by Ryan Voight KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE  As I sit down to almost anyone can do it. Think about your write this article in February, which happens local flying community–I’ll bet there are to be National Black History Month, I can’t people you wouldn’t trust to drive your resist the urge, no matter how cliché, to car, but they manage to have safe flights borrow Martin Luther King’s most famous on a regular basis). What’s more, I dream line: “I have a dream...” of hang gliding increasing in popularity so While Dr. King’s dream was far more much that it is accepted as a mainstream noble than mine, I think the readership of sport. I’m tired of hearing people tell me, this particular magazine will be able to ap- “you’re crazy,” or, “you’d never get me to do preciate my vision. First let me say I the that!” I dream of the day when I can turn on slim chance of realizing this dream (that’s ESPN and watch hang gliding as part of the what makes it a dream). I have a dream “X-Games.” Hell, I want to see hang gliding that one day the sport of hang gliding will as an Olympic sport! be recognized as the safe, accessible, and I know people who are still reading adventurous sport it truly is, rather than this share in my dream... many would volperceived as a dangerous adrenaline-rush unteer their time and efforts to achieving sport. Hang gliding instruction and equip- this dream, if only they knew how. Well, I ment have come such a long way that today don’t know how to get hang gliding into

the X-Games or the Olympics, but I have a pretty good idea how to do my part to promote the sport. Open a hang gliding school. It probably won’t make a dent in realizing my dream, but I can make an impact on the hang gliding community one safe and competent student at a time. To anyone who knows me, I don’t think my opening a school comes as any big surprise. My dad’s been owner/operator of Fly High Hang Gliding at least as long as I’ve been alive, not to mention that my passion and enthusiasm for the sport is hardly a well kept secret. But the revelation that opening a school puts me (and anyone else that’s willing to do the grunt work to get a school going) in a great position to promote hang gliding, both within the flying community and to the general public, came to me this winter. I’ve been working as a ski instructor in Utah, and I’ve made some interesting observations. Some of the best ski instruc-

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

Photos by Ryan Voight

tors aren’t the best skiers on the mountain. They don’t all make flawless turns and ski with perfect technique. Sure, some do, but some don’t even have much knowledge of how to ski–all they know are the basic principles and how to effectively teach them. But what they do have is a pure, undeniable love for skiing and the passion to share the joy of skiing with others. THAT is what the sport of hang gliding needs–people who truly love the sport and want to share it with anyone willing to give it a try. It’s that passion that draws a student into the sport, creating a long-term pilot. At the time of writing this article, I’m in the process of gearing up my hang gliding school so it will be ready-to-go when the infamous Utah snow stops falling and people start looking for warm weather activities. One of the things I’ve done to prepare for the school is put down some ideas for the business’s core beliefs–a mission statement

if you will. It’s only after reviewing this list that I realize it is nearly identical to the things that need to be done to realize my dream. • Promote the sport of hang gliding • Increase knowledge-base and skill level of existing pilots • Provide a safe and structured learning environment for students • Produce safe and competent hang glider pilots • Offer reliable and professional expertise, sales and service If this sounds like any of you, I urge you to do the same! A few months ago my dad wrote, and published in this magazine “you,

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

too, can start a hang gliding school” with simple, step-by-step directions to making it a reality. If you share my dream and are at all interested in opening a hang gliding school, you should definitely read that article. For those of you who share my dream but don’t have the time, resources, or interest in starting a hang gliding school, I urge you to get your instructor rating. It’s pretty easy to do, and it makes you an “official” certified hang gliding instructor. I can tell you that from the perspective of someone starting a hang gliding school, good instructors are worth more than GOLD. I don’t think you’re a fool if you believe in my dream. I look at hang gliding today and see so much potential, if only we could gradually increase its visibility. If you, like me, are passionate about promoting our sport, use that passion to share the sport with others. Join me in keeping the dream alive!

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

USHPA MEMBER Richard “Dick” Eipper was 23 when a magazine he read started a series of events that would make his name a household word among hang gliding enthusiasts worldwide. June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

hat magazine was Low and Slow, published by Joe Faust, and this was its experimental issue, targeting people interested in hang gliding. Inside was a picture of a homemade hang glider, designed by Richard Miller, who worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. After studying the picture, Eipper, who was then living in his hometown of Torrance, California, went home and built one. “The day after seeing Miller`s bamboo and plastic hang glider, I drove around to the stores in the area and gathered up the materials I neede,” Eipper said. For the bamboo, Eipper went to flooring stores where it was used for shipping carpets. The plastic was ground cover from a nursery. Hose clamps and rope came from a hardware store. “I put it all together in one day, drove down to the cliffs at Torrance Beach and jumped off,” Eipper recalled. The first day the wing broke three times in three jumps. The second day, after several experiments with the support of the wing, Eipper made 35 successful flights-and a lifelong love affair was born. “Each flight only lasted about twenty seconds, but it felt just like it did in my dreams. I couldn’t wait to go again,” Eipper said. Richard Miller, the original designer, got the idea for the wing design while working with a team to develop space recovery equipment for the Apollo Astronauts. The wing design actually was developed by another member of the team,Francis Rogallo, who created it for reentry speeds of up to 1500 miles per hour. Noting that hang gliding began in the 1880’s, Eipper said, “There’s a bit of controversy about who was the first man to fly. Some say it was John J. Montgomery, while others credit Otto Lilienthal.” In any case, hang gliding didn’t really become popular until 1971 when National Geographic published an article on a hang

gliding meet that was attended by Eipper, Miller, and other developers of the glider, celebrating Lilienthal’s 124th birthday. Prompted by the article in National Geographic, Popular Science and Popular Mechanics followed with stories the following year. In an interview with Popular Mechanics, the publisher of Low and Slow was asked where someone could get plans for assembling a hang glider. Faust replied “Richard Eipper has plans available for five dollars.” “I had no plans drawn up, not even anything resembling plans, but within days I had 200 to 300 requests a day pouring into my mailbox, and each request was accompanied by a five dollar bill. I had no choice but to sit down, draw up plans, and start sending them off,” Eipper said. “I was practically forced into business. Faust later told me he knew I could do it. I just needed a little push. What a push!” The requests continued at several hundred a day for seven months and then leveled off to around 50 a day. “The next year, when Low and Slow was sold in Europe, requests picked up again, and by 1973, Eipper-Formance, a corporation I formed with three friends, grossed close to one million dollars and had 52 employees on the payroll,” Eipper said. However, differences developed and Eipper left the company, giving his share to the employees. “It came down to gliders for people versus units for dollars, and that’s when it wasn’t fun anymore,” said Eipper. “It was difficult to dissolve a private corporation, so I felt that my leaving was the best solution for everyone concerned.” In 1971, Eipper founded the Peninsula Hang Gliding Club, consisting of three members. At the second meeting the name was changed to the Southern California Hang Glider Association. In September, 1973, it was changed once again to the United States Hang Gliding Association. Eipper’s membership number was 00001. Eipper, who

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

[opposite, inset] Eipper at Playa del Rey, California, 1971 (brakeman's hat and barefoot). [left] Eipper loading gliders onto the truck. Photos by W.A. Allen.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

“You should compete against yourself, not others.”

[above] Richard Eipper (right) with Rob McCaffrey. [upper right] Eipper (left) and McCaffrey [right] Eipper's USHGA membership card - not the number!

had moved to the Garberville-Miranda area, had not flown in nearly 12 years and didn’t even own a glider anymore when he came across an old 17-foot FlexiFlier. This was the original model produced by EipperFormance in the early 70’s. Within a month Eipper gracefully flew off an 800-foot cliff above the Benbow campgrounds. Models of Eipper’s hang gliders are on display in Washington, D. C., at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, and at the Boeing Air Museum in Seattle. He also has been on the cover of Popular Mechanics and Low and Slow. Eipper did not advocate competition in the sport because he felt it was too dangerous. Eipper stated, “You should compete against yourself, not others.” On April 27th, 1991, Eipper learned to fly a paraglider from Greg Pujol, owner of A Gift of Wings, in Sunnyvale, CA. After 12 years away from the sport he helped bring into existence, Eipper fell in love with free-flight all over again. Richard Eipper is gone, but certainly not forgotten. He died on January 31, 1993. After he was cremated, his ashes were spread by one of his hang gliding friends as he flew over Shelter Cove, CA. As soon as the hang glider pilot landed, a harrier jet came down out of the clouds and flew 200 feet off the water over the ashes. Jennifer Drews first published this article, June 1991 | The North Coast Journal of Eureka, CA Submitted by Robert L. Smith USHPA # 82497

to HIGH PERFORMANCE

How to move up safely and comfortably

PART 1  Most pilots gradually progress in skills and confidence until the idea of getting a new glider of higher performance starts gnawing at their brain stem. Usually this itch and urge come in the landing field after the third sled ride in a row from a high site that is being soared by others with hotter wings. Whether or not this is a reasonable decision is another matter, but when fate conspires to ground us too many times, the typical solution is buying better performance. But the big question that should cross every free pilot’s mind is “Can I handle the beast, or will it handle me?” Our adolescent ego says the former, but our button-down superego counsels caution. In any case, the question can’t be answered with certainty without more information. The pilot’s experience and natural ability are part of the equation, but so, too, is his or her understanding of the potential problems. We can’t affect ability too much with an article, but we can point out the hidden pitfalls waiting to engulf the incautious. This article is all about what can go wrong (and right) when you begin to fly a high-performance glider. Before we begin to cut the meat, please note that tens of thousands of pilots have moved up in performance with little or no unexpected consequences. We are not trying to scare anyone with reasonable skills and maturity away from hi-per gliders. We are simply providing information

to eliminate rude surprises. Also, note that initially I intended to address moving to a topless glider from lesser-performing gliders in this article. However, upon reflection, I realized that everything below applies to the transition from a single-surface glider to double-surface ones (rigid wings are not addressed here, but the general approach in most points of discussion does apply). So with your credit card waiting for the big hit, here’s our little high performance primer.

TAKING THE PLUNGE Every flight begins with hauling the glider to a suitable site and setting it up. We’ll let the reader deal with the extra weight and the complexity of setup of higher performance gliders (men: read the owner’s manual!). Just be aware that if you are used to carrying your equipment very far, you may have to start making two trips or initiate a buddy system. Make friends and save your back. Now you’re on takeoff. The extra weight of hi-per gliders can give you pause. You may feel less confident, especially on a shallow slope or light wind day. The fact is, a double-surface glider with a tight sail tends to begin lifting its weight a bit sooner than a single surface glider because the sail airfoil is already formed. It doesn’t have to lift on the frame to take shape. However, for the first couple of steps you will be carrying more weight. The secret to success at this point is confidence and technique.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

Photo by Thor Stenson

TRANSITIONING

by DENNISPAGEN

Confidence first: Knowing that the glider will lift readily in a controlled manner comes first. You do know that because you trust those with experience who say so (I swear to it here). And, of course, you have seen it happen many times. You can do no better thing for yourself before attempting to fly a higher performance glider than watch a few takeoffs by good pilots with good technique on gliders similar the one you will be flying. Look at their holding technique, the attitude they hold the glider (nose position), and how far they run for a good takeoff. In general, a hi-per glider needs a bit more speed for takeoff, so the total run may require an additional step or two. You run right into the air anyway, right? Should you try the glider at a training hill first? That depends on the nature of the hill. If it is high enough to allow you to get comfortable before landing, and has plenty of run-out for landing, the answer is a resounding “yes!” But with today’s shrinking open spaces, training hills are sometimes only adequate for training gliders. If you fly a hi-per glider for the first time from on high, be sure to totally absorb the flying discussion below. Probably the best thing you can do is run the new hi-per glider on the flat (in a landing field, e.g.) with a bit of headwind to practice technique and feel how it lifts. Such practice builds confidence and develops technique. Repeat the exercise ten times successfully and you will be

Photo by Jeff Shapiro

smiling. Of course, it’s all about technique. On takeoff, besides weight, there are two big differences between a single surface glider and a higher performing one. The first is the tighter sail and the typically wider span, which means that side gusts can lift a wing easier. Wing(wo)men and a solid holding technique are the required factors here for safety and comfort. For holding technique, please refer to our article Takeoff Strategies and Techniques—Part IV in the January 2008 issue of this magazine. The technique described provides you with the best control throughout the launch phase of flight. If you don’t already use this technique, I suggest learning it on your present glider before moving up in performance. The second big difference is indeed a big difference. That is attitude—we mean of the glider, not your head. The attitude item was demonstrated dramatically to me a couple of years back when I began flying a tandem glider. I was taking my girlfriend for a flight from the shore of the Atlantic in South Africa. A good wind blew in our faces as we started to run down the dune. Fifteen steps later we were airborne with lots of excess airspeed. After landing near the rollers, I reflected on how fast the takeoff run had to be. I realized my attitude (nose up or down) had been too low. Then I realized that the loose sail had to lift in relation to the keel position and, thus, the perception of attitude is different with a single-surface glider as compared to a tight, double-surface one (see figure 1). I corrected my attitude with both my tandem glider and my Target (Aeros single-surface), which I hadn’t flown

for a number of years, and have produced easy-effort takeoffs ever since. The big warning for single-surface pilots here is that if you set the nose position of a high performance glider similar to what you are used to, it will probably be too high. It should be clear to all that too high an attitude on takeoff can result in getting airborne prematurely, a stall right after takeoff, loss of control in gusts, or all of the preceding in any combination. Probably the best way to learn the proper attitude with the new glider is to have an experienced instructor or pilot watch you on takeoff and tell you to raise or lower the nose until it is set properly. Be aware that there is some leeway with the position, and, as usual, it varies a bit with the steepness of the hill, but in no case should the keel attitude be the same for a high performance glider as it is for the

typical single-surface glider. This factor is very important, because a hi-per glider is less forgiving of too high an angle of attack than a softer, less-performing glider. All topless gliders and many intermediate gliders are VG enhanced. There’s that little rope you can pull to tighten the glider and pick up a few points of glide at the expense of handling. To find out the ideal takeoff setting for intermediate gliders, consult the owner’s manual or dealer. On all topless gliders I have flown (essentially all on the market), about1/4 of the total VG pull is the recommended launch setting. The reason for this setting is that with full-loose VG, the glider has too much pitch-up force, and it is difficult to keep the bar pulled in enough right after takeoff. Too slow is too close to the edge. With 1/4 VG on, the gliders naturally seek a good takeoff trim speed, and pitch forces are light enough to be easily controlled. On most gliders, pulling the VG reduces handling. Therefore, with early flights on a high performance glider, you should plan to fly straight ahead to clear the hill/ridge/ mountain with good control speed before attempting a turn (we’ll see how fast below). After lots of turns away from the terrain, you can gradually work closer and make turns sooner after launch. In general, you should never expect to be able to work as closely and slowly with a hi-per glider as you can with a softer glider. But, theoretically, you should have improved performance to better capitalize on the little lagniappes of lift.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

DVDs ~ BOOKs ~ GEAR ~ Everything a pilot needs

IN-FLIGHT SERVICE One of the critical differences in the various performance classes of gliders shows up immediately after takeoff. Probably the most important matter of this whole discussion is that the forces and feeling of the pitch and roll of high performance gliders are very different from those of lower performing gliders. Low-per gliders tend to have high pitch (front-to-back) forces and relatively light roll (side-to-side) forces, while hi-per gliders have very light pitch and stiffer roll control—just the opposite. The result can be confusion with dangerous consequences for the early hi-per pilot. The scenario is this: a pilot jumps on a high performance glider for the first time and flies away. He or she may be a bit (read a lot) tense and not thinking in the forebrain—muscle memory takes over and seeks familiar territory. The pilot unconsciously pulls in waaay too much to find the old familiar pitch pressure, which is waaay too fast on this hi-per glider. The smallest roll input thus starts a turn waaay beyond what is expected, so a correction is applied, which starts a turn waaay too much to the other side. The process is repeated until a full-fledged out-of-control Dutch roll, yawing, wingwalking scary flight ensues. Some pilots have died when they hit the ground in the midst of severe Dutch rolling. On one occasion, we watched a pilot demo a new hi-per glider from a 2000-foot site. He flew away and immediately began oscillating seriously from side-to-side. This continued to everyone’s horror until he was about 30 feet off the ground, at which point he slowed down and the glider immediately quit oscillating. If he bought the glider, he had more sangre froid than the rest of us watching from launch. The above story illustrates the cure for oscillations; slow the glider to trim speed and it will normally stop. A word of warning here: if you are extremely pulled in on a hang glider, moving the bar forward rapidly could zoom you upward, due to all the speed, and end up in a high attitude stall. In addition, slowing down rapidly while you are in a serious bank can whip the glider into a sudden high G turn (remember, to make radical high-banked turns, we roll steeply, then push out). So slow down with a bit of restraint (say over a three second period) when in a serious roll/yaw oscillation. The purpose of this discussion is not to strike fear in the hearts of pilots eager to move up in performance, but simply to foster awareness. Once you are aware of the potential problem, you can easily prevent it. First, find out from your guru (instructor, mentor, dealer, manufacturer rep) where the bar position should be for safe straight flight at near-best glide. Think about that position. Hook in and set that position while a friend lifts the keel until you feel little force (you are trying to duplicate the position and the force). Now close your eyes and imagine you are flying. Good. You’re probably ready to take the plunge. Once you are in flight, concentrate on the bar position. This is frontal lobe stuff. Make sure there aren’t other distractions—pilots whizzing around, turbulence wrenching the wings, thermals tempting you to do what you know you shouldn’t—and fly away in a steady manner. If anything starts feeling weird, look where your bar is, put it where it is supposed to be, and center. That’s it: be aware, pay attention, don’t worry, be happy. Here are a few more matters relating to general flight: As I explained above, the control bar position and control forces may be different, but so may be the actual control coordination in turns. June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

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For example, you may need a lot less push-out to coordinate a turn on a hi-per glider. On the other hand, there will be more roll-force required, and perhaps a delay, compared to what you are used to. Have patience, and hold your control until the desired change takes place. Pulling a bit of speed before making the roll control helps the glider respond. We suggest flying near-best glide speed throughout your early flights and adding a bit more before initiating turns for more positive response. Best glide speed will be around your clavicle or the top of your chest. For easier roll control, pilots of topless gliders like to hang as low as they reasonably can over the base tube (they paid attention to the physics class lecture on leverage). In fact, most topless pilots fly with harnesses that have the parachute on the side so they can hang lower (we discuss hi-per harnesses in a future article). Once you have established the bank angle, you may need to high-side a bit (hold yourself to the high side of the bar during a turn) to keep the glider from over-banking. It all depends on how the particular glider is set up. Again, awareness saves the day. Focus on coordinating the turns, and soon the right control input will become automatic. There is a lot to consider when transitioning to higher performance gliders, but the process isn’t overwhelming for most pilots. In fact, the transition usually can be accomplished gradually, with each successive glider selected to offer a little bit more challenge and performance. Is it worth it? Yes, in most cases it can cure those sled-ride-landing-field-dust-eating blues. But only if your superego approves.

Next month we look at towing, more flying factor and landing.

ompetition can be an evil four-letter word to many pilots who are new to the scene. Mysteries abound regarding sky-gods' abilities to deftly weave through the pack, ultimately taking home the glory at the end of the meet. Actually, competition flying can be one of the best ways to learn more about cross-country than any clinic offered. With three serious competitions this year and one of the best “learning comps” in the world, the Rat Race, why not put your money where your mouth is and come fly with pilots from all over the country? We’ve asked a few of the top US pilots to reveal some nuances of happily spending a week with their friends while seeing a variety of terrain from above. HOW DO YOU FLY IN GAGGLES?

GREG BABUSH  Flying in gaggles can be fun, exciting and a communal experience. It’s important to turn and climb with others, making turns as tight as theirs while keeping your head on a constant swivel, remaining aware of everybody around you. MATT BEECHINOR  Smooth, smooth, smooth. Don’t do anything extreme, just go with the flow. JOSH COHN  Very carefully, in the same general direction as other pilots nearby. Think of a flock of birds or school of fish.

DEAN STRATTON  I think you need a mixture of offensive and defensive skills to fly in gaggles successfully. If everyone works together, it flows smoothly. If a few fly very nervous and tentative, it disrupts the rhythm. Best thing to do is follow the pilot in front of you and go with the flow. If other pilots are flying erratically, do your best to get around them without disturbing the flow of the gaggle too much. WHAT IS THE PROPER WAY TO ENTER A GAGGLE?

GREG BABUSH  There are numerous ways not to enter a thermal—such as cutting somebody off or flying right at another pilot— but any way you can join in a thermal with other pilots that doesn’t put you or them at risk should get the job done. Once you are in the thermal, be sure to turn in a similar radius as those around you. MATT BEECHINOR  Find your entry point and get in there; disrupt as few pilots as possible. Sometimes being too courteous is as bad as cutting someone off. Get in where you fit in, and do it with confidence as if you belong there. JOSH COHN  On a tangent to the circle, in the es34

Jackson, WY | Photo by Nick Greece

First GAGGLE by ROBSPORRER

May 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

tablished turn-direction, and turning wide to avoid anyone established in the thermal.

DEAN STRATTON  Never enter a gaggle at a hard angle; it’s extremely disruptive to the gaggle. Always enter at a slight angle to the flow of traffic and wait for an opening. If you respect the flow of the gaggle, the other pilots will let you in quickly. WHEN DO YOU LAUNCH?

GREG BABUSH  As early as possible. It’s both strategic and more relaxing. MATT BEECHINOR  As soon as possible! JOSH COHN  Early—about an hour before the start,

depending on how much time you need to get in position and how risky it is that you might get stuck in a slow launch queue.

DEAN STRATTON  Generally, I launch when I know I have twice the time I need to get in position for a good start. HOW AGGRESSIVE SHOULD MY TURNS BE?

GREG BABUSH  Don’t be aggressive, but sync up with the other pilots, turning in a similar radius so the group climbs together. This benefits everyone. MATT BEECHINOR  The goal is to thermal as efficiently as possible without screwing up the other pilots in the gaggle. On high pressure days with small cores, feel free to crank and bank, as long as you are playing well with others. JOSH COHN  Gently, grasshopper. On the other hand, if people keep coming up behind you, it probably means you should turn a bit tighter.

DEAN STRATTON  If all the other pilots are turning wide, so should you. The same applies if all the other pilots are turning tight. Try to avoid the temptation to turn inside the gaggle; it can be very dangerous to you and the other pilots. HOW DO I COMMUNICATE IN A GAGGLE?

GREG BABUSH  We generally fly where we are looking, so I pay attention to the direction other pilots are looking as well as to their head position. If somebody’s not aware, my saying “hola!” alerts them to my presence. MATT BEECHINOR  Head movement and eye contact. It’s a constant game of letting other pilots know that you 36

see them by looking directly at them.

JOSH COHN  Eye contact, leaning shoulders, slowly

pulling brakes. Occasionally a shout of “on your left” is warranted.

DEAN STRATTON  Generally, the thing to do is make obvious body movements so other pilots can easily see your intended path. Sometimes you’ll need to yell to get the attention of pilots who are obviously not paying attention, but this should be a last resort. WHO DO YOU LIKE TO FLY COMPS WITH? WHY?

GREG BABUSH  Jeff Wishnie, because if he’s not doing something silly on course, he’ll have a fun story to tell later on. MATT BEECHINOR  Nate Scales. He is a ripping pilot and has the best attitude; it doesn’t matter if he won the task or sunk out before the start, he always has a huge grin on his face. He’s just as excited for your success as he is his own. JOSH COHN  Almost all the experienced US pilots, and most foreign ones as well, are great. You have to be a bit more careful around less-experienced pilots and expect them to do unusual things sometimes.

DEAN STRATTON  Brad Gunnuscio, simply because we have a very similar flying style which requires very little effort when flying as a team. HOW DO YOU PLAN FOR THE START?

GREG BABUSH  I try to conserve energy and become familiar with the day’s conditions. It’s important to continually monitor the atmospheric conditions and fly accordingly. MATT BEECHINOR  Relax; have fun. Cruise around and try to figure out what the day is doing. It is stressful to fly in the big-start gaggle; only battle to get higher than everyone else 15 minutes before the start. JOSH COHN  Oliver Roessel pointed out the tactic of staying out of big gaggles before the start and going to the top of gaggles, rising from below.

DEAN STRATTON  Launch early enough to get in good position and map the thermals that are closest to the start cylinder. WHAT IF I FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE IN A THERMAL?

GREG BABUSH  Leave the thermal and find a more re37 Valle de Bravo, Mexico | Photo by Josh Cohn

laxing place to fly.

drag you into decisions that you don’t agree with.

MATT BEECHINOR  Go to your happy place, keep a posi- JOSH COHN  There is no need to fight for every bit of tive attitude, and eliminate negative thoughts about height until the last ten minutes before the start. Even the day. The next thermal will be better. then, if you have a bad start, it often doesn’t matter that much. The gaggles tend to thin out after the JOSH COHN  Find another one. start. DEAN STRATTON  If it’s the only thermal around – I DEAN STRATTON  One thing I notice frequently is pilots tough it out. If there are other thermal choices read- not committing when entering gaggles: this is the ily within reach, I sometimes make a move to those worst thing you can do. Pilots already in the gaggle are instead. usually timing your path to intersect the gaggle and making adjustments to allow you entry. If you don’t WHAT ADVICE HAS STUCK WITH YOU? commit, but fly erratically instead, it throws off the other pilots that were making efforts to let you in and GREG BABUSH  Read the conditions of the day and fly disrupts the flow of the entire gaggle. The best thing accordingly. If the lift is strong, don’t turn in the weak a pilot can do when entering a gaggle is to commit to stuff, find that strong core; if it’s a weak day, don’t fly a path and stay with it. If you do this, everything will too fast and risk landing early. flow smoothly and efficiently. MATT BEECHINOR  No pilot ever has acquired hot chicks, money or fame as a result of competition flying; the only reason to do it is to have fun and learn from the best. JOSH COHN  “Put yourself not in stress.” Olly Roessel.

a garden shed. This allows him to travel as much as possible to explore new flying sites and cultures around the world, and compete in international XC paragliding competitions.

DEAN STRATTON  Simply put—NEVER GIVE UP!

There’s been recent sightings of Greg flying with his racing

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A NEW COMP PILOT?

acro on his Airwave Burn instead of pushing as much bar

GREG BABUSH  Don’t fly to compete. Fly to have fun. MATT BEECHINOR  Launch early. Learn your instru-

ments before the contest—not on launch. Have fresh batteries. Hydrate. Memorize the turnpoints/ visualize the course. Wear a condom catheter/ pee tube (don’t urinate on other pilots). Don’t stress—have fun. Never give up!

JOSH COHN  Work your way into it gradually through XC leagues, etc., and fly a glider that both you and your friends find comfortable to fly. DEAN STRATTON  First concentrate on making goal as

often as possible; then, the speed at which you make goal will follow naturally.

pod removed from his harness, exploring the dynamics of as possible on his UP Targa 3.

MATT BEECHINOR is the number one ranked US Pilot and flies a Niviuk IcepeakXP. He is sponsored by Eagle Paragliding, Flytec, and his Mom and Dad. Matt recently returned from Valle De Bravo, Mexico where he helped the US team clench gold in the Pre-worlds, and became the first pilot to ever consume 47 street tacos in one sitting.

JOSH COHN has been jumping off cliffs since 1989. He has won the US national title and finished in 8th in the last World Championships. He is well known for taking bold lines with great results, and shots of tequila. He flies an UP Edge, in rough conditions, while taking pictures.

DEAN STRATTON

ANY OTHER OPINIONS OR TIPS ABOUT GAGGLES?

lives in Southern California and has been flying for five

GREG BABUSH  Don’t get Mook’d.

National Champion and The California State PG distance

years. He's the 2007 Rat Race Champion, 2007 US

MATT BEECHINOR  If you are a proficient XC pilot, the

gaggle is there to provide you with more information. Fly your own course and use the gaggle when you need it to get through tough sections, but don’t let them 38

GREG BABUSH avoids the high cost of rent in the SF Bay Area by living in

record holder. Currently he is ranked number two in the US.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

Jackson, WY | Photo by Nick Greece

YA GOTTA TURN IN THE LIFT  BILL BELCOURT The first thing you need is a thermal. Increase your chances of finding one by launching into a good cycle, joining gliders that are already climbing, or gliding over terrain that looks as if it would drip water if you turned it upside down. While you’re in search mode, try to relax and feel the air for changes in pressure through your brakes and harness; then adjust your glide towards increases in pressure. The more relaxed you are, the more you will notice the pressure changes, and the better you’ll become at finding thermals. Knowing when to turn when you first encounter lift can be tricky. Generally, when you are low, the thermals are smaller and moving faster, so you will need to respond quickly if you want to stick with them. When you are higher, the thermals will be larger, so you can take more time to feel out the lift before reacting. I think we all tend to turn too early, when the best part of the thermal (the core) is still to come. Try to think of it as a game of chicken; don’t turn until you think you’re about to fall out the other side. Even then, you will often be too early with that first turn. Once you find a thermal, take your time to explore its size and strength while remaining in part of the lift. Do not waste time circling in the weak junk around the edges of a good core. The first pilot to find

the core is the pilot who climbs out the fastest. Find the core; do this by exploring the lift. Now that you’ve explored the thermal and found the core, you have to stay in it. This takes a continuous adjustment in order to keep your glider in the best part of the lift. Small cores will feel like a punchy beach ball rolling around on the bottom surface of your glider. I like to call this the “live” part of the thermal. Try to keep the live part in the middle of your glider, and don’t let it roll off the edges. Start with a steeper turn to make sure you have a good hold on the core. Relax the turn later, as much as you can, while remaining in the core. Bigger (flatter) turns increase your efficiency in a climb because your sink rate is less. It’s also less work, and less work is a good thing when it’s a big day. If you can make your vario sound the same for a complete 360, you are doing it right. Constant diligence in keeping your turnradius in the best part of the thermal is the key to success. If cloud base doesn’t get in the way, take the time to find the top of the lift and note how the thermal changes in size and intensity throughout its life as you gain altitude. At the top, the thermal breaks up into a collection of small and mildly turbulent chunks of weak lift. Do a search around the break-up area and see if there is still a strong piece left, and then top

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

that out as well. Every day is different, but the thermals on a given day can be very similar. Try to get a feel for the pace and rhythm of a day early, so when it comes to thermalling, your choices and timing will be more in tune. When thermalling with other pilots, climbing efficiency should increase, but we all know that’s not necessarily true. Pilots will often stop coring a thermal and start avoiding each other while flying in circles. There is no doubt that it’s harder to stay focused on the core and adjusting your circles while flying in a group versus by yourself, but that is what you have to do in order to belong there. We all climb faster when everyone in the thermal is contributing to the overall efficiency by showing everyone else where the best lift is (or isn’t). The group then makes coordinated adjustments to maximize the climb. Avoiding each other also becomes almost automatic when everyone is making the same size circle, in the same direction, over the same place, which happens to be the location of the core. I know it sounds strange, but it’s true. Be sure to turn with certainty and purpose, and others will follow your lead. Make a game out of every thermal by doing your best never to let anyone out-climb you. Do this by making every circle count.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

The Red Bull Speed Run in Kitzbühely | Photo by Felix Wölk

MEXICO

ourmet G Salsa by DENNYPISTOLL

xperience, it is said, is a hard teacher because she gives the test first and the lesson afterwards. Despite that prospect, it was in the quest of furthering our experience that a small group of us set out to sample one of the premier flying sites on the continent. We were going to Mexico! Valle de Bravo is a small village that sits in the high Sierras approximately 100 miles southwest of Mexico City. Although our cadre is from all over the eastern and southern United States, Lookout Mountain in northern Georgia is our home field for flying purposes. Dan Zink, Lookoutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s affable lead flight instructor, organized and led our group. Accompanying Dan was Matt Taber, the owner and operator of Lookout Mountain Flight Park, who decided to take time off for a flying vacation as well. Other than Dan Davis, an advanced pilot and judge from Tupelo, and Don Murdoch, a long time flier out of Birmingham, the rest of our group were intermediate pilots looking to expand horizons and hone skills at a new venue. This trip represented a fairly large

step outside the box for us but one we were the gliders, shuttles, accommodations and anxiously anticipating. on-site info, much more help was supplied. We were met at the Mexico City Airport This is a class act. by a rep from Fly Mexico, our host for the After gathering our stuff at the airport, week. Fly Mexico is operated by Jeff Hunt, we were off on a three hour ride to a new whose enterprise was created in hopes of at- adventure. The road trip alone out from the tracting grounded winter fliers to warmer congested sprawl of Mexico City into the climes with superb soaring opportunities, country was worth the price of admission. Leaving the fifth largest city in the world and heading into the hills, we were treated not only to a kaleidoscope of culture but also to wonderful overlooks as we wended our way deeper into the mountains. My first impression of Valle (pronounced va-yea) de Bravo was that this place could be a set for a Hollywood movie. It was quintessential Mexico with all the colors, cobble stone streets, charm and lakeside tranquility one might hope to find. The village was small but bustling, modest but well maintained. It boasts of an alpine setting capaand attract, it does. Dialed into the needs ble of stirring the heart and inspiring poets. of the group, Fly Mexico handled all of Valle is a getaway for the well heeled from the logistical difficulties associated with Mexico City as well as the destination for a trip of this complexity with ease and the Monarch butterflies who make their elan. Outside of our personal equipment, yearly winter migration from Canada. In June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

addition to the stunning physical beauty, the people—warm, friendly, and welcoming—provide the real charm. Visiting here is a boost in a post 9/11 world. Once in town, we had numerous options available for living accommodations. Most of our group elected to stay in a comfortable club house with a full kitchen, fire place and maid service. This also became our central meeting place. The four couples among us were billeted in more private, hacienda-like quarters that were clean, plainly appointed and very comfortable. All were equally convenient and close to everything; it’s that kind of a town. The three non-flying companions in our group found plenty to do and interesting places to visit. They were by no means constrained to marking time out on launch or waiting down in the LZ. Iliana, Jeff’s vivacious and lovely Mexican born wife, held conversational Spanish lessons every morning for those who were interested. The classes were relevant to our activities, participative and fun. Food was on our own, but that was easy as there were a plethora of eateries within easy walking distance, and the offerings were outstanding—everything from little walkup joints to upscale, full service restaurants, elegantly appointed. By virtue of its southern latitude and high elevation, Valle de Bravo has a year-round springtime climate. Picture a typical afternoon in San Diego or summer’s day on Lake Tahoe and then look up the Spanish word for IDEAL! Valle de Bravo sits on the crest of the Sierra Madre Del Sur, a spine of mountains that runs from the US border to Guatemala. The main launch is a flat slope that is broad enough to accommodate four paragliders

abreast. It sits at 7,546’ MSL with approximately 2,000 vertical feet to the primary landing zone. There were numerous other LZs available as well and getting there required only a minimum of 1300’ over launch, prior to proceeding cross-country. There was a concern that the density altitude would weigh-in as a factor for both launch and landing. True enough, it was a factor but hardly a major one. Airspeeds were slightly higher but only negligibly so and after every one’s first flight, all were well acclimated to the differences. Our primary landing zone was called The Piano. It was so named because it is said that even if you flew like a piano, you could make the LZ. The Piano is considerably smaller than what most of us were accustomed to at Lookout Mountain. In addition, it was bordered by a nasty canyon that dropped off at the approach end and corn fields that extended beyond the upwind boundary. On approach, you definitely didn’t want to run out of energy and land short (YIKES!!!) and, as a result, a few occasionally over compensated, overshot, and alighted into the surrounding cornfields which were quite safe and very user friendly. An exacerbating factor was that the LZ slanted slightly downhill at the midpoint, so if you didn’t touch down by mid-field, it became easier to overshoot. As no opportunity to bust on a fellow pilot (in good spirit, of course) is ever overlooked, we created a special award to commemorate this miscalculation; it was called the John Deere award. Until the next guy landed in the corn, the most recently anointed was dubbed, El Senor Corn Holieo. The flying conditions were consistently ideal with soaring opportunities unlike

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

[opposite] Zack Castille heading for cloud base | photo by Colin Hodsdon. [opposite, inset] Lakefront at Valle de Bravo. [below] Dan Zink landing at “The Piano”| photos by Zack Castille. [bottom left] Left to Right: Matt Taber, Dan Davis, Don Murdoch, Denny Pistoll, Mack O’Rear, Scott Adams, Alfredo, Zack Castille, Stacy Murdoch, Colin Hodsdon, Dan Zink | photo Nydia Pistoll. [bottom right] Roger Tubbs relaxing in the LZ with his crew of helpers | photo by Colin Hodsdon.

anything we’ve ever experienced. Soaring thermals, I’ve concluded, is three parts science, two parts art and one part luck. Even though luck may be a part of the equation, the immutable reality was that that the best and brightest among us consistently did better than the newer, less experienced. Obviously, there is a lot to learn. Matt Taber held an impromptu thermalling tutorial topical to the Valle de Bravo conditions which was extremely helpful to all of us. In addition, it was instructive to hear how the advanced pilots in our group managed their flights. A big help with multiple flights was the transportation set up by Fly Mexico. Shuttles back to launch were always at hand or, if it was your last flight of the day, a cold beer awaited. What a way to end the day. An added and unexpected plus to the whole scene was the gang of kids who hung

horizons both figuratively and literally. The flying could only be described as super and overall conditions, optimal. As Jeff Hunt put it, “we fly every stinking day.” The quotable quote of the trip, however, must be attributed to Dan Davis, who summed up the conditions when he radioed in to say, “even the sink was going up!” Though experience may indeed be a tough teacher, the flying was conducted safely and well within the capabilities of our group. All of us scored a personal best in one category or another whether it was altitude gain, distance, duration or just pegging-out the internal fun meter. Metrics aside, one theme common to every one of our flights was that they were spectacular in every meaning of the word. The mountains, valleys, climate, smooth air and the wonderful camaraderie made our trip to Valle de Bravo a flier’s dream. It was companionable group. out in the landing zone. After landing and a zesty, south of the border feast – it was We all carried radios, and though they being besieged by the pack, you would pick gourmet salsa of the first order, and a trip were primarily used for retrieval purposes, two, and for 20 pesos, they would proceed we will long remember and hope to repeat we were in radio contact with Jeff who to break down and pack our gliders. In the soon again. would observe our flights and provide helpmeanwhile we’d visit, shoot the bull, and otherwise revel in the details of our flight. ful tips if he felt we needed it. He is a total pro, a great guy and was a huge help. These, indeed, were luxurious conditions. Denny has been flying for three years So how did the trip measure up? First off, and holds a Hang 3 rating. He and n preparation for the up-coming pre- an experiential gain was well realized by all his wife, Nydia, live in Stroudsburg, world’s competition to be held at Valle, and everyone agreed that we expanded our Pennsylvania. there were a large number of paragliders from all over the world, but there was very little conflict between the two communities. They typically launched earlier in milder conditions and were off on their cross country tasks by the time we were gearing-up and ready to go. The notable exception to this otherwise harmonious relationship were a few individuals who, after landing, would ignore universal LZ protocols and leave their equipment strewn in the middle of the field while others were making their approach. In all, there were 15 in our cohort which made for an interesting and eclectic group. The experience levels ranged from H-2 to Advanced Instructor with an age span from 27 to 66. Mack O’Rear, an attorney from Chattanooga, enjoyed his first soaring flight on his 60th birthday… how cool is that! It was a really fun and very

[above] Denny Pistoll off launch. | photo by Zack Castille. [right] Colin Hodsdon conferring the “John Deer” award to Jack Mitch | photo by Roger Tubbs.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

GREECE

Paradise

by KIMGALVIN photos by CHRISTOPHEDUBOIS

hen most people think of a holiday in Greece, they think of the islands. But I’d been there and done that. I wanted to get a taste of the real Greece, so I started researching mainland Greece. The Peloponnese, a large peninsula in southern Greece that covers about 8,300 square miles, is known as “the heart and soul of Greece.” The Peloponnese is rich in history and natural beauty. It has a mountainous interior, an enchanting coastline and charming villages. With dry, warm summers, mild sea breezes, good food, a fascinating culture, friendly people and plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation—including paragliding—the Peloponnese has everything I look for in a vacation destination. Last year, the Peloponnese suffered

devastating wildfires that will impact the built in the 4th century B.C. The ancient region for many years, but that didn’t amphitheater at Asclepios seats 14,000, deter me. I Googled “paragliding and and the view, aesthetics, and acoustics of Peloponnese” and found Flying Paradise at the theater are remarkable. From the top the top of the list. Because paradise is in row of the theatre, you can actually hear the eye of the beholder, I was a bit skeptical the unamplified sound of a match being about Flying Paradise. I started an email struck at center stage. What a thrill it is correspondence with Christophe Dubois, to get a birds-eye view of the site as you fly the owner of Flying Paradise, and I was so over it, under a paraglider! Flying Paradise operates out of the impressed with how responsive and helpful he was that I bought two tickets to para- Hotel Apollon, a relatively small hotel on a quiet beach with views of the mountains dise. Base camp for Flying Paradise is and the sea. The hotel is modern, clean Epidavros, a small village on the Aegean and comfortable. The restaurant serves Sea, about eighty miles southwest of Athens. great food and the bar is open for drinks There are literally hundreds of archeologi- and coffee at all hours of the day or night. cal sites in the area. But Epidavros is most The staff is especially friendly and accomfamous for the fascinating Asclepios ar- modating to pilots, who made up most of cheological site, a renowned healing center their guests when I was there.

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There are eight paragliding sites exclu- trees, about 2,000’ below launch, it’s not sively for guests of Flying Paradise within difficult to get high enough to fly around a twenty-to-forty minute drive from the the hill with enough altitude to make it to hotel. The launches are rocky but well the soccer field, a popular alternate landgroomed. I love the fact that you can land ing site. From here, you can fly on to the almost anywhere due to a good system of famous amphitheater, and, if you still have roads that are maintained for farmers who some altitude, either try for an out and use them to herd their goats and tend their return flight or head over the pass to the olive trees. On a typical day, Christophe hotel. This is where I usually lost it, but meets the pilots at the hotel after break- next year my goal is to make it all the way fast, usually between 9:00 and 10:00 to the hotel. a.m. Already having checked the wind Midday, you can either fly back to the conditions, he’ll direct the pilots to one hotel(about fifteen miles) and land on the of his “minibuses” and drive them to one beach, or return in the minibus for a tasty of the nearby launches. With eight sites Greek salad and some freshly-squeezed to choose from, the chances of flying are orange juice from one of the nearby orange pretty good. groves. After lunch, you can hang out at You can easily reach cloud base (6,000- the hotel and enjoy the beach, go into town 8,000’ ASL) and fly as far 60 miles. But the for some shopping, or head back up for an conditions are not so strong that you’ll feel uncomfortable in the air. The skill level of the visiting pilots ranged from newly rated pilots to competition pilots, and I can honestly say that everyone got what he/ she came for. Flying Paradise provides a supportive environment where pilots of all skill levels can challenge themselves and improve. Novice pilots can have as many sled rides as they please, with a driver available to drive them back to launch. More experienced pilots can head out on one of the well-established XC routes, with a driver also on-call for retrieves. My favorite flights were from a launch called “Ted’s Café.” Although there’s a bail-out LZ in a clearing among some olive 46

afternoon flight or two. The last flight of the day is typically from Tin Tin, where you can land on the hotel’s beach and have a beer, swim, and shower before dinner. Nightlife in and around Epidavros is relatively quiet. I like to start each evening with “happy hour” at the Apollon’s open-air bar overlooking the beach. My drink of choice is Ouzo, an anise-flavored liqueur that is widely consumed in Greece. You can either dine at the hotel or at one of several very good restaurants in Epidavros, approximately six miles from the hotel. My favorite restaurant, Kalojericho (“Monk’s House”), is just around the corner from the hotel. Like many restaurants in the area, it offers open-air dining in a gardenlike setting. The cuisine goes beyond the typical kabobs and moussaka found on most Greek menus. They offer subtlelyseasoned meats and fish, savory stews, and garden-fresh fruits and vegetables. The Peloponnese has one of the most historic wine-growing regions in Greece, and these wines are an excellent complement to the cuisine. A perfect day in paradise usually ends back at the hotel in the bar with more drinks or coffee. Flying Paradise is an ideal place to bring your non-flying friends and family. Use of the facility’s ten mountain bikes, sea kayaks, snorkel equipment/wet suits (all in good condition), sightseeing trips and tandem flights for non-pilots, as well as transportation to and from the village every evening, and occasional sightseeing

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

trips are all included in the fee. Who needs although May and September are usually country guidance. Your fee is based upon Club Med? My only regret is that I didn’t the best months for flying. As you might your experience level (beginner, intermemake some time to kayak along the coast, expect, it’s cooler in April. In May, the sea diate, advanced or non-pilot). The more do a little snorkeling, or take a bike ride starts warming up, the days are longer and times you visit, the less you pay. Payment along the back roads. Maybe next time… the thermals are stronger. Although the must be made in cash, but there are ATMs What’s missing? There are no worries water stays warm through October, the in nearby Epidavros. about rides to the sites, no worries about days start getting shorter. Flying Paradise lived up to its name—I retrieves, no rainy days, no parawaiting Contact Christophe Dubois had some of the best flights in years on this and no paradriving. The weather was flyfor more information at able every day when I was there and, if you trip; the entire adventure was great fun! I info@flying-paradise.com choose not to fly, there are lots of other fun intend to return to Flying Paradise later things to do and interesting places to visit this year. Feel free to contact me if you’d Kim lives in the San Francisco Bay like more information. within an easy drive of the hotel. Area. She started paragliding in 1995 Flying Paradise charges a daily fee that Flying Paradise is open for business and launched Zephyr Paragliding in is very reasonable for what you get. The when the conditions for paragliding are 2000. at their best in Greece—from March fee includes your hotel room with a full 15 through July 5 and from August 25 breakfast, airport transfers, transportation through November 5th. You really can’t go to and from the flying sites, XC retrievwrong if you plan a trip during this time, als, site intros and thermal, SIV and cross

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

s n o s s e L Y A D R O B LA

r e e l A c M h c t i M , " y u g o d to t o n t a h W " e h t m o r F June May 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

Labor Day weekend 2007, San Bernardino, California.

n the way home from Burning Man 2007, my gaze turned upward to incredible skies filled with high cloud base, and I longed to be there. As I continued on Highway 395 along the eastern Sierra, I saw epic development well north of Bishop; down the grade at Tom’s Place, there were cloud streets the length of the Whites and Inyos. And the Sierras had happy clouds way over the top of the ridge. It looked as if the base was up over 18,000 feet. No party is worth missing days like that, so I made the decision to stay home and fly over Labor Day weekend. Because of prior obligations, flying around home seemed the best option. On Sunday I rode up to Crestline launch around 11 a.m. and immediately hucked off in my Airwave FR2. Since it was already gusting to over 15 mph at launch, I had to push on the bar to get forward from takeoff. As I moved off to the Billboard, the resident thermal boosted me up over nine grand. I was surprised that there were only two other hang gliders on launch during a big holiday weekend. Perhaps it was because on Saturday a 30 mph gust-front rolled through the LZ over Big Bear, 20 miles to the south? No matter. I made a photo pass, by launch, in heavy sink, followed by a turn-out to Marshall’s. It seemed for a while that I might not make it—after a 9000-foot loss in less than one mile. But as soon as I was within 100 yards of being directly over upper-Marshall’s launch, the “rocket-ship-to-the-moon-thermal” appeared, and off to ten grand I went! Tooling around a couple miles north at ten grand over Pine Flats, I noticed a bit of dust kicking up over Norton AFB, about five miles upwind, which

seemed to indicate it might be a good time to get down—before a calamity occurred. However, lift was so strong everywhere, including over the LZ, that there was no getting down. As the wall of dirt approached, it seemed that “bad” things were bound to happen if I stayed. As I fled north, while reciting Homer Simpson’s “DOH” exclamation, lift was everywhere and strong. I had no difficulty keeping the glider open; I was busy, but it sure felt good to be back up two miles high in less

than 20 minutes! As I was soaring, I remembered a cool and unusual flight from the Crestline area across the Cajon Pass that was in this locale. In 20+ years of flying around Southern California, I had never done the crossing in a HG or PG. A big, deep, narrow pass of about 13 miles that always has howling wind caused by a strong venturi effect occurs regularly; only a few hang gliders have done it over the years. I found it was no problem on that day because the gust-front rolling down from Big Bear Mountain almost made the crossing mandatory. Flying up over the 11000 foot Cucamonga Peak was spectacular! However, as I approached the mountain, the happy cloud over the crest of the ridge turned dark in about 30 minutes. I encountered fear and mayhem from all sides as the gust-front followed me ten miles across San Bernardino, almost in line with the base of the mountain. The cloud over Cuc Peak looked as evil as the one over Big Bear. I decided to stay out in front, far away from the cloud and as far west from the rising dust as possible. That strategy seemed to work, and I got to cloudbase at around 13000 feet where I enjoyed a rare view: the San Gabriel Mountains, downtown LA (lost in the haze to the west), my hometown of Elsinore to the

“Lift was so strong everywhere, including over the LZ, that there was no getting down.”

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

southwest, and the San Jacinto Mountains and Palm Springs to the south. The gust-front came as far west as the 15 / 210 Freeway Junction, about ten miles from the LZ and 20 miles from Big Bear Peak. The cloud that produced the dropout started to dissipate after 2:30 p.m. I had been in the air more than three hours—funny how time flies. The dust began to dissipate in the leading edge of the gust-front, so I headed back and found that it wasn’t difficult to get most of the way to Andy Jackson Airpark. Two miles out, I hit some heavy sink and east wind, and landed in 10–15 mph southeast winds short of the LZ by about 1/4 mile. Marcello Barros picked me up; I showed him some of the pictures shot from the flight, had a beer and unwound. In retrospect, I think it was a great weekend. Maybe next year, I’ll fly a hang glider. About a week before, I had read articles in Cross Country about Ewa and the Korean pilot in Australia getting sucked up over 20 grand. Their experiences didn’t come to mind until a few days later while I was looking at my pictures. Another recent article told of an eastern European pilot getting sucked up over 20 grand and surviving, in shorts! What occurred to me was that these pilots who flew into the edge, or under the bottom of clouds that developed into giant cumulonimbus were experienced, so I assume their flights were intentional. Even if I had the fastest paraglider on the market, it never would occur to me to fly toward the edge of clouds that were clearly becoming extremely overdeveloped, not only because of the strong and possibly inescapable lift, but also the gust-fronts that are common with clouds of this size. In 1991, when I was driving back from a 100 mile task, a gustfront blew across the road, the only cloud in sight was over the horizon, and only the top of the anvil was visible far to the east across the flat terrain. I was humbled to think that the gust-front with 20–30 mph winds could have that kind of reach. I hope this story will remind the appropriate pilots that hang gliders and paragliders are still light wind aircraft.

Mitch McAleer launching from Woodrat on his trusty Airwave Magic FR2

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

to soar, but by the time he realized his attempt wasn’t working, he was much further from the LZ than he had planned. The truth was much worse. In those days, the center of the crossbar stayed fixed to the keel; the glider was assembled for flight by inserting a bolt through the side-wire tang at each crossbar and leading-edge junction. Todd unknowingly trapped the right-side deflexor wire inside the crossbar, prior to inserting the bolt, and continued with the assembly, Technique | Safety | Training | Flights significantly over-tightening the sail on that side. Todd didn’t realize his mistake by Mark “Forger” Stucky until he looked at his wireman as he was about to launch. TODD'S SAGA According to my wife, I am a Todd a helmet sticker that allowed for suBut, incredibly to me, Todd decided hang glide-aholic. For many years, I was pervised flight in light winds. to avoid admitting his error in public, also a hang gliding evangelist, spreadWe assembled our respective gliders, opting instead to fly a misassembled ing my love for personal flight to all who and Todd called me over when he was glider! The result was that his Elite had would listen. My college friend Todd was ready to move to the launch ramp. The a wicked left turn in normal flight but one of those people. conditions were absolutely perfect— would drop the right wing at stall. He Todd seemed to have all the attributes smooth winds, blowing straight in at narrowly avoided crashing on launch and required to excel at hang gliding. He was his ten mph limit. This was to be not spent the entire flight fighting to mainsmart, athletic, and had the fire to learn. only his first high flight, but also his He was an expert motocross rider, and first cliff launch. I reviewed the assisted it was perhaps that sense of balance and cliff launch procedures with him and recoordination that made him the quick- emphasized the flight plan. I knew Todd est hang gliding study that I’ve ever seen. would be tempted to try to soar, but for He was one of those rare students who his maiden flight he was to fly straight just seemed to “get it.” He not only out, working only on proper airspeed understood the concepts, his brain also control and proper entry into the landcommanded his muscles appropriately, ing pattern. and his initial flight attempts resulted I escorted Todd to the launch ramp, in smooth launches and landings. His explained his flight plan to the direclearning curve was so steep that he only tor, and hastily returned to my glider to spent a couple of days on his trainer queue up behind him. Todd picked up glider before purchasing an advanced his glider, worked with his wiremen for a Pliable Moose Elite like mine. few moments to balance the glider in the Todd knew I was planning a breeze, yelled “CLEAR” and launched. Thanksgiving trip to Lookout Mountain, To my dismay, he did a snappy left turn Tennessee, and set out to convince me and disappeared from sight. I unhooked that he should be allowed to join the and ran to join the launch director at group. Since we only had a month for the cliff’s edge. Todd was nowhere to him to gain experience, we flew as much be seen. The good news was that he as our college schedules and Mother hadn’t crashed into the trees just south Nature allowed. Within two weeks, of launch, but the bad news was that any Todd was making beautifully linked credibility we had, had just evaporated. figure-eight turns, ridge soaring his Elite I mumbled an apology and returned to over the Kansas Flint Hills. I figured he my glider. As I was preparing to launch, was ready for bigger and better flying. Todd’s Elite reappeared in view, well-out [above] Steve Smith soars his Pliable Moose. The Lookout officials, however, were over the valley floor, making a beeline Assembling a hang glider used to require wary of an unrated Kansas pilot vouching for the LZ. He was much lower than he fastening and attaching multiple bolts, cables, for the experience of another, especially should have been but was able to squeak and deflexors, greatly increasing the chances one with only a few weeks of experience. over the trees and make a safe landing. of an assembly error. But I eventually convinced them to issue I was annoyed. I figured he had tried

HangInTHERE

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

He was suspended in his harness in a with fixed, unseeing pupils. It was just he tain control. He risked his life to avoid head-low position with his neck cocked and I—no cell phones, no radios, no way what only should have been a minor emat an extreme angle. I feared the worst, to summon help and no car nearby. barrassment and delay. I hooked into his glider and flew down having previously witnessed a broken A month later Todd and I decided to as fast as I could. Luckily, I only had to neck. I knew I had to unhook him, spend the week after Christmas campdrive a few miles before I spied a man straighten him up and perform CPR ing at Lake Wilson, intent on forgetting taking photos of the lake. I explained the about our engineering studies by flying situation, gave him exact directions and as much as possible. Todd was complainasked him to call for help. I had to get ing that his glider still had a turn in it back to Todd ASAP in case he stopped and swore at me when I questioned if it breathing again. had been correctly assembled. Being the The flying site had a grass landing nice guy I am, I let him fly my glider strip on the flat plateau behind launch, while I flight-tested his. The glider did so I took that route to save critical time. have a slight turn, so after I landed at the As I was speeding through the tall prairie base of the hill, I spent a few minutes grass past the end of the runway with the adjusting the deflexor wires. The winds were picking up, and as I carried the as- without causing more damage to his glider in my sights, I discovered a hidden sembled glider up the 150-ft hill, I ob- spinal cord. As critical seconds ticked ditch the hard way—my car took a served that Todd was soaring my glider by, I struggled with repeated attempts sudden nosedive into it at sixty mph. The to hoist his adult-sized body and unhook car rebounded out the other side, mortalback and forth in the ridge lift. Eager to join him in the soarable air, him from the glider, hoping that I wasn’t ly wounded. The harsh metallic clanging I hurriedly pushed on to the top. As I causing irreparable harm. With one last I heard—fan blades taking chunks out of the radiator—stopped as the engine crested the hill moments later, I was Herculean effort, I finally succeeded. I only had to straighten out his neck seized. I was able to coast to a stop next shocked to see my glider lying inverted on top of the ridge. Todd was splayed and clear his airway before he began to Todd, hopeful that help was on the out—motionless—atop the sail, his face breathing on his own. His color returned way because now we were stranded. Thankfully, Todd was still breathing. to normal, but he remained unresponsive, a deep shade of blue.

“It was just he and I–no cell phones, no radios, no way to summon help...”

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

Eventually, an ambulance arrived and we were both transported to a hospital thirty minutes away. Todd suffered a severe concussion as well as a couple of cracked cervical vertebrae and remained comatose. Todd’s father and older brother joined me by Todd’s side as we waited for him to recover consciousness. On the third day, Todd magically awoke, and, although he had no recollection of the accident, he appeared relatively normal. As we talked, however, it was apparent that more than his short-term memory had been affected. Todd’s father is a mild-mannered accountant who failed to see the significance of hang gliding in Todd’s life, and, I’m sure, would have rather seen less significance in my role in his son’s life. The following exchange didn’t help matters. Todd: “Dad, who’s your ruler?” Dad (uncomfortably): “Uh, I’m not sure what you mean, Todd.‘Who is your ruler’?” Todd (pointing directly at me): “Mark is!” A very uncomfortable silence ensues…

Thankfully, Todd improved enough to return home for the remainder of the holiday break, but mentally he was not the same person he had been before the accident. For some reason his father thought that my being around might

“There was nothing for us to yell; the gilder stalled and his fate was sealed.” somehow aid with his recovery. A couple of weeks after the accident, we decided it might help jog Todd’s memory if I took him out to a local disco to see some of his old high school friends. Todd was in mid-conversation when he looked at me strangely. It was as if someone had flipped a magic switch and proclaimed him healed. Although he had no recollection of any event from just before his accident until that very moment, his mental state

was back to normal. Regretfully, I simultaneously lost my “ruler” status. Back at college, the weeks clicked by and Todd’s neck healed fully. I was making plans to spend spring break hang gliding at Buffalo Mountain, Oklahoma, and once again, Todd wanted to go. A group of us went out to a local hill and Todd picked up just where he had left off. There was no reason to tell him no. Buffalo Mt. is a 1200-ft tall, shallowsloped ridge. The launch was a narrow slot carved out of the forest at the top of a 30-ft cliff. A short steep ramp only allowed for a few running steps prior to taking flight. I would rather launch from a gradual slope or a thousand-foot cliff because if something goes wrong on a short cliff, you can find yourself with insufficient height to recover but sufficient height for a serious injury. The winds were cross for our first flights. Todd had a nice launch but drifted dangerously close to the trees. After all of us landed, we discussed our flights in the LZ. Someone asked Todd how close he had come to the trees immedi-

PHotos: Till Gottbrath

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Nova team pilot Ingo Kallmayer during test flights in autumn over the achensee (Tyrol).

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June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

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ately after launch. “What trees?” he asked. The next morning the wind was blowing lightly downhill. We hoped for a few rounds of flights that day and were happy to have an early sled run. Todd was ready first. I stressed that the secret to a successful downwind launch was to “start at the top of the ramp, keep the nose low, run like hell, and let the glider dive for flying speed.” Todd charged down the ramp with great speed but to everyone’s dismay, pushed-out hard on the control bar. There was nothing for us to yell; the glider stalled and his fate was sealed. We held our breath as the glider pitched nose down, diving into the rocks below. Once again, Todd lay motionless and I sprang into action, leading the way down the cliff. I lead faster than I intended, slipping about halfway down, then falling the rest of the way, and breaking my ankle. Todd was dazed and in a great deal of pain. His prone harness had a long gash that penetrated all of the layers, but, aside from some minor facial cuts, he appeared relatively unscathed. We both managed to climb back up the cliff with assistance from our friends. We had a full car, so we drove down the dirt road to town with Todd sitting upright and groaning as we went over each of the many bumps. At the hospital, we learned that Todd had a broken back and internal injuries that exceeded the capability of this Native American clinic. The doctor asked that someone to call his home. Todd decided it was time to let me in on a little secret— his father had ordered him to give up the sport and had no idea his son was even on a hang gliding trip! I refused to make that phone call. Todd eventually healed, but he knew that as long as his father was supporting him, he could never hang glide again. However, shortly after the school year ended, Todd decided he just had to have a little taste of flight, so he took his training glider to

Pilot: Paul Farina Photo: Greg Dewenter

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June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

a nearby dike. The winds were calm and Todd sprinted as fast as he could down the short slope. While running at full speed, the control bar touched the ground and dug in. Todd held on too long and his forearm snapped in two. He knew what he had to do. With his one good arm, he gingerly broke down his glider, loaded it on his truck, and returned it to its rightful spot in the garage. He then got on his motorcycle and went for a short ride. When the time was right, he took a deep breath, pulled his front brake-handgrip fully, yanked the handlebar to the side and jumped. It’s been thirty years since this occurred, and Todd’s father still thinks his son, the expert motocross rider, broke his arm that day on his motorcycle. There is more to garner from this story than just the realization that some folks may not have the situational awareness to be a safe pilot. Going flying with only two people can make it impossible to simultaneously conduct essential first-aid and go for help. This is especially critical in locations without a means to communicate with emergency services. If someone is injured and you decide to drive him to a hospital, lay him in a prone position, if possible. We were lucky we didn’t compound Todd’s injuries. Lastly, when I watch a pilot approaching launch, I now do my best to scan his entire glider to check that he has hooked in correctly and has properly assembled his glider. I love hang gliding and paragliding but rarely encourage anyone to take up either sport. I figure if someone wants to fly badly enough, they will figure out how to go about it. And if it doesn’t work out for them, I’ll be spared the pangs of guilt that occasionally surface when I think of Todd and the others that I may have wrongfully influenced over the years. Fly safe.

[above] The author waits with his Elite for the down-slope winds to abate atop Buffalo Mt.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

[left] Over Hallstätter See in Austria. To realize this wingwalk, we needed smooth evening air. I slowed down the speed of my hang glider in order to softly climb up to paraglider pilot Ralf Reiter`s feet. We touched for a couple of seconds before my glider stalled. As I started the dive, I hoped the keel camera would not touch Ralf`s legs. [below] Michael Gebert goes cross-country in northern Brazil. With the sun high above you and big flatlands below, it’s hard to keep a steady course without a GPS. Only the shadows of clouds indicate the wind direction; you feel compelled to go with them to chase your personal records.

GALLERY | FELIX WÖLK

[from top left, clockwise] Michael Gebert on a distance flight in Quixada, Brazil. Bush fires cause dusty air on the way west. Strong tail-winds take you hundreds of kilometers. We made three hundred on this day. Soaring the skyscrapers. This artificial soaring ridge expands itself to five kilometers on the coastline. Sometimes this magic up-draft even lasts until dark when you are able to fly high above a South American city with bright lights and music below. Eventually, you land at the beach, concluding a great day with half-a-liter Caipirinha in your hand. Landscape in northern Brasil on a one-way cross-country flight.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

[opposite] Taking off from the edge in the Dolomites, Italy. The last moment of silence and a moment of pure freedom: when you’re thinking of nothing, just following your instincts to survive. Then the acceleration of gravity takes control of you. While pulling the bar to the knees, heavy wind hits your ears in a big noise. You’re tense, waiting for the glider’s pitch to bite. These seconds seem to expand to hours. Finally you feel the g-forces on your body. The horizon appears before your eyes, and adrenaline pumps through your veins. photo assistance Andy Blöchl [this page] I`ll never forget the moments before I pulled off the first dam dive in the world in my hang glider. On the evening of my 28th birthday, I made the dive as a present to myself. When I climbed up our mobile ramp (two wooden planks on top of a beer crate), and balanced on the railing, I could see the last daylight disappear behind a cloud. As a huge shadow raced across the dam, there was no time to waste. I pushed the shutter release, locked it, and began to shoot 36 Pictures in seven seconds from the pilot’s perspective. Then I let the glider go before the film was through. When I think of that moment, I can still hear the cameras shooting and one of the planks falling down. Waiting for the right light was critical to ensure that we had the most dramatic light situation for this stunt— the dam in two colors with a sharp shadow of the wing upon it.

[above] Canary Islands [right] Itajai is a soaring spot in southern Brazil. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harbor lies close to the flyable coastal ridge site. When a ship comes in or leaves, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible to fly above it in low altitude and come back to get a lift from the ridge. When ferries are leaving, you can wave to the passengers. [opposite] Moments after launch in the Dolomites (see previous page).

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

[opposite] Michael Gebert over the landscape of Northern Brazil. [left] Wingover. Alps, Italy.

elix Wรถlk has been flying hang gliders since 1993, and paragliders since 1992. He was a member of the hang gliding German national team for cross country, speed gliding and aerobatics. Wรถlk also jumps out of airplanes and teaches speed flying in the Alps. He is currently working on a free-flight comedy film with his friend and fellow instructor, Michael Gebert. Felix Wรถlk uses Gradient paragliders and Supair harnesses. When he's not teaching hang gliding or paragliding he can be found playing guitar in a rock band in Munich. Go to www.felixwoelk.com for more information.

CALENDAR Calendar 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, see our Calendar of Events at: www.USHPA.aero Sanctioned competition HG June 1-7  Ridgely, Maryland. 2008 East Coast Hang Gliding Championships. Registration opens March 1, $225 before April 15, $275 after for Class 1 & 5. $175 before April 15, $225 after for Sport Class. More information: aerosports.net. PG June 8-14  Woodrat Mt., Ruch, Oregon. West Coast Paragliding Championships. Registration opens February 15, $325 until April 15, $395 after. More information: mphsports.com. HG PG

June 29-July 4  Chelan, Washington. Chelan XC Classic, cross-country flying for hang gliders and paragliders. Score is best 4 out of 6 days. Registration $80 until April 30, $100 after, or come for part of the week and pay $25/day. Includes T-shirt and barbecue. Best 4 out of 6 days. More information: cloudbase.org. PG

July 6-12  Woodrat Mt., Ruch, Oregon. Paragliding Rat Race. Registration opens February 15, $395 before April 15, $450 after. Introduction to competition with education and training in GPS use and competition strategies, mentoring program, evening classroom discussions, much more. Additional information: mphsports.com. PG July 28-August 2  Chelan, Washington. Chelan Paragliding XC Open. Registration opens March 15, $285 by June 26, $325 after. More information: chelanXCopen.com. HG

August 2-9  Big Spring, Texas. Big Spring International. Registration opens April 15th. Entry fee is $325, late fees TBD. More information: www.flytec.com. HG August 17-23  Lakeview, Oregon. Hang-on Hang Gliding Nationals. Registration opens March 15, $295 postmarked by May 15, $350 postmarked May 16-July 31, $425 after. More information: mphsports.com. PG September 14-20  Bishop, California. Owens Valley US Paragliding Nationals. Registration opens April 1. Contact: Kevin and Kristen Biernaki. More information: www.2008USParaglidingNationals.com.

Competition PG June 21-22, July 19-20, August 9-10, September 6-7, October 4-6  Dunlap, Potato Hill and Owens Valley, California. 2008 Northern California XC League. $10/task for pre-registered pilots. Prizes awarded on Saturday nights. For more information email Jug at scpjka@gmail.com, or go to www.santacruzparagliding.com. PG May 31- June 1  Rifle, Colorado. SOUTH WEST CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE at the Rone cliffs. Adventure Paragliding will once again host the SWXC League meet. This league meet is a low-key fun event for everyone with tasks ranging from 20-40 km. It will be a two-day event this year, entry fees are $30 plus local club fees.Entry fees include transport, camping at LZ, beverages and instructional seminars. The flying at the Rhone Cliffs can be epic and we encourage everyone to come and join us for a fun event. For more info www.adventureparagliding.com.

HG PG

June 5th-8th  Vail, Colorado. Teva Mountain Games Paragliding Competition. Fun Competition, Cross Country Race to Goal. This will be a Showcase event in an effort to make it a regular part of the Teva Mountain Games. Hopefully sanctioned next year. The dates are June 5th-8th. There will be give-aways, drink specials, parties galore, and mingling with other extreme athletic enthusiasts. Prizes will be medals for the two divisions-open and serial class. Sign up will begin on the website March 1st, tevamountaingames.com. More information: call Greg Kelley at 970-3760495, or write to paraglidevail@gmail.com. HG

July 14-19  King Mt., Idaho. 2008 King Mountain Hang Gliding Championships, in Idaho’s Lost River Range, near Arco and Moore. Open, recreation, and team classes, driver awards, raffle, trophies and more! Collectors-edition shirts designed by Dan Gravage! Free camping, BBQ’s, prizes, and tons o’ fun...PLUS some of the best XC flying the sport has to offer! For more information and registration forms, go to www.flykingmountain.com or contact Lisa Tate, (208) 376-7914, lisa@soaringdreamsart.com. HG PG July 27- August 2  Boone, North Carolina. 3rd Annual Tater Hill Open. XC and Race for paragliders and low performance hang gliders w/ concentration on new XC pilots. Registration opens April 1, $175 until August 1. Per day rate for weekend only. More info: www.flytaterhill.com or contact Bubba Goodman at 828-7739433. HG

September 28 - October 4  Dunlap, Tennessee. The 2008 Tennessee Tree Toppers Team Challenge. Pilot check-in and registration starts Saturday September 27. Competition strategies with a focus on mentoring, and fun. More information: treetoppers.net. HG PG

October 31- November 2  Puebla, Mexico. Vuela Puebla 2008, Paragliding and Hang Gliding Open Championship. FAI/CIVL Category 2 Events. Competitions will occur at same time at two different launches. Great flying, and cool colonial city. 75$ entry fee. More information: www.vuelapuebla.com. Fly-Ins PG June 20-29  Girdwood, Alaska. Join the Arctic Air Walkers for the 6th Annual 10 Days of Solstice Fly-In. Open to all P-2 pilots with 75 + flights. The main flying site at Alyeska Resort has Tram access to launch 2,000 feet above a large easy to reach LZ. The 270 degree main launch has spectacular views of Turnagain Arm and Glacier Valley. With 20+ hours of daylight you can soar with the eagles at midnight! Weather permitting there will be a helicopter accessed flight from a glacier in Glacier Valley at 6000 feet. elevation for a scenic 6 mile flight back to Girdwood. Depending on conditions other sites including Eagle River and Hatcher Pass will be flown. Chris Santacroce will hold a 3-day Maneuvers Clinic at Horseshoe Lake after the fly-in. Go to: http://www.peaktopeakparagliding.com/articles/midnight-sun.pdf for an article on a previous fly-in. For Anchorage area flying sites: http://www.midnightsunparagliding.com/sites/index.html For more information about the fly-in e-mail Arctic Air Walkers at: arcticAirWalkers-List-Server@yahoogroups.com PG June 21-22  Jackson, WY. Aerofest 2008. Come and fly from the Bridger Gondola at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, 3,000 ft. agl. Fun events including a hike and fly, balloon drop, spot landing contest, thermal clinic, aerobatic demonstrations and BBQ. Discount on lift tickets and lodging. Presented by Jackson Hole Paragliding and the Jackson Hole Free Flight Club. More information: www.jhparagliding. com. Friends and family welcome as there are many activities in and around Teton Village besides the great flying! PG June 21-29  Girdwood, Alaska. Come fly under the Midnight Sun! Peak to Peak Paragliding Kay Taushcher will lead a trip (experienced P-2s and up) for some amazing flying during the Arctic Airwalkers’ annual fly-in. For details see www.peaktopeakparagliding.com or contact Kay at (303) 817-0803 or info@peaktopeakparagliding.com.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

July 3-6  Lakeview, Oregon. Umpteenth Annual Festival of Free Flight. Hang glider and paraglider pilots will compete for cash prizes and a chance to catch the thermals that rise over the high desert. This year’s festival includes a flour bomb drop, as well as a pig roast for pilots and their families. Cash prizes for the hang glider trophy dash from Sugar Hill to Lakeview, and spot landing for both hang gliders and paragliders. Paraglider pilots compete to accumulate the most air miles during the contest. More information at www.lakecountychamber.org. PG July 25-27  Millerton, New York. Summer Fly-In and Superfly Demo Days at Brace Mountain, New York with Chris Santacroce and Let's Go Paragliding, LLC. Come and enjoy fun competitions, prizes, BBQ and test fly latest harnesses and gliders from Gin, Advance and Nova. Directions to Brace Mountain: www.thebraceclub. com. For more information contact: benoit@letsgoparagliding.com. PG

July 26  Tiger Mtn., Seattle, Washington. Come enjoy flying, competing (spot landing, duration, fastest hike and fly, etc.), BBQ and music at the North West's premiere flying site sponsored by the North West Paraglidng Club. USHPA membership and P2 level required for registration. $50 gets you Fly-In T-Shirt, unlimited shuttle rides all day, BBQ lunch tickets for you and your guest and door prize ticket for a chance to win a bundle of great prizes. More information www.nwparagliding.com/ flyin or contact Amy Leonard Heim (253-350-2284), AmyKLeonard@Hotmail.co. HG September 25-28  Chattanooga, Tennessee. Lookout Mountain. 2008 Women’s Hang Gliding Festival. Join us for a celebration of women in hang gliding. Beautiful mountain and aerotow flying, clinics, discounted training, fun flying tasks, raffle prizes, food, parties and camaraderie. Lots of non-flying activities for family members. Registration is Thursday afternoon. All female and male hang glider pilots welcome. More information: www.hanglide.com. Contact: Jen Richards, 706-3983541 or fly@hanglide.com.

clinics, meetings, tours May 28-June 2  California. Over the water maneuvers clinics in southern California with Eagle Paragliding. Top all around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. More information: www. paragliding.com.

July 18-19  Utah. Central Utah Mountain flying and site pioneering with Stacy Whitmore and Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email twocanfly@ gmail.com. More information: www.twocanfly.com. August 9-21  French and Swiss Alps. Join Rob Sporrer, Jamie Messenger, Bob Drury, Nick Greece, and our local guide and weather guru for amazing flying during what is typically the most consistent part of the Alpine summer. This annual tour to the Haute Alps, will be based in Grand Bornand, at our own flying lodge, we will work on cross-country flying strategies and tactics in the finest terrain imaginable. Every night eat five star meals after our debriefs. Plan on flying at least six different sites ranging from Grand Bornand to Interlaken depending on the weather. More information: http://eagleparagliding.com/?q=node/27#30. August 28-30  Utah. Central Utah Thermal Clinic with Stacy Whitmore, Ken Hudonjorgensen & Bill Belcourt. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email twocanfly@gmail. com. More information: www.twocanfly.com. SeptEMBER 6-8  Utah. Thermal Clinic at Utah flying sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email twocanfly@gmail.com. More information: www.twocanfly.com. September 13-16  Ridge Soaring Clinic, near Grand Junction, Colorado. Otto's Ridge is an undiscovered ridge-soaring paradise. We soar above our tents in the morning, midday we tow up in building thermals, and in the evenings we enjoy glassoff flights. P-2 pilots will learn to ridge soar and tow up into thermals. Details at http:// www.parasoftparagliding.com/lessons/ridge _ soaring _ clinic.php. September 23-28  Santa Barbara, California. Instructor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding. This three day clinic is open to basic and advanced Paragliding instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. More information: www.paragliding.com. SeptEMBER 27-28  Utah. Mountain Flying and learning how to pioneer new sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email twocanfly@gmail. com. More information: www.twocanfly.com.

May 30-June 1  Jackson, Wyoming. Tandem clinic. Presented by Scott Harris at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. (307) 690-8726, www.jhparagliding.com.

October 3-5  Santa Barbara, California. Instructor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding. This three day clinic is open to basic and advanced Paragliding instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. More information: www.paragliding.com.

June 5-8  Utah. Cross-country competition clinic; a friendly introduction to cross-country flying with instruction from US and North American XC record setter, and 2005 US XC Competition Champion Bill Belcourt, and Ken Hudonjorgensen. All aspects of XC & Competitions will be covered. Utah XC sites. Phone (801) 5723414, or email twocanfly@gmail.com. More information: www.twocanfly.com.

November 1-5 and 5-9  Phoenix, Arizona. Come to warm Phoenix for some last flights before winter. Parasoft offers pilots rated P-2 and higher a chance to improve your skills in warm thermals. Fly into Sky Harbor on these dates and we will take you flying nearby. We have hotel, transport and guiding all arranged. Details at http:// www.parasoftparagliding.com/travel/phoenix.php.

June 6-8  Jackson. Wyoming. Instructor clinic. Contact Scott Harris, (307) 6908726, www.jhparagliding.com.

November 5-30  Iquique, Chile. Join Luis Rosenkjer and Todd Weigand to fly the never ending thermals where the Atacama Desert meets the Pacific Ocean! As Co-Chilean Open Distance record holder (193 km) and Iquique Open Competition Champions, Luis and Todd have over 11 years of combined guiding experience in Iquique. Multiple tours for all levels and USHPA certified instructional courses available. Fly every day or get money back! Don’t believe us…. check out our program for more details! www.paraglidechile.blogspot.com www.atlantaparagliding.com.

June 20-22  Salt Lake City, Utah. Hang gliding aerobatics clinic! Mitch McAleer joins Wings Over Wasatch hang gliding to teach the in's and out's of aerobatics in a hang glider!!! More information at www.wingsoverwasatch.com, or call Ryan Voight at (801) 599-2555. June 21-22  Utah. Mountain Flying and learning how to pioneer new sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email twocanfly@gmail.com. More information: www.twocanfly.com. June 27-July2  California. Over the water maneuvers clinics in southern California with Eagle Paragliding. Top all around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. More information: www. paragliding.com.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

Nov 8-15 &/or Nov 15-22  Iquique, Chile. Flying sites w/Ken Hudonjorgensen , Bill Belcourt and local guides. A great trip to what many pilots consider to be the best place to fly in the world. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email twocanfly@gmail. com. More information: www.twocanfly.com.

2008

King Mountain Hang Gliding Championships Moore, Idaho July 14 to July 19

Entry fee $60 More info: Lisa Tate (208) 376-7914 Info and registration forms at

www.flykingmountain.com

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

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club. Where we

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.USHPA .aero

PUBLICATIONS A RISK MGMT MANUAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9.95 AND THE WORLD COULD FLY. . . . . . . . . . . . $32.95 AVIATION WEATHER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.95 BIRDFLIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $19.95 CONDOR TRAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.95 CLOUDSUCK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $17.95 FLY THE WING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12.95 FUNDAMENTALS/INSTRUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . $12.95 HANG GLIDING TRAIN. MANUAL. . . . . . . . . . . $29.95 INSTR. MANUAL (HG or PG). . . . . . . . . . . . . $15.00 THE ART OF PARAGLIDING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $34.95 TOWING ALOFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29.95 PG-PILOTS TRAIN. MANUAL & DVD. . . . . . . . . . $39.95 PERFORMANCE FLYING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29.95 POWERED PARAGLIDING BIBLE. . . . . . . . . . . $39.95 SECRETS OF CHAMPIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29.95 THERMAL FLYING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $52.95 UNDERSTANDING THE SKY. . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.95 FLIGHT LOG BOOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2.95

be sure to ch out our en eck selection tire at online sto the re! BROKEN TOE ACRO DVD | $44.95 Join Enleau O'Connor and friends as they examine the ins and outs of SIV and acro. Get out your airsick bag and call the attendant because you're in for a ride. A full 2 hours and 20 minutes!

HG & PG MAGAZINE ARCHIVES ON DVD | $30.00 33 great years of free flight

DVD'S BORN TO FLY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$34.95 BROKEN TOE ACRO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $44.95 DARE DEVIL FLYERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.95 FLYING WITH EAGLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $45.95 FLYING OVER EVEREST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $41.95 FRESH AIR RIDERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22.95 GROUND HANDLING & THE ART OF KITING. . . . . . $36.95 HANG GLIDING EXTREME. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $34.95 INSTABILITY II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $41.95 LIFTING AIR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $39.95 NEVER ENDING THERMAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $41.95 PARAHAWKING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35.95 PARAGLIDING:LEARN TO FLY. . . . . . . . . . . . $44.95 PARAGLIDING: GROUND HANDLING TECHNIQUES. . . $35.95 PARAGLIDER TOWING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.95 PARTY/CLOUDBASE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.95 PERFORMANCE FLYING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $42.95 PLAY GRAVITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $41.95 RED BULL X-ALPS 2005. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $41.95 RED BULL X-ALPS 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $45.95 PURA VIDA FLYING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.95 RISK & REWARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29.95 THE PERFECT MTN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $36.95 SPEED TO FLY/SECURITY IN FLIGHT. . . . . . . . . . $48.95 SPEED GLIDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.95 STARTING PARAGLIDING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29.95 STARTING HANG GLIDING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29.95 STARTING POWER PARAGLIDING . . . . . . . . . . $36.95 TO FLY: HANG GLIDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.00 TO FLY: PARAGLIDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.00 WEATHER TO FLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $39.95

fun are packed into these digital archives. Watch technique and technology evolve. Learn how sites have opened and closed. Get to know the old school.

RED BULL X-ALPS 2005 DVD | $41.95 The race designed to kick your butt and take no prisoners. The 2007 edition, last year's race, is also available below. Grab a bag of chips and watch people

AEROBATICS POSTER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.00 IPPI CARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00 LICENSE PLATE FRAME. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.50 MUGS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.95 RATING CERTIFICATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00 WINDSOCK.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $42.00 ZING WING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2.50

Airtime of San Francisco Atlanta Paragliding Cloud 9 Soaring Center Critter Mountainwear Cross Country Magazine Flytec USA Foundation for Free Flight Fingerlakes Aerosport Park Gin Gliders USA Hall Wind Meter Northwing Nova O'Connor Flight School Ozone Paragliders Sky Wings Magazine Soaring Society of America Sol Paragliders Sport Aviation Publications Thermal Tracker Paragliding Traverse City HG & PG Torry Pines Gliderport USHPA Bank of America Credit Card Wills Wing United States Parachuting Assoc.

13 17 23 14 33 80 18 14 11 17 19 53 54 2 21 50 6 68 10 54 55 79 5 52

MARKETPLACE Adventure Productions Flytec USA Kitty Hawk Kites Lookout Mountain Moyes MPH Sports Parasupply Raven Hang Gliding LLC

69 69 69 69 69 69 69 69

hurt. It's fun!

RED BULL X-ALPS 2007 DVD | $45.95 Americans Nate Scales and Honza Rejmanek tested themselves at last year's edition of the Alpine torture device known as X-Alps. Epic flights. Monster hikes. Determination. Inspiration.

FLYING WITH EAGLES DVD | $45.95 ACCESSORIES

ADVERTISERS

You've considered taking your pet monkey flying so someone can panhandle while you steer. But monkeys aren't nearly as cool as eagles, so drop the banana and buy this DVD.

0807 Oregon Record | Pre-Worlds | Giving Back | Bhutan

CLASSIFIEDS 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. AD DEADLINES: All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions & cancellations must be received in writing 2 months preceding the cover date, i.e. September 15th is the deadline for the November 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 USHPA, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. If paying with credit card, you may email the previous information and classified to info@ushpa. aero. For security reasons, 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 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. BUY-

ERS SHOULD SELECT EQUIPMENT THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR SKILL LEVEL OR RATING. NEW PILOTS SHOULD SEEK PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION FROM A USHPA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. FLEX WINGS 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 $1,250-$2,500. (262)-473-8800, info@hanggliding.com, www.hanggliding.com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports. PULSE II-11 METER, SP Bar, Pneu. tires, PDA20 chute w/ Paraswivel, Cacoon, V-bridal, 4020 Vario, Helmet w/ radio. All excellent. No BS. $1800/ 321-604-9991. WW SPORT AT 167 nice, Sport Euro 167 bad sail, harness parachute etc…Make offer. Florida. More information: tomprahl@bellsouth.net , (352) 481-3322.

PARACHUTES

INSPECTED RESERVES - For HG or PG $199+up. Used Quantum, all sizes $475+up. Some trades accepted. (262)-473-8800, info@hanggliding.com, www. hanggliding.com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT BRIAN WEBB, experienced Australian tandem paragliding pilot looking for tandem work during August / September 2008. Email brianmwebb@gmail.com. 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 App. 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.

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

ARIZONA FLY HIGH PARAGLIDING.COM - over 10 years of experience, offers P-2 certification, tandem flights, towing, new and used equipment, the best weather to fly in USA. (480)-266-6969.

CALIFORNIA AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING - Year-round excellent instruction, Southern California & Baja. Powered paragliding, clinics, tours, tandem, towing. Ken Baier (760)-753-2664, ` 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. USHPA Advanced Instructor Doug Prather (209)-556-0469, Modesto, California. drmwvrhg@softcom.net. EAGLE PARAGLIDING - SANTA BARBARA offers the best year round flying in the nation. Award-winning instruction, excellent mountain and ridge sites. www.FlySantaBarbara.com, (805)-968-0980 FLY ABOVE ALL - Year-round instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara! USHPA Novice through Advanced certification. Thermaling to competition training. Visit www. flyaboveall.com (805)-965-3733.

MIKE BUTLER HANG GLIDING SCHOOL - Training hill just 30 minutes west of Yosemite National Park.Wills Wing and Flytec dealer. mbutler@sti.net (209)-7428540 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. Pitman 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@hanggliding.com, www.hang-gliding.com, Mission Soaring Center, leading the way since 1973. TORREY PINES GLIDERPORT - Come soar in San Diego! This family-owned and operated flying site offers USHPA 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 Paratech 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 and service Colorado’s most experienced! Offering foot launch, tow and scooter tow instruction. Wills Wing, Moyes, North Wing, AIR, Altair, Aeros, High Energy, Finsterwalder, Flytec, MotoComm, and more sold and serviced. Call for more info (303)-674-2451, Evergreen Colorado, Airtimehg@aol.com 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. PEAK TO PEAK PARAGLIDING LLC - THE Front Range paragliding school, located in Boulder, Colorado. Offering excellent state-of-the-art instruction. Specializing in over the water & safety training. Equipment & tandems. Phone 303.817.0803 Info@peaktopeakparagliding.com www.peaktopeakparagliding.com.

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

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

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 - #1 site for US competition & the biggest flights on the East coast. No-wait, 1-on–1 lessons from first tandem to advanced XC training. Towing 8amsunset everyday. All amenities including on-site accommodations, time-honored clubhouse, pool, hot tub and private lake. Demos, rentals, sales, storage & repairs. Minutes from Orlando in Groveland, FL. Phone (352)-429-0213, fax (352) 429-4846, www.questairforce.com, questair@mpinet.com. 1-877-FLY-QUEST 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 references and video. 1805 Dean Still Road, Disney Area, FL 33837 (863)-424-0070, phone & fax, fly@wallaby.com, 1-(800)-WALLABY. Conservative, reliable, state-of-theart. 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. Enjoy our 110 acre mountain resort. www.hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877)-426-4543.

HAWAII

ALOHA! ISLAND POWERED PARAGLIDERS/THERMALUP PARAGLIDING - The Big Islands only choice for USHPA certified instruction. Both free flight and powered tandems year round. Dvd of your flight included. One on one lessons from our private oceanside launches and training facilities. Contact Yeti, (808)-987-0773, www.ThermalUp.com or www.IslandPPG.com. Aloha 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.

INDIANA CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - See Cloud 9 in Michigan

MAINE

NEW YORK AAA MOUNTAIN WINGS INC. - New location at 77 Hang Glider Road in Ellenville next to the LZ. We service all brands featuring AEROS and North Wing. Contact (845)-647-3377, mtnwings@verizon.net, www.mtnwings.com, 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. LET'S GO PARAGLIDING LLC - Paragliding flight school offering USHPA-certified instruction for all levels, tandem flights, tours, and equipment sales. More information: www.letsgoparagliding.com, (917) 359-6449.

DOWNEAST AIRSPORTS - paragliding & hang gliding instruction using tandems & scooter towing for easy SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK COOPERSTOWN NY safe learning. Quality equipment sales. www.downeas- - 40 acre flight park. 160’ training hill with rides up. 600’ tairsports.com, in _ a _ cloud@hotmail.com, Marc ridge-large LZ. Specializing in first mountain flights. (207)-244-9107. Dan Guido mailing address 293 Shoemaker Rd Mohawk Ny 13407 Home (315)-866-6153 cell (315)-867-8011 MARYLAND dguido@dfamilk.com 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. MARYLAND SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING - Sales, service, instruction since 1976. Specializing in Foot Launch. www.mshg.com (410)-527-0975 Proudly representing Wills Wing & Moyes

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 summer tandem lessons and flying appointments with the DraachenFliegen Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field. (517)-223-8683, DFSCinc@aol. com, http://members.aol.com/dfscinc. TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLIDERS Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450’ sand dunes. Full-time shop. Certified instruction, beginner to advanced. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. Visa/MasterCard. 1509 E 8th, Traverse City MI 49684. Offering powered paragliding. Call Bill at (231)922-2844, tchangglider@chartermi.net. Your USA & Canada Mosquito distributor. www.mosquitoamerica. com.

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

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

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)-471-1488, austinair@aol.com, WWW. AUSTINAIRSPORTS.COM. GO...HANG GLIDING!!! — Jeff Hunt. Austin ph/fax (512)-467-2529, jeff@flytexas.com,www.flytexas.com.

CLASSIFIEDS UTAH

PARTS & ACCESSORIES

AIR REVOLUTION FLIGHT SCHOOL – WITH BILL HEANER AND THE REVOLUTION INSTRUCTOR TEAM Learn true wing mastery from some of the greatest instructors in the world. We offer P1-P4, T1-T3, tandem flights, USHPG Instructor Certification and paramotor training. Camping and hotels within walking distance from our shop. Contact Bill Heaner (801)-541-8341, bill@rpmppg.com, www.rpmppg.com/school/facility/.

ALL HG GLIDERBAGS, harness packs, harness zippers and zipper stocks. Instrument mounts and replacement bands. Mitts, straps, fabric parts, windsocks, radios. Gunnison Gliders. 1-(866)-238-2305

CLOUD 9 PARAGLIDING - Come visit us and check out our huge selection of paragliding gear, traction kites, extreme toys, and any other fun things you can think of. If you aren’t near the Point of the Mountain, then head to http://www.paragliders.com for a full list of products and services. We are Utah’s only full time shop and repair facility, Give us a ring at (801)-576-6460 if you have any questions.

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, (804)-241-4324, www.blueskyhg.com.

WASHINGTON AERIAL PARAGLIDING SCHOOL AND FLIGHT PARK - Award winning instructors at a world class training facility. Contact Doug Stroop at (509)-782-5543 or visit www.paragliding.us

WISCONSIN WHITEWATER HANG GLIDING CLUB-Hang gliding school and club using aerotow and scooter tow training. We are open for the season.Contact Rik 608 206 9939 608 842 0480 Whitewaterhangglidingclub.com

WYOMING JACKSON HOLE PARAGLIDING - Come to Paragliding Paradise and enjoy alpine flying at its absolute best. Ten sites in a ten-mile radius including the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Lessons and Guide Service Daily. Maneuvers Training at the Palisades Reservoir on Tow Tuesdays. More information: www.jhparagliding.com Scott@jhparagliding.com (307)-690-8726 (TRAM).

INTERNATIONAL BAJA MEXICO - La Salina: PG, HG, PPG www.FLYLASALINA.com. by www.BAJABRENT.com, He’ll hook you up! site intros, tours, & rooms bajabrent@bajabrent. com, (760)-203-2658 MEXICO - VALLE DE BRAVO and beyond for hang gliding and paragliding. Year round availability and special tours. Gear, guiding, instruction, transportation, lodging - all varieties for your needs. www.flymexico.com 1-(800)-861-7198 USA

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. CARBON FIBER BASETUBE - For 06 Moyes Lightspeed 5 Zoom frame. Perfect cond. Low hrs. $400. Contact: (406) 253-7078. FLIGHT SUITS, FLIGHT SUITS, FLIGHT SUITS, Warm Flight suits, Efficient Flight suits, Light weight Flight suits, Flight suits in twelve sizes. Stylish Flight suits www.mphsports.com (503)-657-8911 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 $75! Heavy waterproof $125. Accessories, low prices, fast delivery! Gunnison Gliders, 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230. (970) 6419315, 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 ft. and weighs only 4 lbs. Complete kit with cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula, and remote on/off flowmeter, only $450.00. 1-(800)-468-8185 RISING AIR GLIDER REPAIR SERVICES - A full-service shop, specializing in all types of paragliding repairs, annual inspections, reserve repacks, harness repairs. Hang gliding reserve repacks and repair. For information or repair estimate, call (208)-554-2243, pricing and service request form available at www.risingair.biz, billa@atcnet.net. 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. World-famous Windsoks, as seen at the Oshkosh & SunN-Fun EAA Fly-Ins. Hawk@windsok.com, www.windsok.com.

PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS 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.

REAL ESTATE 10 ACRES IN THE BEAUTIFUL LOST RIVER VALLEY, close to King Mt HG/PG site. Super glass-offs! Fenced. Partial payment toward well/septic. Don @ 208-554-2405.

MISCELLANEOUS 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) 858-268-3068. Paraglider pilots and radio hosts David and Gabriel Jebb want to hear about your stories, promotions/events or insight; they also take questions!

STOLEN WINGS AND THINGS STOLEN WINGS are listed as a service to USHPA members. Newest entries are in bold. There is no charge for this service and lost-and-found wings or equipment may be called in to (719)-632-8300, faxed to (719)-632-6417, or emailed to info@ushpa.aero for inclusion in Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. Please call to cancel the listing when gliders are recovered. Periodically, this listing will be purged. GPS GARMIN 76 CSX. The last day of the Rat Race, after the track log information was downloaded, someone picked up my GPS from the table. It had white tape in the upper left corner with my pilot number 326 written on it. If you discover that this GPS in your possession, please contact me at USHPA. Martin 800-616-6888. This GPS was borrowed from a friend, so it would be an enormous relief to have it returned. GRADIENT ASPEN - My paraglider equipment was stolen from my vehicle on November 7th in San Diego, California. The wing was a red, gradient Aspen 26m, SOL Large CX harness, SOL 33 CELL reserve, Ozone red and gray backpack. REWARD no questions asked $250 or please contact me with any information regarding the equipment. David Thulin 307-690-5792 or davidthulin@hotmail.com Thank you. STOLEN FROM THE ANDY JACKSON AIRPARK CALIFORNIA, MAY 14TH 2007. FALCON 195 #25038. Silver leading edge, red bottom surface white trailing edge. If found please contact Rob or Dianne through www.flytandem.com or (909)-883-8488.

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero

Lima, peru | photo by Brad Colter

PARAGLIDING | FEB 08

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H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-4 H-4

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Chad Glissmeyer April Jefferson Bradley Geary Robert Krass Ian Struble Jason Spence Christopher Grotbeck Nicolas Mak Josef Botha Kayla Campasino Charlie Mullins Anthony Lowenstein Aaron Simmons Charles Fiebig Matthew Hendershot Dirk Morris Bradley Geary Benjamin Haug Ian Struble Shane Smith Christopher Grotbeck Nicolas Mak Christopher Bodin Charlie Mullins Antonio Flores John Taylor Brian Spyksma Martin Jaeger Jay Scott Kunio Yoshimura

CITY

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CA CA CA CA CA CA NM CT VA MD TN CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA AZ NM CT VA TN CA CA CA TX CA AZ

John Heiney Michael Jefferson John Heiney Andrew Beem Tammy Burcar Lynden Vazquez Mel Glantz Steven Prepost John Middleton Richard Hays James Tindle Michael Jefferson Patrick Denevan Patrick Denevan Patrick Denevan Michael Jefferson John Heiney Gregory Brown Tammy Burcar Greg Berger Mel Glantz Steven Prepost Andy Torrington James Tindle Patrick Denevan Patrick Denevan Patrick Denevan Jeffrey Hunt Bill Soderquist Greg Berger

CITY

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-5

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Greg Harding William Briskey Richard James Jesse Dominick Ray Volkoff Ii Olena Vasylevska Till Hansen Helek Rutter Bharath Reddy Maria Aguilar Albert Crusco Andrew Rayhill David Dodge Mehmet Unlu Sati Shah Melody Dos Santos Gianluca Barbieri Jesse Dominick Kamyar Haghani Alan Laverne Olena Vasylevska Till Hansen Helek Rutter Bharath Reddy David Dodge Lorenzo Romano Pam Hargett Ole Kanestrom Brent Riemer Mike Strychalski Kevin Wells Greg Clark Steven Snyder Shane Idleman David Grant Craig Hutchinson Ivan Fazio Scott Clark David Dodge David Ledford Richard Eunice Christian Hoelzl C. Robert Boone, Sr. Barbora Rejmanek Robert Cook Claude Phillips Stephen Nowak Ellen Pease William Kearney Othmar Dickbauer Muhammed Shirali Conrad Kreick

David Binder Steve Roti Jeffrey Greenbaum Randy Liggett Kirkeby Deffebach Bruce Kirk David Binder Bruce Kirk William Smith Chandler Papas Gabriel Jebb Chandler Papas John Gallagher Luis Rosenkjer Jeffrey Greenbaum Jeffrey Greenbaum Jeffrey Greenbaum Randy Liggett Bob Hammond Jr David Jebb Bruce Kirk David Binder Bruce Kirk William Smith John Gallagher Jarrett Hobart David Jebb Douglas Stroop Robin Marien Robin Marien Jim Eskildsen William Smith Jim Eskildsen Chris Santacroce Etienne Pienaar Stephen Mayer Charles Smith Irene Revenko John Gallagher David Jebb Luis Rosenkjer Luis Rosenkjer Jeffrey Farrell Honza Rejmanek Juan Laos Pete Michelmore Marcello De Barros Randy Alfano Chris Santacroce Sander Koyfman Rob Sporrer Douglas Stroop

photo by James Dvorak

HANG GLIDING | FEB 08

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Ode to a Chemist by John Heiney We need not be reminded of the well-known experimenters/innovators whom free-flyers respect, honor and celebrate for their contributions to our sport. The names of Lillienthal, Chanute, the Wrights, Rogallo, Dickenson and Jalbert are in our thoughts and holidays annually if not more often.

DON’T MISS OUT. BE SURE TO RENEW.

But there is one name that cries out to be included among the revered forefathers of our beloved sporting activity. It’s the name of a man without whose efforts things might be different today. In the 1930’s a young research chemist named Wallace Hume Carothers (born April 27, 1896) worked his way up to be a Director of Research at Dupont. He is credited with the creation of the fiber we know as nylon. Nylon is the perfect material for supporting the human body because of its strength and elasticity (softening impact loads) not to mention its long life and low cost. I am guessing that every aircraft and space vehicle (not to mention ground vehicle) uses nylon at the interface between human life and cold, hard machine.

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Interested in joining USHPA? Download an application at www.ushpa.aero/forms or call 1-800-616-6888

True, Wallace was not a pilot and probably did not give a damn about flying. He was just trying to invent a material from which to make women’s stockings. The silk worms were having trouble meeting the production demands of a growing human population. I believe that if accessible free-flight had existed in Carothers’ time it might have been his salvation, for Wallace suffered from depression. His depression was so bad that he carried a cyanide capsule in his pocket every day of his adult life just in case the depression became unbearable. He was a true believer in chemistry. Had he been able to discover the spirit-lifting therapy of free-flight, he might have been able to keep that capsule in his pocket. Sadly, on April 29, 1937, he reached into his pocket, looking for the relief that he knew his closest companion for 15 years would bring. He did not live to see the far-reaching ramifications of his humble discovery. So the next time you are manically skying-out, secure in that wonderful harness you trust with your life year after year, give some thought to Wallace, who might have been happy had he known.

Chris Santacroce with canine co-pilot “Snoopy”, soaring the South Side, Point of the Mountain, Utah.

Thoughts | Dreams | Impressions

time to make sure it’s stable, and then go. The LZ is hot this time of day. Hey! Stay By Steve Messman out of that tree! Something about what we do must be good. Our bodies and our in Port Townsend. One lives in Spokane. friendships remain intact. There are two-dozen others that fill the My thoughts returned to the email; the spaces between. And yes, we know each question of the P2 outing. One member other mostly by emails and telephone of our club noticed that we were not calls, but we make a conscious effort to doing what we could to welcome newer get together as frequently as possible. pilots. It was his idea to have a local P2 When we do manage to spend time outing. That would be a special gathertogether, we behave like family. We sit ing designed to bring our new club memon the hillside watching each other bob bers together. We could introduce them on the waves of air. We do wingovers, we to some of the older club members. We could introduce them to a couple of different sites quite suitable for new pilots. We could pass on those nuances that we “elders” have learned over the years of flying these sites. We could offer to fly with them at more difficult sites. We could guide them as best we can, honor their growing need to make their own decisions, and teach as we go along. So again it is that I find myself having thoughts about the purpose of flying clubs. I find myself defining a club as I would a family. We have a tremendous amount of diversity in our individual lives: where we live, what we do, how we play, what we enjoy. But the one thing that brings us together is our desire to fly, our desire to spend time together in the air. The diversity that makes us individuals blends photo by Bo Criss to form the bonds that catch thermals, we circle, we spiral, and tie our group together. We see in each in general, we just have fun. But while we other the individual strengths that make are having fun, we also instruct. None of the family strong. We actively seek each us consider ourselves to be “experts” in other’s company. We take joy in watching the art of flying, but we do try to pass on each other have fun. We teach each other, what nuances we can. If the wing wants pass on our knowledge, and thus, in our to fly to your right, then step to your way, protect our family members. When right. At this site, the best way to launch we do get together, in small groups or as is to bring the wing overhead, take the a whole, it’s pure magic.

FamiliesAndCLUBS

hat a wonderful summer afternoon. Toward its end, I sat with my wife and watched my son, his wife, and two of my grandchildren close the day in the backyard pool. They were doing nothing but playing, splashing, doing belly flops, having a great time. It was tons of healthy, family fun. Earlier in the day my son, my grandson, and I spent an hour or so playing catch. My seven year old grandson learned very quickly. He had two “experts” teaching him all the nuances: stand in front of the ball and keep your eyes on it, if you are going to take a step, then step to the ball instead of away from it. It was an entire day of family fun with my son, his wife, my grandkids. But while we had fun, we also instructed. Step into the ball. Never take your eyes off it. Hey! Don’t hold your little sister’s head under the water! My wife and I live on the west side of Washington. My older son and his family live in Spokane. My younger son and his family live in Vancouver. We spend more time on the phone and on the computer than we spend in person. When we do get together for a weekend, it is pure magic. Suddenly, I was reminded of an earlier email that I had received from one of our newer paragliding club members. “Steve,” she said. “When exactly is that P2 outing we are having?” I returned again, to the thought of “family.” This time, though, the venue changed. My thoughts strayed to past weekends, past events, past gatherings of that paragliding family that I spend frequent time with. We live miles from each other. Some live

June 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA .aero