Hang Gliding & Paragliding Vol38/Iss10 Oct 2008 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

www.USHPA.aero

OCTOBER 2008 Volume 38 Issue 10 $4.95

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: John Heiney, Jeff O'Brien, 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

Photo by Nate Nibs

H A N G

0810

HANG IN THERE | owens valley take 1 Forger's at it again.

EDITOR

PILOT BRIEFINGS

AIRMAIL

USHPA

SAFETY BULLETIN

CENTERFOLD

First time over the flats

DISPATCH

Enjoy the view.

RATINGS

USHPA STORE

by Mark "Forger" Stucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

by Heather St. Claire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

PAGE 78

triple header Tales from the Rat Race.

by Unknown Soldier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

A NEW WORLD RECORD...ALMOST Don't you hate it when they take away your GPS? by Orlando Stephenson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

THE incredible doris pollari Celebrate the social director to beat all social directors!

on th Scott Harris

e Ch

| photo ilean coast

thers by Mike Cro

by Denny Pistoll and Tosh Hopkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

CLOUD CONSCIOUS V : EASY STREETS The series continues with more on the boulevards above. by Dennis Pagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

SCHIZOPHRENIC Listen in on an odyssey of the mind.

by Mike Vorhis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

GALLERY King Mountain

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

ust returned from guiding a crosscountry course in the French Alps. Every visit to the supposed birthplace of free flight reminds me of Europe’s grand standing as one of the world’s greatest air playgrounds. Almost every hill is a launch replete with windsocks and tell-tales. During peak heating hours, the skies are dotted with hang gliders and paragliders emanating from all points of the compass. Another amazing feature of the European mountain range is the variety of folks who are at the hill. The group runs the entire gamut— from geriatric Germans who fly two weeks of the year on their holiday, to young French acro pilots looking to make a name for themselves, to the Annecy transsexual pilots association. ( I’m positive there has been many a “Crying Game” moment in the Doussard landing field when she/he was breaking down a flex-wing.) Each pilot is as fired up as the next as they propel themselves from every hillside imaginable. I was heartened to see all types of pilots thoroughly enjoying themselves and was reminded of the many different reasons we choose to fly. If you love sledders—get Santa’s Sleigh stitched into your harness and rock that for all it’s worth. If you like being inverted—get some. If cross-country is your thing—take the slow ride and milk it until the sun shrinks behind the horizon. In such an individual and risky sport, it is critical for each of us to maximize our pleasure return— whatever that may mean individually. I guess the adage “there’s something for everyone” really applies to our airscape. The zest for flying on both sides of the Atlantic is both energizing and enviable. While it may be a challenge to carve out the time and means to chart a path over there…the European flying experience is certain to pay a high return on investment. And, by the way, it’s sure fun!!

| EDITOR [left] Jamie Messenger and Karen Hulame at Plane-Joux, France

New | Improved | Buzzworthy

PilotBRIEFINGS  

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! ALEX RAUTER TAGS SEVEN SUMMITS Alex Rauter, a 37 year-old Tyrolean, ascended a combined 29,000 feet in 17 hours, flying down from several summits with his special mountaineering paraglider. Alex started his adventure by climbing the 7200 feet to the top of the Kohlbergspitze and flying down to Lähn. There, he went on to the second summit, Daniel (7600 feet ), followed by a flight to Ehrwald. After flying from Germany's highest mountain down to Weidach, Sonnenspitze was his next goal to reach (7929 feet). Landing in Biberwier was followed by the ascent of Grubigstein (7382 feet), the flight down to Leermos and the climb up to 7300 feet – the Bleispitze. Alex landed in Bichlbach to prepare himself for the last summit, getting up to the 5900 foot Almkopf.

 APCO SIDE PROTECTORS For a number of years, our harnesses (Edge and Finesse) were offered with an option of integrated side protectors made from Polystyrene - simple, but effective solution saving many injuries in the hip area. These side protectors proved to be popular and effective, so now we at APCO took the next logical step,

creating EPS side protector covered by an additional composite shell from hand laid fiberglass, so the side protectors offer multi-layer protection working on principles similar to helmets. The multi-layer side protector turned out to be very efficient as it optimally combines impact absorbing qualities of EPS with hard object penetration prevention of composite fiberglass, not only padding your hips, but also providing protective armour. Perhaps it’s only a small step, but it is a logical and effective improvement of pilot’s safety, and that’s why its important. Trials were also made on EPS side protector covered with carbon fiber - despite the excellent results, they will not be offered due to the expensive cost. APCO Multi-layer side protector adds very little to the harness weight and is an excellent trade-off in price and weight for extra lateral protection.

 SUP'AIR SAFETY NOTICE A few harnesses equipped with light quick release buckles have experienced involuntary releases of the locking mechanism in flight and primarily with the front ( red ) Safe-T buckle. The two small protruding release mechanism on the female

side of the buckle, do not come back in place to secure a fully locked position.Here are the harnesses equipped by the factory with these quick release buckles: 2008 models : ALTIX VAMP - HYBRID - ALTIRANDO XP - VAMPAIR - X-ALPS - EVASION - XC - KINDER Airbag 2007 models : ALTIPLUME Airbag - ESCAPE Airbag - X-Ride - X-Ride Airbag. If your harness was upgraded with the light quick release buckles, make certain to verify the stamping on the buckles and find out if they are part of the above potentially problematic series. This problem is not relevant to the harness itself but rather to the quick release light as well as the “ Safe-T “ buckle. The possibly malfunctioning buckles are stamped with the following markings : A08 or B08 which corresponds to their manufacturing date (date also indicated on the harness’s label), valid between January 2008 and July 2008. For more info go to Sup’Air’s website. Please contact your nearest distributor if you have any questions.

 SO CAL XC LEAGUE LAUNCHES The Southern California XC League kicked off this August and has 5 events planned for

2008 and a preliminary schedule of nine events for 2009. The league is open to both Hang Gliders and Paragliders with separate tasks run for each discipline. More information can be found at: http://www.usxcleague.com

USHPA NOTICE TO MEMBERS USHPA occasionally makes important changes to the Association’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) and other documents, especially documents used in the rating system. This column appears in the magazine only to notify the members when important changes are made. Please review the latest documents in the Members Only section of the USHPA web site. If you have any questions about these changes, please contact your Regional Director. To all paragliding pilots: SOP 12-02: PILOT PROFICIENCY SYSTEM The USHPA has changed the paragliding Para-Ski special skill task from Intermediate and above to Novice and above. There have also been minor changes to the requirements for this task. Please review the latest SOP 12-02 on the web.

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

V  B M T  

December –January, 2008 – 2009  

  n North America, the

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This is not just a site guiding trip… We provide comprehensive thermal & XC clinics as well as thorough instruction in active flying & basic maneuvers. Conditions are appropriate for a broad range of experience levels from P1 to P5. The cost is $2,000 for the week excluding airfare. Come for one week or more, but reserve your spot now. Space is limited and filling fast.

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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.

WEATHER WOES  I wish to thank Greg Kelley, and the organizers of the Vail Teva Games, for giving the free flight folks a chance at some big time TV coverage. The weather didn’t work out for that weekend but it was exciting for a P-3 to have the chance to compete close to home. I know a lot of work went into this event for it not to happen but all of us with the Vail Soaring Club appreciate the opportunity even though it didn’t work out like we had hoped. Mr. Kelley did an amazing job making this a possibility, and I thank him for his hard work. I hope the folks with the Teva Games understand the uncertainty of weather conditions and have us back next year. I know I’ll sign on for next year, if they’ll have us. Pretty please! Submitted by Chris Ahrens

GAP SNAP  In the August 2008 issue of the magazine a picture was published of me flying off of the Henson’s radial ramp on

page 38 in the story “Year of 100 Milers” by Pete Lehmann. There are a couple of issues. First and foremost, the photo was taken by Linda Wright, wife of longtime pilot, Larry Wright from the greater Columbus, OH area (email: lwright004@columbus.rr.com). She’s followed Larry around for years and knows the best vantage points of many sites. This remains one of my favorite photos as the composition is perfect and of course that it’s me taking off. This photo represents several “firsts” for me. This was my first launch off of the Henson’s ramp, my longest flight to date, and the day Larry gave me my H3 rating. The other (very minor) issue is that my wing is an Airwave Pulse 10M, not a Falcon. I have since bought a WW Sport 2 and am quite happy with the new wing. When this photo was taken I had only a few short XC flights but since getting the Sport 2 have started to go farther out with the other Ohio Flier pilots, 25 miles in September of 2007 my longest to date. I’m

signed up for this year’s Team Challenge at Henson’s to work on improving my skills for even longer XC’s. I really enjoy the challenges of XC as well as the freedom to go with the wind.

Submitted by Christopher Thale EDITOR’S NOTES : I am very sorry, and thanks for the sending in the correct information. Thanks for all you do Linda!!!

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Mission | Policy | Membership | Involvement

ReachingOUT

USHPA TAPS KOENIGSBERG PUBLIC RELATIONS  The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association has hired veteran public relations specialist Stephen Koenigsberg to handle media and public relations support for the association. Koenigsberg brings more than 25 years of PR and marketing savvy to USHPA, including a strong history of placing positive stories in the national media on behalf of corporations and nonprofits. His appointment is effective July 1, 2008. Since 2004, Koenigsberg has been president of Stephen Koenigsberg Public Relations, a communications agency specializing in helping companies enhance their reputation with key stakeholders, through strategic public relations counsel and successful high-impact media outreach campaigns. He was also Director of Media Relations for Rowan & Blewitt, an issues

and crisis management firm serving multinational organizations, from 1997 to 2004, where he provided clients with high-level strategic counsel on the management of controversial issues, preparation for crisis situations, and effective response to potentially damaging events. “Steve has an impressive track record of working with reporters and getting positive stories in the press,” said USHPA Executive Director Paul Montville. “I am confident that he will be an extraordinary plus in securing targeted, consistent national media exposure for the sports of hang gliding and paragliding, and with his diverse PR background develop a cohesive strategy to support USHPA’s integrated marketing and communications goals. We are fortunate to have him on board.” In previous projects, Steve has worked with several major land conservation groups in Colorado helping to protect high-priority landscapes coveted by outdoor recreation enthusiasts of all kinds. Through his work, Steve has developed close contacts with editors of newspapers and magazines, radio and television news producers and broadcasters, and the spectrum of business, technology, financial, consumer, broadcast and trade press. His regular editor contacts include: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, and a wide variety of outdoor recreation, adventure sports and travel industry publications. A native of New York, Mr. Koenigsberg has lived in Denver since 2006. He currently serves on several committees for the Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and is a performer and writer for the Denver Press Club Gridiron Show. He is active in hiking, skiing, road biking and traveling, and plays guitar and piano.

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

Mission | Policy | Membership | Involvement

ElectionSTATEMENTS The following statements have been provided by candidates for election to the position of regional director for the 2009-2010 term. These statements are unedited and should not be construed as an official position of USHPA. They have not been reviewed for accuracy. Mark G. Forbes, USHPA elections committee chairman

REGION 1 | RICH HASS  Time flies–it seems like yesterday that I was running for one of two Region 1 director positions--the one vacated by our past President, Bill Bolosky. After two years on the board-here’s what I am up to at USHPA: Joining the board with a background in commercial real estate investments, I was asked to serve on the Finance Committee, which I can assure you is one of the plum assignments for new regional directors. Naturally, when asked, I volunteered. By the end of the first meeting, I was elected committee chairperson. Wowza. Things are looking good, I am thinking. Dealing with finance is pretty heady stuff. But my big break came at last Fall’s regional director’s meeting when I was asked to run for Secretary. Liz Sharp, USHPA’s long-standing secretary extraordinaire decided to retire after many, many years of doing an awesome job. Stepping into her shoes would most assuredly be a once-ina-lifetime opportunity. Naturally, when asked, I volunteered... So here I am--after just two years on the board, I’ve managed to find myself up to my ears in all things USHPA. And the ‘bonus nut pack’ for being USHPA Secretary is serving on the Executive Committee. (Who else would talk the minutes???) OK, so what have I done to earn your vote? Here’s how I see it: All of us are in 12

USHPA because we love to fly. In a perfect world, we could fly to our hearts content w/o having to go to meetings and deal with budgets and take notes. But this world is far from perfect and that’s where I come in. You can vote for me, knowing I will do my best to go to all the meetings and work hard to make sure you don’t have to unless you want to. I’m all for pilots who love to fly and don’t mind supporting USHPA as the organization to help make it all possible. I’ve been flying paragliders for about 15 years. I can still walk erect and, on an good day, find myself out on-course with the big guns. I’m not really a comp pilot but I have lots of friends who are. I’m not a hang glider pilot either--I’ve promised to save something special in life for when I’m old. I am a member of Northwest Paragliding Club and Cloudbase Country Club and I attend those meetings on a regular basis. Please vote for me--I need all the votes I can get!

REGION 2 | MICHAEL JEFFERSON  Since I first learned to fly, I’ve wanted to share the sport of hang gliding with not only other pilots, but also those who have never seen nor heard of a hang glider. I feel I bring a passion to the sport and to the role of Region 2 Director more than a specific agenda. I look forward to working with the other Region 2 Directors to help not only grow the sport of hang gliding, but to preserve what we already have. I feel one of the biggest responsibilities of a RegionalDirector is to treat people with fairness and respect. I realize there is a push to market the sport for growth and I feel with time those goals will be obtained by USHPA andour fellow pilots. I was once asked if I had a real job that would qualify me as Regional Director. The answer to that question is no. I live

for hang gliding. I install floors, I weld, and I do construction work to keep a fresh supply of gliders in the garage. As the owner of Bay Area Hang Gliding, I’ve seen the joy that comes to a new pilot’s face after their first flight. I’ve seen the joy that comes to a pilot’s face after their 1000th flight. Many of us have dreamed of flying and hang gliding allows us to live those dreams. It is my goal to help people bring their dreams to life.

REGION 2 | DAVE WILLS  Dear Region 2 Pilots: Two years ago I asked for your support and you responded by electing me as one of your Regional Directors. Prior to being elected I had been active on the Safety and Training Committee and was a member of the Membership and Development and Internal Marketing Committees. I also participated at the previous two Board meetings. At the local level, I have been an active Examiner for many years, supporting the Observer program. Since being elected, I have learned a lot and have actively participated on the Board. One area I have focused on is the Safety and Training program. I continue to work on training material for Examiners and Observers. Another area is internal marketing. Internal marketing encompasses USHPA programs directed towards current members. The largest part of this effort is the Mentor program. I developed the Mentor program and wrote the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that formalize the new program in the organization. Subsequently, the program was turned over to the new Mentor Coordinator, Wayne Michelson and rolled out to the pilot population. Last year, I was asked by Lisa Tate to chair the Organization and Bylaws Committee and I accepted this position.

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

This committee is responsible for maintaining the procedures which define the operations of the USHPA. Though this might seem boring as compared to flyingrelated activities, our organization relies on the SOPs for much of its operation. For example, any time a change is needed to the pilot proficiency program, the change is made in the SOPs. I have been working hard to make sure the Bylaws and the SOPs reflect the way USHPA does busi- REGION 3 | BOB KUCZEWSKI  I can sum up ness. my platform in two sentences: Flying As you can see, I’ve been very busy as should be fun. Flying should be fair. I beyour Director. But there is still much more lieve USHPA should focus on the fair part. I would like to do. I plan on continuing That leaves the fun up to you. to work on Examiner and Observer trainIt’s no secret that my candidacy is ing. I hope to push for more programs founded on restoring fairness at the Torrey such as the Mentor Program that provide Pines Gliderport. We’ve seen too many additional services and benefits to mem- pilots (both hang gliding and paragliding) bers of the USHPA. I plan to continue my be mistreated there in the past 10 years. I efforts on the Organization and Bylaws believe USHPA should take a more active and Safety and Training Committees, role in resolving whatever problems exist as well as my efforts to support the local to ensure that all qualified pilots can have chapters. fair access to that site. I will work toward It has been an honor and a privilege that goal. to represent Region 2 on the Board of Of course a Regional Director must Directors of USHPA. I ask for your sup- serve more than one site. We deserve port to continue this work. a Regional Director who visits Kagel, Crestline, Elsinore, Soboba, Horse, Little Black, and many others. Is that what we have now? I will work to protect all of our fragile sites. But most of all, we need a Regional Director who cares about pilots and pilot issues. We have many Regional Directors who run businesses, and I think running a hang gliding or paragliding business is very good for our sports. But we REGION 3 | DAVID JEBB  Today many of us are an association of pilots not businesses. sense the apprehension and uncertainty of Fortunately, most business operators who the times, but the one thing that remains are also Regional Directors can separate constant is our love of hangliding and the two and do a good job representparagliding. We take refuge and salva- ing pilots while running their business. tion from our passion to live and fly free. Several great examples come to mind, and During the past four years while serving as I applaud them. But I do not believe this your Regional Director we have seen many is true of the incumbent. If I am elected, positive changes within our organization I will be a voice for you. I will work to that will help ensure the future of our represent your views. You can be sure that sport. I have dedicated my life to the sport Mr. Jebb will continue to have influence at of hangliding and paragliding for the past USHPA whether he is Regional Director fifteen years and hope that I can count or not. But who will speak for the pilots on your support in selecting me as your in our region? I will. regional director for one more term. My There’s a lot more to say about many hope is that we can continue to improve topics (site preservation, growth of our the safety and enjoyment of our sport. sports, mediation, HG/PG balance, etc.), October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

and there’s so little space here. So let me offer a few resources. Please read my statements and endorsements at torreyhawks. org/R3. Please write to me at bobk@bluebottle.com. Most importantly, please call me at 858-204-7499 anytime. I want to be YOUR Regional Director, and I will work for YOU. Finally, the obligatory flying resume... I began flying steerable canopies at Fort Benning in 1976 (US Army Jump School). I began flying airplanes in 1978, earned a private pilot’s license in 1979, and a sea plane rating in 1980. I flew my first hang glider flights in 1978, first paraglider flights in 1990, and I currently hold an H4/P4 rating. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering in 1983, and my senior project was a wind tunnel test of a model hang glider. In 2007, I began flying sailplanes and became the first pilot to fly a hang glider, paraglider, sailplane, and RC in one day at the Torrey Pines Gliderport (see “Pilot Profile” in August 2007 magazine). Thanks for reading this, but please take just a few more minutes to make it count. Please mail in your ballot!!

REGION 4 | MARK GASKILL  My first introduction to hang gliding was in the early 80’s. I was in the military and stationed at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. I had always been interested in the sport and signed up for hang gliding lessons at a school just outside DC. The class consisted of a Thursday evening classroom session followed up by numerous Saturday trips to the training hill. Twenty five years later I do not remember the name of the school but I certainly remember the experience of sliding down the hill on my training wheels and through many cow patties. In 1996 I returned to the sport by taking paragliding lessons in North 13

Carolina. After being signed off I was drawn to the mountains of Colorado and eventually Utah where flying was a little more accessible and the community slightly larger. Been flying every since. I am now a fair weather pilot, spoiled perhaps. If it’s L&V I’m there. My interests these days seem to center around introducing the sport to others through tandem instruction and by supporting our local site and national organization. Ihave no aspirations of being a great comp pilot nor doing anything that places me much higher in the air than my wing. I am now working to develop - with the help of many others - a formal disabled flying and instruction program. I think ’08 is the year that will see this project moving forward. Some other achievements have been writing the grant, presented by Ty McCartney, that won the Utah Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association $760,000 to improve the North Side of the Point of the Mountain – check out the construction progress on our local site www.UHGPGA.org. During the last couple of years we have seen a lot of encroachment at the Point of the Mountain. This sometimes leads to conflict among members of the local flying community. Encroachment requires increased organization of the local flying community who inevitably must partner up with entities who have the power to protect the site (usually state or county agencies and representatives). This may lead to better infrastructure but also seems to spawn additional rules and regulations – the scourge to many within the flying community. Supporting smooth transitions is something I’m interested in and will continue to support as RD. I have been the VP of our local club for going on four years now and am surrounded by some remarkably gifted pilots, instructors, and administrators – too many to mention. Seeing these people do their stuff has been a great experience and provided insight that I hope to bring to the Region 4 Director position. Finally, it seems as if I have competition for the RD spot. That’s great! This kind of interest is a good thing – helping to raise the bar a bit. It’s great to see the enthusiasm. 14 14

REGION 4 | MEL GLANTZ  With the ‘80’s coming to past we have witness our biggest change to the sport. Don’t reinvent the glider just improve it the process is seemingly endless. That’s just one aspect of improvement, the people training new pilots, the instructor training(IP’s) and the use of purpose built gliders we use today also have changed the face of the sport. New methods of instruction have given these instructors the flexibility to provide more direct contact with the student making for a safer leaning environment. I consider myself a fortunate person to have taken up the free flight sport when I did, back in the day of the Comet and Raven. Having learned on Standards I do appreciate today’s equipment. As is paragliders are our younger brother, opening freeflight to a larger population of pilots. We are witnessing a boom in light flight. Many forms of power-enhanced gliders are seeing their way to market. As an organization of free flight we should seek a union with power enhanced free flying pilots in order to expand the USHPA’s horizons. As an instructor in the Albuquerque area for some 16 years having been a Hang Glider pilot for 28 years I’m always thrilled by my students passion for learning this sport. Besides flying a trike tug and being a GA pilot my passion for free flying has already wore off on my son, he has become an accomplished hang glider pilot himself. I’m looking forward to representing Region 4 I would appreciate your support in becoming the Region 4 director.

REGION 4 | RYAN VOIGHT  For those that don’t know me, I’m new to region 4 (originally from Ellenville, NY)... But I’m not new to flying. I’ve been flying since I was four (tandem), and flying solo since I was thirteen. I now live at the Point and own/ operate a hang gliding school there. My father has been on the BOD for a while now, and through him I have had the opportunity to attend board meetings and learn quite a bit about how the board functions. I feel that I would do a great job of representing our region, and I honestly feel that I could help the organization do great things for this sport. As a younger-generation pilot, the future of this sport is of great concern to me. It is my goal to ensure a long and thriving future for foot-launched free flight aviation (hang gliding and paragliding).

REGION 7 | TRACY TILLMAN  I have served two terms as Region 7 Director, and would be happy to serve for another term if elected to do so by the USHPA membership in Region 7. Over the last four years, I have participated on and completed projects for the Safety and Training Committee, Tandem Committee, and Towing Committee. Since towing is the predominant method for launching hang gliders and paragliders in our region, I have been primarily involved with towing-related USHPA committee work, including the renewal of our aerotowing and tandem exemptions with the FAA, standardization

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

of towing training curriculum, adoption of the new FAA Sport Pilot regulations for aerotowing and instruction, and revision of several written exams. I started hang gliding in 1976, and started Cloud 9 Sport Aviation in Minnesota in the late ‘70s, teaching flying in an Icarus II, Easy Risers, and other ultralights from that era. I am now a professor of engineering management at Eastern Michigan University, a commercial and multi-engine instrument-rated airplane pilot, a commercial-rated sailplane pilot, a sailplane tug pilot, and a safety counselor for the Detroit FAA FSDO area—and I am a very active advanced/tandem hang gliding instructor and aerotow pilot. For the past 12 years I have operated Cloud 9 Sport Aviation and the Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club (DFSC) with the help of my wife, Lisa Colletti, at Cloud 9 Field in Michigan. We have also just started a new company, North American Soaring, specializing in ultralight sailplanes and motor-gliders. As an active instructor, knowledgeable pilot, and FAA safety counselor, I believe that I can provide good representation for all of the pilots in our region to the USHPA, help our organization deal with many of the challenges that face our sport, and help to provide a good interface for us with the FAA and other aviation organizations.

REGION 9 | L. FELIPE AMUNÁTEGUI  Fellow REGION 12 | PAUL VOIGHT  Hello, Region weight-swingers from region nine, it is 12! Did two years go by already? Cheese time once again for me to ask for your vote and rice! on my behalf for the position of Regional Well … it’s election time again, and I’ll Director. Between L E Herrick and me we give you some broad and vague reasons have you in Region 9 covered. I promise to vote for me (Paul Voight) to continue to continue to attend all meetings as if it on in my capacity as Regional Director of was my religion, and I will continue to Region 12. represent the diverse interest of our region. I enjoy being on the Board, and haven’t Thank you for your support! missed a meeting since spring 1989. I’d probably go to the meetings regardless, as I still hope that I can have some effect in voting against things I don’t want to see adopted. (It doesn’t always go my way, but I try.) Obviously, I vote in favor of things that I feel will improve the sports and the organization. I do get satisfaction in working both at and in between meetings to develop and refine our programs and policies, all in an REGION 10 | STEVE KROOP  I have served attempt to help steer the course of the ship the USHPA in various capacities for more in a good direction. There are some good new members than 12-years years. First as an Honorary who have come on the Board as well, and Director, then as Director-at-Large, and I feel it’s important to have a few of us vetnow as Regional Director. I have chaired erans around to keep a nice balance and the Towing Committee for several years keep some consistency flowing from one and actively participate in the Safety and reign to the next. (and to keep the Wills Training, Tandem and Competition Committees, all of which address issues Wing conspiracy alive!) that are important to Region 10. I am Lastly (but not least), my bi-annual an advanced tandem instructor, tug-pilot, offer always stands! I’ll buy you a beer if instructor administrator and aerotow su- you vote for me! pervisor. Because of my association with Fly high! Flytec USA, I am directly involved with REGION 8 | JEFF NICOLAY As a 30 year + hang gliding and paragliding on a fullmember of the US Assoc. and 34 year time basis. This allows me to talk with pilot in New England, I hope to work with pilots every day and also means that I am clubs in New England to further protect easily accessible by phone and email. I our sites and bring hang gliding and para- have not missed a single BOD meeting in gliding closer together. We have a lot of 12 years, I believe I bring integrity, honyoung pilots who will be our future, and I esty, and good judgement to the BOD (at hope to give them a historical understand- least I think so). I am dedicated to the ing of how we got to the present and what growth, survival and long-term health of it takes to keep our sites open and our hang gliding and paragliding in the U.S. special interest in aviation legal for future and would like to continue to represent generations. More fun and fewer rules! Region 10. October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

15 15

Analysis | Preparedness | Incidents

SafetyBULLETIN PREFLIGHT PARABLES  I offer my sincere thanks to Rob for answering my last-minute plea for instructor input on the events reported in this month’s column. I appreciate the chance to share the benefit of his years of expertise in our discussion of safety. Teaching since 1997, Rob was awarded the 2002 USHPA Instructor of the Year and holds USHPA appointments as both tandem and instructor-administrator. Although not every contributor is named on the byline, each installment of this column is the result of a concerted effort: It is drafted by your humble USHPA accident review subcommittee columnist, augmented when possible by commentary from luminary guest instructors like Rob, reviewed and improved by the other dedicated members of the subcommittee, and submitted to our infinitely patient magazine editor minutes before his publication deadline. This column serves an educational function for our organization, by providing a periodic analysis of selected incidents submitted through our official reporting system.

by Alex Colby, staff writer Guest Commentary by Rob Sporrer

It is primarily intended to help new and intermediate pilots who are on the steeper end of the learning curve (or the riskier side of the risk/reward curve), by analyzing incidents for valuable safety lessons and offering constructive and non-judgmental advice. Of course, new and intermediate pilots aren’t the only ones having accidents, as our annual statistics can substantiate, but their inexperience and ripeness for correction make them our ideal target audience. All pilots are encouraged to confidentially report any accidents or close calls they may have, or that they witness. We try to analyze as many of them as we can in the column, while aggregating the information in each report for our annual statistics, whether or not they are discussed in the column. We also encourage pilots to file a report in anticipation of making a claim under the USHPA insurance policy. In light of many recent submissions by pilots with obvious axes to grind about other pilots at their local sites, I would like to clear up an apparent misconception: The

accident reporting system is not an appropriate or effective venue by which to air grievances or complaints about anyone— the sole purpose of the reporting system is to provide educational advice based upon submissions that must remain anonymous. A better approach to improving safety at our local sites would be to work within our local clubs or to discuss the issue with our regional directors or members of the USHPA safety or instruction committees. By all means, keep those reports coming, but let’s keep them focused on our educational goals. Now, on to this month’s lessons! The most explicitly educational reports were notable for their emphasis on two common preflight safety themes: weather assessment and preflight gear checks. Preflight preparation can go further to protect us than any amount of skilled flying. This is a continually recurring topic in our safety discussions. It covers all the activities leading up to our launch on a given day: checking weather reports, inspecting gear, assessing our mental state. Often the best and most important preflight decision can be simply not to fly, as illustrated in the first report.

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

SUDDEN STORM  An intermediate pilot sub- with lots of power lines or traffic without

mitted a dramatic report early this year, regarding an accident he suffered last fall. In spite of a forecast predicting potentially strong winds and a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms, the pilot headed up to his local central western mountain site to check on conditions at launch. After spending half an hour at launch, conditions appeared favorable for flying, with the nearest clouds 20 miles away. The pilot noted a pronounced haze in the air, which he thought likely to be caused by the smoke of distant wildfires. The pilot launched and flew for half an hour before suddenly noticing bolts of lightning flashing below and to the side of his location. At the same time, he realized that the wind was growing too strong to allow him to reach the designated LZ, and the lift was too strong under the mammatus clouds forming overhead for a B-line stall to have much effect. The pilot decided to flee downwind to clearer skies, and after covering five miles, he was able to descend towards a gravel pit to make his landing approach. The last thing the pilot remembers is descending in strong surface-wind at a steep angle into the pit from about 50 feet. He doesn’t know if the wing collapsed or just hit massive sink in the shadow of the upwind wall of the pit, but he was knocked out by the impact. A passing hiker used the pilot’s cell phone to call 911 and notify the pilot’s wife of the accident. After four days in the hospital, the pilot was released in a back brace with a stable vertebra fracture that had mostly healed by the time he made his report. The pilot offers his own analysis:

“I’m planning to fly again, but with better appreciation for how fast conditions could change. Also learned to appreciate that when the air is unstable, storm clouds don’t need to blow in, they can materialize in clear air. The haze I saw wasn’t the smoke that I rationalized, but was an indicator of high moisture and instability in the air all around me. It was a bad choice to fly, even though conditions seemed stable while I was waiting, and even looked great when I launched. Things went to hell in about 10 minutes, and I was lucky not to get electrocuted by lightning or sucked up into mammatus and class B airspace (or higher). Pulling a reserve was no option, because I was stuck over a heavy residential area and freeway with no major collapses. I didn’t want to risk coming down in an area

in the moment up there. We must land inconveniently to be safe, and if conditions are windy, we must find a spot with no rotor, if possible. Pilots who are forced to land in an area with heavy vegetation often look for a small open space or a field of some sort. But what we really need is an undisturbed We often find ourselves making de- airflow. Avoid landing in a little field if it cisions to fly in spite of an awareness of shows potential for mechanical turbulence. less-than-ideal conditions, and we often We are conditioned to find an open space get away with it. A successful outcome to to land, but sometimes a patch of bushes or a risky decision tends to reinforce our poor trees with clean airflow would be better for a judgment, and we may begin to mistake safe landing. Safe landings are the primary luck for skillful piloting. But few of us have objective and should take precedence over convenience or worries about damaging our equipment.”

directional control. If I hadn’t been in such a hurry to get down, and had calculated the potential for the rotor, I might have landed on the side of the pit or the mountain and have been fine, presuming the south winds weren’t too strong to land in.”

“I'm planning to fly again, but with better appreciation for how fast conditions could change.”

enough of that kind of luck. Instead, let’s try to build up a reserve of good judgment and genuine skill that we can rely on to keep us safe for the duration of our flying careers. The report doesn’t explicitly state this, but it appears that the pilot was flying alone. Some of us appreciate the occasional sweet indulgence of flying alone, but we need to remember that solo flying deprives us of the usual network of human sensors many of us take for granted to help us monitor the air and the weather conditions. Flying with others can also dramatically improve our chances of rescue when things go wrong. In this case, the pilot was fortunate that a passing hiker found him and was able to help out. While it’s not always possible to round up flying buddies for every adventure, it behooves us to exercise increased caution and awareness when we don’t have others around to help. Rob offers his advice:

“We need to realize that choosing to fly on a day where there is even the slightest chance of thundershowers is a risk. We need to constantly be scanning the sky in all directions on these days. As pilots, our first clue shouldn’t be lightning: we need to be on the lookout for over- development, especially darker clouds. We need to give the forecasts more respect, and we can’t afford to get lost

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

COMPRESSION KNOT  The next report was submitted by an experienced tandem pilot flying an inland west coast mountain site. The pilot launched without realizing there was a tangle in the C lines on one side, and though he attempted to clear the knot, the effort only made the wing deformation worse as some of the tangled lines were pulled more taut. After the pilot applied opposite brake and weight shift to counter the deformed side, slowing the glider down quite a bit, he decided to aim for a closer alternate LZ. As he continued to work on clearing the knot, without success, at about 700-feet above the ground, the deformed side of the glider stalled. The pilot threw his reserve, but the deployment bag went four feet and stopped. He grabbed the bridle and yanked, but instead of deploying its contents, the bag was returned to the pilot. He found the handle again, shook the bag until the contents started coming out, and then threw it again, after which the reserve finally inflated and brought the pair down for a landing. There were no injuries aside from a sore back sustained by the passenger, confirmed during a subsequent visit to the doctor. This incident illustrates the importance of the final portion of the preflight process: inflating the wing and checking for clean inflation and clear lines as it comes overhead. This is tougher when forward launching, or when launching in strong winds that tug you off the ground before you have time to assess the inflation, but it’s important to make the effort nonetheless. Most pilots have experienced the disconcerting or dangerous results of inattention at this critical stage, and we could all afford to improve 17 17

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know we have all found stones of â&#x20AC;&#x153;I often see pilots trying to sort out a line snag or folded tip just after taking off. Sometimes pilots launch even when they various sizes floating realize they have an issue, assuming they will sort it out once airborne. Both of these in our wings from options are bad ideas. Anytime we have an issue with our wing, we need to get on a heading using weight shift and brake time to time, but input. Pilots who begin attempting to sort things out immediately after launch are hopefully we will asking for trouble. This is usually the way pilots let situations get away from them, by trying to fix the problem before getting notice any that are the wing to fly straight on a good heading. One of the big reasons we do SIV clinics is the size of bricks...â&#x20AC;? to show that your glider can fly straight in the techniques we use to abort our launches at the last minute when necessary. Rob makes some great points:

most asymmetric configurations as long as you make heading your primary objective. It is natural for pilots to want to sort out the problem once they have established a heading and have enough ground clearance for a reserve deployment, should it become necessary. But we need to remember that if we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sort out the problem, we can most likely land the glider even with the presence

of line tangles and/or knots. We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sacrifice our altitude and come up short of an LZ because we were so focused on fixing the deformity in the wing.â&#x20AC;?

This incident highlights another critical preflight issue: repacking and checking our reserves. This is especially important for tandem pilots who are taking responsibility for the safety of their passengers. As Rob

notes:

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tandem repacks happen far less frequently than solo reserve repacks. I guess it could be that tandem pilots think the possibility of throwing their tandem reserve is very unlikely. We need to get our tandem reserves repacked just as often as we do our solo gear.â&#x20AC;?

STOWAWAY ď ľ Another close call was reported by a very experienced pilot flying at an east coast inland mountain site after driving all day on a road trip up the coast. The pilot stopped at the end of the day at a familiar site to sneak in a late flight from a high mountain launch. The pilot headed up to launch, despite feelings of rustiness and fatigue, and after getting some help laying out the wing, executed a successful reverse launch. The pilot reports that the glider began to sink right away, and the wing resisted turns into the strong lift encountered in front of launch. As the pilot continued to try to get into the lift, the glider continued to sink inordinately fast. After an inspection of the lines for any kind of tangle, the pilot finally noticed the silhouette of a brick-sized rock lodged in the center of the trailing edge

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October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

of the canopy. Just as the pilot realized that the landing zone would be out of reach at this sink rate, the wing encountered sudden turbulence, possibly from a thermal, and pitched up and back. The pilot responded with raised hands, but the glider came back overhead in an unexpected horseshoe configuration. Shortly thereafter, the glider reinflated and surged forward, expelling the stone in the process, just in time for the pilot to clear the trees and drop safely into a back yard at the nearest edge of the woods. The pilot describes some likely factors contributing to the incident:

“Probably a series of bad decisions involving being tired after a long drive. I also did not lay out and preflight the entire glider by myself as I normally do and missed the offending rock. I should have at least chosen a better area without so many loose stones to lay out the glider. I was very lucky—and I hate counting on luck for a flight’s outcome (except finding thermals).”

have used a strong and confident reverselaunch technique, thereby pulling the brickladen wing cleanly overhead and into the air. Thankfully the pilot was unhurt, after pulling off the heroic last ditch spot-landing in the yard. Rob reminds us that:

“I was very lucky– I hate counting on luck for a flight's outcome (except finding thermals).”

flying at a southeast central mountain site reports a late afternoon launch in conditions that were clearly too windy. The pilot observed that other pilots who were already in the air were using speed bar to penetrate the strong wind. After launching, the pilot realized that the line to the speed bar on one side was wrapped around the leg strap of the harness. The pilot was being blown back and was sinking, and the LZ would be unreachable without additional speed. The pilot engaged the speed system, but the wing instantly collapsed on the side with the wrapped speed line, and the glider spiraled back towards the hill, impacting the crown of a tree and dropping the pilot to the ground. The pilot landed feet first, but sustained a minor back injury. The pilot notes a combination of factors that contributed to the incident:

“It’s obviously a better idea to spend a “I made several mistakes that day. First day at your local training hill knocking the of all, I should not have launched. Second, rust off instead of heading for a high flight. I did not check the glider properly. Third, I I know we have all found stones of vari- Sometimes the excitement of flying clouds should not have used the speedbar. I could have used the trimmer system, or I could ous sizes floating in our wings from time to our judgment, and we need to check in with have simply unbuckled the leg strap and time, but hopefully we will notice any that ourselves before flying.” untwisted the line. And finally, I did not are the size of bricks before we become airborne. I think the pilot in this case must TANGLED SPEED LINE  An intermediate pilot react properly when the canopy collapsed

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

and I let the glider spiral.”

These are all insightful points. It can be hard to make the decision not to launch when others are airborne and apparently having nice flights. We could all afford to improve our decision-making in this area. We also need to develop and exercise a habitual and thorough preflight check of our gear. Come up with a system that works for you and stick with it. And sometimes the most obvious solution to a problem evades us in moments of stress: I’m not sure I would have thought of unbuckling the leg strap, but assuming no further complications, that approach could well have spared the pilot a sore back. Rob adds:

“Launching when other pilots need to use speed bar to penetrate is a mistake. What will you do if you break your speed stirrup in flight? All of these accidents point to a lack of a thorough preflight routine. Everybody seems to get lazy about doing their preflight as time goes by. We have to get centered and take a deep breath before we fly, and focusing on checking all our gear every time we fly is huge.”

BACKSIDE LAUNCH  A novice pilot executed a forward launch into light upslope airflow near the summit of a central western mountain site. After encountering some minor initial turbulence near the hill which caused the wing to surge forward and suffer tip collapses, the pilot proceeded to track away from the terrain. Within 30 seconds to a minute of total airtime and at around 750 feet above the ground, the pilot’s wing surged violently forward into a horizontal position facing the ground, then collapsed and remained folded as a spiral dive quickly developed. Unable to slow the spiral, the pilot decided to throw his reserve, which deployed only 2 seconds before the pilot fell through a dead tree and impacted the ground. The pilot landed on his back, with the harness and helmet taking the main force of the impact, and the pilot was fortunate to sustain only cuts, scrapes and bruises. The pilot describes a situation that very likely resulted from launching into the leeside of the prevailing wind, where mechanical rotor turbulence can commonly

masquerade as light upslope winds behind the top of a hill. This is another case where better preflight weather assessment would have spared the pilot a very unpleasant outcome. Even at our familiar local sites, we can be fooled by unusual or unexpected variations in the conditions. It is rare that we don’t have a surfeit of real-time weather information at our fingertips these days. We need to make ourselves very familiar with these sources of information from the earliest stages of our flying careers. Also, in this case the pilot doesn’t explicitly state that he was flying alone, but again, having a flying buddy along in this case may have made the difference. Another pilot may have checked recent wind readings or insisted on hiking to the top to check the airflow at the summit.Rob highlights the textbook nature of this incident:

“There are two questions on this exact topic on the P2 test. Doing a basic winds aloft forecast and hiking to the top of the ridge to check the wind if you can’t get a wind talker report from the peak is absolutely necessary on every flying day.”

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Although the pilot in this incident was flying his local site, Rob also points out the greater likelihood of misreading launch conditions for pilots who are visiting unfamiliar sites:

“It’s always a good idea to check in with local pilots anywhere you go. This is why I’m not a big fan of all the websites which describe where launches are located. We need to be sure to check in with locals and find out the site specific rules so the site is not jeopardized by our lack of knowledge of the local rules. The other benefit is you get local pilots to tell you if the conditions look good for any given day.”

BACKWARDS LAUNCH  Our final report comes from a very experienced tandem pilot who was flying the first of two scheduled passengers at a northwestern site. Feeling rushed for time, the pilot deviated from his usual preflight routine of connecting the wing to the spreader-bars on the pilot harness first. In this case the pilot connected the two harnesses together with the spreader-bars first and then connected the spreader bars to the wing. After executing

2009

an assisted reverse launch, the pilot was surprised to find that both pilot and passenger had become airborne in a reversed configuration, facing backwards. Taking quick stock of the situation, the pilot calmly steered the glider out of air traffic, using D risers and weight shift, and then pulled bigears to descend quickly to the LZ, where he executed a soft one-step backwards landing, with the passenger gently landing on the pilot’s lap. The passenger was unaware that the flight had featured an unusual orientation and was pleased with the experience, but the pilot felt obligated to explain that flights are normally conducted in a forward facing direction. The pilot shares some lessons:

“I learned the importance of following a standard preflight procedure without ANY deviation, and have reorganized my tandem schedule to avoid time pressures and feeling rushed on launch. I have seen the effects of failing to preflight tandem paraglider hook-ins, and I resolve to be extra vigilant in always following my standard preflight checklist, and never detaching or reattaching the tandem glider while on launch. I will

This incident is similar to many we see that involve insufficient preflight gear checks, but tandem flying obviously requires a greater attention to these details. Of course, we shouldn’t be willing to risk a sloppy preflight procedure when flying solo, but surely when flying tandem, we owe it to our civilian fans to give them nothing less than a calm and thorough preflight procedure in every instance. As Rob notes:

“Being a tandem pilot is a huge responsibility. There are quite a few days during the busy season when commercial tandem operators are hustling to make a buck. We can get caught up in the moment of rushing these flights. The tandem exemption is the Achilles heel of our organization. This is not the first time this has happened, and these flights can be landed safely. Pilots need to remain calm and focus on getting to the LZ.”

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[opposite] Forger Comet climbs out in his UP Comet over Owens Valley.

Technique | Safety | Training | Flights

HangInTHERE OWENS VALLEY TAKE 1  Owens Valley is approximately 100 miles long and bounded on the south by Owens Lake, on the west by the Sierras and on the east by the Inyo and White Mountain ranges. In the early 1900’s the valley was lush with vegetation and bustling with activity. Silver was being mined from the slopes of Cerro Gordo and the ore along with salt from the neighboring Saline Valley were carried by tram down to the nearby town of Keeler. There the ore and mineral were loaded onto ferries for transport across the deep blue waters of Owens Lake and then transferred to mule teams for the long trek to the southern California coast. The Los Angeles metropolis was thriving but the naturally dry LA basin couldn’t sustain the city’s water needs and through a series of contentious and often unscrupulous land grabs, the LA Department of Water and Power was able to construct a 233-mile-long aqueduct to divert the Owens River to the coast. In a few short years Owens Lake was dry. In the years hence, Keeler’s population has dwindled from over 5,000 to around 50. Many of those that haven’t relocated suffer from lung cancer, which most attribute to the abnormally high concentration of airborne particulates carried aloft from the now-dry lakebed by the strong mountain wave conditions that prevail in the winter and the abundant thermals in the summer. Ringed by 14,000 ft mountains on both flanks and with a valley floor that dips below 4,000 ft, Owens is America’s deepest valley. The long slopes and strong solar heating generate tremendous thermals that rip loose from the valley floor 22

by Mark “Forger” Stucky and scream upward to heights that can exceed the legal limits for ultralight aircraft. Any novice hang or para pilot knows the valley is a Mecca for long distance XC flying for it was there that the 100 and 200-mile barriers were first broken. The valley’s potential was publicized in the latter ‘70s and I remember my astonishment when Chris Price wrote that on an average summer day an average pilot could fly an unheard of 25 miles! XC flying really took off in 1980 when the Roy Haggard-designed UP Comet set a new performance standard, putting flexwings on par with the popular rigid wings of the time. The Owens Valley meets were the premier world XC meets and were held at the 8,200-ft MSL Gunther Launch – nothing more than a series of switchbacks in a 4-WD dirt road overlooking the town of Bishop. Competition tasks often exceeded world records set just a few years prior and pilots flocked to the valley eager to prove their mettle in the strong conditions. In June of 1981 I was ready to experience real thermalling flight. Up until this time I could count my thermalling experience on one finger. And I don’t mean that I had had one thermalling flight, I mean I had successfully climbed in one thermal – and that was under full Soarmaster power. So how does an unknown hang glider pilot with one thermal to his credit get to fly with his idols in the Owens XC Classic? The answer is simple – volunteer to be a wind dummy and hope you’re not carded. My marching orders were to launch

early and hang out around the launch window marking thermals and characterizing the conditions until enough competitors had launched and headed downrange. All of the competitors had CB radios for communication, some had sailplane oxygen systems, and all carried copious amounts of water. I had none of these things and was surprised to see how much water everyone was carrying. I figured the flights would be several hours long at best and everyone would go as far as they could before they had to leave the range to make the retrieval highway that ran along the foot of the White Mountain range. I had never had to take a drink in flight and I had once climbed Pike’s Peak with a single can of soda that I held in reserve to savor on the summit. My Navy ejection seat harness contained an 8-oz flask of water to hold a downed pilot for a few hours until a rescue helo arrived so I figured that flask would last me until the retrieval truck arrived. Larry Tudor was one of the first to get ready to launch. I noted that Larry had a 2-liter plastic bottle taped to his crossbar with a drinking tube running down a downtube. “Now that’s a lot of unnecessary weight to carry around,” I thought. Tudor was a top-rated competition pilot and flexwing distance record holder but he still surprised everyone by suddenly charging off the mountain. Apparently he was so skilled that he didn’t need to wait around for no stinking wind dummy. The other pilots watched as he searched for lift but slowly sank out. Soon Larry was busily working bug farts in a valiant effort to escape the invisible tractor beam that seemed to emanate from the bailout LZ, a couple of small salt flats appropriately referred to as “the pits.” I learned the true nature of competition when many of the competitors began cheering as the shadow of Larry’s glider rose closer and closer toward his all-white mylar-coated sail. But Larry’s skill and determination eventually paid off and his circles started slowly ascending and drifting downrange. The other competitors were panicking, they didn’t want to give him a head start but they were unsure if they’d enjoy his success. I noticed more and more silent glances in my direction and knew it was time to test my mettle.

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The dichotomy of flying in the Owens ft before racing across each one. Since the is that although the temperature on the lift was abundant halfway up the slopes I valley floor is in the triple digits, the never worked my way back over the main thermals can carry you well above the spine. Rarely getting below 11,000 ft, the freezing level. So everyone sat around in turbulence – although not severe – meant running shorts and t-shirts until just prior the flying was quite physical. The exertion, to launching when they would layer up as coupled with the lack of oxygen, had me if they were embarking on the Iditarod. I flying with my mouth wide open gasping bundled up in multiple layers of ski cloth- for air. I had not anticipated just how deing and was sweating profusely by the hydrating the prelaunch and flying conditime I launched. tions would be and drank my entire flask Conditions had obviously improved of water as soon as I topped out in the first dramatically during Tudor’s extended thermal. With my mouth open as wide as scratchfest because I blundered into a a windsock I quickly experienced thirst thermal within a minute of launching. beyond belief, my throat feeling like it For the better part of an hour I soared was stuffed with fiberglass insulation, my thousands of feet above launch enjoying lips dry and cracked like never before. the cool air and abundant thermals. I was By the time I passed the White also pleasantly surprised that the legend- Mountain summit I was happy that I was ary Owens Valley turbulence wasn’t that having trouble finding another thermal and pointed the glider towards a large bad. crop field next to the highway that was By now the rest of the field was runbeing drenched with agricultural sprinning off the mountain like lemmings klers. I had no idea if the water was poso I decided my official duties were over table but at that point my thirst was so and it was time to go for distance. The severe that quenching it would be worth a canyons that ran from the valley floor to case of dysentery. the top of the range were renowned for That night I proudly entered into my strong sink so I topped out above 14,000 October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

logbook a single flight entry containing my longest duration (2:02), farthest distance (19 miles), highest altitude (15,300 ft), and greatest gain (7,100 ft). I also purchased a 16-oz bottle of water, somehow thinking that doubling my water would be sufficient. The next morning Tudor, who had placed 2nd for the day, mentioned that although he wasted a lot of time getting to altitude, once he topped out he headed for the spine and basically ran the range at will. The seed was planted; this time I would fly to the top of the range a few miles behind launch before heading downrange. My schedule (or wife, I can’t remember which) only allowed for two days in the Owens so I wanted to make the most of this next flight and not waste time hanging out over launch. Unlike the previous blue day, a beautiful cloud street sat directly over the spine and ran the length of the ridge, serving to cement my flight plan of immediately heading towards the high country. I decided that I wouldn’t be too derelict in my wind dummy duties if I was the first to launch. The conditions were stronger, 23 23

my logbook indicating continuous mod- into it at 400 ft., ready to reach for my my stomach with fresh trout and corn-onerate to occasionally strong turbulence reserve if the glider tucked. Surprisingly, the-cob roasted over their campfire! And so ended my first trip to Owens and gusts above 20 mph. I wired off suc- the lift was smooth and this time I gained 2,000 ft. but drifted a corresponding disValley and my first XC attempts. I cercessfully and immediately snagged a riptance downwind and still couldn’t pentainly learned some valuable lessons ping thermal, happy to be drifting back etrate out in front. The cloud street that about preparation for flight, being knowltowards the spine. I topped out at only had looked so promising prior to launch edgeable of current and forecast condi12,000 feet but stuck with my plan and had overdeveloped and blanketed the tions, reading the weather while flying, turned directly towards the high ground. ridge in shade. After 30 minutes of fightand striking out alone. I also eventually Ignoring the wail of my sink alarm, I dove ing the headwinds and chopped up bublearned that my encounter with the dust through the sink towards the lift that I bles of lift I decided it was time to face my devil was luckier than I initially realized, knew awaited me. My vario was soon for the previous year another pilot had fate while I still had plenty of daylight left. pegged at 1200 fpm down but I doggedly died on the spine under near-identical cirI touched down smoothly on top in 30 continued downwind, arriving under the cumstances. The day I left, Dick Cassetta mph winds next to the dirt road leading cloud street at 10,800 ft (~800 ft AGL). flew into a dust devil immediately after There was a 500’ bump of a hill atop the to the White Mt. research station. launch and was tossed over backwards I had just completed bagging up my plateau and I was a couple of hundred feet into an inadvertent loop. (Dick pulled glider when low and behold a Forest below its summit when I finally found a thermal. I only gained 1000 ft in it and Service truck appeared, driving down the out just prior to impact and went on to drifted further back in the process. It was mountain. I was amazed at my good for- complete the task. His luck eventually ran then that I noticed the stiff winds at the tune and when the ranger asked if I was out in another competition when he was top were being compounded by the ven- OK, I happily replied, “Yes, I’m fine!” He killed while trying to navigate through a turi effect of the canyons that funneled then told me that he could only give me mountain pass in strong winds.) I was anxious to return to the Owens into it. I stuffed the bar to penetrate out a ride if I was injured and drove away, but was using up all my altitude trying to leaving me dumbstruck. Luck really was Valley but my military duties took me far make forward progress. I scanned around with me, however, because less than half away and it would be six years before I me and noted a small dust devil just to an hour later two campers drove by and was able to fly there again. In the meanthe south. Desperate, I projected where I not only offered me a lift to Bishop, they time there were still plenty more lessons thought the thermal would be and flew first took me to their camp site and filled to be learned.

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

Tyler Horne | Photo by Jeff Annetts.

First Time

Over The Flats

by HEATHERST.CLAIRE

his was THE day—Sunday, the 15th of June, 2008—the day of my best flight ever. While driving to launch, I decided I was going to fly from Chelan, Washington, cross-country over the flats. I’d flown Chelan a few times before and, all but once, had landed at the soccer fields. To me, it was a scary place. I’d heard the stories of reservethrows and worse, but I erased those thoughts from mind since they are not part of my preflight routine. Instead, I thought of all the awesome flights friends had successfully taken from there—to Wilbur, Hartline, Coulee City, Mansfield, Brewster and back. I became interested in flying Chelan while I was talking on the phone with my friend, Meredith Malacosay. She and Joe Sullivan had just finished competing in the West Coast Paragliding Championships at Woodrat, Oregon, and they wanted to fly Chelan the next day. Did I want to come? Yes, of course. (The forecast at Chelan apparently looked so good it was worth the all night

drive.) I was delighted with the invitation. I’d spent the week at work distracted, hearing of their great flights at WCPC, and was eager to get in the air with them. Six-out-of-seven days-flyable at Woodrat and they still needed more. I love my obsessed friends. When early morning came, we were all wired up. We get to fly! As I looked at the sky, I could see cummies forming, but not much wind was showing on the trees or flags on our drive toward the Butte. We discussed the weather, looked at the map, and made a simple plan: get high, at least 8,000 feet, cross the Columbia River, get another climb at the canyon and fly over the flats as far as possible. My goal for the day was Mansfield, about 30 km east of Chelan Butte, a seemingly realistic goal once I succeeded in crossing to the flats. On launch we watched the streamers show thermals coming up in every direction. We couldn’t decide where to launch—the Rocks or Ants? A few dusties came up on the flats in the distance, which made me think I should already be in the air. A couple of hang gliders launched between the Rocks and got up. Then, we realized it was coming up better at Ants. It wasn’t far to the other launch, but it was hot walking around all suited up! We finally launched from Chelan Butte, the first of a group, at about 12:50 pm. Joe got to 10,000 feet, called it on the radio and headed to Farnham Canyon. I worked to get high around launch and reached 9,500 feet. When I attempted the crossing, I initially hit some heavy sink but then found another climb just north of the soccer fields. Holding on and drifting north with this climb, I crossed at McNeil Canyon. The road was closed and I knew that sinking out could result in a long walk but that’s always a chance you take flying XC. Maybe, if you’re unlucky, you have to walk a distance. I decided I was willing to take that chance.

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During this crossing, my GPS flashed a message to me: low battery. Whoops. (That morning fresh batteries were offered up more than once, but I didn’t think I needed them.) I scratched over McNeil Canyon at around 4,000 ft. I knew I’d find something on the sunny south-facing part of the canyon and did find bubbles of lift off the sunny, rocky spots. Eventually, I climbed out of McNeil Canyon at about 6,000 feet. I began my journey over the flats. Clouds formed over my head and dusties whirled in the brown fields below. Cool! This is what I’d heard about, read about, dreamed about. This was it. There were signs of lift everywhere and wide open spaces that went on forever. Wow! I knew I’d find ripping thermals over the flats, so I was ready for them. And there

they were. I decided I preferred to look up at the clouds rather than down at the dusties. What lovely clouds I was approaching at 7,000 then 8,000 then 9,000 then 10,000 feet! Five digits, I’d never seen five digits on my vario. Finally, I came so close to the clouds that it was time to stop circling. I needed to fly to the edge. At 10,000 feet, Mansfield was in sight. I was NW of my goal with a bit of S wind and lots of altitude. When I spotted Bridgeport way out to the left, Mansfield way out to the right and Banks Lake out in the distance, I decided my new goal was Banks Lake! Since I wasn’t familiar with the area and couldn’t use my GPS, I had to make part of my flight decisions on roads and signs of civilization. By this time, I was cold and a bit tired so wanted to

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land where I could easily reunite with my friends. As I flew closer to Banks Lake, I saw a town toward the north that I thought was Coulee City and this became my new goal. After I changed gloves to warm my frozen fingertips, shook my arms, talked on the radio, took a few pictures, flew on glide to rest, my thoughts of land-

“Big beautiful clouds with amazing lift. What could be better?” 28

ing faded. Clouds kept forming over my head. Big beautiful clouds with amazing lift. What could be better? For hours I didn’t fly below 9,000 feet; I just stayed under the clouds. My vario showed 10,000+ at least five times! I had never been that high. My highest altitude during this flight was around 12,000 feet. Heavenly. I kept looking for destinations for landing, and Coulee City still seemed the best option. As I got closer, I saw the Grand Coulee Dam. Wow! When I talked with Joe on radio, he cautioned me that I was looking at Electric City, not Coulee City. Did I realize there were lots of power lines around? Definitely. On glide at 6,600 feet, I noticed a big ball-field in town. A few minutes later, I hit a big sink, going down to 3,500 feet. It was 5:30 p.m.; the day was

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winding down. I finally found some real light lift that took me, slowly, back to 7,000 feet, which was a much more comfortable altitude to cross the maze of massive electric transmission lines. The contrast between this light lift and the earlier thermals made me appreciate super strong lift and how efficiently you can fly xc when you find strong thermals. After crossing the town with tons of altitude, I took time to shoot some photos and listen to the water spilling over the dam. (I later learned that it’s unusual for water to flow over the dam. Our rainy spring resulted in the run-off that created a waterfall effect at this massive manmade structure.) Now, I had to concentrate not only on finding the right place to land but also on landing safely. I decided to land in the Lake Roosevelt High School baseball

field in the town of Coulee Dam. Located in a small depression with a small power line at one end, the field is well lighted. Fortunately, no wind was showing in the trees. I actually had other landing options, but this was the biggest, nicest grassy field. And, this is where my buddies knew I’d be. I landed with no idea of how far I’d made it over the flats, but I was so happy. Within minutes of my landing, Joe arrived in Meredith’s bad-ass retrieve vehicle. How great to get a warm welcome and big’ol hug at the end of my best flight ever! A short time later, we tracked down Mer. She landed further away to the north. That made it three personal bests for the day. After being in the air five hours, we each flew around 80 km. Awesome to share this incredible day with friends!

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Triple

Header

words by RANDYLETTAU photos by DEANSTRATTON

y vacation was a Rat Race! I’m a Seattlearea P-2 pilot who learned to fly in August of 2007 at Aerial Paragliding in Cashmere, Washington. When I showed up to volunteer as “wind tech coordinator” at the 2008 Rat Race, I had 30 hours of flight time, mostly short hops and sledders at Aerial Paragliding and Tiger Mt. Since my volunteer duties allowed me to fly each day before the competitors launched at Woodrat, I had great expectations of expanding my horizons. On day five of the comp, as on every other day, I rounded up enough wind techs to test the day’s conditions, and prepared to join them in the air. I entered the day’s 47-km task in my 5030 (Woodrat launch to Rabies Peak, Burnt Ridge, Wellington Ridge, Cemetery, and goal at Donato’s) and was in the air before the launch window opened. My goals each day were simple: be patient, get high at each chance and tag as many points as possible. In the previous three days’ tasks I had tagged a total of two waypoints. I did not have high hopes of getting very far along this challenging course, but I knew it would be fun to try. At the race start-time, I was immediately left behind as gaggle after gaggle of competitors headed across the valley to Rabies Peak. The excitement of the race made it tempting to follow, but I knew I needed more height in my DHV 1-2 wing to tag Rabies. Finally, when satisfied with my altitude, off I went. A crosswind made it slow going across the valley to Rabies Ridge, but I cleared the ridge top and went for the lift that had been revealed by earlier wings. Tag #1! I turned and headed back across the valley to Burnt with plenty of altitude. Tag #2! Lift was working very well here, so I turned my wing upward until I thought I could head back across the valley over Rabies Peak to the farthest and hardest point—Wellington, almost

seven miles from where I started. There were wings everywhere—in front, behind, above and below me. The view was amazing! I could actually pick out the location of the next waypoint where wings were making a 180° turn and retracing their path. They were not circling, indicating that there was no lift near the turnpoint, so I continued climbing in my thermal. Four wings close to me left for the waypoint, but I stayed behind, climbing and watching as they got low, probably too low, so I kept circling. While climbing, I could see many pilots low in the Applegate Valley struggling against a headwind to get back to the consistent lift at Rabies and Burnt before heading on to the final waypoint and goal. I finally had enough altitude to reach Wellington on glide—Tag #3—and new personal record! I turned north towards the Cemetery turnpoint, still 16 km away. At this point I really thought it was over for me. The route below looked like a wing graveyard, like a flea convention with all the scratching at ridge level. I was already too low to cross back over the peaks that had brought me here and feared I was destined to join my friends below. Because of the north wind, the south slopes I was flying towards were in the lee, and I quickly discovered what the term “ratty air” means. This lift was rough but it was lift, moreor-less, and I was not ready to give up! I went from lift to glide, to lift to glide, until I had worked my way along China Gulch toward the Rabies back bowl. I spotted a couple wings turning low in the bowl,

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[opposite] Big Len Sfarayn, Lead Mentor Coordinator. [below] Faiz Kayem is congratulated by Matty Senior at his first goal experience.

[above] Getting ready on launch. [below] Faiz Kayem, Melanie Pfister, and Rob Sporrer. [opposite] Goal!!!!

so I joined them in a slow climb. Soon I could see over the ridge, but I kept telling myself, “keep turning,” and “get higher.” I could now safely make the main LZ, so some pressure was off. It was at this point that I noticed the sparse number of wings ahead of me. Where did they all go? “The lee side of those hills was not kind to many pilots,” I thought. To get to Cemetery I had to cross (again!) the main valley and tank-up with altitude at Burnt Ridge before heading off again, following the direction arrow on my GPS to some place out there in space where I had never been! I topped-out in my thermal and went on glide towards Burnt, directly into the wind. My GPS showed singledigit ground speed; it was now obvious that my glide angle would land me at the foot of Burnt Ridge and end my race. I quickly assessed my options to find lift and decided to turn 90°

to my right and search for lift along the ridge that runs from launch to the LZ. Soon I was very low, a couple hundred vertical feet above the LZ. The decision to fly off-course worked. I quickly climbed back above launch. Now, I had enough altitude to cross back to Burnt’s consistent lift, and I was able to work along the ridgetop to position myself for a run at the Cemetery point. I went on glide into a crosswind from my left, heading for Jacksonville which I could see in the distance. After some time, the 5030 Flytech signaled my arrival at Cemetery—Tag#4! At last, I was pointed to my final destination which was to my right and some 11 km downwind. I needed to get a lot higher to reach goal, but I headed that way, looking for safe landing spots and hoping to stumble into lift. A few minutes after going on glide, I encountered light lift. I thought briefly about continuing, in order to find something stronger, but the voice in my head said, “Turn in this; it is lift and not sink.” So I turned and turned and, as I climbed, the lift improved, and I drifted slightly towards goal. At six-grand I went on glide, occasionally spotting a wing far below searching for lift, frequently checking my 5030 instrument to follow the arrow and

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

rejoicing in the steadily decreasing distance to goal. Since I’d never flown a task before, I had no idea what “goal” would look like. Even before my vario sounded my arrival, my eyes were searching the land, now 1500-feet below me, for anything that looked like a place to end a race. I spotted two wings circling far below and realized that they must be right above the LZ! Finally, I was able to relax and enjoyed several spiral turns that helped me lose altitude while I observed the approach path needed to land. A spotlanding ended a great flight of three hours, 15 minutes, and 47 km! I was greeted and congratulated almost before my wing hit the ground by my good friend, Matt Senior, demonstrating his contagious joy, ear-toear smile, and New Zealand accent! I later learned that of the nearly 90 pilots at RatRace only about 25 completed the course this day with me at about 21st into goal. I had fun on this day of motorless cross-country flying and want to thank all my special friends in the flying community who’ve shared their lessons learned and words of wisdom with this beginner. I

have much to learn yet and am anxious to continue this exciting journey! A great day, a great flight and a great memory fill my thoughts as I recorded my triple-header: First cross-country flight, first goal on a task, and longest duration flight!

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

[below left] Steve Forslund serves up a hot mess. [below right] The Brown family eats.

New

World Record

...Almost by ORLANDOSTEPHENSON

orget about Zapata, forget about Larry or Davis or Manfred, forget about needing to be a great pilot and forget about having to fly a topless glider. I had studied past world record attempts, and they all had the same things in common: great pilots, great gliders and a convergence, sometimes, of great conditions. Sure, eventually those guys managed to get some recognition and set some records, but at what price? They often spent months and months of falling short. Day after day of almost surpassing the old distance only to miss that last thermal. Endless days of long retrieves followed by early drag-yourself-out-of-bed-again mornings because conditions looked even better. The whole thing seemed like torture to me. I had a different plan. Take an average glider and put an average guy on it. But put him in the right place with the right support team, and he will blow away the old record. All of the recent record-holders like Davis or Manfred or Robin had been converging on Zapata in recent years. In that location they were completely dependent on the combination of thermals and wind conditions to get them high and somewhere north of there, hopefully far enough north to set a new record. I wasn’t patient enough for that. I needed a sure thing. I had money, I had time, I had the desire, and I was sure I had the place. If you look at a map of Africa, you can see an escarpment that runs from near Beira, in the south of

Mozambique, through Tanzania and Kenya, almost into Ethiopia. When conditions are right, this area has a long run of consistent ridge-lift that doesn’t depend on sniffing out thermals. I thought the only problem would be that I had to fly from south to north in order to take advantage of the wind flow, ending in Ethiopia—a scary prospect. The glider I intended to use was an intermediate level glider with VG that I flew mainly because I could land it—actually, precisely because I could land it. Forget all those high performance ships. For a pilot like me who flies maybe once a year in Florida and another time with Jeffo in Mexico, flying a topless was a guarantee of broken-down tubes and, possibly, a broken me. The disadvantage was speed. I would have ridgelift all the way but, without the higher performance that a topless would give me, I also needed a tailwind component or I would only get as far as Songea, in Tanzania. That leg of the trip would be more than one thousand kilometers, a certain record, but I wanted it all. I wanted to push the two thousand mark. I wanted a record that would be impossible to beat. Preparation took six months. Six months of red tape, of getting visas, of lining up helicopters along the route for retrievals, of bribing local officials and getting my equipment into Mozambique. Then it was another month of waiting for the convergence of southeast winds that hit the escarpment just right, coupled with a southerly component above the shear layer to give me the boost I needed to sustain enough groundspeed to average at least 120 km/hr. Stay with me here. The glider was easily capable of 70 km/hr and, at certain times of the year, the south component could be 80 km/hr or more, so this was “doable.” The last night before the flight I camped on the

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

side of Mt. Binga, about two hundred kilometers west of Beira. One of my helicopters had dropped me at the base of the mountain, and money had bought me three locals to carry my glider and harness up to a natural take-off spot about 800 meters above the valley floor. Before dark, I set up the glider and my harness. I needed an early start as every hour of daylight translated into more distance, and more distance meant a bigger record, a harder record for someone to beat. As the sky lightened and I stood there in that final moment before my run, my mind drifted along the 2000-plus kilometer route, visualizing the incredible ride I was about to take. I felt a bubble of heat start deep inside my chest. That feeling hammered at me; I knew that by nightfall I was going to be the undisputed world-record holder. My take-off was a piece of cake (which is another reason I like flying intermediate gliders). I turned left toward my destiny and the southeaster lifted me 200 meters over in a flash. Oh my god! I had experienced similar conditions at Echo Canyon in Arizona once before, but this was better! My instruments showed that the shear was producing more tailwind than I expected, causing that bubble in my chest to expand like a live thing wanting out. I was on my way to hang gliding history, and I was stoked! In addition to not flying a state-of-the-art glider,

the rest of the equipment I used was a bit over-thehill. My helmet was an Icaro full-face that I had been flying with for over ten years, my harness a Wills Wing Z-4 that I had bought new in 1993, and my vario (a Flytec 5030), although fairly new, was chock-full of features I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a clue how to use. My main instrument for telling me how I was doing was a handheld GPS that I had purchased at Boats-R-US, along with a chip that displayed a regional map of the east coast of Africa. As the initial adrenaline rush wore off, I started paying attention to my GPS and the terrain below me. After being aloft for less than two hours, I was astonished to see that I was already crossing the Zambeze River at Gaia, Mozambique, about 300 kilometers into the flight. Below, I could see the massive black river filled with a herd of wildebeest stretching as far as the eye could see. There had to be more than a million animals. Their yearly migration brought them to the river, and the hordes behind them forced the leaders to cross. The crocs in the river were having a feast and so was I. After the river, my path turned more to the north toward my next checkpoint, Blantyre. That turn to the north added about 20km/hr to my groundspeed. The ground was a blur below me. Now I was on my own until I crossed into

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Tanzania, just south of Songea. It was three hours into the flight and my GPS indicated I had gone 480 kilometers. I was elated and I was bored. It was clear that I was well ahead of schedule and, barring some mishap, would easily beat the record, but it had stopped being fun. Incredible scenery was rushing past me every mile, but I hadn’t time to look. Elephants, tigers, acres of wildebeest, antelope, water buffalo, zebra and rhino all flashed past, and I couldn’t stop to enjoy them. My arms were painfully sore from holding in the bar in order to keep up my speed, and the bubble in my chest became an ache. My dream was turning into a nightmare. I wondered how those guys who flew seriously like this for months on end could keep it up. After another brutal two hours, I crossed the edge of the Reserva do Niassa. Originally founded when Mozambique was still Portuguese, the park is part of the eastern Miombo Woodlands, containing African elephant, wild dog, antelope and hartebeest—none of which I saw at my speed. Thirty minutes later my GPS told me I had crossed the border of Tanzania. Not even six hours into the flight, and I had passed the 900 kilometer mark! I could quit now, and it would be a new record. It was at this point that I got a tiny glimpse into the minds of those pilots who do this on a regular basis. How much dedication it must take, how much willpower and downright guts to keep pressing on when your body says “enough!” When every inch is screaming in pain and your mind is foggy from fatigue, and yet you go on. I called my crew and checked in. The first of my helicopters was stationed in Songea, so when they knew I was going to make it there, they lifted off and headed north to the next checkpoint of Morogoro, 500 kilometers to the north. Just before Morogoro was the first of several trouble spots where I might 38

be slammed to the ground while negotiating a pass between the Rubeho Mountains to the west and the Uluguru Mountains to the east. My luck held; I cleared the pass 350 meters over, crossed Mikumi National park and left Morogoro to my right- side as I screamed onward toward the next turnpoint. After I called my crew, they departed for Tanga on the coast. Morogoro is a mid-sized town about 200 meters east of Dar Es Salaam and, if my indulgence had ended there, I would have flown 1400 kilometers. Think about that—twice the current flex- wing record with my day only half over. Fourteen hundred kilometers! Boredom and fatigue were my constant companions now, but the pain in my chest had flopped back to a good one. I was doing something others only dreamed of! Any time I stopped now was an unbelievably new record! In order to make the corner at Tanga, I had to fly perilously close to the coast. I feared that the effects of the sea-breeze from the Indian Ocean would interrupt my flight, would put me on the ground way short of the crazy goal ahead of me that I was starting to believe was possible. In fact, I lost so much altitude that I was scraping the ridge by the time I turned 90 degrees to the northwest and headed toward Moshi. Further ahead on this line lay Nairobi, where my second helicopter was stationed. As I moved away from the coast, my altitude increased. Soon I was 500 meters above ground level (agl), with my instruments telling me that the tailwind had become a hurricane at my back. My ground speed was registering over 200 km/hr as I skirted the border between Tanzania and Kenya. This part of Kenya contains one of the two great not-to-be-missed parks of the many that Kenya has to offer. Tsavo National Park is the largest of the parks in Kenya, containing all of the big five species:

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elephant, black rhino, lion, leopard and African buffalo. Ahead of me and to my left I could see the snowcap on Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Beyond it lay the other great park, the Masai Mara National Reserve, home to one of the world’s fiercest fighting tribes of the same name. I skirted along the border for twenty miles with the cap of Kilimanjaro looming ever larger in my view before I was able to turn northward again. My intended path would keep me well to the east of Nairobi, where my second helicopter was waiting for a possible retrieve out of the Dida Galgalu Desert. This desert was by far the most challenging part of my trip, as the ridge evaporated at the point where there were 150 kilometers of desert to cover before the Ethiopian border. I got lucky and found a couple of thermals right away, which managed to keep me above 3000 meters for the next 85 kilometers. Unfortunately, the lift died, and I went on glide for twenty kilometers into the desert toward the border. When I was down to only 1200 meters agl and seriously thinking about setting up for landing, that first soft beep hit my ear. I banked hard to keep it. If you’re a hang glider pilot, you’ve been there. The ground is filling your vision, your mind is in a funk, you’ve no sign of lift, your day’s over, depression is seeping in and then, beep! Your world changes, your attention focuses like those who don’t fly can never know. That sound becomes your whole world, and you follow it relentlessly until the beeps come faster, the ground begins to drop away, and you get another life. I have tried many times to explain that moment to friends, the moment when defeat turns to a second chance. That sweet instant when you know that somehow your skill has saved you. Their eyes always glaze over. They don’t get it. They never will. That was the last thermal of the day, and it took me to 3746 meters before I lost it and went on final glide to the Ethiopian border. I crossed out of Kenya into Ethiopia 800 meters agl and stretched the glide to the town of Mega on the southern border. My GPS said I had gone 2737 kilometers in the sixteen hours and twenty minutes I had been in the air. No one was going to believe it, but I had the proof in my hands. I had a record that would stand forever or at least until some real pilot duplicated my foolishness. I just needed to be picked up by my support team, to verify my location and my instruments, and I had it—the new record! I was reaching for the radio when some serious weaponry stopped my hand. To the right were three barrels pointed at my head, and to the left, two. I put up my hands. The next three months were the worst of my life. I was kept in an eight-by-eight cell until I managed to bribe a guard and walk my way out of Ethiopia. It

“The next three months were the worst of my life. I was kept in an eightby-eight cell until I managed to bribe a guard and walk my way out of Ethiopia.” took me another two weeks to make it to the coast at Mombasa where I took passage on a tramp steamer as a deckhand. Two more months got me to New Orleans, and my thumb got me home. I lost everything. My glider, my harness, my radio, but, most important, the proof of what I had done. I had flown more than 2700 kilometers in a flex-wing, and all I had to show for it was the loop that played in my head over and over, reminding me that things in life always come with a price. I had gotten a tour of Africa that normally would have taken weeks or months. I had seen more wildlife in one day than most do in a lifetime. I’d set a record that would have astounded the world, and all I had left was the memory of how I’d been king for a day. Ah well, next year in Valle de Bravo I’ll have those moments when I think I’m king again, even if it’s just for an hour!

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Photo by James Harris

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TENNESSEE

words by DENNYPISTOLL & TOSHHOPKINS photos by RAYHELMAN

The Incredible

Doris Pollari

s you pull into the pavilion parking lot in front of Lookout Mountain’s forty-four acre Landing Zone, there is only one reserved private parking spot with a sign that reads: Doris Pollari,

Social Director. Beware; it is universally accepted protocol that visitors, regardless of status, purpose, miles flown or hours logged, respect that sign! Doris is the human dynamo behind the social life, wonderful camaraderie, and so much more that thrives in rich abundance at this flight park. However, It wasn’t always this way. Unlike much that is good in our sport, this convivial atmosphere didn’t materialize out of thin air. Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result of commitment, planning, and focused effort. No story about Doris would be complete without recalling her late husband who was the love of her life for almost three decades, Kenn Pollari. Kenn’s day job was that of a computer engineer, but off duty he was an adventurer extraordinaire who was an accomplished skydiver and skier before discovering hang gliding. After a whirlwind romance that led to marriage, Doris left her position as an executive assistant for an engineering firm to travel with Kenn, and travel they did! Criss-

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crossing the country, they settled in various locations from a few weeks to a few months before moving on. “It was a vagabond-type life but very exciting,” says Doris, brimming with enthusiasm. “We met and made friends with all kinds of people from all over.” Business and serendipity found them in northwestern Georgia in the early ‘90s where they met a young hang glider enthusiast cum entrepreneur, Matt Taber— the owner and operator of the Lookout Mountain Flight Park. The sport of hang gliding, though fully mature, was hardly a mainstream activity when Kenn decided he wanted to add this experience to his growing list of adventures. Over time, a cohort of fliers gradually came together. Though small in number, it was a tightly knit and very social group. Back then, the Lookout Mountain Flight Park consisted of a platform launch, a partially cleared field and a moldy picnic table. Nevertheless, they flew, experimented, pioneered... and partied hard. It was this last factor that set Kenn and Doris to thinking how they might improve things. These thoughts led to their organizing cookouts so that the participants didn’t need to venture into town, thereby allowing everyone more time to spend together. Thus began what has become a time-honored LMFP tradition: Saturday socials (and more) at the flight park. And many improvements were made. Today the facilities have grown to a state-of-the-art radial ramp, groomed LZ, clubhouse pavilion, bunk-

house, swimming pool, condos and even an RV park! Kenn retired early. While he was traveling through Arizona in 2001, tragedy struck in the form of an18 year-old recklessly drag racing down a suburban street. As his car careened out of control, it hit Kenn who sustained mortal injuries. The effect was devastating. In the immediate aftermath, more than three dozen people descended upon Doris and Kenn’s home to help and offer solace in her critical time of need. This, no doubt, resulted in Doris’s bonding even closer to her ever-growing extended family. Doris possesses an extraordinary spirit that led her to aspire to conquering her grief rather than simply coping and surviving. Kenn’s loss became an epiphany for Doris as she boldly stepped out of Kenn’s tall shadow and stood, once again, firmly on her own. In reaching out, Doris gradually began helping others by becoming more active not only with the Lookout Mountain Flight Park but also within the broader community. When Doris found that volunteering and assisting others with their projects and problems helped resolve her own, she began escalating her community involvement. “Bitterness is a debilitating emotion” says One example of Doris’s activism is the Doris. “What happened to us was tragic, self-initiated and personally financed cre- but it was an accident, not something to ation of the Kenn Pollari Scholarship Fund. dwell on. I want to do what I can to make Far from being bitter at teens for the loss a positive difference for others.” Like the she personally suffered, Doris created this mountains we treasure, life’s unpredictable fund especially for teens. Each year she events provide peaks from which one may bestows one (and sometimes two) $1000 fall as well as platforms from which we may scholarships to deserving eighteen-year-olds. soar. Doris elected to soar. Every Saturday evening throughout the flying season and well beyond, Doris is the driving force that organizes the buying, preparation, serving and clean-up for dinner socials and parties which routinely include well over a hundred people per event. Doris has spearheaded numerous community enhancement projects, including the Adopt a Highway program, in which she organizes (and hectors) sleepy pilots out onto the roads to pick-up litter. She started the Animal Rescue and Spaying program in addition to organizing fund raisers for the Dade County Mountain Rescue. Due entirely to Doris’s personal efforts, Lookout Mountain Flight Park has become DCMR’s largest single benefactor. She is also involved with the Scenic Byways Program of Georgia as well as a number of fund raising events and activities under the auspices of the

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Dade County Chamber of Commerce. Daily exercise with friends keeps Doris in super physical condition, which paid dividends after she severely injured her shoulder. She paid no heed to nay-saying Earthlings from outside the flight park community who predicted that things would be going downhill after such an accident. “Not so,” she declared with her signature ebullience and, after a very painful rehab, bounced back even more energized than before. According to Lia Harrell, a close and dear friend, Doris lives for the moment, possesses irrepressible enthusiasm and always sees the best in people. Doris Pollari is, unquestionably, The First Lady of the Lookout Mountain Flight Park and, though not a pilot herself, has become both an eloquent and articulate spokesperson for our sport. She is a role model of high moral character and indefatigable spirit. From the devastation of a tragic accident, Doris has forged a tradition of fellowship and generosity that has demonstrated the incredibly positive effect one person can make. Doris Pollari is revered and loved by all who have the privilege of knowing her.

AIRTIME

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Cloud Conscious Part V

Easy Streets

by DENNISPAGEN

louds are simply the best indicator of how the air is behaving, because they render it visible. With a little thought and experience we can use the visual clues to help us excel and propel to greater heights, greater distances. There is perhaps no cloud formation more welcome than a cloud street—if it is going our way— for it indicates a line of fairly reliable lift. As long as we are heading in the same direction as the street we can take advantage of it well, but if fate or a perverse competition task committee has us crossing streets, these formations are about as welcome as Nigerian scam-spam. So streets can be a mixed blessing and it gives us a wing up to understand as much as we can about them. Our photos start the process.

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bottom of the picture). It should be clear from these observations that even when we are in a street we may not be on “easy street.” We normally have to be planning where to STREET CRED  Look at photo 1 below. Here climb and where to glide, when to cross to we see cloud streets in a shot from an air- another longer street and when to continue liner taken at 30,000 feet by my friend, straight through a gap. The crossing from Ron Waclawik. These are typical streets one street to another should not be taken and our high vantage point lets us see lightly (in fact, usually we sink like a lead two important things. First, note that the brick). I have lost nearly 3,000 feet crossing streets aren’t solid lines of clouds. There in a 10 to 1 hang glider. Perhaps I wouldn’t are breaks in the continuous stream. That have made it in a paraglider. means when we are flying along a street Ideally we should be flying close to we shouldn’t expect to find solid lift 100% cloudbase in a street, but it is hard to look of the way. Sailplanes with their superior ahead to see what the street is doing due to glide and sink performance may be able to the lack of perspective; it is hard to make cruise along under a street without turning, strategic decisions as to when to change but we usually have to stop in the hot spots paths. Here, the trick is to look at the to top up when streets are similar to those cloud shadows on the ground. Determine in the photo. which shadow you are currently sailing in The second thing to observe in the by using the sun’s position in relation to photo is how the streets often stop abruptly the cloud, then look along the shadow to and sometimes even wander a bit (see the see if you need to cross to another longer

or more solid cloud and projected shadow. Note that in the photo the sun is from the left and the solid cloud deck on the upper part of the photo is shadowing the ground so we cannot see this effect. Looking at the solid cloud in the background, we can observe an important matter: the streets continue into the solid cloud layer, although in a more random manner and with shorter lengths (I can blow this photo up on my computer and see streets extend well back into the visible cloud). This observation should be a reminder for pilots flying under a solid deck to expect or look for lift lines related to streets. Now let’s look at photos 2 and 3. I took these shots at a competition in Hearn, Texas. The first shows at least five parallel streets that continue unbroken, but do not indicate continuous lift along them. The next photo is more from the side and you can see that there are some areas of good

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“When leaving a thermal on a blue day, it is always useful to try to track directly parallel to the wind.”

lift—nice dark bottoms—along the street and areas of weak or no lift (gaps or fuzz clouds). These photos clearly show the need to thermal at the hot spots, even on a good street day. Yes, there are occasionally streets that are solid as a boa constrictor for as far as the eye can see, but they are rare and these days in the photos aren’t them. True cloud streets—as opposed to linear going XC (downwind). The only time to clouds based on waves, convergence lines deviate from this practice is if there is an or active ground sources—often appear obvious climb you can get to or the day has after a cold front has passed. They are most exhibited severe sink directly up or downcommon in the East of the US and tend wind from the thermal. More often than to be in the eastern sector of a high-pres- not you will find a lift line—a street—that sure system. I have several satellite photos includes the thermal you visited. We saw from the cloud photos that showing this effect, but unfortunately they streets are not continuous. We should are too low res for publication. expect the same when they are blue. They FLYING IN STREETS  Most thermal pilots will be much harder to exploit, of course, have had the experience of flying toward a but they will be there many times. The promising cloud only to have it dissipate or problem is, when the lift quits do you juke dry out as we draw nigh (careful study has left or right or stay the course? Maybe it’s a shown that cursing does not change the roll of the dice, but perhaps there are subtle outcome in this case). Fortunately, streets clues that can be picked up by the sensitive tend to be quite persistent and last longer pilot. That’s probably not me, for I rememthan the typical thermal because they are ber one comp flight when I totally lost the street, wallowing in the sink until I hit the based on a continuous feed process. ground. Talk about misery… But streets do disappear eventually as I own most sailplane and weather books dryer air or a high-pressure-related inverthat deal with these types of atmospheric sion moves into an area. But even with blue effects. I have rooted through one of the skies, it is possible to have thermal streetbiggest weather libraries on the planet. I ing action, and in this case we call them have searched the OSTIV publications blue streets. One of the main reasons for (the organization for technical soaring). I looking at cloud streets in the first place is to try to fathom the sky’s behavior on blue have never come across any real testing of street days. The only way to do that is to blue streets. Nonetheless, my experience and that of others has shown that they are study its behavior on cloud street days. When leaving a thermal on a blue day, quite frequent in the East. I do know that it is always useful to try to track directly lift lines exist more often than not when parallel to the wind. This advice applies for there is wind. My bet is that much of the orbiting the local site (flying upwind to the times this is due to true streeting action. front of the mountain you are soaring) or It behooves all pilots to follow the smart

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money and try to fly as if streets were around, even on cloudless days. A serious aspect of streets is the sink street in between the lift street as alluded to above. We should expect the sink to behave similarly to the lift: it intensifies in some stretches and may even disappear altogether for short lengths between the clouds. If you get caught in the sink between streets, it is best to turn 90 degrees to scram from the vicinity. ASAP. On blue days it is hard to determine exactly where to head, but all things being equal, perhaps back the way you came as soon as you hit the sink is the best choice. But note, even when flying along a street, there will be lapses of lift and maybe even light sink. Strong sink is the alarm that should have you scrambling for the safety of your lift lifeboat. A final note on flying in streets is that often they impinge on our Eastern long mountain chains. In that case we cross streets frequently when flying along the ridges. There are times when the sink between the streets destroys the ridge lift, even though the wind may be quite vigorous. I have seen the trees whipped to a frenzy on the mountaintop by the wind, only to find no lift. The wind is fast moving sink that doesn’t deflect upward from the mountain enough to provide lift. Such sink can put you on the ground on strong street days. The best plan here is to treat the area between the cloud streets as a large gap you have to cross, climb high before it, barrel through it, then climb again for the next one.

STREET QUIZ  Here are a few more photos to contemplate: Photo 4 is another Hearn, Texas shot. It is intended to show how par-

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allel streets can look divergent—that is, not parallel. This is a parallax problem and indicates how it is difficult to tell the true direction of a cloud line at a distance. The next photos are a little quiz. Can you identify which photos are cloud streets and which are not? See below for the answer.

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Answer to the quiz: None of the photos depict cloud streets. We will be discussing each of these photos and many more in future installments of Cloud Conscious.

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Photo 1 by Ron Waclawik.Photos 2,3,4,5 and 6 by Dennis Pagen. Photo 7 by William Olive. Photo 8 by Jeff Goin.

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Schizophrenic

by MIKEVORHIS

’ve long said piloting requires a rare breed of person—someone with not one but two dominant sides. We need a normally-in-charge personality, cautious, doubtful, pessimistic—a finicky “sane” creature who triple-checks batten cambers and overrules exuberance when launch conditions are just south of perfect. And we need another far cockier side, who typically hangs back casually, but who, when conditions turn nasty in flight or landing options become nightmarish, elbows the sane twin out of the way, crowing, “Move over grandma, this is a job for ME!” Recently I had the opportunity to eavesdrop on a heated argument between these two sides of my own pilot mind. I sat quietly in the shadows taking notes while they slugged it out. Thought I’d share it with you: “We’re all blithering fools, I tell you,” Cautious began. “We lull ourselves into believing in that stuff you call ‘skill.’ It’s ill advised if you ask me. Damned ego trip.” “What’s eating you? Ain’t nothing wrong with believing in your skill. Keeps you executing at your best,” Bold replied ambivalently. “There’s everything wrong with it. And you’re as guilty as the worst of us, and far worse than most. You been relying on skill to goad us into some damned iffy stunts.” “Worked so far, hasn’t it?” “Sure, it works. As long as the real stuff is also working -- luck.” “Dude, anyone hearing you right now would be laughin’ their heads off.” “More like forming a lynch mob. That’s because I dare smudge the golden calf.” “So what’s wrong with skill?” 50 50

“Nothing! Try to keep up here. Skill is a good thing, but it will let us down. Our faith in it is misplaced. Regardless of how much we have, there are flying conditions that’ ll squash it. We say we take that into account but there are cases within the most conservative envelope that’ ll still do us in.” “And so no one should trust their skill? Dude, people know their limits. We’re not completely dim. None of us…” “…few of us…” interjected Cautious. “…okay, few of us…are idiots.” “Granted, grudgingly. Doesn’t change what I’m saying.” “Why would smart pilots depend on a thing we can’t trust?” “Flying’s a personal thing, dude. We’re proud of it. We’re not just out there gawking at scenery from great heights you know. We’re quite literally defining ourselves.” “Oh I see, Dr. Freud.” “Yes. We are. Defining ourselves, to ourselves, and to the world. On every flight. We are the Intrepid! We are the Courageous! We are the Skilled.” “So?” Bold’s interest was waning. “Nobody intends to let go of that. We’ ll defend waaaay past logic our right to believe in skill. We’ ll hang onto it as the best insurance there is. Great to have, I agree, but insurance it is not. And when we think it’s enough, we’re poised for the fall.” “I can see you’re about to go on.” “The problem is that we deploy gear, adopt procedures, form habits and nurture pilot culture that takes us only up to where we expect skill to take over.” “Take over what?” “The job of keeping us in one piece. Then we take those things no farther—gear, procedures and such I mean. When good habits or hardware performance reaches the skill line, we think the damned job is

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

done. Let’s look at a few examples, just off the top….” “Oh craters, here we go.” “No, really. Okay, wheels. They exist, and can save life and limb, right? But pilot culture discourages them without coming right out and saying so. A ‘real’ pilot should be skilled enough to figure out wind direction, pick a clearing, land on foot. When any of the hundred possible variables turns sour, that doofus must just not be skilled. Few of us seriously question the dubious habit of flying ill prepared for the unexpected. That’s just one good example.” “A doozy,” Bold said mockingly. “Got more?” “How about this one? Like I said, we stop design innovation where the gear’s performance curve meets the typical skill curve. Gliders with decent L/D all land at around 18 to 22 mph airspeed, depending on the wing and air density. Why? Because pilots of sufficient ‘skill’ can run fast enough and flare well enough that about 20 mph does the trick almost all the time. No one has felt a burning need to innovate much past that speed. We’re into the “skill” zone when the Halls hits 20, so all is well. Dude, there ain’t no overwhelming reason, no intrinsic barrier of physics, why we couldn’t have 14:1 flexwings and 19:1 rigids that land at sub-12 mph airspeed...except that it costs time and probably more complexity to make it happen. But the reason we’re still landing at 20 is that a pressing need hasn’t been felt. As a sport and a pilot community, we accept the level of risk that exists with landing at 20 because skill fills in from there. Now, if you’re trying to land downhill or downwind? Our answer has always been, ‘Don’t do that.’ Avoid those bonehead moves. Get on the skill curve, dude, that’s what’s gonna save you. Pretend that skill controls all the random variables that lurk out there, like dust devils, wind shifts, gophers, or invisible hunks of rusty fence across the damn field.” “Where’d you get 12mph? You and I can’t run any faster than that???” “You’re missing the point. How about training? We teach a so-called ideal landing method that has us all stretching out in the least protected posture imaginable! Exposing our vulnerable underbellies to hard, unforgiving terrain, locking our arms…” “…and we gotta remember to keep ‘em locked no matter what.” “No!” Cautious exploded. "That’s pure Spiral

Fracture Worship! It’s what I’m saying -- we’re out there doing our flares, arching our spines completely counter to the sensible instinct that tells us to ball up and live. Don’t you see? We consider this reasonable advice, we proliferate it down through the ranks. We claim if your landings are ‘skilled’ it will work gracefully and well--until the unexpected of course, and we all just accept the minimal odds of that happening.” “Part of the game.” “Doesn’t need to be, that’s my point. Why not have a saner technique of some kind? The unexpected is the one thing a wise pilot should always expect, and prepare for with habits that don’t hang us out to dry in some extended posture.” “You sound like Mom.” “Are you even listening?” “So your main point,” Bold simplified, “is we put our faith in an ‘insurance’ that doesn’t live up to our reverence for it. You can’t blame that on skill.” “I know that. We just expect far too much from it. We don’t plan our techniques and design our gear waaaaaaay past the typical skill point like we should. That’s a mistake. It ain’t insurance, dude.” “You really think I’m one of the worst? Is it because I said we should try flying naked?” “Your whole safety philosophy boils down to ‘suck it up and run harder.’ You’re drunk on pretending you’re invincible.” “Hmm. Surely you know I believe in margin too.” “Well we’ve got a lot less of it than you think. It rarely shows because you get the job done, I gotta admit. Got your moments anyway, and your share of guts, but I just don’t think that’s a good substitute for advanced prep – you know, gear and habits.” “But come on, there’s plenty of good sense in the pilot culture. People invent things like drogue chutes, humped-up camber flaps, variable twist… alternative moves like rear wire landings, knees on the bar…stuff like that.” “That’s all good. Even great. A good start. I tip my helmet to those guys, and the mainstream designers too, don’t misunderstand me. A lot of that extra inventing is still fringe though.” “Well we consider XC a specialization rather than standard fare. Same with fly-on-the-wall landings and aero. That’s all good sense.”

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

Cautious only half-nodded. “But we have no means us…we’ d give ‘em the flight experience they formal guidance in place for them. We just accept expect WITH the survivability of a single-surface that each interested pilot will stumble on the gotchas. billboard-sized pig-wing. We’ d give ‘em not only Worst of all, we revere those who manage to figure enough handling to make the normal envelope doable, that stuff out. They’re ‘skilled,’ and we aspire to but enough to make every conceivable scenario of bad having the same right stuff. We assume ‘ having it’ is luck a piece of cake. That’s the line we’ d design to... why they’re still with us.” not just to the reasonable skill curve. Old timers have “Why don’t YOU get out there and develop kids and grandkids to go home to.” some margin stuff? Why fault everybody else?” Bold was still struggling with it. “But, I mean, “Dude, I’m not faulting anybody. I know it’s a there’s no scoop here. This ain’t no big news flash. process. Takes time. Hell, we’re only a 40-year-old You and I been doing okay for…what, 18 years?” sport. I’m just saying we’re fools if we don’t see it “Known a few guys who’ve not come home in those every time we stand on launch. And every time we 18.” buy a glider.” “Yeah…but I mean, me…us….” “Okay, you think skill is unreliable. I think it’s “Dude, last year we sank out of an hour in fluffy repeatable and just as reliable as designing better light air, threw that big drogue chute…oh yeah, we gear.” thought we were prepared, no underestimating the “It’s about the margin,” Cautious reiterated conhigh desert, not us…we rounded out on final, and descendingly, “the overlap of what the gear can do vs. what happened?” average skill. If you can run fast enough to land your “…Yeah…Ma Nature gave us a nice 8 mile-anglider right about as it stalls, you’ve got around zero hour tailwind.” margin there. Don’t you want to survive the next “Thereabouts, anyway. I don’t need to remind you oddball conditions we encounter?” the LZ was at five grand or better. We screamed past “I just like relying on me rather than some push- all that bare turf into the thin chest-high grass. Dude, button gizmo. What’s the point of getting out you flared hard, and I yelled my damn head off. there then?” Seismic event. Probably went in at 28 or 30 mph. “Sure, heady stuff. Who wants to give up the ‘there You remember how violent that was?” I wuz’ stories? That’s why we’ve never solved it.” “Freaking instantaneous. Would have screamed “Some older dudes hang it up…bloody shame my bloody head off too, but there wasn’t time to but I guess maybe that’s why. You know,” Bold open my mouth.” conceded, “if I could get a wing that had awesome “You did get one toe down,” Cautious admitted, performance but stalled real slow, and I mean real “ but we were yanked to the sod in a microsecond. Just slow, I think I might grab it. Why not? We fly another piece of wreckage. Meat. I can’t even say the thin air a lot. And it’s just margin. I could still do word ‘skill’ in a microsecond.” things my own way.” “Just a fluke we got hurt, though,” Bold pointed “Now you’re talking. None of us are getting any out. “Shoulder broke only because we landed on younger. If we really want to retain members…that the trailing edge of that dang faired downtube. What are the odds of that?” “Like being chopped in the arm by a dull axe blade. I gotta tell you, I don’t intend to make ‘what are the odds’ my big plan for avoiding a repeat.” “…Yeah…I remember lying there wondering if any of our limbs were gonna work. Just kept seeing the kid’s face, too.” “We were lucky it was just a shoulder. Our head hit hard, dude. Gentlest day you could imagine and it almost got us.” Bold had an epiphany. “Okay, that’s why you’re going on about this now. Dude, when we hit your head…maybe something’s not right.” “We hit your head too, moron. Let’s just say my eyes popped open. I mean, we made our best call on the streamers, the approach, all of it. You know the other pilots out there, even some we knew for years, all went right with the version they’ d pre-memorized – the one that upholds their sacred icon of Skill –

“If we really want to retain members... we’d give ‘em the flight experience they expect WITH the survivability of a single-surface billboardsized pig-wing.” 52

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

“You know as well as I do that the psychology of flying is as important as the mechanics. Doubt breeds indecision and lousy execution. You'd call me cocky but I'd say I have a positive attitude.”

rather than evaluate what they really saw. Said we ‘ blew’ our landing, hadn’t flown enough that year, all the usual. Their proof was that nobody else broke their arm. Said we were in denial….” “…we can take that kind of talk. Keeps us humble.” “No doubt…don’t blame ‘em I guess…but there’s denial in the other side too, and I don’t want that either. Everybody assumes some lapse in judgment or skill, so we don’t have to face the fact that s**t can just plain happen and we don’t have the margin to handle it all.” “Dude, s**t happens? That’s heresy.” “Yeah, laugh it up,” Cautious said in annoyance, “I’m serious. Up until that day you were the guy passing judgment on other peoples’ wreckage. You gave us a congratulatory backrub every time somebody had an ‘ incompetent’ accident.” “And you’re throwing Karma in my face now.” “I’m saying accountability is good, but the kneejerk kind has a dangerous assumption buried in it. The whole ‘pilot in command’ thing—in charge “Then do it.” of our own fate. Meaning ‘execute and you’ ll be “Starts with the idea,” Cautious said defensively. safe.’ We leave out the ‘maybe.’ Regardless of skill “Remember when that aerospace engineer…Bob and judgment, I now think it’s really just a matter of Ormiston…challenged everybody to make tumbletime.” proof wings? Big ruckus, but it got some serious “Dude, you are just a downer today. There’s not attention.” a pilot out there who wouldn’t say you’ve lost your “Heartwarming tale, dude, but you ain’t Bob nerve.” Ormiston.” “I bet there’s a lot who think this way but just don’t “No doubt. Hell, maybe I’m seeing late what lay it all on the table.” everybody else has known for years. About expecting “Hope not,” Bold said definitively. “Now let me the unexpected I mean.” say a few things, although I don’t need as many “Maybe you’re advocating major design and words as you. You’re not putting skill into perspec- training philosophy re-think, without offering to tive, you’re eroding it. You know as well as I do do it yourself.” that the psychology of flying is as important as the “Or maybe I’m just discovering Humility. Any mechanics. Doubt breeds indecision and lousy ex- way it’s sliced, I doubt I’ ll agree to fly the high desert ecution. You’d call me cocky, but I’d say I have a again….” positive attitude. Put another way, I believe in my “Awwww, dude…!” skill because believing in it amplifies it. I’d rather “Not until we come up with something better than get my margin by boosting skill than by adding drogue chutes, flaps, and wheels. Even with ‘em I huge flaps to gliders. I stay safe by being sure.” can still think of too many scenes where we never “It’s not sure, it’s wishful. Why do you think phras- come home again. No, I’m serious, dude.” es like ‘Intermediate Syndrome’ are born? That’s us “You are the Heretic Fringe, dude, do you know lulling ourselves to sleep. But one day our ‘advanced’ that?! I love XC! Don’t veto XC, dude…!” skill will drop a notch – age or leg cramp or bug in the eye, pretty much anything – and that’s our day in the papers.” At that point my pencil broke, and so I left “Okay, you think I’m a fool, and I think you’re a them to their argument. It doesn’t matter, they’ll sanctimonious granny. How the hell do you know never agree. And they shouldn’t. That’s why two a high-performance glider can be designed that opposites generally make such a strong team. Each stalls at 10 or 12 mph?” has thumbs-down power, each sees a different view. “Come off it, we’re an engineer. Anything is doable Schizophrenic. Neither makes complete sense… if the need is recognized. Think of it, dude – tomorand yet neither is wrong. row’s down-winders would be as easy as up-winders I wonder how they’ll settle it? today!” October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

GALLERY | KING MOUNTAIN

River Runs Through It And Suddenly Disappears. There are lava beds you can’t sleep in, Craters Of The Moon, and the Big Pickle. This is Arco, Idaho, the first city in America powered by atomic energy. It’s also the home of the Atomic Thermal, much to the delight of soaring pilots. The Lost River Range has its humble beginnings on the edge of the desert at Arco, then rapidly becomes majestic as the spine juts dramatically upwards above the little burg of Moore, a few more miles up the road from Arco. From there the Lost River Range becomes absolutely spectacular, with crimson and golden rock faces, rough crags punctuated with emerald lakes and streams—ultimately capped with poofy pillows of cumulus clouds. This is the infamous Route One, arguably the most popular route during the King Meet, and probably every-day soaring. While the Lost River Range is magnificent, it has a tendency to get over-excited sometimes and produce more than the friendly cumulus, thereby dictating an alternate soaring route, typically Route Three. This northeasterly route gives a pilot a choice of soaring the edge of the desert, or the Lemhi and Bitterroot mountain ranges. The Lemhi are the slightly smaller cousin to the Lost River Range, parallel to, and with about a 15 mile-wide valley separating them. The Howe (also known as the Little Lost) valley can be a challenging crossing, but gives pilots a session of flat land soaring in between mountain ranges. Continuing past the Lemhi Range offers the choice to search lift sources among cultivated fields scattered along the desert, or fly deeper into the Bitterroot Range that forms the Continental Divide. Then, there is Route Two. It has only been flown during competition three times in the last 10 years. If a pilot completes the task to Three Forks, Montana, there will be seven mountain ranges to navigate. A retrieve driver will have an equally scenic drive and be astounded at the large expanses of unoccupied landscape. This combination of desert and mountain region gives the soaring pilot opportunities for a really big adventure. There’s a lot of relief in the topography around this section of Idaho. Come enjoy some! words by DANGRAVAGE

[previous page] Retreiving a glider. Not a house for many miles. Photo by Gerry Pesavento. [above] Burger and tots anyone? Arco's fine dining. Photo by Jamie Messenger. [opposite] Climbing over King with Ben R. at 10K. Typically we climb to 14K (turn on the oxygen) and leave. Photo by Gerry Pesavento.

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

[opposite top] Photo by John Blacet. [opposite bottom] Climbing out with Ben D. on the flats. Photo by Gerry Pesavento. [below] Chris Kurowski flying in an evening glass. Photo by Jamie Messenger.

[previous page] Matt Beechinor cranking over launch, Big Southern Butte in the background. Photos by Jamie Messenger. [above] Andy McCrea over launch. Photo by Jamie Messenger. [opposite top] Looking North from King Mountain to the Lost River range. Photo by Bruce Bousfield. [opposite bottom] Matt Beechinor. Photo by Jamie Messenger. [next page] Wayne launching with Bruce thermaling out front. Photo by Gerry Pesavento.

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

Cade Palmer over the Wasatch | photo by Patrick Kaye

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HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE | STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION, PS Form 3526. 1. Publication Title: Hang Gliding & Paragliding 2. Publication Number: ISSN 1543-5989 3. Filing Date: August 7, 2008 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 12 6. Annual Subscription Price: $52.00 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 1685 West Uintah, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado 80904-2969 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 1685 West Uintah, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado 809042969 9. Full Names and Complete mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc., PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330. Editor & Managing Editor: Nicholas Greece, PO Box 2183, Jackson, WY 83001 10. Owner: United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc., 1685 West Uintah, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado 80904-2969. 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None.

12. Tax Status. The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publication Title: Hang Gliding & Paragliding 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data below: August 2008. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation 15a. Total Number of Copies: 8,670 Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 months; 8,579 No. copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date. 15b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation. 15b1. Paid/Requested Outside County Mail Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 8,352 ave./issue preceding 12 months; 8,229 for August 2008. 15b2. Paid In-County Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 0 ave./issue preceding 12 months; 0 for August 2008. 15b3. Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution: 0 ave./issue preceding 12 months; 0 for August 2008. 15b4. Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: 54 ave./ issue preceding 12 months; 54 for August 2008. 15c. Total Paid and /or Requested Circulation: 8,406 ave./issue preceding 12 months; 8,283 for August 2008.

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

15d. Free Distribution by Mail 15d1. Outside County as Stated on Form 3541: 0 ave./ issue preceding 12 months; 0 for August 2008. 15d2. In-County as stated on Form 3541: 0 ave./issue preceding 12 months; 0 for August 2008. 15d3. Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: 128 ave./ issue preceding 12 months; 60 for August 2008. 15d4. Free Distribution Outside the Mail: 10 ave./issue preceding 12 months; 10 for August 2008. 15e. Total Free Distribution: 138 ave./issue preceding 12 months; 70 for August 2008. 15f. Total Distribution: 8,544 ave./issue preceding 12 months; 8,353 for August 2008. 15g. Copies not Distributed: 60 ave./issue preceding 12 months; 60 for August 2008. 15h. Total: 8,604 ave./issue preceding 12 months; 8,413 for August 2008. 15i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 98% ave./issue preceding 12 months; 99% for August 2008. 16. Publication of Statement of Ownership will be printed in the October 2008 issue of this publication. 17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. Martin Palmaz, Business Manager, August 1, 2008.

DISPATCH 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 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 809011330. 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) 6328300. 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. BUYERS SHOULD SELECT EQUIPMENT THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR SKILL LEVEL OR RATING. NEW PILOTS SHOULD SEEK PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION FROM A USHPA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR.

Competition 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. PG 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.

HG PG

October 4-6  Owens Valley, California. Southern California XC League; open to both Hang Gliders and Paragliders. Separate tasks run for each discipline. For more info email dean@ usxcleague.com or visit www.usxcleague.com. 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. HG PG NOVEMBER 15-16  Santa Barbara, California. Southern California XC League; open to both Hang Gliders and Paragliders. Separate tasks run for each discipline. For more info email dean@usxcleague.com or visit www.usxcleague. com. HG PG DECEMBER 6-7  Santa Barbara, California. Southern California XC League; open to both Hang Gliders and Paragliders. Separate tasks run for each discipline. For more info email dean@ usxcleague.com or visit www.usxcleague.com.

Fly-Ins HG PG October 9 - October 14  LA SALINA, BAJA Mexico. Third Annual Full-Moon “Fiesto Del Cielo” Fly-in at La Salina Flying Ridge. Intermediate equivalency ( and above) paragliding and hang gliding pilots welcome (others check first). La Salina is Baja’s most diversified airsport venue with various glider launches and LZ’s. Launch from 700’ ridge, located 1⁄2 mile east of Pacific Ocean. Soar for hours, climbing 2000 ft+ in strong thermals, and land on big/beautiful sandy beach, or cross country 30+ miles into wine country. Event sponsored by TEAM FLYLASALINA.com, and Bajabrent who will handle accommodations at his sandy beachfront B & B (complete with carpeted target LZ), or elsewhere. XC comp and flying task competitions Fri-Mon. More information: www. FLYLASALINA.com or www.BAJABRENT.com , or call Bajabrent at 760-203-2658 or 01152-646155-4218 or email bajabrent@msn.com.

clinics, meetings, tours OCTOBER 1 - NOVEMBER 30  Phoenix, Arizona. Fly Arizona with the locals this fall and winter. Improve your thermal and XC skills with a comp pilot Carlos Madureira. Just fly to Sky Harbor in Phoenix and we’ll pick you up at the airport, set up hotel, transfers and full retrieval. Coaching for all you’ll need to fly safely. P2 with strong skills or higher are welcome. More info: www.flyhighparagliding.com, or call (480)266-6969.

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. OctOBER 8-12  Bishop, California. Welcome to the Owens 1. Site intros, thermal and XC coaching. Great time of year for mellow conditions open to strong P2 - P4. FLY THE OWENS VALLEY WITH KARI CASTLE. Three time world champion, umpteen time National Champion pilot in both hang gliding and paragliding. The fall is my favorite time of year for flying the Owens, let me show you around my backyard!! More information: karicastle@telis.net, or (760) 920-0748. October 10-31  Tapalpa, Mexico. Fly south this winter, Tapalpa offers world class, mellow to moderate thermal conditions. Improve your thermal and x-c skills with David Prentice. Lodging,transportation, and guiding included. More information: earthcog@yahoo.com, or (505)720-5436. OctOBER 16-20  Bishop, California. Welcome to the Owens 2. Site intros, thermal and XC coaching. Open to strong P2 to P4. FLY THE OWEN’S VALLEY WITH KARI CASTLE. Three time world champion, umpteen time National Champion pilot in both hang gliding and paragliding. The fall is my favorite time of year for flying the Owen’s, let me show you around my backyard!! More information: karicastle@telis.net, or (760) 920-0748. OCTOBER 23-25  USHPA Board of Directors Meeting. Visit www.ushpa.aero for more info. OctOBER 25-29  Bishop, California. Welcome to the Owens 3. New to thermals and flying XC this is for you. Enjoy some mellower and light XC conditions. FLY THE OWEN’S VALLEY WITH KARI CASTLE. Three time world champion, umpteen time National Champion pilot in both hang gliding and paragliding. The fall is my favorite time of year for flying the Owen’s, let me show you around my backyard!! More information: karicastle@telis.net, or (760) 920-0748. OCTOBER 25 - NOVEMBER 1  Nicaragua. Join Nick Crane and Paracrane for the third annual paragliding tour to Nicaragua. This is the best time of year to fly Nicaragua, a little known and great place to paraglide with tons of potential. You’ll fly beautiful Laguna de Apoyo, near the historic Colonial town of Granada, as well as Mombacho Volcano. This is a trip for experienced pilots comfortable with top landing, small LZ’s and XC flights. More information on this trip and others to Costa Rica: www.paracrane.com, or call (541)840-8587.

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

November 3-17  Iquique, Chile. Paragliding Instructor Clinic with Luis Rosenkjer. Limited positions. Open to basic and advanced paragliding instructor candidates. Contact: info@atlantaparagliding.com, or call (404)931-3793. 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. NOVEMBER 6-25  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 everyday or get money back! Don’t believe us…. check out our program for more details! www.paraglidingtrips. com. November 7-9  Florida. East Coast SIV clinic. More information: earthcog@yahoo.com, or (505)720-5436. November 8-16  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. November 10-15  Florida Ridge. First annual East coast X-C team challenge. This event will be based around a X-C clinic to help pilots improve thermal, and X-C skills. Format: Five pilot teams will be formed to compete in classic task and open distance tasks. Each team will have an experienced mentor pilot. This is a tow launch event. Limit if 50 pilots. More information: earthcog@yahoo.com, or (505)720-5436. NovEMBER 8-15 &/or NovEMBER 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.

December 5 - January 16  Valle De Bravo, Mexico. Fly south this winter! Improve your thermal and X-C skills with David Prentice World Class El Penon site, which is the launch for the 2009 world championships. Lodging, transportation, and guiding Included. More information: earthcog@yahoo.com, or (505)720-5436. FLEX WINGS EVEN-UP TRADES - Looking for a different glider, but can’t put up cash? (262)-473-8800 www.hanggliding. com FALCONS, EAGLES, SPECTRUMS, PULSES - Wide variety of gliders for sale, inspected & test flown. (262)473-8800, www.hanggliding.com WW SUPER SPORT 153 - One owner. Never crashed - not even a downtube. Flies great. $1000 OBO. 541479-6289

PARACHUTES INSPECTED RESERVE PARACHUTES - For HG or PG $199 & up. Quantums and LARAs from $499. Some trades accepted. (262)473-8800, www.hanggliding. com

BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT NORTH WING DESIGN - is accepting applications for metal shop/wing and trike airframe mechanic. Also accepting applications for sail maker and sewing machine operator. Send App. To: 3904 airport way, E. Wenatchee, Wa. 98802 or Fax 509-886-3435 (www.northwing. com)

HARNESSES HARNESSES - All sizes. Trainers $99 & up. Cocoons $125 & up. Pods $200 & up. Some trades accepted. (262)473-8800, www.hanggliding.com .

SCHOOLS & DEALERS

USHGA stickers in

USHPA limited supply so...

Stock up!

Order online at www.ushpa.aero/store or call 800-616-6888

ALABAMA ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 20 years of experience, top instructors, top pilots and very consistent weather conditions all year around, make us your best choice on the east coast. www.atlantaparagliding.com (404) 9313793 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.

November 21-23  Florida. East Coast SIV clinic. More information: earthcog@yahoo.com, or (505)720-5436. October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

CALIFORNIA AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING - Year-round excellent instruction, Southern California & Baja. Powered paragliding, clinics, tours, tandem, towing. Ken Baier (760)-7532664, airjunkies.com. 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. THE HANG GLIDING CENTER - PO Box 151542, San Diego CA 92175, (619)-265-5320.

6020

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.

CONNECTICUT PLANET PARAGLIDING - New York City Area Finest Instruction. Come fly with us. Beginner through Advanced Instruction. Best prices on new gear. Bill (203) 2063896, www.PlanetParaglidingTours.com.

FLORIDA ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 20 years of experience, top instructors, top pilots and very consistent weather conditions all year around, make us your best choice on the east coast. www.atlantaparagliding.com (404) 9313793 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. 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, stateof-the-art. F.H.G. INC., flying Florida since 1974

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

GEORGIA

MICHIGAN

ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 20 years of experience, top instructors, top pilots and very consistent weather conditions all year around, make us your best choice on the east coast. www.atlantaparagliding.com (404) 9313793

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.

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, 877hanglide, (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

TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLIDERS Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450’ sand dunes. Full-time shop. Certified instruction, beginner to advanced. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. Visa/MasterCard. 1509 E 8th, Traverse City MI 49684. Offering powered paragliding. Call Bill at (231)922-2844, tchangglider@chartermi.net. Your USA & Canada Mosquito distributor. www.mosquitoamerica. com.

NEW YORK

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.

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,

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.

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.

INDIANA CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - See Cloud 9 in Michigan

MAINE DOWNEAST AIRSPORTS - paragliding & hang gliding instruction using tandems & scooter towing for easy safe learning. Quality equipment sales. www.downeastairsports.com, in _ a _ cloud@hotmail.com, Marc (207)244-9107.

MARYLAND HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS - Baltimore and DC’s fulltime flight park: tandem instruction, solo aerotows and equipment sales and service. We carry Aeros, Airwave, Flight Design, Moyes, Wills Wing, High Energy Sports, Flytec and more. Two 115-HP Dragonfly tugs. Open fields as far as you can see. Only 1 to 1.5 hours from Rehoboth Beach, Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia. Come Fly with US! (410)-634-2700, Fax (410)-6342775, 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, Flytec & Moyes

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. PLANET PARAGLIDING - New York City Area Finest Instruction. Come fly with us. Beginner through Advanced instruction. Best prices on new gear. Bill (203) 2063896, www.PlanetParaglidingTours.com. SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK COOPERSTOWN NY - 40 acre flight park. 160’ training hill with rides up. 600’ ridge-large LZ. Specializing in first mountain flights. Dan Guido mailing address 293 Shoemaker Rd Mohawk Ny 13407 Home (315)-866-6153 cell (315)-867-8011 dguido@dfamilk.com

NORTH CAROLINA ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 20 years of experience, top instructors, top pilots and very consistent weather conditions all year around, make us your best choice on the east coast. www.atlantaparagliding.com (404) 9313793 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)-4412426, 1-877-FLY-THIS, www.kittyhawk.com

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

OHIO

INTERNATIONAL

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - See Cloud 9 in Michigan

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

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.

SOUTH CAROLINA ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 20 years of experience, top instructors, top pilots and very consistent weather conditions all year around, make us your best choice on the east coast. www.atlantaparagliding.com (404) 9313793

TENNESSEE ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 20 years of experience, top instructors, top pilots and very consistent weather conditions all year around, make us your best choice on the east coast. www.atlantaparagliding.com (404) 9313793

for Airfoil

WHEELS

Basetubes

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)-2360031, 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.

Raven Hang Gliding LLC (262) 473-8800 www.hanggliding.com

UTAH 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.

COSTA RICA - Grampa Ninja’s Paragliders’ B&C (Bed And Coffee). Rooms, and/or guide service and transportation. Lessons available from USHPA certified instructors. Open January thru April. If enough interest, December. USA: 908-454-3242. Costa Rica: 506-2664-6833 www.paraglidecostarica.com 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

PARTS & ACCESSORIES 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 CRITTERMOUNTAINWEAR.COM - is your one stop website for paraglider equipment and accessories. You can find a full line of backpacks, stuff tarps, flight suits, clothing, GPS and vario holders, flight decks, ballast containers, radio holders, tow bridals, windsocks, boots, helmets, hook knives, varios, wind speed meters and much, much more. Everything you need to have the ultimate day flying your paraglider. Critter Mountain Wear also imports and distributes lightweight wings and harnesses from Nervures. 1-800-686-9327 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) 641-9315, orders 1-866-238-2305.

WASHINGTON

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)-7950421, MC/Visa accepted, www.mallettec.com.

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

OXYGEN SYSTEMS – MH-XCR-180 operates to 18,000 ft., weighs only 4 lbs. System includes cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula, and remote on/off flowmeter. $450.00. 1(800)468-8185

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

TANDEM LANDING GEAR - Rascal(tm) brand by Raven. Simply the best. New & used. (262)473-8800, www.hanggliding.com WHEELS FOR AIRFOIL BASETUBES - Moyes/Airborne and Wills Wing compatible. (262)473-8800, www.hanggliding.com

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. GEAR STOLEN FROM MEXICAN PILOT IN MEXICO NIVIUK HOOK XXS (45-65Kg) wing, in orange and white, s/n C20664, and an Ava Sport XS harnes, in blue and black. The reserve is a Firebird R5 S; I don’t have the serial number of these last two. If this equipment is found, contact me pupitetris@yahoo.com or her directly: Vinda Levy, vindalev@yahoo.com +52(312)3097665

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.

MISCELLANEOUS ATTENTION PILOTS! Bamboo Chutes recycles grounded paragliders and parachutes into enviro friendly tote bags. We pay shipping and send you a tote! 541301-3101 or info@bamboochutes.com

Carson Klein over the Wasatch | photo by Patrick Kaye

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.

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. HANG GLIDING INSTRUMENT FOUND on Tennessee Tree Topper site. Identify for return. JamesPAnde@aol. com

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

HANG GLIDING

RTNG REGN NAME

CITY

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 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-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-2 H-2

Lynnwood Seattle Fresno Daly City Stateline Beaumont Simi Valley Pomona Culver City Wolf Creek Farmington Northville Naperville Biddieford New Britain Dracut Woodbine New Springfield Chesapeake York Olive Branch Southern Shores Kill Devil Hills Nags Head Kill Devil Hills Charlotte Sebring Wildwood Andersonville Chapel Hill Smyrna Ballground Trenton Harrisburg Cleveland Atlanta Beacon Syacuse Rochester Lyndonville Rochester Tarrytown Ithaca Cazenovia Schenectady Seattle Carson City Sunnyvale Fresno Fresno Milpitas Beaumont Simi Valley Corrales Salt Lake City Wolf Creek Farmington Northville Naperville Hanover Biddieford Winchester Ellicott City York Olive Branch Sebring Wildwood Andersonville Smyrna Ballground Trenton Harrisburg Cleveland

WA WA CA CA NV CA CA CA CA MT MN MI IL ME CT MA MD OH VA PA MS NC NC NC NC NC FL GA TN NC TN GA GA NC TN GA NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY WA NV CA CA CA CA CA CA NM UT MT MN MI IL NH ME VA MD PA MS FL GA TN TN GA GA NC TN

1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 7 7 7 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

Gavin Clifford Warren Patterson James Henson Ganz Sauco Jessica Williamson David Boggs William Grossman Huy Anh Tran Charles Gliden A Gene Meyers James Banks John Souther Chris Hughes Michael Appel Micah Beckman Yan Tran Christopher Lewis Katherine Phillips Dustin Conley Andrew Prats Scott Matherne Bryan Strong David Broyles Ingrid Hale Robert Morrell Nichole Haake Antonio Maurao Jesse Cayce James Romer Miro Samek Nelson Willis Cody Valentine Michael Kemmler Osama Idlibi Michael Glasgow Colin Dupee Jonathan Clark Darrick May Alex Mykyta Caitlin Johnson Brian Vogel James Donovan Harris Jones Jordan Gianfonte Timothy Higgins, Jr Warren Patterson Michael Freed Ben Curren Robert Fleshman James Henson Peter Mu David Boggs William Grossman Ed Gerber John Glime A Gene Meyers James Banks John Souther Chris Hughes Stacy Patterson Michael Appel Charles Okeeffe Iii Bob Filipchuk Andrew Prats Scott Matherne Antonio Maurao Jesse Cayce James Romer Nelson Willis Cody Valentine Michael Kemmler Osama Idlibi Michael Glasgow

Michael Jefferson Gordon Cayce Dan Fleming Arturo Melean Patrick Denevan John Heiney Chad Bastian, Flyaboveall Lynden Vazquez Dr Lawrence Mace Alan Paylor Diana Koether Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Thomas Baumann Edward Germain Edward Germain Andy Torrington Thomas Baumann Andy Torrington Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Andy Torrington Thomas Baumann Thomas Baumann Thomas Baumann Andy Torrington Malcolm Jones Gordon Cayce Diana Koether Christopher Bodin Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Steven Prepost Henry Boessl Henry Boessl Henry Boessl Henry Boessl James Louis Donovan Greg Black Daniel Guido Daniel Guido Gordon Cayce Alex Cuddy Patrick Denevan Robert Soares Dan Fleming Patrick Denevan John Heiney Chad Bastian, Flyaboveall Lawrence West Thomas Webster Alan Paylor Diana Koether Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Steven Prepost Andy Torrington Steve Wendt Paul Venesky Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Malcolm Jones Gordon Cayce Diana Koether Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero

R A T

RTNG REGN NAME

CITY

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

RTNG REGN NAME

CITY

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

Atlanta Irving Pompton Lakes Syacuse Rochester Rochester Ithaca Milpitas San Francisco Shafter Wasco Denver Phoenix Stillwater Pacific Pelham Richmond Raleigh Rising Fawn Sebring New Egypt Val Morin Qc Woodinville Hillsboro Scio Hillsboro Pleasanton San Jose Riverside Cherry Valley Richmond

GA TX NJ NY NY NY NY CA CA CA CA CO AZ OK MO NH VA NC GA FL NJ

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-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-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-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-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

North Bend WA Entiat WA Los Altos CA Monterey CA Monterey CA Livermore CA Silver Strand Beach CA Manhattan Beack CA San Diego CA Corona CA Bishop CA Mammoth Lakes CA Venice CA Venice CA Goleta CA Santa Barbara CA Santa Barbara CA Midvale UT Tempe AZ Santa Fe NM Denver CO Golden CO Deming NM Logan UT Sandy UT Telluride CO Draper UT Salt Lake City UT Farmington UT Telluride CO Provo UT Sheridan WY Idaho Falls ID Milwaukee WI Lombard IL Framingham MA Boston MA Dallas TX New York NY Edmonton, Ab Seattle WA Portland OR Puyallup WA Bellingham WA Cupertino CA Merced CA Encinitas CA Sherman Oaks CA San Diego CA Laguna Beach CA Tempe AZ Aspen CO Boulder CO Riverton UT Fayetteville AR Riverwoods IL Glenview IL Milton VT Lehew WV Austin TX Round Rouck TX Irving TX Anchorage AK Portland OR Palo Alto CA Moorpark CA Salt Lake City UT Glenwood Springs CO Oxford CT Sunrise FL Warrenton OR

10 11 12 12 12 12 12 2 2 3 3 4 4 6 6 8 9 10 10 10 12 13 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 8

Colin Dupee Jon Spencer William Becher Darrick May Alex Mykyta Brian Vogel Harris Jones Scott Pierce Vann Pelham Pete Plumb Roberto Hernandez Rick Maddy Jeff Johnson Travis Hall Kent Harman Douglas Hirsch Christopher Bodin Johnathon Bland George Brisson Antonio Maurao Richard Bryant Catherine Gagnon Paul Dees Robert Stephens Russell Vanlandingham Roone Maier Armand Petersen Randolph Tribe Richard Eunice Alan Crouse Dean Slocum

WA OR OR OR CA CA CA CA VT

Gordon Cayce David Broyles Bryon Estes Henry Boessl Henry Boessl Henry Boessl Greg Black Michael Jefferson Michael Jefferson Daniel Zink Mike Butler Mark Windsheimer Kevin Kennedy H Bruce Weaver Iii Daniel Zink Jeffrey Nicolay H Bruce Weaver Iii Andy Torrington Daniel Zink Malcolm Jones Paul Voight Daniel Zink Russell Gelfan Raymond Berger Raymond Berger Raymond Berger Eric Mies Eves Tall Chief Daniel Zink Rob Mckenzie Gary Trudeau

PARAGLIDING RTNG REGN NAME

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-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-1 P-1 P-1 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2

Bellevue San Mateo Santa Cruz Sunnyvale Oakland Menlo Park Davis Monterey Monterey Livermore San Diego Corona Kahalui Santa Barbara Midvale Santa Fe Deming Logan Telluride Laveen Draper Farmington Greenwood Village Telluride Provo Sheridan Milwaukee Champions Gate Dallas New York Somerset Snoqualmie Girdwood Redmond Bellingham Seattle Camas Camas

WA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA HI CA UT NM NM UT CO AZ UT UT CO CO UT WY WI FL TX NY

1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 7 10 11 12 13 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hiroshi Yamasaki Justin Maccallum John Peterson Sylvain Florand Derek Calhoon Olivier Bernard Gary Lloyd T Berkley White Jessica Wheeler Nathan Perry Kevin Sullivan Craig Mason William Von Blohn Stephen Mclaughlin David Elliott Van Baehr Joe Herrera Paul Mortenson Donald Hannah Jr Dave Lynch Brian Trick Ron Carter Erik Mulder Conrad Snyder Eldon Lee Eric Holifield Moises Romero Adrian Dybwad James Overton Sam Sokolovsky Alan Callow Martin Hill Jennifer Messick Joshua Harbick Rebecca Peace Casey Veranth Joe Stermitz Andrew Stermitz

WA AK OR WA WA WA WA

Steven Wilson Jeffrey Greenbaum Wallace Anderson Jeffrey Greenbaum Jeffrey Greenbaum Jeffrey Greenbaum Joe Daryle Cruz Rob Sporrer Rob Sporrer Jonathan Jefferies Roy Zaleski Rob Mckenzie David Binder Rob Sporrer Ken Hudonjorgensen T Lee Kortsch T Lee Kortsch Stephen Mayer Ryan Taylor Rob Von Zabern Mike Steen Kevin Hintze Granger Banks Ryan Taylor Jonathan Jefferies Kay Tauscher Kevin Hintze Adrian Witcomb Mike Steen Philippe Renaudin Murat Tuzer Steven Wilson Peter Gautreau Kevin Lee Denise Reed John Kraske Denise Reed Douglas Stroop

1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 7 7 8 8 11 12 13 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 6 7 7 8 9 11 11 11 1 1 2 3 4 4 8 10 1

Rebecca Knowlen Ryan Mcdonald Spencer Arton T Berkley White Jessica Wheeler Nathan Perry Robert Anderson Chris Nash Kevin Sullivan Craig Mason Nils Davis Nikilaus Schuhl Lauren Glick Kevin Hanson Jeff Chasney Michael Paul Stephen Mclaughlin David Elliott Kimberly Shelton Van Baehr Mike Benzie Jim Schwendeman Joe Herrera Paul Mortenson John James Donald Hannah Jr Brian Trick James Woods Ron Carter Conrad Snyder Eldon Lee Eric Holifield Reston Condit Moises Romero Eric Coronado Paulo Gusman Alex Hornstein James Overton Sam Sokolovsky Doug Scott Francisco Henriquez Shannon Olivarez Ted Shepard Brett Kerin Dudi Shmueli Joshua Marks Kamyar Haghani Dietrich Schuhl Alan Peterson Brian Jacobs Stephen Donnelly Josh Frank Kevin Kohler Nicholas Hintze Paul Condron Rafal Jakubek Vladimir Gedgafov Kristopher Emery Ronald Hott Vikram Doddi Willis Akin Jon Spencer Wil Brown Chester Lindgren Juan Dobovsek Robb Milley Becky Miller Viktor Fedorov Bill Lockwood Luis Ameglio Maren Ludwig

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

Denise Reed Stefan Mitrovich Jeffrey Greenbaum Rob Sporrer Rob Sporrer Jonathan Jefferies Kevin Mcginley Kevin Mcginley Roy Zaleski Rob Mckenzie Kari Castle Kevin Mcginley Kevin Mcginley Kevin Mcginley Kevin Mcginley Kevin Mcginley Rob Sporrer Ken Hudonjorgensen Chandler Papas T Lee Kortsch Granger Banks Granger Banks T Lee Kortsch Stephen Mayer Cade Palmer Ryan Taylor Mike Steen Ryan Taylor Kevin Hintze Ryan Taylor Jonathan Jefferies Kay Tauscher Chris Santacroce Kevin Hintze John Kraske Jeffrey Nicolay Kevin Mcginley Mike Steen Philippe Renaudin Kevin Mcginley Stefan Mitrovich Kelly Kellar Lan Chirico Delvin Crabtree Jeffrey Greenbaum Kevin Mcginley Steve Stackable Kevin Mcginley Steve Stackable Marcello De Barros Carlos Madureira David Frank Granger Banks Kevin Hintze Ron Kohn Ken Hudonjorgensen Rob Sporrer Rick Higgins Elisabeth Kim David Prentice David Prentice David Broyles William Ross Brad Hill Juan Laos Robert Peloquin Chris Santacroce Etienne Pienaar Sander Koyfman David Prentice Ken Hudonjorgensen

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BOOKS | FILMS | APPAREL

UNITED STATES HANG GLIDI

2009 HG & PG CALENDARS | $15.00 We racked our brains (ouch!) to pick the sexiest photos for your 2009 USHPA calendars. But that wasn't enough. We also unearthed an ancient system for figuring out which day it is - this amazing find is called the "Gregorian System" and it rocks! Be sure to pre-order your paragliding or hang gliding version today. Completely redesigned and sweeter than ever. Supplies are non-infinite, order now. THERMAL FLYING | $52.95

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October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | 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

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E! L A S

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 hurt. It's fun!

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44 11 80 16 43 20 10 2 44 24 74 6 48 9 19 66 79 20 49 21 18 5

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72 71 69 70 70 69 72 71 70 72 69 71

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.

PERFORMANCE FLYING DVD | $42.95 Join Jocky Sanderson for one of the best master classes out there. Learn to thermal smarter, have more fun and sample French wingovers. "Light in zee seat, heavy in zee brake..."

Brad Sander | Gear Guide | HG World Record

Of Grasses and Weeds

year ago, I was a science teacher. I taught middle school for ten years, and during that time, I considered it my greatest challenge to get young kids to open their eyes, to look at the world, and to at least question what they were looking at. Often, I failed. Enticing kids to look past the screens on their ipods or cell phones was a very tough assignment, but then, any teacher thrives on those relatively few “Aha!” moments when a kid wakes up long enough to say, “Wow. That’s cool.” before losing him/herself, again, in the latest Miley video. Personally, even though I am no longer teaching, I continue to look, to question, to try to explain what I see. I live on five acres that are tucked neatly into the middle of the woods. About a third of my property is in grass, most of which I refuse to mow. On this particular day I was trekking through the property on my way to split a stack of wood, and I made the most interesting observation about grass and dandelions. I noticed that in the grassy area that I don’t mow, where the grass is at least a foot tall, the dandelions were HUGE! I’m not talking about the flowers, but their bases. Those leaves were long and broad; the diameter of a single dandelion was easily ten inches. They blanketed the roots of the grass and smothered it like flat predators with green bodies and yellow eyes that swayed with the winds. I theorized that the dandelions had assumed a mission in life--to overtake the grass, and if possible, wipe it out. I easily tested that theory, and yes, I know that this isn’t truly scientific. When I pulled

those huge dandelions out of the ground by their roots, what was left was an equally huge bare spot where the grass had once been thick. I interpreted this as evidence that the weeds were, in fact, taking over the grass, choking it out of existence. Interestingly, I also noticed that adjacent to those giant weeds were other dandelions of the same species that grew in the shorter, mowed grass. These, however, remained miniature: very low to the ground, very small, three inches in diameter instead of ten, but thriving none the less. These did not have to kill the grass, but simply shared space with the grass. I pondered, “Why? What caused the size difference between these dandelions of the same species?” I answered my own question with one word—competition. It appears to me that the huge dandelions grew to monstrous proportions because they had to compete with the taller grasses. Ultimately, if those big dandelions were to continue living, they had to beat out the taller grass. They had to steal the sunlight, soak up more water, blanket the grass to keep it from growing. Basically, they had to win. And in order to win, they had to become larger, more powerful, more aggressive competitors. Those dandelions that lived in the shorter grass remained smaller because they did not have to compete in order to survive. They could gather all the sun and water they needed without having to win. They had no competitors, no competition, and therefore, no reason to grow bigger, faster, fatter. Being a good science teacher, I like to apply what I see to life, so I started to think. Is competition something that makes us humans bigger, better, badder? Where would Ford be without Chevy, or for that matter, Toyota? Where would Gates be without Jobs? In the world of foot-launch pilots where would any of our

Photo by Nate Nibs

By Steve Messman

world champions be if it weren’t for those coming in second—this week? Is it a fact that competitors serve to make those who compete more competitive? Is it true that those who compete in earnest work harder and try harder than the rest of us because they compete? Do they challenge themselves more? Expand their envelope beyond normal (some would say sane) limits? If top competitors weren’t in it to win, would they strive to set new records? Go farther? Loop infinitely plus one? Scream down a mountainside at ninety miles per hour, or faster if the other pilot is already doing 91? Is a competitor one who thrives at his/her peak simply because someone else is close on their heels? Is it the competition? Or, is it the win? Like a lot of science teachers, my favorite answer to such questions is, “I don’t know. That looks like something you might spend time on to figure out.” Today, I don’t have answers, just questions. The only thing I know for certain is--I fly in the short grass.

October 2008 | Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero