APRIL 2014 Volume 44 Issue 4 $6.95
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
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ON THE COVER, Lockout! Recovered
successfully | photo by Ben Dunn. MEANWHILE, Paul Voight in Yosemite, California.
WARNING
YEARS
Hang gliding and paragliding are INHERENTLY DANGEROUS activities. USHPA recommends pilots complete a pilot training program under the direct supervision of a USHPA-certified instructor, using safe equipment suitable for your level of experience. Many of the articles and photographs in the magazine depict advanced maneuvers being performed by experienced, or expert, pilots. These maneuvers should not be attempted without the prerequisite instruction and experience.
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine is published for footlaunched 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.
ADVERTISING ALL ADVERTISING AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MUST BE
SUBMISSIONS HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine welcomes
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1543-5989) (USPS 17970) is
editorial submissions from our members and readers. All submissions of articles, artwork, photographs and or ideas for articles, artwork and photographs are made pursuant to and are subject to the USHPA Contributor's Agreement, a copy of which can be obtained from the USHPA by emailing the editor at editor@ushpa.aero or online at www.ushpa. aero. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit all contributions. 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 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.
published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc., 1685 W. Uintah St., Colorado Springs, CO 80904, (719) 6328300, FAX (719) 632-6417. PERIODICAL postage is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices.
SENT TO USHPA HEADQUARTERS IN COLORADO SPRINGS. All advertising is subject to the USHPA Advertising Policy, a copy of which may be obtained from the USHPA by emailing advertising@ushpa.aero.
POSTMASTER Send change of address to:
Martin Palmaz, Publisher executivedirector@ushpa.aero Nick Greece, Editor editor@ushpa.aero Greg Gillam, Art Director art.director@ushpa.aero
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
C.J. Sturtevant, Copy Editor copy@ushpa.aero
COPYRIGHT Copyright (c) 2014 United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc., All Rights Reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc.
Staff Writers Christina Ammon, Dennis Pagen, C.J. Sturtevant Ryan Voight
Advertising advertising@ushpa.aero
Staff Photographers John Heiney, Jeff Shapiro
APRIL 2014 FLIGHT PLAN
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PILOT BRIEFINGS
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ASSOCIATION
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AIRWAVES
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CLOUDBASE
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CENTERFOLD
34
RATINGS
58
CALENDAR
60
CLASSIFIED
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THE 1
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20 Vivere la Vita Alta
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Dick Heckman Profile of a Hang Gliding Icon
Live the high life in Italy.
by C.J. Sturtevant
by COLIN FARGHER 18
Thermal Coring Maximizing Lift
by Ken Hudonjorgensen
28 Red Bull X-Alps
36
HG401 Advanced Techniques Variable Geometry
Reflecting on 2013.
by Ryan Voight
by TEAM USA1 50
The Cloud Lady Where is She Now?
by Andy Pag
40 Get Ready for Multi-class
54
Thinking Outside the Blocks PartVI: Finding Lift Lines
The world championships come to Annecy, all at once.
by CLAUDIA MEJIA
by Dennis Pagen
Make memories. Don’t dream them.
500 West Blueridge Ave . Orange, CA 92865 . 1.714.998.6359 . WillsWing.com
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HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
FLIGHT PLAN A
s spring arrives, the USHPA will be celebrating its 40th year—an impressive milestone that has witnessed significant change, technological advancements, organizational growth, and the addition of a new sport to our organization, as well as many other historic moments. Throughout this banner year, the magazine hopes to highlight stories on where we’ve come from, where we are, and where we are going. If you have any knowledge of the development, history, or functions of the organization you would like to see featured, please notify us and send it in! The April issue starts with a profile of Dick Heckman, a USHPA member, Board of Director, and pilot who has worked tirelessly for free flight, both locally and nationally, since the mid 70’s. Heckman has done more than anyone to ensure that USHPA members are regulated fairly by the FAA. Because of Dick’s dedication to our organization, Rich Hass presented him with the Presidential Award for Outstanding Lifetime Service this year. David Royer reports from the increasingly popular Northern California Free Flight Festival that highlights hang gliding and paragliding, as well as other aerial sports, in the Bay Area. Christina Ammon introduces us to a new program from the Cloudbase Foundation that aims to create site ambassadors who help visiting pilots in exchange for a possible donation to the organization. The ultimate goal is to provide financial assistance to children in locations where we fly.
left
Ken Hudonjorgenson sends in a “Zenlike” piece on how to better core a thermal, while Colin Fargher reports from Italy, where he has found amazing sites from which to base a flying adventure. Honza Rejmanek has raced in the Redbull X-Alps four times over the last eight years, making it further than ever last year. Although he fell a bit short of Monaco, Honza was a hero for the USA! He and his superb team, Jesse Williams and Luis Rosenkejer, give us first person accounts of their sometimes harrowing adventure. Ryan Voight and Dennis Pagen are back with new installments on the hang gliding educational front, and Claudia Mejia reports from Annecy, France, the site of the next multi-class World Championships. Andy Pag caught up with the renowned Ewa Wisnierska many years after she and another pilot flew into a massive cumulus cloud and got sucked up to 32,850 feet. Her fellow pilot was not as lucky as Ewa. His body was found miles away several hours later, after having been struck by lightning. Ewa is still flying; she makes her living teaching others to fly in Germany, but her all-out philosophy has changed. The USHPA organization and its members have accumulated an amazing 40 years of flying, adventure, fun, camaraderie, and friends. Here’s to 40 more!
Photo by Matjaz Klemencic.
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
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PILOT BRIEFINGS
EAGLE CREEK
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solid line of innovative travel luggage
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releasing the controls in turbulent air.
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POWERPOT V PowerPot® V, a resilient thermoelectric generator, instantly converts heat into electrical power, keeping your devices charged around the campfire. There has been a recent trend in the outdoor industry toward creating devices that can charge a plethora of phones and other necessary electrical items while camping. One great, and green, solution is using hot water! Powerpot is a leader in this field and a solid option for bivy pilots, or weekend fly-ins where plug-in power is limited. The lightweight pot emits 5 watts of on-demand power—simply add water and place on any heat source (including open flame). It is equipped with standard USB (5V) port and a three-foot flame-resistant cable. The solid-state voltage regulator provides enough power to also run speakers, lights, fans and other low-power USB appliances. More information at www.thepowerpot.com.
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HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
Martin Palmaz, Executive Director executivedirector@ushpa.aero Beth Van Eaton Operations Manager & Advertising office@ushpa.aero advertising@ushpa.aero Eric Mead, System Administrator tech@ushpa.aero Ashley Miller, Membership Coordinator membership@ushpa.aero Julie Spiegler, Program Manager programs@ushpa.aero
USHPA OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Rich Hass, President president@ushpa.aero Ken Grubbs, Vice President vicepresident@ushpa.aero
NEW 777 GLIDERS Chicago Paragliding, importer for
there are light versions in 17, 19 and
777 Gliders, reports the release of
21m, with the 19m weighing only 2.8kg.
the Pawn, an EN-A glider with easy
777 Gliders also released a speed wing
launching qualities, and the Queen, a
called the Skewer in size 13 and 15. For
high-end EN-C glider. The Pawn comes
more information go to www.chicago-
in 24, 27 and 30m. For hike-and-fly
paragliding.com .
2015 is the year of YOU. SEND US YOUR CALENDAR PHOTOS.
Bill Bolosky, Secretary secretary@ushpa.aero Mark Forbes, Treasurer treasurer@ushpa.aero
REGION 1: Rich Hass, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Jugdeep Aggarwal, Josh Cohn, Jon James. REGION 3: Corey Caffrey, Dan DeWeese, Alan Crouse. REGION 4: Bill Belcourt, Ken Grubbs. REGION 5: Josh Pierce. REGION 6: David Glover. REGION 7: Paul Olson. REGION 8: Michael Holmes. REGION 9: Felipe Amunategui, Larry Dennis. REGION 10: Bruce Weaver, Steve Kroop, Matt Taber. REGION 11: David Glover. REGION 12: Paul Voight. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Ryan Voight, Bill Bolosky, Steve Rodrigues, Dennis Pagen, Jamie Shelden. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR: Art Greenfield (NAA). The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Inc. (USHPA) 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. For change of address or other USHPA business call (719) 632-8300, or email info@ushpa.aero.
Because you're awesome!
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.
Go to www.ushpa.aero/calendarproject.asp for details. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
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ASSOCIATION Dick Heckman
Profile of a Hang Gliding Icon
“Hang gliding builds the best pilots. We experience risk management second by second. General aviation pilots don’t do that.” ~ Dick Heckman by C.J. Sturtevant
O
ctogenarian hang glider pilot Dick Heckman has been immersed in the world of flight for more decades than most of us have been walking this earth, much less flying above it! And our ability to continue flying our hang gliders and paragliders in this age of increasing regulation has much to do with Dick’s willingness to maintain constant vigilance of the entities that could potentially legislate us out of the sky. To show an appropriate level of appreciation for those many years of service to the free-flight community, USHPA president Rich Hass named Dick the 2013 recipient of USHPA’s highest award, the Presidential Citation. Just in case you haven’t been paying attention to what this retired NASA engineer and former aquanaut has been up to since the 1970s, when he first encountered hang gliding, here’s a brief, highly condensed synopsis. If you’re too young to have experienced
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Dick readies for launch. BOTTOM At the recent USHPA Board of Directors meeting. RIGHT Just another day at the office for a USHPA legend. LEFT TOP
first-hand the drama and excitement of our country’s early space explorations, a Google search on any of the project names will fill you in more than adequately. Dick graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1956 with a BS in industrial engineering, then promptly entered military service for the next four years. Then, as a civilian, he was project engineer for a number of rocket-related projects in the space-focused 1960s, and provided engineering support to NASA for many of the projects of the ‘60s and early ‘70s. Skylab, the first US space station, relied heavily on Dick’s expertise; he was responsible for all the zerogravity simulation testing for Skylab’s EVA equipment, and was one of the developers of those underwater simulations for zero gravity that we’ve all seen on the Discovery Channel. Dick’s interest in extending the boundaries of our nation’s frontiers reached both up into deep space and down into the depths of the oceans. He was a major participant in underwater research projects, e.g. as a backup crewman and mission capcom on the Gulf Stream Drift Mission, and as habitat engineer of Tektite. The data and the understandings
gleaned from these submarine environments were directly applicable to the restricted and hazardous environments encountered by the Skylab astronauts. Starting in 1974, Dick was the assistant chief of the crew station support team for the three Skylab Missions. When Skylab’s meteoroid shield was ripped off just after launch, Dick served as a primary member of the team that designed the equipment that saved the Skylab mission. Dick’s expertise and ingenuity contributed to the success of these EVAs, proving man’s ability in to work in deep space and zero gravity, and leading directly to the assembly methods for the International Space Station. In between Skylab missions, Dick was involved in the early development of the Hubble Space Telescope, in particular the equipment and methods for the planned changeout of scientific instru-
ments with over 750 pounds of mass. Even though weight is not a factor in zero-gravity environments, you still have to deal with inertia! Dick was not an “all work and no play” kind of guy, though— prior to becoming involved in hang gliding in 1974, he was active in and held elected and appointed positions with the Sports Car Club of America (he raced MGs and a Formula Junior from 1958 to 1964) and the US Ski Association. He started skiing in the Smokies in the 1960s when skiing opened up there, and was an avid skier and, eventually, a certified associate ski instructor. Dick credits his 30 years of teaching skiing for many of the insights and techniques that he (along with Dennis Pagen and Keith Nichols) included in the hang gliding ICP (instructor certification program) that he helped develop. He’s also a skilled general
aviation and glider pilot, and a former certified flight instructor with multiengine, instrument and glider ratings. Coming from all that aviationrelated background, it’s not hard to imagine why Dick was captivated with the new sport of hang gliding when he first encountered it up close in early 1975. He’d seen a hang glider the previous year—Jeff Jobe, flying one of his Jobe kites, had skimmed above the ski slope, as his 4:1 glide didn’t allow him to get high enough to fly over the trees. Jeff passed over Dick’s head, but, as fate would have it, the two did not interact. But the next year, the winter of 1974-75, while Dick was skiing at Snowmass in Colorado, John Totman landed his Seagull 5 near where Dick was waiting in the lift line. The two struck up a conversation, and Dick was hooked. Two weeks later he was
in California taking lessons, and soon ordered his first wing, a Seagull 3. By 1977 Dick, now a H-4 pilot, had progressed to a Seagull 7. He was living and working in Huntsville, Alabama, close enough to the famous Raccoon Mountain in Georgia, where he often made 13 flights in a day using the cable car for access to launch. During his years in Huntsville, Dick opened three hang gliding sites, one of which is still being used. Given the depth of Dick’s involvement in every other endeavor in his life, it should come as no surprise that he quickly became passionate about hang gliding—and that he’s retained that passion through the past four decades, holding both elected and appointed positions in the USHGA/ USHPA. He became a USHGA regional director in the mid-’70s and served on the USHGA BOD (in-
cluding a term as USHGA president in 1985) until he accepted a job in Germany in 1989. He was appointed the USHGA representative to CIVL in 1979 and held that position also until he moved to Germany. Dick was instrumental in developing the first IPPI card program—a worldwide standard of pilot proficiency—at the CIVL meeting in Brazil in 1989. He’s also served as meet steward at world championships for both hang gliding and paragliding. When Dick returned to the States, he jumped right back into the business of keeping free-flight options open for US pilots. He took on the chairmanship of USHPA’s Membership and Development committee, conducting phone surveys of lapsed members to learn why they’d dropped out of flying, and of instructors to learn their perception of how
Year Year Year after after after year, year, year, working working working for for for you you you Year Year after after year, year, working working for for youyou Mt. Mt. Howard, Mt. Howard, Howard, OR OR — OR — NPS — NPS NPS Biological Biological Biological Assessment Assessment Assessment Mt. Howard, Mt. Howard, OR — OR NPS — Biological NPS Biological Assessment Assessment Embreville, Embreville, Embreville, PAPA — PA — Legal — Legal Legal Assistance Assistance Assistance for for LZ for LZLZ Embreville, Embreville, PA — Legal PA — Assistance Legal Assistance for LZ for LZ Mingus Mingus Mingus Mt, Mt, AZ Mt, AZ — AZ — Launch — Launch Launch and and and Campground Campground Campground Mingus Mingus Mt, AZMt, — AZ Launch —Mt, Launch and Campground and Campground King King King Mt, ID Mt, ID —ID — XC — XC Site XC Site Site Guide Guide Guide
FOUNDATION FOUNDATION FOUNDATION FOR FOR FOR FREE FREE FREE FLIGHT FLIGHT FLIGHT FOUNDATION FOUNDATION FOR FOR FREE FREE FLIGHT FLIGHT P.O. P.O. Box P.O. Box 518, Box 518, Dunlap, 518, Dunlap, Dunlap, CACA 93621 CA 93621 93621 888-262-4264 888-262-4264 888-262-4264 www.ushgf.org www.ushgf.org www.ushgf.org
King Mt, King IDHG Mt, — XC ID — Site XC Guide Site Guide HG National HG National National Team Team Team HG National HG National Team Team Meet Meet Meet Director Director Director Training Training Training Meet Director Meet Director Training Training
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P.O. BoxP.O. 518, Box Dunlap, 518, Dunlap, CA 93621 CA 93621 888-262-4264 888-262-4264 www.ushgf.org www.ushgf.org
Point Point Point ofof the of the Mt, the Mt, UT Mt, UT — UT — Permanent — Permanent Permanent Flight Flight Flight Park Park Park Point of Point the of Mt,the UT Mt, — UT Permanent — Permanent Flight Flight Park Park Andy Andy Andy Jackson, Jackson, Jackson, CA CA — CA — Tractor — Tractor Tractor Purchase Purchase Purchase Andy Jackson, Andy Jackson, CA — CA Tractor — Tractor Purchase Purchase Lake Lake Lake Elsinore, Elsinore, Elsinore, CA CA — CA — Legal — Legal Legal Assistance Assistance Assistance Lake Elsinore, Lake Elsinore, CA — CA Legal — Assistance Legal Assistance
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the association was supporting them. Dick stayed on as chair of M&D until 2007, when USHPA chose to do its own LeadGen program. In 2005-06, when USHPA was developing policy regarding powered harnesses, Dick chaired the ad hoc Powered Harness committee. In 2007 he was elected Region 10’s director, and took on the chairmanship of the National Coordinating committee in 2010. During the past couple years, Dick has been instrumental in working with the FAA to ensure that hang gliding and paragliding tow operations are governed under FAR Part 103 as opposed to the more restrictive Part 101 requirements applicable to tethered balloons and parasail operations. Dick’s efforts in monitoring and providing input related to proposed regulations for both NextGen navigation and unmanned aerial systems
(UAS) flight operations is essential in protecting our rights to fly hang gliders and paragliders in an increasingly regulated and crowded sky. Dick presently chairs USHPA's National Coordinating committee, where his primary responsibilities include staying abreast of the regulatory environment affecting the airspace we share. Development of the NextGen satellite navigation systems will replace radar-based systems in 2020 or so, and there is pressure on the FAA to open the skies to drones and UAS. One of USHPA’s most important responsibilities to the membership is monitoring these proposals and taking action as necessary to protect access to the skies for hang gliding and paragliding. The National Coordinating committee, under Dick’s leadership, is charged with this responsibility.
Mt. Mt. Equinox, Mt. Equinox, Equinox, VTVT — VT — Site — Site Site Opening Opening Opening && Ramp Ramp & Ramp Improvements Improvements Improvements Mt. Equinox, Mt. Equinox, VT — Site VT — Opening Site Opening & Ramp & Ramp Improvements Improvements Bidwell Bidwell Bidwell Park, Park, Park, CA CA — CA — Site — Site Site Preservation Preservation Preservation Environmental Environmental Environmental Review Review Review Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Mt, Mt, OK Mt, OK — OK — Launch — Launch Launch && LZLZ &Improvements LZ Improvements Improvements Bidwell Bidwell Park, CA Park, — CA Site — Preservation Site Preservation Environmental Environmental Review Review Buffalo Buffalo Mt, OK Mt, — OK Launch — Launch &Improvements LZImprovements Improvements & LZ Improvements The The The Pulpit, Pulpit, Pulpit, PA PA — PA — Launch — Launch Launch Improvements Lake Lake Lake Elsinore, Elsinore, Elsinore, CA CA — CA — Site — Site Site Preservation Preservation Preservation Legal Legal Legal Assistance Assistance Assistance Pulpit, The Pulpit, PA — Launch PAShower/Restroom — Launch Improvements Improvements Lake Elsinore, Lake Elsinore, CA — CA Site — Preservation SiteImprovements Preservation Legal Assistance Legal Assistance The King King King Mt, Mt, ID Mt, ID —ID — Shower/Restroom — Shower/Restroom Project Project Project Mingus Mingus Mingus Mt, Mt, AZ Mt, AZ — AZ — PG — PG Launch PG Launch Launch Improvements Improvements King Mt, King ID Mt, — Shower/Restroom ID — Shower/Restroom Project Project Mingus Mingus Mt, AZ Mt, — AZ PG — Launch PG Launch Improvements Improvements Tiger Tiger Tiger Mt, Mt, WA Mt, WA — WA — LZ — LZ Parking LZ Parking Parking Expansion Expansion Expansion MtMt Sentinel, Mt Sentinel, Sentinel, MT MT — MT — Grassland — Grassland Grassland Restoration Restoration Restoration Tiger Mt, Tiger WA Mt, — WA LZ Parking — LZ Parking Expansion Expansion Mt Sentinel, MtCA Sentinel, MT — MT Grassland — Grassland Restoration Restoration Kitty Kitty Kitty Hawk, Hawk, Hawk, NC NC — NC — Soaring — Soaring Soaring 100 100 100 Event Event Event Dunlap, Dunlap, Dunlap, CA — CA — Site — Site Site Improvements Improvements Improvements for for PG for PGPG
Adaptive Adaptive PG Training PG Training Protocol Protocol Grant Grant Kirkridge, Kirkridge, Kirkridge, NJNJ — NJ — Launch — Launch Launch Road Road Road Project Project Project Kirkridge, Kirkridge, NJ — Launch NJ —Competitions Launch Road Project Road Project HG HG International HG International International Competitions Competitions
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Dick continues to be an excellent choice for USHPA’s connection to the FAA—he has been involved in aviation his entire career, and his knowledge and background are excellent credentials. He started his career with NASA in Huntsville, Alabama in 1967, worked on the Space Lab and Apollo programs, trained astronauts and mission support crews; he retired from NASA in 1985, just two months before the Challenger accident. His professional background with NASA has given USHPA an opportunity to develop a strong working relationship with the FAA. “Being able to recognize Dick Heckman’s many contributions to USHGA and USHPA over nearly forty years with USHPA’s highest award—the Presidential Citation—is a great honor for me,” says Rich Hass, USHPA’s president.
Tenn Tree Tenn Toppers Tree Toppers Team Challenge Team Challenge HG HG &HG & PG PG &International PG International International Competitions Competitions Competitions HG & PG HGInternational & PG International Competitions Competitions
2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2012 2012
“Live “Live “Live the the Dream” the Dream” Dream” Film Film Film “Live the “Live Dream” the Dream” Film Film Villa Villa Villa Grove, Grove, Grove, CO CO — CO — Launch — Launch Launch Road Road Road Villa Mt, Grove, Villa Grove, CO — CO Launch —LZ Launch Road Road Woodrat Woodrat Woodrat Mt, OR Mt, OR — OR — Fiasco — Fiasco Fiasco LZ Project LZ Project Project Woodrat Woodrat Mt, ORMt, — OR Fiasco — Fiasco LZ Project LZ Project Whaleback, Whaleback, Whaleback, CA CA — CA — Launch — Launch Launch Improvements Improvements Improvements Whaleback, Whaleback, CA — CA Launch — Launch Improvements Improvements Hillcrest, Hillcrest, Hillcrest, MO MO — MO — Butte — Butte Butte Site Site Site Improvements Improvements Improvements Hillcrest, Hillcrest, MO —MO Butte — Site Butte Improvements Site Improvements High High High Rock, Rock, Rock, MD MD — MD — Launch Launch Launch & & LZLZ &Improvements LZ Improvements Improvements High Rock, High MD Rock, —MD Launch —Competitions Launch &Competitions LZ Improvements & LZ Improvements HG HG &HG & PG PG &International PG International International Competitions
AIRWAVES NorCal Free Flight Film Festival The NorCal Free Flight Film Festival (NCFF) is an annual screening of short films and documentaries about the adventure of free flight. The festival brings together filmmakers, pilots, and flight enthusiasts from all over Northern California and beyond to celebrate the joy of flight in free-flight disciplines, such as skydiving, BASE jumping, paragliding, and hang gliding.
The 5th Annual NorCal Free Flight Film Festival took place on January 18th, 2014, at the Victoria Theater in San Francisco, with members of the paragliding, hang gliding, BASE and skydiving communities submitting films and celebrating their adventures of the past year. Theater capacity was reached just as the last pilots arrived for the start of the show, and the atmosphere was festive until the wee hours of the morning. The winning paragliding film, a documentary about flying crosscountry from the perspective of women paraglider pilots, We Are Pilots.Two, was submitted by Julie Spiegler. The extended film is available on http://weare-pilots.com. Pete Bonser, a quadriplegic jumper, documented his first hang gliding flight at Fort Funston. To Dream of Flight won the award for best hang gliding film. We can all make a difference in Pete’s life at www.petebonser.com. The winning BASE film was submitted by Dr. Charley Kurlinkus, who documented his adventures during the past year in the film, 2013 Falling and Flying. Charley has been a festival participant since the first NCFF event, where he won third Place with his 2009 film, Remarkably Unscathed. The skydiving category winners were TJ Landgren and Katie Hansen, LEFT From top to bottom, still shots from festival films “Alas Sobre Monserratte,” “We are Pilots.Two,” and “Dreaming Awake.”
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who presented their wingsuit, BASE, and swooping adventures in the film titled Extreme Week in Voss, Norway, featuring, among other antics, the ups and downs of landing in a convertible Mustang. The overall festival winner was the fastest man in the world, 2013 World Wingsuit League Champion, Jhonathan Flores, for his film, Alas Sobre Monserratte, a daring Colombian wingsuit adventure that almost went wrong. Jhonny also won the very first NCFF event with his film, Team Ill Vision Bideo Uno. The Audience award was a clean sweep for Pete Bonser for To Dream of Flight. Pete inspired the audience with his acceptance speech, during which he encouraged us all to ‘”keep dreaming and keep flying!” Jim Jennings told another amazing story in his movie, Life After BASE, which chronicled the beginnings of wingsuit BASE, why he chose to quit, and the satisfaction he has found, since then, in other flying sports, including paragliding and hang gliding. Mikey Nayak, a tunnel instructor at iFly SF BAY, screened his very creative movie about dancing in the wind tunnel, utilizing amazing camera work that showed human bodies in graceful, synchronized flight. And, finally, the award for best cinematography was given to Dave Aldrich for his film, Dreaming Awake, capturing on film (shot from a helicopter) a group of hang glider pilots flying from Big Sur.
RAT RACE 2014 JUNE 22ND - 28TH PRACTICE DAY - JUNE 21ST USHPA has been the primary sponsor of this event since its inception. We are grateful for their continued support. Martin Palmaz, USHPA’s executive director, came out to support the event and brought enough crowd prizes to pepper the audience, including those in the upper balcony. The Foundation for Free Flight was a new sponsor this year, demonstrating their commitment to supporting safety and education in the sport through the education provided by the film festival. Other sponsors of the event were GoPro, Patagonia, Drip Drop Rehydration, Y’alldo, Safeish Clothing, and the Bay Area Paragliding Association. Most importantly, the entire event would not have been possible without the support of Eric and Golda Blum from Photon Films. Eric, who has been a mentor for wayward filmmakers since the festival started, has been responsible for many of the films ultimately coming together as the exciting and inspiring pieces we see on the screen. Congratulations to the filmmakers who participated this year, and thank you for the inspiration you bring us to pursue our dreams of flight. We are also grateful to our audience for coming out and celebrating with us! To follow NCFF throughout the year and learn about upcoming events, go to norcalfreeflight.com or facebook.com/NorCalFreeFlight.
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CLOUDBASE FOUNDATION Share the Knowledge, Share the Wealth
SITE AMBASSADORS WANTED! by Christina Ammon
M
ost of us have done it: turned up at a new site, eager to fly, and enlisted the nearest local to give us a brief rundown on the place. That approach once resulted in a friend of mine launching into unforgettable rotor at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, back when we were brand new P-2s. Although our unofficial site guide had waved us forward, saying, “It’s fine, we later learned that the rest of the locals knew better. But unless you spend your sunny flying day doing background checks on the local pilots, it can be difficult to know who to listen to. That’s why The Cloudbase Foundation’s budding Site Ambassador Program is brilliant. Headed by Larry Bunner, the organization has started creating an online catalogue of reputable site guides from around the world. The goal is to make this list the definitive go-to resource for traveling pilots and to encourage the ambassadors to work as advocates for The Cloudbase Foundation. “We need ambassadors not only to mentor pilots,” Bunner explains, “but also to extol the positive benefits that the CBF provides to needy communities wherever we fly.” How does the program work? The qualified Site Ambassadors provide a complimentary guiding service in hopes of generating donations to support CBF’s projects. CBF provides the volunteers with cards containing their personalized contact information and
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a solicitation to make a tax-deductible donation. The Foundation has a wide vision for the program. “Our hope is that every flying club in the world will designate at least one CBF Ambassador,” says Matt Cone. The CBF website is now set up to accept applications for prospective ambassadors. Since the program is in its infancy, there are currently only 10. With hundreds of sites around the world, there is a bit of work ahead! But Cone is not daunted. “We have a hundred Cloudbase Foundation members who ask how they can get involved,” Cone says.
Are you the ambassador type? Job Description: Ambassadors will give beginner and visiting pilots a full rundown on their local site. They will point out key times to launch, where to find lift, potential dangers, such as
rotor or obstacles in the landing zone, and important site rules. They’ll give visitors the lowdown on where to catch the shuttle (or where to hike up), where to eat, camp, and hang out. Part of the orientation will include advocating for the Cloudbase Foundation. Experience Required: Applicants
should be respected contributors at their local site and within their local club, passionate about sharing their site and love of flying with other pilots, visitors, and spectators, interested in giving back to the sport and the community, and an active member of their country’s hang gliding/paragliding organization. Pay: Good karma. Site Ambassadors provide a complimentary service, but it benefits Cloudbase Foundation’s philanthropic projects. It’s also socially lucrative. Half the fun of flying is the camaraderie. Think of all the cool people you’ll meet! Application Process: To be considered
a CBF Site Ambassador, please complete the application at thecloudbasefoundation.org. The submission will be reviewed and, if accepted, your name will be added to the Site Ambassador database. Then CBF will send you personalized Site Ambassador business cards.
A FEW current ambassadors Paul Murdoch
Larry Brunner
Paul has been flying Woodrat Mountain for 15 years and has served as president of the local RVHPA club, making him an ideal ambassador. Aside from the satisfaction of helping CBF, what motivates Murdoch? “It’s fun,” he says. “I meet new
Mitch Shipley
Paul Murdoch
Matt Cone
people, and I can help them have a safe experience. I’m proud of our sites. They are cool spots with interesting terrain. I like talking about them. “ Murdoch points out that Site Ambassadors are a real asset to a complex site like Woodrat; new pilots need to be aware of the tricky convergence lines which, depending how they are used, can lead to epic—or terrifying— flights. “If you are not familiar with them, you can have a frightening launch into some rough air, followed by a roller coaster ride in the turbulent lee side of the converging winds.” He also mentions the added benefit of preserving the site, since many landowner issues arise from pilots who don’t know the rules.
‘Wow, that makes a lot of sense and I never thought about it that way.’ That makes me smile and feel useful! When I thought about the CBF’s ability to impact the lives of people in the locales where we fly, I just had to be a part of it.”
seen the benefits of CBF’s efforts around the town of Pokhara: “Our team there provides full site briefings, as well as support with local travel arrangements and tips on hiking to launch. Visiting pilots make a donation for these services that support local schools in Nepal. It has gone so well that we look to expand it worldwide through the Site Ambassador Program.” Cone says that the ideal CBF Site Ambassador candidate is “the flying geek who is in love with his local site… and helps the visiting pilots make the most of their day.” His best tip for flying in Pokhara? “Hike to launch! The flights become the icing on the cake,” he adds.
Mitch Shipley
Since he is not in one place for long, Mitch considers himself a “roving ambassador” and specializes in towing. There is plenty to be briefed on in that department. “Being an engineer geek, I’ve learned so much about the intricacies of towing people up into the air over the last years: tow forces, bridle arrangements, releases, weak links, dolly dynamics, trim speeds on and off tow, and so on.” The payoff for being an ambassador is clear for Mitch: “When I do brief pilots before they tow, I often get
Paul Olson
Paul is a site ambassador for Twin Oaks Airport in Whitewater, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Whitewater Hang Gliding Club, which was one of the first aerotow flight parks in the country. He was eager to accept an ambassador role, partly because he feels that the hang gliding world needs as much support as possible. “Our beloved sport is so far under the radar, we need as many people to open the eyes of the general public to what a fantastic sport we participate in.” He sees a lot of potential for growth at this site, which is surrounded by the huge population bases of Chicago, Madison, and Milwaukee. “At our flying site, our most important role is to be as professional as possible, giving hang gliding a good name. That’s a good place to start, I believe,” explains Olson.
Roger Brock
Roger is a Site Ambassador at Blanchard Mountain in Washington, where he has been flying for eight years. “My reason for being involved with the ambassador program is to offer an additional level of safety and connectedness in our flying community,” he explains. Although Blanchard is a fairly straightforward coastal site, Brock warns visiting pilots that a shift in the winds can cause rotor on launch.
Matt Cone
Although Matt Cone is listed as an ambassador for Tiger Mountain in Washington State, his travels land him regularly in Nepal, where he has already
Christina Ammon lives at The Crash Pad at Woodrat Mountain in Oregon. Contact her at woodratcrashpad@gmail.com
Thermal Coring MAXIMIZING LIFT
AdvanceD
W
ith paragliding, almost everything happens asymmetrically. This is good, because it means we are given more information about how our wing is being influenced by the parcel of air we are flying through at any given moment than one can get in any other aircraft. These drawings, which present the view from above of an idealized thermal, its core, and the pilot’s track, represent opportunities lost and gained by pilots who have different levels of experience in thermalling.
ADVANCED THERMALING Opportunities gained through mental mapping of the size and shape of a thermal in relationship to the glider’s position. Opportunity gained at position #1: first, the pilot notices that the left wingtip is most affected by the lifting air of the thermal and, therefore, that the left wingtip points generally
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by KEN HUDONJORGENSEN
Intermediate toward the core of the thermal. The pilot also observes the heading the wingtip points to, elongates three to five seconds, and then turns left to encounter the core. Opportunity gained at position #2: when the pilot feels the core lifting the left wingtip, the coring circle is immediately begun and no time or lift is wasted.
INTERMEDIATE THERMALING What happens when elongating after feeling the increased lift, instead of anticipating and elongating two seconds before experiencing the increased lift, based on a previous rotation. Opportunity lost at position #1: pilot does not notice when entering the core that the right half of the wing is lifted first, which would tell the pilot that the bulk of the core is to the right, indicating that he should go straight for one to three seconds, before turning right in order to center the core immediately. Instead, the pilot
Novice goes straight for two seconds and then turns left out of the core. Opportunity lost at position #2: pilot does not notice the direction that his/her back is facing when exiting the core. That information would indicate the direction of elongation before he reenters the core one to two seconds before position #3. Instead, the pilot re-enters the core as quickly as possible. Opportunity lost at position #3: pilot elongates AFTER re-entering the core and, thus, sets up an inefficient and repetitive pattern of working in and out of the edge of the core, instead of elongating before entering the core (based on the position of the wing at the last lift that was felt at the moment of exit) and thereby centering it for efficient 360s.
NOVICE THERMALING Opportunities lost at position #1: pilot does not notice the slight pull on the glider toward the thermal, a pull
caused by the air around the thermal being pulled into it. As a result, the pilot flies past the thermal, without knowing it is there. Opportunity found at position #2: pilot notices the air that is being pulled into the thermal and goes with it. He enters the thermal at an efficient angle and identifies the point at which the lift first affects the wing—1/3 of the wing from the left wingtip—and then realizes that that portion of the wing points toward the most likely position of the core within the thermal. Pilot flies straight for two to five seconds, does a mild, slow, left turn and encounters the core at an angle that first affects the left 1/6th of the wing. This is an excellent angle from which to immediately begin the coring circle. Opportunity lost at position #3: the new pilot still does not notice anything and flies away from the thermal. Opportunity gained late at position #4: the intermediate pilot finally notices the pull that was felt four seconds ago and turns to look for the thermal that is almost past. Opportunity lost at position #5: intermediate pilot turns too soon, after encountering lift, and does not notice that the lift is affecting the center cells of the wing first and, therefore, the core is most likely straight ahead. Opportunity lost at position #6: pilot flies straight through the entire thermal to sink on the other side, without noticing communication from the wing about the parcel of air it is in.
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(Live the High Life!)
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British pilot Colin Fargher takes time out to explore a new vaction base in Ital y.
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ost years my old flying club organizes a flying vacation to somewhere exotic like France, Spain, Iceland or even Florida! But as we’ve gotten older our lives have diverged, and with various family commitments it has become increasingly difficult to keep everyone happy. This year, rather than joining the club trip to Slovenia, a small group of pilots with young families decided to have a flying vacation at home, and to fly as many of our local sites as possible. This would save us money and time to spend on our traditional family (non-flying) vacations. Let’s face it, not all of us can afford two foreign vacations a year, nor the time taken
up in traveling abroad. Just a few weeks before our planned vacation Kevin Begley, proprietor of Flytaly in Italy, contacted me with a proposal: “Why not come on a flying vacation with us and bring the family, too?” Flytaly, it turns out, is not your average flyguiding outfit with little or nothing for the wife and kids. The backbone of Kevin’s all-inclusive operation is his longstanding Villa Pia vacation business. This caters specifically for young families looking to enjoy a luxury vacation in rural Italy, but with just about everything children could want to keep them happy. And I do mean everything. From gourmet regional Italian
ABOVE Colin Fargher and Buzz Z4 just after launch at Gualdo Tadino | photo by Barabara Mancini.
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cuisine, to wine and beer, to facilities and transport, there’s nothing else to pay save a tip for the staff at the end of your stay. It’s the age-old sum: contented kids + relaxed parents = great vacation. Being a pilot, Kevin has added in a paragliding element which, to my knowledge, is unmatched by anything offered by anyone else anywhere. The result is happy parentpilots too! With my month’s work finished ahead of schedule for June, I would have a back-to-back two-week flying vacation in two countries with a family vacation mixed in. A quick call to Ozone’s Mike Cavanagh, who had been looking for someone to review the new Buzz Z4, and I had a new glider to fly too! After a great week’s flying back home in the Isle of Man with some coastal soaring and even a reasonable XC, it was time to pick up the family and leave for Italy. From the US east coast, return flights are available to Rome from around $800 with United, American and many other airlines, which ABOVE Take-off and top-landing area at Monte Cucco.
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leaves a two-hour road or railroad journey to Arezzo, the provincial capital, near Lipiano.
The Villa Pia Perched a short way up a mountain on the border between Umbria and Tuscany in central Italy, the Villa Pia is a traditional Umbrian country estate within the tiny village of Lipiano, overlooking rows of terraced grape vines, goldenbrown fields, and rolling hills framed by cypress and olive trees. Paradiso Italiano! The villa sits in its own grounds which include all manner of outdoor and indoor play opportunities for kids and adults alike, from playground rides and rope swings to swimming pools, tennis courts, gardens and games rooms. There are also organized activities such as Italian cookery and arts-and-crafts classes, plus massages, mountain biking and trail walking in the surrounding hills. And there are the
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nearby cities of Florence, with its massive renaissance art gallery; Sienna and its crazy town-centre horse racing; and Assisi, birthplace of St Francis. The Adriatic coast is a couple of hours drive away.
The flying area All the above is irrelevant if the flying is mediocre. Happily I can report that the flying is, in my personal opinion, simply the best. Yes, flying can be epic in the Alps, Atlas Mountains or Sierra Nevada, but here the mountains are (mainly) green and rounded just like back home in jolly old Britain. The central Apennines are Alpine in size but with little of the turbulence you’d expect from windy or overdeveloping days in the steep, rocky Alps. Take-off areas are big, broad and toplandable, with none of the overcrowding common to some of the popular Alpine flying sites. The sea is never far away here and this often gives spectacular sea-breeze convergences. Since the Apennines run the entire length of Italy from the Alps to Sicily, the potential for easy XC (think Florida-ridge conver-
gence accessible by mountain take-off) is just phenomenal.
Flytaly My guide to this playground is Kevin Begley, ex-pat Londoner, former chef and probation service youth councilor turned paragliding guru. Kevin is not an instructor and doesn’t provide the kind of guiding or advanced tuition you might expect from a dedicated flight school, but he is a talented and enthusiastic XC pilot with lots of regional knowledge. And, as the local Italian XC pilots proclaim, “The best taxi service in all Italy!”
Four days in God’s own flying country Of the seven days we spent in Italy, three were set aside for tourism with family and four for flying. We flew XC on the first three days. With the weather conditions improving each day and cloudbase rising all the time, the distances increased consecutively. On the first day cloudbase was not that high by Italian standards— around 7000 feet. Conditions were just
ABOVE Approaching Monte Cucco after a long cross-wind glide from Gualdo Tadino | photo by Colin Fargher. OPPOSITE TOP L to R: Kevin Begley, Colin Fargher, Leo Antimi, Lorenzo Mattiacci and Luca Paoletti. BOTTOM Colin Fargher and Buzz Z4 heading for cloudbase at Gualdo Tadino. Photos by Barabara Mancini.
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starting to come good again after rain the previous week. Monte Gemmo, also known as Tre Pizzi, is a five-km northeast facing ridge, rounded at the top, with a drive to takeoff at the northern end. After eating our packed lunches provided by Villa Pia, conditions were about right for flying by around 2:30 p.m. Strangely, it’s all thermal flying and not much ridge lift. The lift is average and pretty smooth, with steady climbs, but there’s enough for a run to the end of the ridge and back. An 11km out-and-return completed, I decide to go north, easily jumping the valley onto the next mountain, Torre di Rocchetta, and stopping occasionally to top up until I reach Monte Vernale. After a push out front to the town of Matelica I return to the landing field to complete a 33km triangle. Later I’m amazed to hear we’re off to collect Pino Locchi, a friend of Kevin’s, who’s managed to do more than 100km over the back! Next day the wind has switched to the west-northwest, allowing us a chance to fly the longer ridge systems extending down from Monte Cucco. At takeoff on Gualdo Tadino, local hotshots Leo Antimi, Luca Paoletti and Lorenzo Mattiacci decide on a run up to Cucco heading northwest, then southwest across the valley in front to the next set of ridges at Padule-San Marco, then northwest again to Gubbio. Today cloudbase is higher but flying crosswind up to Cucco is tough. The valley in front of Cucco is producing better lift than the mountain, and the glide over the next ridge is made in one straight escalator ride to cloudbase and a gradual descent to Padule-San Marco. Here I come unstuck, unable to penetrate into what has become quite a headwind. In frustration I land just short of Gubbio near a roundabout, where Barbara Mancini—Flytaly’s ace retrieve driver— pulls over to pick me up. We head to Gubbio to find a few pilots who’ve made it all the way. I’m impressed, and consoled by the Italians who tell me they’re equally impressed to see a new foreign pilot making 37km on his debut here. Nice guys, but tomorrow I’m determined to do just as well as them!
Big Tuesday Today cloudbase has lifted to 8000 feet, and by midday conditions are starting to look good. At Cucco I meet a group of five hang glider pilots who have driven all the way from Sweden. Hang gliding is alive and well at Cucco and draws some dedicated pilgrims! My party of Anglo-Italians hatches a vague plan to fly south, following the natural line of the Apennines towards Castelluccio and possibly Norcia farther south. I’m in the air early and find the only turbulence of my whole visit. The next guy that flies in below me is also thrown about, first one side and then the other collapsing as he’s sucked in and spat out the other side of this ripper of a thermal. The climb settles and widens as we get higher but it’s a
very strong ride to cloudbase. We all come together for the last thousand feet or so, Luca, Lolo (Lorenzo), Leo and myself, going around very close together like a fairground carousel. The others are shouting at each other in Italian. I don’t understand a word but the sense of expectation is tangible! I really want to take some photos but dare not grab the camera for fear of losing my spot in this ripping vortex. At cloudbase my Italian friends waste no time, setting off at racing speed for the next thermal. They’re more used to strong conditions, and after about three thermals I’m losing touch with them. They’re on EN-C Artiks and Aspens and I’m on a low-end B. I settle for arriving later and later at each thermal and this eventually proves my downfall. At Gualdo Tadino, the site we took off from yesterday, I’m about four km behind them, but they are struggling out in front at ridge height. Everything seems to have shut down. I’m finding nothing and getting lower, scratching the rocky outcrops a thousand feet below the summit. Slightly worried I
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might end up in a difficult situation (the town of Gualdo is right underneath the mountain and pretty much built-up), I push out into the valley. I find a big field, a go-cart track and a railway line—a landing option, a thermal source and a trigger, I hope! I radio my position to let the Flytaly team know I’m probably going down, but at 200 feet above my chosen LZ I realize I’m no longer sinking. After what seems like ages there’s a beep from my vario, then another. The climb is slow and I drift back over the town to the rocky crags where it finally starts to accelerate—all the way back to launch height
and over the back of Gualdo Tadino. I’m joined by Kevin, who’s been delayed on Cucco. We circle to cloudbase, now at 9000 feet, together. What a save! The diversion has taken me five km off course. Kevin radios to say that the Italians have got up again and are headed south towards Castelluccio. He takes us south towards some quarries near Monte Alago to find more lift, but when we arrive there’s very little. I find weak lift and slowly climb out, but Kevin only finds enough to get to Monte Pennino. Up at cloudbase I watch the drama below, hoping he will get back up to me, but it’s no use.
I leave high for the big crossing south over the Colfiorito valley, under cloud almost the whole way. Kevin has landed at the foot of Pennino and I’m on my own again. He advises me to push south and chase the Italians who are now on the ridges west of Castellucio near Norcia, where they would eventually land. It’s getting late and the climbs are becoming weaker and slower, but wider and easier. Patience is needed to max out at cloudbase, but getting there is simplicity itself. The landscape ahead is as beautiful as it is intimidating. Lots of landing options on top of the rounded mountains, but steep valley floors with few landing options or civilization. Not to worry, I’m passing over the scenery without losing much height, and at 6:30 p.m. the clouds are starting to look smooth, as they do before completely decomposing for the evening. I wonder if my last climb will take me all the way to Norcia. There’s one more big valley crossing to go above Sacco Vescio but it’s now totally blue overhead. The view below is steep and uninviting
Crossing the valley from Cucco (bottom left) to Padule-San Marco. Gualdo Tadino is at the other end of this valley, just next to the nut on the maillon-rapide. LEFT Pizza or cakes, Dad? Italian cookery classes for the kids. Photos by Colin Fargher. LEFT
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and I can see the next ridge rising in my line of vision, but with teeth and backside clenched I make it across. Arriving several hundred feet below the top I find, to my relief, there’s lift, glorious lift! Scratching in close I find ridge lift and then a little bubble of stronger stuff. This weak, smooth and perfectly formed thermal takes me slowly back to cloudbase for the final glide to Monte Patino, the first mountain above the enclosed valley at Norcia. The scenery is truly stunning, the huge Monte Vetorre and the plain of Castellucio to one side and Norcia on the other. The radio sparks into life, snapping me out of my reverie. It’s Luca: “Colin, I see you!” He directs me to their field south of Norcia. Given these conditions I could go farther but it’s getting late and I’ve been in the air for over six hours already. I burn off my height and am greeted in the landing field by Luca, Lolo and Leo throwing their arms around me. “Ah Colin, Colin! Fantastico!” they shout. They can’t believe I’ve made it this far so late in the evening. I’m ecstatic, and despite our different languages we all feel that incredible bond that comes from shared experience and achievement in this wonderful sport of ours. “Bella, bellissimo!” I try with my best Italian accent. In the back of the retrieve van the flights are dissected with the aid of some beers (cheers, Kevin!) and it is nearly 11:00 p.m. when we return to Villa Pia. The next day the good weather is breaking. With a wavy-looking sky and strong winds forecast, Kevin cautiously decides on Subasio. This 4000-foot ridge takes all wind directions but is considered small by Italian standards! The mountain sits next to Assisi, whose councilors are keen on diversifying their traditional pilgrimage tourism to include free-flying, and have organized an annual open competition with considerable prize money. Kevin is keen to put
together a team of international pilots for the event (contact details below). Subasio was interesting, to say the least. Wave lift seemed to extend many kilometers into the valley in front but we needed full speed bar to escape the venturi effect just after launch. The strange lift above the valley floor allowed us to fly right out over the town of Assisi before it finally dwindled. But it was really a day for the hang gliders, one of whom almost disappeared out of sight above the LZ. The flying over, I spent the rest of the vacation relaxing with the family at Villa Pia and visiting the beautiful surrounding area. This, and the fantastic luxury of Villa Pia, made up for my family’s disappointment at my late arrival on (Big) Tuesday night. Had we been staying in less salubrious accommodation, the atmosphere would not have been quite the same! Big thanks to the team at Villa Pia and Flytaly, especially Barbara Mancini, our ace photographer and retrieve driver. And to my Anglo-Italian hosts Pino Locchi, Leo Antimi, Luca Paoletti, Lorenzo Mattiacci and Kevin Begley for their infectious energy and enthusiasm for XC flying. Like all true Italians (and Londoners) they are incredibly warm, welcoming, helpful and passionate! Thanks to Mike Cavanagh and all at Ozone for sending me the Buzz Z4, which I thoroughly enjoyed both on the Isle of Man and in Italy. And thanks most of all to my wife and kids for their unstinting support and understanding. All of these have helped an old hang glider, paraglider and recently ultralight pilot fall in love with free-flying all over again. Una cosa bella!
eas·y (ē’zē)
Kevin Begley can be contacted at: +39 339 530 3127, info@flytaly.com or www. flytaly.com. The Villa Pia website is at www.villapia.com.
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Reflecting on the
2013 X-Alps by
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TE A M US A1
Honza RejmĂĄnek
Faster than ever, but not fast enough.
H
aving finished my fourth attempt in the race to cross the Alps, I can affirm that each attempt has been unique, grueling, and euphoric. Though I enjoy pushing myself, in normal life I do not reach the state I find myself in after a week or more of the X-Alps. It is an intense, exhausting, sleep-deprived, emotional state during which flying and walking only occur because they are second nature and do not demand conscious thought. Ecstasy and frustration alternate in my head, as I attempt to navigate through confusing topography. Crossing some of the most scenic terrain on Earth in this primal and semi-delirious state is very addicting, which explains why I keep coming back for more. This year the competitors were blessed with the best weather of any of the six previous editions. We were also presented with a course that stretched 1031 kilometers, 641 miles—over 100 miles longer than any prior edition. I moved
faster and covered more distance than ever before. During my longest X-Alps flight, I covered more miles in a single day than in any prior edition. Jesse Williams and Luis Rosenkjer, my supporters, worked hard to keep me fed and on the right track. We were keeping a pace that looked as if we might just make Monaco by the end of the 12 days allotted for the race. But the last two days the weather turned bad, resulting in overdevelopment, which did not allow for much flying in the Saint Hilaire-to-Monaco stretch. This was the first time I did not make the top 10, and the first time all of the top ten made it to Monaco. With 95 km, 59 miles, left to reach Monaco, we were the first team of those who did not make it. This has certainly made me reflect on all the little tactical mistakes I made along the way. Had I made it to Saint Hilaire a day sooner, I am sure I would have been on that square Red Bull raft in the Mediterranean. All the more incentive to come back and finally do it right in 2015!
LEFT Morning hike up to launch. ABOVE Pre-race with Chigrel Maurer. Photos by Jesse Williams.
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Jesse Williams
Learning on the Fly, a First Time Supporter’s Look at Launching into the Whirlwind of the X-Alps.
L
ast summer I went to Europe to be a supporter on Red Bull X-Alps Team USA1. It was a huge learning experience that made me appreciate how far we are expanding the horizons of paragliding. I’ve followed the two previous editions of the X-Alps closely, but being part of the race made me appreciate how much skill and strength, as well as complex logistics, go into sending those live-tracking lines squiggling across the map of Europe. My main job in the race was to hike with Honza whenever we couldn’t follow him with the van. I carried anything that
wasn’t part of his mandatory gear. I hiked a wide selection of gear to launch in mornings, carried water and bars down valley roads in the evenings and, on the first night, even hiked in bivy gear so we could both sleep on the trail leading to the Dachstein turnpoint. As the race flew by, every new day presented a new mountain to climb. Once Honza was off flying for the day, I was able to relax a little while we chased him along the course. Some of my biggest challenges involved keeping the van organized, navigating, and providing food for everyone. Gear had been organized in boxes stacked in the van, but even a simple road pit stop often meant tearing the van apart to look for whatever Honza wanted at that moment. Navigation was especially tricky, since we were using so many different resources: paper maps, cell phone navigation, computers with mobile Internet, GPS with cached maps. Communicating our
ABOVE Sherpa Jesse. OPPOSITE 100% pure X-Alps. Photos by Honza Rejmanek.
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location over cell phones and radios was often confusing, as there was constant pressure to keep moving as fast as possible. We ate a lot of Hammer bars and gels but also had sitdown meals. I learned to prepare dinners during our mid-day downtime to avoid last minute cooking in the van while Luis was driving down windy mountain roads at night. I didn’t have much time to keep close tabs on race news as things progressed. In the first few days we were close to a lot of teams, but by the second half of the race, when competitors were spread out, we didn’t see many other X-Alps vans. Monaco was always on our minds. Only during the last couple of days did it become clear that we wouldn’t make the raft. Although we were disappointed, we all kept pushing hard, and Honza managed to get in a small flight as the minutes counted down to the end of the race. Reflecting on the race, I’m amazed by how much terrain we covered in 12 days. It was definitely physically taxing for me, but the biggest stress resulted from dealing with logistics during a constant time crunch. Honza moves remarkably fast
both on the ground and in the air, always making it hard to keep a step ahead of him. I found it inspiring to be part of this event that pushes the limits of what is possible on foot and wing.
Luis Rosenkjer
Zigging and Zagging for 936km Through the Alps
W
e all know Honza would have liked to be in Monaco by the end of the race, and he would also have liked to be in the top 10 again. But given the great flying conditions we had this year, not being a local had an impact on the results. Some non-European teams arrived three or four weeks before the race, checking the route and flying portions of it, but that did not help them. Honza was actually ahead of all of them, as well as some very well known locals. Eight of the top 10 reside in some portion of the Alps less than an hour’s drive away, while two of them have to drive a little further. We arrived
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in Salzburg from a different continent, two days before the race started, and most of our time before the race was spent putting stickers on Honza’s wing and van, doing Red Bull photo shoots and posts on social media, or attending mandatory meetings and press conferences. Very little time to prepare, but Honza was ready! Honza is in the category of paraglider pilot who is part of a great family and has a regular job; sometimes those variables detract from one’s preparing for demanding paragliding competitions. But Honza possesses outstanding skills for this race and is incredibly fit. His priorities were clear during all of the 12 days he raced, and he is an incredible decision maker, especially under extreme pressure. It is obvious that Honza loves racing and gives 110 % of his effort to the task. As we all know, Honza loves landing in tricky places. By
the end of the race he would top land in some crazy area to call us over the phone and ask us for information about wind and weather, or to let us know he needed a short nap. Several times, as he landed at the end of the day, old friends from previous editions showed up to chat with him about the best options ahead or where to better land to escape strong valley winds. And they also enjoyed talking with him while he was packing up and getting ready for another long walk that could last until 10:29 p.m. We were usually asleep by 11:30 p.m., with the alarm set for 4:35 a.m. After a quick short breakfast, Honza was walking again at 5:01 a.m. Jesse, Honza’s #1 supporter during the 2013 edition of the Red Bull X-Alps, also did an amazing job of keeping Honza well fed and in good shape. Jesse helped Honza save energy by racing up and down mountains
ABOVE Nearing the Matterhorn | photo by Honza Rejmanek. OPPOSITE TOP Half way to Monaco | photo by Lois Rosenkjer. BOTTOM Navigation | photo by Jesse Williams.
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alongside him, carrying all the gear Honza was not required to carry himself. For example, Jesse carried the right shoes, the right socks and the right clothes for every occasion, and kept track of all the special food, vitamins, electrolytes, bars, etc., Honza might need at any moment. This was not an easy task, but Jesse performed it perfectly. As for my job: I was there basically to fulfill our team’s logistical needs, drive the van along the course, and try to keep Honza on track. Honza has an incredible amount of experience in this race, so it was clear to me from the beginning that I would not be telling him where to go, but could offer an occasional suggestion. My main concern was to avoid his getting stuck anywhere. And even though there were moments where we could have taken riskier routes with potential gains, I felt we were always pretty conservative in going for the safest option with good enough results. At the end, I was exhausted but very happy. We all made some small mistakes, but overall we worked well as a team. Although Monaco was our goal, I’m very satisfied with Honza’s 11th spot, ahead of many outstanding contenders.
Acknowledgements Luis, Jesse, and Honza want to thank everyone who joined our team and cheered us on as we raced across the Alps. We want to extend special thanks to Tony Lang for his countless hours dedicated to fundraising for the US Paragliding Team. Additionally, we want to thank Peak Teams, Reebok, UP Paragliders, SupAir, Foundation for Free Flight, Black Diamond, Hammer Nutrition, and all others who helped us out. We could not have done it without you!
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Dennis Pagen Governador Valadares
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HG401
Advanced Techniques & Concepts
Variable Geometry by
P
erformance hang gliders have variable geometry, or VG for short. It’s a simple concept: Pull a string to increase performance, let it off again to improve handling. Since most pilots don’t start flying VG gliders until well after they’ve finished formal instruction, sometimes the intricacies get lost. By understanding what is happening when we pull the VG, we can use it more effectively. There are two kinds of VG systems; the “conventional” pulley VG, and the cam VG. Conventional VG systems use a series of pulleys to tighten the sail by pulling the crossbars back. Cam VG systems use lever cams at the crossbar/ leading-edge junction to tighten the sail by effectively lengthening the leading edges. Both systems increase glider performance by reducing twist via increased sail tension. All current production gliders use conventional VG systems. Since the only hardware required is a series of pulleys, these systems are lightweight and inexpensive—but not perfect. Tightening the sail by using the crossbars to open the wings farther changes more geometry than just the twist in the sail. Spreading the wings opens the nose angle, reducing sweep. This is actually good for efficiency and performance, but reducing sweep and twist simultaneously is a double-whammy in reducing the effectiveness of pitch stability systems. This is a concern in turbulent conditions as well as any time flying slow. When a hang glider stalls, the nose drops because the tips—which are behind the CG due to sweep—are still flying due to the twist in the wing. With less twist, much more of the wing stalls at the same time. With less sweep, there is less damping of the nose-down rotation. The combination of these means a stall with the VG
r ya n v oight
tight is much more sudden and dramatic. The chances that an asymmetrical stall, where one wing stalls before the other, will induce a spin are also increased since the stall can now propagate farther from the center of the wing. The way conventional VGs spread the wings wider also changes the roll-stability of the glider, altering handling characteristics. The side wires remain a constant length while their attachment point at the crossbar/leading-edge junction is moved outward. The result of this is more anhedral, where the wing tips move lower relative to the wing center—and additional anhedral results in reduced roll-stability. Flexiblewing hang gliders require a delicate balance of roll stability and roll instability. Too stable and mere weight shift is not enough to steer them, too unstable and they aren’t fun (at best, and become divergent at worst). The decreased roll stability from pulling a conventional VG tighter makes it easier to enter a turn from level flight, which isn’t a bad thing at all! The catch is that while turning the glider wants to roll in, and “high-siding” is required to maintain a constant bank. Only a few gliders have ever been made with cam VG systems; the Fusion and Talon are the only ones that I know of. By using a cam lever to extend the leading edge, sail tension— and therefore twist—can be adjusted in-flight WITHOUT changes in nose angle or roll stability, which means the glider handles similarly (just stiffer) throughout the VG range. Because the roll stability remains unchanged, many feel cam VG gliders are stiff in handling because turn initiation at higher VG settings is more sluggish, which is comparatively true. The benefit of cam VG systems is that they maintain the design’s delicate balance of roll stability/instability, which means the glider handling might get stiffer but it will not
OPPOSITE Pulling the VG on a cam VG glider draws a pulley block toward the nose, which pulls the cables attached to the cam mechanism at the crossbar/leading-edge junction | photo courtesy Wills Wing.
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require any additional high-siding; simply put, it will always fly like the glider you know and love. With either system, tightening the sail reduces handling responsiveness. There are two reasons for this; the first requires understanding why hang gliders turn when we shift our weight. When we lean to one side or the other, we are creating asymmetrical wing loading. The wing with higher loading—the side we’re leaning toward—washes out and flexes more, resulting in a lower angle of attack. At the same time, the wing with less loading is able to flatten out, increasing its angle of attack, which increases lift. It’s harder to see on hang gliders, but it works much the same way as ailerons work on the main wing of an airplane. Tightening the sail by pulling the VG reduces roll control because the sail is not able to shift nearly as much when pulled that tight. Think of it as decreasing the size of your ailerons—smaller control surfaces create a much smaller rolling force, so more pilot input and/or additional airspeed is required to create enough rolling force to steer. The second reason roll control decreases is because reducing the twist in the wing increases the effective wingspan (see diagram). With the VG off, the effective wingspan—that is, the portion of the wing with a positive angle of attack that is creating lift—is quite short. A shorter-wingspan
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aircraft rolls much easier, and can roll much quicker. By tightening the VG and reducing twist, the amount of wing seeing a positive angle of attack and creating lift increases (a reason why gliding efficiency increases)—which means more force is required to roll the glider, and it will roll slower. As discussed earlier, less rolling force is created when the sail is pulled tighter, so that combined with the longer effective wingspan has a significant impact on roll control. The good news is that the additional effective wingspan is easily countered by flying at a lower angle of attack (faster). Tightening the sail with the VG also affects the pitch behavior of our gliders. Our gliders have a “trim” position because the center of the wing is at a higher angle of attack than the tips. The result is that the wing will find “equilibrium” between the high and low angle of attack. When we pull in to fly faster, what we feel as bar pressure is actually the force of the glider trying to return to that equilibrium. As the sail is tightened and twist in the tips is reduced, the difference between the center of the wing and the tips becomes less. The wing will still seek “equilibrium,” but with much less force (much less bar pressure). Equilibrium will also occur with the glider’s nose at a lower angle of attack, which results in the bar position moving farther back (sometimes significantly). Hands-off “trim” speed often also changes.
Now that we better understand what’s going on “under the hood” when we pull that string, we can apply this knowledge to flying situations! Launching, for example, we want the wing to have a slow stall speed, but also to be able to “mush” if needed. We are near the ground so we want good roll control, but we also want lighter pitch pressures to help us maintain a constant angle of attack through our run. These trade-offs are why launching with around ¼ VG is a common compromise. In flight is when we can really benefit from intelligent VG use. We can use the VG to not only adjust glider efficiency, but to adapt glider handling to suit our needs. At slow airspeeds, like when thermaling, the increased efficiency of flying VG tight is very small. Handling is much more important, so that we can position our glider in the strongest part of the lift. I also appreciate being able to fly very slowly without having to worry about an abrupt stall or spin entry if I overdo it. Because there are greater pitch pressures with lower VG settings, we also get more feedback from the glider about the air around us if we use less VG. We can also use one of the drawbacks of a conventional pulley VG system to our advantage while thermaling, because it allows us to adjust roll stability. Some thermals are rough and bounce us around, so having a very roll-stable glider is ideal (low VG), while other thermals want to spit us out and require constant turn-in pilot input. For these, we can decrease roll stability to the point where the natural tendency of the glider to roll in matches the force of the thermal constantly trying to spit us out. Speaking personally, I’m lazy, so I try to find a VG setting that makes me work the least in any given thermal. When climbing I’m thinking about the VG more in terms of roll stability and trim speed than in terms of aerodynamic efficiency. Even going on glide I don’t automatically use full VG. If it’s turbulent I might want a little more roll stabil-
ity to keep me on heading without needing constant inputs, which is both exhausting and aerodynamically inefficient. Sometimes I want to glide slower than where my glider trims at full VG so I’ll glide at ¾ rather than have to push out for a long time. When it comes time to land, we again need to think about what VG setting to use. Landing is one of the only times when increased glide performance can be a real problem— sometimes the LZ just isn’t big enough! Having more VG on for landing will decrease bar pressure, making it easier to pull in for speed through your approach. But having more VG on will also improve glide angle, making it harder to judge your approach, and the increased efficiency means using airspeed to adjust landing location is NOT effective (pulling in just makes you go farther!). More VG also means decreased roll control combined with less roll stability, something to consider in turbulent conditions. And then there’s the stall characteristics! This one can be tricky, because what we desire when flaring is about opposite from what we want in flight. When we flare we actually WANT the whole wing to stall at the same time. If the tips remain flying while the center stalls, the nose drops and we whack. So too little VG makes flaring more challenging and less effective. Too much VG, however, and being a little late on your flare can stall the whole wing and drop you like a ton of bricks—OUCH! Again a balance is best here, with enough VG for a “crisp” and effective stall when you flare, but not so much VG that the glider becomes unsteerable, unstable, or will suddenly stop flying all at once. This usually means ¼ to ½ VG, depending on conditions. The last thing I’ll recommend is to spend lots of time exploring and playing with your VG—up high, away from terrain and other gliders. Explore how the glider responds to your inputs, especially all through the glider’s speed range. Do 360s in both directions and feel out some roll-reversals to get a feel for handling at various settings. Conventional VG’s have many benefits, but one challenge is that the glider can be quite different from VG off to ¼, and from ¼ to ½, and from ½ to ¾, and again from ¾ to full pull. Also, don’t get stuck in the mental trap that you have to use the VG in ¼ increments just because that is what is marked on the rope. Sometimes pulling on or letting off just an inch of rope is what’s required to get the results you’re looking for. Enjoy your VG and remember that setting your VG is NOT as important as FLYING THE GLIDER—watch where you’re going while you’re yanking on that string! See ya up there!
OPPOSITE The crossbar/leading-edge cam VG that controls sail tension by effectively lengthening the leading edge | photo courtesy Wills Wing.
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Get Ready for the
"MULTI-CLASS"
World Championships
by
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C L A U DI A M E J I A
E
very two years, on even years, there is another type of “Hang Gliding World Championships” involving different classes with about 60 to 80 pilots altogether. The Pre-worlds took place in July 2013 and went quite well; therefore, from June 21 till July 5, 2014, we will have the following World Championship competitions running parallel under the same organization: 1st Class I (Sport) 13th Class I (Women) 19th Class II (Swift and similar) 6th Class V (Rigid Wings)
As you may imagine, the logistics involved in a “multiclass Category 1 (i.e. world or continental) competition” is pretty complex and an extremely difficult event to run. Nevertheless, the Delta Club Annecy was able to organize an excellent competition last year that proved their capability to successfully put up the worlds this year. As a preparation for the upcoming worlds, let’s take a closer look to the Pre-worlds where they not only had the above-mentioned competitions, but also ran the French Nationals Open that same week! LEFT B Semnoz take off—south ramp. ABOVE M.D. Richard Walbec working on final details in his “office.”
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As you may imagine, the logistics involved in a “multi-class Category 1 (i.e. world or continental) competition” is pretty complex and an extremely difficult event to run.
Even though this competition is referred to as the Annecy HG Worlds, probably because the organizing club is called the “Delta Club Annecy,” the HQ and main official LZ are actually located in the town of Doussard, on the eastern part of France, very close to the Swiss border, approximately 10 miles southeast of Annecy. This region has a long history of free flight—both recreational and competitive—and is currently one of the top European destinations, especially for paragliding. The idea of the organizing committee, led by Jean-Louis Debiee, was to bring back hang gliding events to this region. Another important aspect about this place is the support of the local authorities from the towns of Doussard
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and Gruffy. In particular, the recognition and attention received from Doussard’s Mayor Michèle Lutz herself and the awareness of the importance of paragliding and hang gliding for their region and its tourism contributed their enthusiasm for our visit. Moreover, the French Federation (FFVL) is very active and supportive as well. It was a great surprise to see President Jean-Pierre Pouleau (highest ranked official of the French Federation) in person working shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of the staff, doing hang checks and even cooking group dinners for the volunteers in the evenings! A “Pre-category 1“ competition is very important because it provides the opportunity for the pilots to learn the area (not only flying-wise, but also concerning hotels, restaurants, roads and other services) while, at the same time, gives the organization and staff the possibility of practicing the execution of such a large event. The organizers recruited a group of 50 volunteers to work in all the different areas: website, launch, goal, scoring, press releases, official photographer, retrieve, aerotow pilots, administration, key officials, etc. The fact that you need this many people for Category 1 competitions is something quite hard to be accepted by organizers, probably because it is not easy to find volunteers and the costs of room and board are quite high, but I have to say that that this time the organizers knew well what they were going to be dealing with and were prepared for it. There were 51 pilots flying the French Open, which was the Class I Topless competition with six women, among who we find Jamie Shelden flying for the US. In Class II there were nine pilots, Class V had 22 pilots and Sport Class had eight participants with two women: a grand total of four separate classes and 90 pilots. Out of the seven scheduled tasks Class II flew them all, Class V flew six and Classes I Open and Sport flew five tasks.
Class II For a better Class II competition, the organizers prepared the paddock at the main LZ in order to set up a proper aerotowing operation instead of mountain launching. In case this paddock was not adequate, they got a special authorization from the Albertville airfield (13 miles SE of Doussard) for towing out of there as well. At the end, towing out of the LZ worked just perfectly and they only went to Albertville once, more as a “social” event than out of necessity. Class II also had their own Deputy Meet Director, in charge of coordinating everything related with this class, yet he was in constant communication with the overall key officials. Jacques Bott—a French Swift, hang gliding and airline pilot—did an incredible amount of work to make all of this possible, providing the organizers with the necessary knowledge and support to
make it a safe and suitable event for his class. It was in fact, a very smooth running competition. There were five Swifts, one Millennium and three Archaeopteryx. It was great to see these last flying machines officially in the competition because back in 2010, in Tegelberg (Germany), there was a big discussion whether the Archaeopteryx was indeed a Class II wing and whether they would be allowed in the comp. Finally, during last year’s CIVL Plenary Meeting, the Archaeopteryx was officially recognized as a Class II. The Archaeopteryx was designed by Ruppert Composite, a Swiss company, and named after the prehistoric bird from the late Jurassic period considered the “transitional model” between feathered dinosaurs and modern birds. It is definitely an impressive machine and I was amazed to watch it fly, especially, noticing how slow it can go.
OPPOSITE TOP Spectators at the Forclaz site. MIDDLE Official photographer and top pilot Antoine Boisselier. BOTTOM Alpine Greeting Committee” welcoming pilots at Semnoz. ABOVE Rigid wing taking off from Forclaz—south lane.
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Class II started off with the longest task set during the comp: 140 miles with a single start gate at 13:00 over four turnpoints, back to the official LZ. Unfortunately, that day nobody got very far (relatively speaking) and the day’s winner, Swiss pilot Roger Ruppert, received 457 points for the 49.7 miles he flew. The next six tasks were all between 93 and 109 miles long. On Task 2, Jacques Bott won the day and Manfred Ruhmer (AUT) came in just five seconds later, losing only 22 points to the winner; seven pilots made it to goal. On Task 3, Manfred got the first 1000-point score of the comp, Roger Ruppert was 2nd and Steve Cox (SUI) came in 3rd; this time with a more interesting points difference and a total of five pilots in goal. Manfred played it quite well again the next day because, on Task 4, he took the 1000 points by being the only pilot to finish the 84.3 mile route set for the day; Ruppert landed 4.2 miles short taking 2nd and Philippe Bernard (SUI)—also on an Archaeopteryx—came in 3rd landing 27.1 miles short. Task 5 had seven pilots in goal and awarded the 1000 to Steve Cox; Bernard and Ruppert followed leaving Manfred in 4th place, but he was still leading the overall results by 306 points. To make things more interesting, Manfred struck back on Task 6 winning the 1000 points, flying 25 minutes faster than Ruppert and increasing his overall lead by 226 points. Steve Cox was 3rd, 19 minutes ABOVE Jamie right after take off.
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slower than Ruppert, losing 344 points to the day’s winner. The 4th and last pilot in goal that day was Ernst Ruppert who, if I am not mistaken, is Roger’s son. Ruppert Sr. decided to close this show in style and on Task 7 made goal almost 30 minutes faster than Manfred and about 36 minutes faster than Cox, taking the full 1000 points. Nevertheless, it was not enough to catch up to Manfred, who kept a decent 270 point lead taking 1st place overall; Ruppert was 2nd, Cox 3rd, Bott 4th and Bernard 5th.
Class V Out of the 22 pilots in Class V, 21 were flying a VQ, VR or a VRS Atos and only one pilot—British Luke Nicol—flew a different wing: the Axxess. This wing was built by Flight Design, located in Germany, but it is no longer in production. Interesting to see that no other rigid wing models were flying in this important event… This class also started off with the longest task of the comp: 95 miles. German pilot Tim Grabowski started off quite strongly winning this task; Austrians Toni Raumauf and Herwig Mayer came in 2nd and 3rd. The second task, of 63.8 miles, was won by Frenchman Patrick Chopard, with Germans Grabowski and Norbert Kirchner close behind. Day 3’s conditions and forecast did not look promising and,
The Flying Area
less stressful. Conditions vary in the different ridges and valleys,
The competition area is located on a mountainous zone
ranging from smooth and weak to strong and, sometimes,
that has the Annecy Lake as its center. The lake gives it a
a little turbulent. This makes it interesting because you
special touch and all the green Alpine mountains around
may encounter different conditions in a single task and
provide the perfect frame, making it a spectacular place
need to adjust your flying style and/or strategy. According
to fly.
to local pilots, cloudbase is usually above the summits al-
There are two main launch sites: “Forclaz” and “Semnoz.” Forclaz is the main site located just on the other
lowing you to fly over the mountain tops and deeper into the higher areas; however, as is often the case, things were
side of the lake from Doussard, 30 minutes away from
a little different during the comp and pilots had to face a
HQ; it faces west so you take off towards the lake and fly
lower cloudbase, often below the peaks. This may have
across, over and around it a lot! There is a bombout field
limited the choice of competition routes because tasks
at the bottom, but most people try to make it to the of-
were set mostly towards the west-southwest and only on
ficial LZ at Doussard, next to the HQ. This site is extremely
the last day were pilots sent farther towards the east. On
well known among paraglider pilots who visit the area,
the other hand, according to some pilots, this made the
and it hosts up to 100 tandem flights per day during the
tasks more interesting because it forced them to really
high season! I was impressed to count 10 tandem para-
figure out which would be the best path to get from one
gliders flying together and even more impressed to learn
valley or ridge to the next since, most of the times, the
that they have a designated staff member there, every
straight line was not the smartest option.
day, in charge of regulating the launch of the paragliders!
The wind also changed, according to your location,
I had the chance to talk with one of the staff, who said his
adding more to the technicality of the flying. You cannot
“record” shift had 1000 take offs in that ONE day! Semnoz, the alternate site, also faces west. It’s about a
count on a set direction because, depending on your whereabouts regarding the ridges, it changed making
45-minute drive to get there from HQ; the official LZ for
certain spots more soarable than others. For instance,
this site is in the town of Gruffy. Semnoz is more popular
you approached a ridge having a tail wind and were able
among hang glider pilots, but also very famous among
to soar one side of it, but if you crossed over to the other
cyclists and cycling fans because, very often, the “Tour de
side, you would expect the wind to create a rotor, or not
France” passes by. Actually, while doing some research
be able to soar; however, once over, you would realize that
for this article, I found out that exactly a week after the
you had wind blowing towards that face of the ridge and
Pre-worlds closing ceremony, July 20th, the “goal” of the
were able to soar as well!
Tour’s stage was there! Coincidentally, Colombian rider,
There are landable fields mostly everywhere, but—just
Nairo Quintana won the day, which also happened to be
like in every flying area we go to—there are spots where
the Colombian National Holiday (independence from
you must absolutely make sure to have enough height
Spain back in 1820). Some pilots, like Jamie Shelden, were
before crossing over or approaching a certain zone. if you
able to stay and watch the event and it seemed to be a lot
have to land because you could not ensure a safe crossing,
of fun; you can read about it at: www.naughtylawyertrav-
well, that’s also part of being an experienced pilot…
els.blogspot.com/2006/07/tour-de-france.html.
Overall Annecy is a good and beautiful area; a tricky
Back to hang gliding, both of these sites have paved
place where you need to be on your toes at all times. This
roads up to the top, plenty of room for setup and multiple
makes it an interesting and technical area with everything
ramps for takeoff, making the whole process easier and
needed to host a good competition.
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U.S. Women's Team on their Way Last year Jamie flew the Pre-Worlds and she really liked the place and the organization! “The area? I love it!” she said. “One of the most picturesque places I’ve ever flown…” Before her trip there, she was a bit concerned about the large amount of paragliding activity in the area, but to her surprise, it was “not bad at all.” The organizers had done their homework letting the paragliding community know about the Pre-worlds, regulating their takeoff during the window open period, and the paraglider pilots there flew in a courteous, ordered manner making her feel comfortable sharing the air with them. She even mentioned enjoying thermaling close to a couple of pilots, helping each other find the best core! This year Jamie will not be alone at the Worlds—Linda Salomone will be her teammate, just like in Australia. For this venture they are calling out for a little help setting up two different fund raising projects:
Commemorative T-shirts These t-shirts have been financed by Steve Kroop (Flytec USA) who is a great supporter of all things hang gliding, typically working behind the scenes—”and we love him for that!” says Jamie. Having been able to get the t-shirts made, toughest step, they are now selling them for $25 each. If you would like to purchase a shirt (or several) to support Jamie and Linda, place your order at http://rochesterareaflyers. com/GOTTAFLY.html
USHPA – Foundation for Free Flight The FFF is by far the biggest supporter of the women’s team and, for this competition, they have set up a fundraiser where they will match the amount donated. This needs to be done by the time you renew your USHPA membership. Under the “Tax Deductible Contributions” you will find the “FFF Women’s Hang Gliding Competition” option; check the box and put in the amount you would like to donate. The FFF will do the rest, including matching your amount—up to $500. Linda and Jamie would like to thank everyone for their support and extend special thanks to George Longshore
ABOVE Initial image from the Doussard official
and Pete Lehmann, “…old friends coming out of the
website. OPPOSITE Sport Class pilot making it to goal—Doussard LZ.
woodworks to help us out!” Good luck, girls!
after setting up a task and waiting a while on launch for improvement, Meet Director (MD) Richard Walbec and Safety Director (SD) Raymond Caux made the decision to cancel the task for Classes I, Open and Sport, and V; however, pilots were allowed to free fly. That was the first day the competition went to the Semnoz takeoff, two ridges to the west of Doussard. After the forced break, the rigids attempted a 49-mile task. Patrick Chopard won the day again, but landed 9.6 miles short of goal, followed by Austrians Mayer and Thomas Meissl who landed 13.4 and 14.3 miles short, respectively. Task 5 was a 52.8-mile run with seven pilots in goal: Walter Geppert (AUT) was 1st, Tim Grabowski 2nd and Thierry Parcellier (FRA), 3rd. Task 6 brought 14 pilots into goal and one close enough: French pilot Vianney Tisseau landed just 1.4 mile short. He received 4.3 fewer distance points than those in goal, no time or arrival points, but the 73.6 leading bonus points he got allowed him to place 14th for the day, just in front of the last pilot in whose 15.6 arrival position points did not make up for the lack of speed or leading points. Day winners were: Walter Geppert, Dieter Kamml (GER) and Christopher Friedl (AUT). The last task for Class V was 85.6 miles long with 11 pilots in goal and a 34-mile gap between them and the first batch of those landing short of goal. Just
like in Class II, the pilot winning the first day also won the last one; therefore, Tim Grabowski was 1st, Kirchner 2nd and Mayer 3rd. In the top five spots: Tim Grabowski, Norbert Kirchner, Herwig Mayer, Christopher Friedl and Walter Geppert.
Class I—Sport On their first task, the winner Serge Mainente (FRA), was able to fly 21 miles out of the 39.7-mile task, while Benoît Benier—2nd for the day—flew 16 miles; the rest of the field got minimum distance. The second task, 30 miles long, went a bit better. Fabien Garing (FRA) got to goal two hours and 11 minutes faster than the other only pilot in goal, Serge Mainente. Two other pilots flew roughly 11 miles and the rest got minimum distance. Tasks 3 and 4, were cancelled. Task 5 was 30 miles long, with three pilots in goal: Garing 1st, about 28 minutes faster than second-placing Mainente and 35 minutes faster than Benier, in 3rd. Two pilots flew around the 10-mile mark and the three remaining got minimum distance. Task 6 was set at 36 miles; Garing took 2:38 hours to complete the course, while nobody else made it in. The last task, 40 miles, saw Garing as the indisputable winner, once again being the only pilot in goal. The overall results had Fabien Garing take first place after winning four out of the
five tasks and flying at a distinctly higher level than the other Sport-class pilots. Serge Mainente, the only pilot able to keep up Garing’s pace a little bit, took second, and third place was awarded to Benoît Benier; all of the top three are French. Dutch pilot Martijn Doeland was fourth, and in fifth place, French pilot Jean-Marc Gourdon. This was the first Sport-class Pre-worlds ever, and this June they will have their very first FAI World Championships! Everything is pretty new and things need to be tested, appraised and, from whatever is learned, adjusted and improved. I have not yet heard whether there are any US pilots planning on attending, but I sure hope to see at least a couple of them there!
Class I—French Open This group consisted of 34 French pilots competing for the title of French Champion, six women trying to win the Preworlds, and 17 foreign pilots trying to beat the 34 locals in an attempt to win the French Open or place as high as possible in the overall results. Since there were three classes using the same site, the daily order gave Rigids and Sport Class an open window 20-30 minutes before the window opened for the Open pilots; it worked quite well. As far as the racing is concerned, I have to say the French pilots (or those flying for France) did an excellent job defending their status as “local matadors”: out of the five tasks only one was won by a foreigner and, on the overall results, the highest-placing foreigner was in 7th place. ABOVE Rigid landing at Doussard goal
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Task 1, as in Classes II and V, was the longest: 74.6 miles; only four pilots made it to goal. The winner was Luís Rizo (a great and beloved pilot: Rest in Peace, my friend); in second place François Isoard, only 19 seconds behind Rizo and both on their WW T2Cs 144. About 30 minutes later, Gianpietro Zin came in being 3rd on a Laminar Z9 and Mario Alonzi 4th, on his Aeros Combat GT. Task 2 at 51.7 miles, had half the field—26 pilots—in goal; it was a day where speed was the key to getting as many of the 1000 points awarded as possible. The winner, Gianpietro Zin, flew the task in 1:51:22 at an average speed of 27.3mph, a mere one mph faster than his immediate pursuers. Alonzi arrived 3 minutes 10 seconds later and Laurent Thevenot, 3 seconds after Alonzi. The last pilot into goal scored 441 points, about 550 fewer than the top guys. Task 5 was 50 miles long, almost the same length as Task 2, but with a totally opposite outcome—nobody made it to goal! The results of this task were quite interesting and every foot counted (please bear with me): the closest pilot, landing roughly 11 miles short, was Rizo who flew 39.059 miles, followed by Austrian Tom Weissenberger who flew 38.842 miles and Isoard who did 38.780 miles. This is a 0.217-mile difference, between Rizo and Tom, and a 0.062-mile difference between Tom and Isoard. We are talking of 1148 and 327 feet, and it may seem like nothing; however, this small difference that gave Rizo 2.5 extra distance points regarding Tom was not enough to make him day winner because, Tom’s extra 3.8 leading bonus points, counterbalanced making him first for the day, just 1 point ahead of Rizo! Yet, Rizo’s 3.7
distance points on Isoard did counteract in relation to the 2.7 extra leading bonus points Isoard got and Rizo was second for the day, again, just 1 point ahead of Isoard! Similar thing with 4th place, Alonzi, 1 point behind 3rd and only the 5th spot had a 4 point “gap” produced by the 459ft separation, which translated into 1.8 distance points, plus the extra 2.4 leading bonus points Alonzi got over Thevenot. All this to show that, sometimes, a single point can make a big difference! Task 6 was a 56.2-mile run back to Doussard. Eleven pilots made it in with the fastest flying the course in 2:32:43 and the slowest in 3:50:56. Zin won the day being the fastest, leading the most and getting to goal first; Isoard was 2nd and Aussie pilot Glen McFarlane was 3rd. This was a tricky task because some of the strong pilots—due to a variety of issues— did not do well, giving the chance to the other strong pilots to take the advantage and secure their spots. Up until that day, Rizo was leading the comp, with Isoard and Zin behind; after this task, Rizo slipped to 4th place and Isoard (3245 points), Zin (3230) and Alonzi (3027) Moved into the top three spots. As you can see, everything was wide open the morning of the last task. Task 7 was yet another tricky day, providing this comp with some more emotion. This day finally had some more “classical” Annecy conditions with higher cloudbase, so the task committee and MD decided to send the pilots on a trip over to the higher mountains on a 66.6-mile course. It was a close race between the top two pilots that day: Thevenot,
being 12 seconds faster than Alonzi and leading enough throughout the course, was able to hold first place. His speed and arrival position points gave him a 14.6-point lead over Alonzi so that the 6.5 leading points difference Alonzi got over him, were not enough to take Thevenot’s day win away. Rizo was 3rd, about 100 points behind Alonzi, but not enough to recover from the day before. Two more pilots made it to goal—Weissenberger and Guillaume Schoeb (FRA)— and then there was a 13-mile gap between these pilots and the next batch. After these last couple of roller-coaster days, the final results had Mario Alonzi 1st, Laurent Thevenot 2nd, Gianpiero Zin 3rd, Luís Rizo 4th and François Isoard 5th. This also meant that the winners of the French Nationals were also the winners of the French Open. In 10th place, and top finisher in the women’s pre-worlds, was Françoise Dieuzeide-Banet, Corinna Schwiegershausen of Germany placed second for the women, and French pilot Helene Toyer was third. Despite several issues, misunderstandings and difficulties, this was definitely a successful competition and the organizers were aware of the improvements needed for this year’s competition. The amount of time and effort put into this test event was obvious to all participants, with many pilots expressing enthusiasm about going back in a couple of months. The key officials—Jean-Louis Debiee (organizer), Richard Walbec (MD) and Raymond Caux (SD)—have a lot of experience in their areas and both the MD and SD are former world-class competition pilots who make an excellent team to lead the event; it was a pleasure watching them work together. Also the support from the Doussard’s Township is exceptional; as proof, visit their website and see the initial image they have chosen… As a generous touch, the organizers offered their guests one social event plus the opening and closing ceremonies: the Opening Ceremony, on the practice day, with the presence of authorities and journalists who gave us a warm welcoming, was topped off with a nice lunch. Then, the evening after the last task, they also organized a dinner for everyone and had a band playing live; it was a pity that not more pilots stepped on the dance floor. The closing ceremony on July 13th at Gruffy also included food for all and prizes for the winners.
LINKS Official Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/118203104671804675324/HangGliding2013 Results: http://dca.ffvl.fr/hg2014/index.php/en/preworlduk/resultatsuk Doussard’s Official Website: www.ville-doussard.fr Archaeopteryx: http://www.ruppert-composite.ch/en/flugzeug/portrait.html French Federation: www.federation.ffvl.fr
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The Cloud Lady Lessons from 30,000 Feet
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by ANDY PAG
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hispers start to float among pilots when the first of them recognizes her as she strides to the takeoff. “That’s Ewa!” The tall, attractive blond carries herself and her glider with confidence. “Look, it’s Ewa,” murmurs another pilot to a confused friend, adding by way of explanation, “The Cloud Lady.” Famous for having survived being sucked up to 32,850’ by a storm cloud in Manilla, Australia, in 2007, Ewa Wisnierska was the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary that makes her instantly recognizable among pilots whenever she appears on launch. These days she works as a paragliding instructor in Germany and leads guided tours for pilots around the world. Along with her partner, she also runs personal development workshops that help individuals and businesses change their “bad habits.” Identifying and changing bad habits is one of the major legacies of her miraculous brush with death. Wisnierska learned to fly in 2000, at the age of 28. After having an educational background that included sports, she took to flying with a passion and was soon living out of a car, following the seasons from site to site. In 2003, she was persuaded by some friends to enter a competition, which she did with no expectations, other than it might be fun. She was, however, amazed to find herself finishing second. This fortuitous placement in the race triggered a desire in Ewa to continue measuring her skills against others, resulting in her decision to dedicate herself to competing for the LEFT Ewa launching at Valle De Bravo, Mexico. She eventually withdrew from the World Championships after voicing safety concerns regarding racing paragliders in big air..
full 2004 season. Within just three races, she achieved her goal of qualifying for the German League. This meant she could enter competitions on the international circuit without having to qualify. At first, Ewa was genuinely surprised to be beating the top female pilots, but she quickly became accustomed to winning, as she earned a place on the German national team and went on to win European Championships, the World Cup, and the coveted PWC. “Winning is fun,” she admits, looking back. “But I was competing because I was hungry to learn more and realized that being with good pilots was the fastest way to make me a better pilot. “Through competing I learned a lot about my personality. In life, like flying, we always look for excuses. If we bomb out, we can blame the conditions or other pilots, but the only way to improve is by being honest with yourself. “The one things I was bad at was learning to lose.” The statement sounds arrogant, but by 2006, Ewa was starting to question why she was competing. She realized it wasn’t delivering the same joy the sport had given her in her early years of flying. “I never went to land unless the organizers cancelled a task. They set a route and I followed, even if it took me through bad weather or somewhere I didn’t want to fly. I couldn’t say no. “Sometimes I would reach goal, after flying through bad conditions, and be annoyed with myself for not having landed sooner.” Wisnierska recognizes the reluctance to lose in contemporary competitors. “You see it with newcomers to the competition circuit. They have good skills and confidence, and they risk a lot. It’s a standard path;
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The Cloud Lady says eventually, everyone has a dangerous experience, after which they pull the parking brake to slow down. Longerterm competitors are more balanced.” Chasing a podium place in Manilla for the PWC in 2007, she refused to say no when a storm cloud closed in ahead of her. She was sucked up at 4000fpm, frozen, oxygen- deprived, and unconscious for 45 minutes, before being slammed down from over 30,000’ at 6500fpm, narrowly avoiding lightning strikes, coming back to consciousness in time to land her damaged glider. Chinese pilot He Zhongpin, 42, died in the same cloud, highlighting how lucky Wisnierska was to survive the ordeal. “It was a clear message that I had to stop taking risks, and I promised myself and my parents I would.” Wisnierska didn’t want to give up
Liberty
On Women pilots: Women tend to risk less. It’s genetic. Personally, I’m not like this, and not just with paragliding.
On certification of comp wings: It’s not important to have open class gliders. If everyone is on safe wings, you can still compete.
competing, but knew that with a less risk-tolerant approach she wouldn’t be as competitive, yet the momentum of the competitive environment would make it very hard for her to say no.
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The next PWC competition was in Japan. There was a strong takeoff wind, and a TV crew had come to film her. She was under tremendous pressure to fly, but felt the conditions were too strong. Other pilots took off. “Eventually I told the organizers and TV crew, ‘I’m sorry, but I will not fly.’ As soon as I signed out of the competition, I felt as if a big weight had lifted off me. It was an amazing feeling, better than when I won the PWC. I realized I was now able to do it.” Later that year, at the PWC in Spain, the organizers opened the launch window just as a big storm cloud developed behind takeoff. “We could all see and hear it. I was thinking This is crazy.” The field launched, leaving Wisnierska as the last one on takeoff. Again, she decided not to fly and was vindicated when, 10
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minutes later, the organizers cancelled the task, leaving pilots struggling to land in a valley where the winds had already picked up. Ewa became progressively more disappointed by this and other subsequent incidents, and slowly lost the desire for competing. “Pilots will always follow without questioning. It’s sad, because if you want to win, you have to play that game. I had to accept I wouldn’t be able to win and stay safe. The fun was gone.” In 2008, while leading the European Championships, Ewa spotted rain ahead. She wrestled with the option of landing as she flew towards it. She turned away once, but, unable to fight the competitive urge, turned back on course line towards the storm. Eventually, Ewa remembered her promise to her parents and the responsibility she’d felt towards loved ones after narrowly escaping death in Australia and turned again and went down to land in the valley. “After I turned, I saw others turning, too. After they landed they said, ‘I’m so happy you made the move to land’ and I realized that my actions don’t just affect myself. We all set examples for each other.” At first Ewa was reluctant to talk about her incident with “the cloud,” but later realized that by sharing the experience she might be able to save lives. “And, anyway, I can’t hide from it. I have to accept it.” Ewa’s fame means her work as a guide is occasionally interrupted when she’s recognized on takeoff and pilots come speak to her, but she doesn’t mind. “No! It’s nice. The only thing I don’t like is when people ask me stupid questions like ‘How was it?’ or make silly jokes. But mostly people are friendly. They come and shake my hand and are very positive.”
T
hese days, “The Cloud Lady” applies the lessons from her years of competing, as well as the incident in Manilla, to the way she teaches her cross-country clinics. Conscious that her actions set an example for her students and others, Wisnierska doesn’t fly if conditions are too strong for her students. “I fly a small Swing Mistral 6 glider. It’s not important for me to make distances or set records. “What’s most important is that flying has to be about fun, not about distances or speed. This is the first thing I teach. The second thing is that you mustn’t compare yourself to others, only to yourself. It doesn’t make sense to compare yourself with others. It only leads to disappointment. “In flying, like in life, you have to be happy.”
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Thinking Outside the Blocks PART VI: FINDING LIFT LINES
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e are going to spend our time in this article thinking about lift lines: where they come from, where they go, but, most importantly, how to find them. Back in the January 2010 issue of this mag, I wrote about flying local lift lines. These effects are mainly due to thermals in wind. Now we turn our attention to exploring all types of lift lines. Lift lines are strings of lift caused by convergence or thermals or waves or meanders or a combination of these natural features. Generally speaking, thermal lift lines and meanders line up with the prevailing wind; waves are oriented across the wind direction, while convergence can be in either orientation.
LIFT LINES ACROSS THE WIND WAVES Spend some time around water, and you get the impression it is always in motion, even when not a breath of air is stirring. There always tends to be some vertical internal motion due to heat differences. So, too, the ocean of air tends to be constantly in motion, even on days when it is stable near the surface, and we can’t detect wind. When wind blows over water surfaces, it causes wave action. Large-scale waves may build and break when they encounter a shoreline incline. However, far out at sea, the wave action is spread out and may be barely detectable if the wind is light. We also see waves caused
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by water moving over a rough surface. An example of this type of wave formation is a rippling stream. We mention the formation of waves in water because waves form in the air mass in similar ways, and water always helps us envision the invisible air movements. Waves can form in the sky when a faster flow moves over a slower moving air mass. Usually there is a difference of stability and, most commonly, a temperature difference between the two flows that keep their identities separate for a long spell (they don’t mix much). Such waves often occur high aloft; we can sometimes see them when they form billow clouds (see photos 1 and 2). Waves of this nature can occur lower down and without clouds, but there is usually turbulence associated with them. The day in photo 2 exhibited so much turbulence that all who flew went out to land after about 30 minutes of Mixmaster airtime. The clouds were only about 1000 feet above the ridge top, 2000 feet above the ground. Such waves are not readily usable by us light-wingers, but they are described to increase awareness of the possibility of encountering them. Another type of wave occurs when
by DENNIS PAGEN
air flows over surface humps and bumps. Just as when ripples are formed in moving water, waves often form in the air when it moves over hills, ridges and mountains. These waves are better known by pilots and are sometimes usable. Waves produced by long ridges can extend for long distances parallel to the ridge, but also tend to have multiple repeat waves downwind from the wave source. Waves that HG and PG pilots can use are typically oriented across the wind flow, so they represent lift lines only when we are flying crosswind. Waves typically require a bit of wind to form, but many pilots, including myself, have encountered them in normal soaring winds (15mph or less). Modern paragliders can certainly fly in such winds, as long as the winds don’t increase rapidly with height. We don’t typically fly crosswind when going cross-country, except in contests and when running along a ridge. It is with the latter that we have sometimes used the lift lines represented by waves. Waves often occur on top of the lower unstable thermal layer. A number of pilots have thermaled up to find lift get smoother and spread out. No cloud appears, so we can’t attribute the change
Even if we only spend one tenth of our time gliding between thermals, a good glide along a lift line can greatly improve our chances...
1 to cloud suck—it’s a wave. Sometimes when high above a ridge, we encounter this smooth lift that stretches right along our route. This is a wave lift line, and it is the best argument yet for getting high and staying high.
RIDGE LIFT LINES Ridge lift itself is a form and source of lifting lines. When the ridge is solid and long, it is easy to imagine where the lift should be and exploit it. However, tumbled ridges, hills and mountains can exhibit complex lift patterns that take time and experience to figure out. When I go to a new site, I always marvel at how well the locals (birds and pilots) use the terrain and wind effects to good effect. Some other time we’ll get into details and tricks of ridge soaring, but, for now, do not discount the possibility of even low and short ridge lines producing lines of lift that either promote thermal gathering or lower your sink rate. I recently spent a couple of weeks in the Florida Keys. There the land is barely over a few feet above sea level. The trees are typically only about 20 feet tall, yet the good soaring birds—turkey vultures, pelicans, ospreys, anhinga and frigate birds—float along in the weak lift line caused by the updraft as the wind from the sea hits the beach. We don’t have nearly that much performance, but the lift, and more importantly, the lift line, is there. Awareness makes for a more fulfilled pilot, as in “I soared my fill.”
2
CONVERGENCE Convergence is a coming together of the air (divergence is the opposite). When the air converges, it wells up or uplifts. We can see such an upwelling in a stream behind a large rock, or when a wave is reflected back from the shore to meet an incoming wave. Convergence in the air can occur when the air moves around mountains or when it flows up opposite sides of a mountain and meets at the top. Also, when air flows along a valley or gorge that gets constricted, the air converges and lifts. Other convergence causes can be a sea breeze that comes in from both sides of a peninsula and meets in the middle. Such a convergence often sets up in Florida and has been the source of much success (and failure when the convergence is missed) in the many competitions held there. The same thing occasionally occurs in the Delmarva Peninsula (east of the Chesapeake Bay). I expect it will also happen in Baja California and other long slips of land. Sea breezes also form convergences as they meet winds from different directions over the warm land. A type of convergence set up nearly every day at the PG World meet in Bulgaria, when winds from the back of the high mountain range were brought to the ground a bit out from the mountain to meet the valley flow moving toward the mountain. These convergences
produced thermals and long lines of cumulus clouds, which made it easy to see their location. The last sort of convergence we’ll mention is within cloud streets (lift streets). At times, thermals line up to produce long lines of lift. The air goes up in the thermals in a nearly continuous line and comes down between the lines of lift. At the surface, the air comes together in a form of convergence to promote more thermal development and continue the process. Convergences of different types may have different shapes, sizes and orientations. Mostly the types mentioned here are oriented across the wind (except for the convergence at the bottom of a thermal street). Some may extend for short distances, but convergences along peninsulas can exist for tens of miles. Some types of convergence stretch out parallel to the wind, so are most useful to open cross-country flying. Which brings us to:
LIFT LINES PARALLEL TO THE WIND THERMAL LINES In the 2010 article, we mostly talked about thermal lift lines. Thermals spread out into lines for a couple reasons; the most important is the wind. From that previous article we distill the following: …the weaker the thermals and the stronger the wind, the longer the lift lines. Essentially, the slower the vertical move-
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ment and stronger the horizontal movement of the thermal, the longer the lift area extends. We should note a point here. If the wind is too strong, it tends to break the thermal up and also create smaller thermals because air doesn’t sit at the surface in large pools. However, in more stable conditions a large wind gradient can exist so surface winds are less. Such conditions will result in weak thermals, but lift lines will be more prevalent (and longer), so they are even more important in these conditions. Thermal lift lines don’t tend to stretch very far along the path of the wind (unless they are cloud streets) but they are important, especially if we are trying to go upwind. Often when we are flying cross-country, we encounter patches of lift that buoy us along. They may have a thermal core in them somewhere, but if we are already high, we may not want to search for it. However, we do slow down and take advantage of the free passage it offers.
MEANDERING WINDS Another source of convergence is a bit more mysterious. Think of water flowing
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along a streambed. It gets jostled this way and that and individual particles meander left and right as they flow along. In other words, just as irregularities on the bottom cause vertical flows (waves), they also cause side-to-side motion. If two sideways flows come together, they converge and lift; if they move apart, they diverge and there is sink. We call this sideways drifting of the air meandering. I believe we can see the effects of such meandering, and the convergence and divergence it causes in snowfields polished by the wind. Photo 4, taken in the field behind my house this past winter, shows the ridges and valleys created by wind flow. The convergence and divergence causes up- and down-welling in the wind near the surface, and the snow imprints it for us to see and study. The field in the picture is relatively flat, with very little to initiate such a weave of lift and sink lines. I have looked at a lot of these ridges and tried to imagine how they would appear in the wider airflow on a larger scale. In general, convergence lift caused by meandering may be short little patches but often may extend for long distances.
The lift itself is usually weak and often can meander a bit itself, just as the snow wind lines do.
FLYING THE LINE On that pre-mentioned visit to the Florida Keys, I spent some days on Long Key, a narrow strip about halfway to Key West. There were at least 150 turkey vultures living on the island—very curious, considering the largest mammal (and, thus, dead meat source) on the island is raccoon. I never saw a dead raccoon, and it would take a Noah’s ark’s worth of raccoons to feed 150 vultures. A park ranger cleared up the mystery by pointing out the huge garbage landfill on the north side. The vultures just fly in to feed whenever they are in the mood for Big Mac scraps. They don’t have to hunt food. So what they do all day is thermal up. I watched them for days climb in the weak thermals and drift south about a mile past the island over the sea. There is no doubt that they were flying for hours merely for fun. It was fascinating to see how certain birds maintained their position at the top
3 of the heap by getting to thermals first, then leaving first and aiming for the next one marked by other vultures. But the most interesting part was watching them choose their glide lines. Sometimes 50 to 100 birds would be gliding together, indicating the lines of lift (and sink, although none of them stayed in sink long; they shuffled off to the side when sink was encountered). In other words, they were flying by the book. I also get to watch vultures and hawks out my picture window at home on the hill, but there are never so many that they define the air’s movement on such a wide scale. However, I do see the vultures, especially, choose careful lift lines and often never lose a millimeter and, indeed, climb as they glide for miles. As pilots, we can probably do no bad if we follow the vultures’ example (except for their penchant for flying in the lee of mountains). Our first step should be to understand lift lines and expect to find them whenever and wherever. Once we have an awareness of their existence, we should pay attention to the conditions, location and frequency of their occurrence. Just as many (most, all?) sites have house thermals, we should expect them to have house lift lines. Lift lines may not occur as often as house thermals, but they are common enough at the sites I fly and have flown around the world, so I expect they are common everywhere. The next step towards exploiting lift lines is to be ready for them. Just as with
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thermals and waves, we should expect them always and be ready to exploit them when they appear. In fact, whenever I thermal (hopefully every flight), I pay attention to the possibility and presence of lift lines right from the start. It is one of the primary things I scope out around a thermal (including how big the cores are, how long they last, are they multiple, how strong the lift, how high it goes, etc.). The very first thermal tells me if the sink around its perimeter is bad and if there is lift lined up with the wind. Since I’ll be spending a lot of my time gliding between thermals, I find it more important to figure out the lift lines of the day than to actually scope out all the facets of the thermal, unless it’s a low-save, scratchy day. Even if we only spend one tenth of our time gliding between thermals, a good glide along a lift line can greatly improve our thermal chances and performance, if we even get to the next thermal only 30 feet or so above a nonlift-line path. We shouldn’t have to point out that following a sink line can be a disaster, if we are trying to maximize our performance. On the latter point, I have had the experience of blundering into a massive widespread sink line that, try as I might with a turn to the side, held me in its clutches. A pilot develops character from watching pilots who come later sail over his/her head a few thousand feet up. One of the clues to finding lift lines is a line of clouds. I have seen separate single lines of clouds in the blue. Every
time I have had the wherewithal (read: altitude or go-for-it) to get to that cloud area, I have been rewarded with a lift line. We can’t always reach them, but they are there, and we should acknowledge them. As mentioned, other lift lines often occur in the same general area. The famous Florida “ridge” is a lift line that frequently sets up within a few miles of the same place day after day. Certain local pilots, such as Mike Barber, have had more than 15 minutes of fame by finding and exploiting this convergence lift line. I have personally flown next to Mike in a comp and watched him suddenly veer over and find a line. Who am I to dispute success? I followed him. He hit it first and got above the rest of us struggling toward goal. We all eventually glided along under good long-threaded lift. Lift lines, whether from waves or convergence or meandering flows, promote thermal formation and release. Anywhere the air is upwelling for reasons of flow, it usually has thermals studded within it. That’s what we want, so the simple policy of following lift lines as much as possible will help find thermals as much as possible. Lift lines are common. It behooves us to think about them and use them whenever we can. The Spaghetti Monster knows that many a flight has been busted or saved by ignoring or utilizing lift lines. Be a wise pilot, be a vulture, be a Barber, be a success.
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HANG GLIDING RTG RGN NAME
STATE RATING OFFICIAL
RTG RGN NAME
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-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-5
OR WA CA CA CA CA CA VA VA TN TN TN TN GA FL TX TX TX CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA PA TN TN GA FL TX TX CA CA CA CA FL FL FL TX WY MT TX NY
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-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-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
1 1 2 2 2 2 2 9 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 9 10 10 10 10 11 11 2 2 2 3 10 10 10 11 5 5 11 12
Kirk Bridgers Paige Ollikainen An Jiang Scott Hermann Connor Zwick Himanshu Mhatre Gabriel Lahue Richard Morris Brian Muka Todd Cole Stephen Yeager Lauren Yeager Haley Yeager Micah Aultman Adam Fogg Arthur Stallings Elizabeth (doc) Maret Niki Longshore Stephanie Greer Nathan Addy An Jiang Scott Hermann Alessandro Calderano Simon Lee Ryan Gillespie Connor Zwick Jonathan Irlbeck Todd Cole Stephen Yeager Micah Aultman Adam Fogg Arthur Stallings Niki Longshore Mark Malmberg Janica Lee Linwood Lyons Michael La Tour Scott Simpkins M Glenn Curran Iii Roger Kruger Arthur Stallings Richard Waters Don Lange Arthur Stallings Linda Salamone
James Tibbs David Yount Eric Hinrichs George Hamilton Eric Hinrichs Eric Hinrichs David Yount Steve Wendt Steve Wendt Christopher (kit) Martin Christopher (kit) Martin Christopher (kit) Martin Christopher (kit) Martin Christopher (kit) Martin Mitchell Shipley Tiki Mashy Bart Weghorst Joel Froehlich John Simpson Eric Hinrichs Eric Hinrichs George Hamilton John Simpson Robert Booth John Simpson Eric Hinrichs Bryon Estes Christopher (kit) Martin Christopher (kit) Martin Christopher (kit) Martin Mitchell Shipley Tiki Mashy Joel Froehlich Harold Johnson Brian Horgan Harold Johnson John Heiney James Tindle James Tindle James Tindle Tiki Mashy Bart Weghorst Jeff Shapiro Tiki Mashy Paul Voight
PARAGLIDING
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RATINGS ISSUED IN DECEMBER
RTG RGN NAME
STATE RATING OFFICIAL
P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1
1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2
Michael Forness Matthew Hoffman Max Jewell Duane Tessmer Michael Jefferson Brian Day Alexander Leibenath Ian Esten
WA WA AK CA CA CA CA CA
Marc Chirico Douglas Hoffman Terry Bono Rob Sporrer Jeffrey Greenbaum Daniel Ribas Jeffrey Greenbaum Jeffrey Greenbaum
P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1
2 2 3 3
Sameera Ponda Parsa Dormiani Alexandre Guillaume Sam Pasha
CA CA CA CA
James Burgess James Burgess Rob Sporrer Gabriel Jebb
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STATE RATING OFFICIAL
David Pearson CA Mark Mian CA Preston Rhea CA Josh Charles HI Tyson Jensen CA Jonathan Brinkerhoff NM Chloe Bureau-oxton NM Trent Simpler NM Teague Holmes UT Joshua Gutzwiller UT Lance Ferguson CO David Whitmore UT Mladen Basic Sam Thompson MT Thomas Berryman David Chu Stan Morris AR Will Williamson AR Isca Navarro Shawn Hickman AR Stephanie Conte Yung Yee Ming Surya Bahadur Dhakal Yogya Dutt Chet Bahadur Neupane Ghana Shyam Gautam Sunil Bahadur Bhattarai Saroj Bhattarai Amit Thapa Sundar Gurung Yogesh Bhattarai Robert Schwartz PA Andrew Craig VA Ryan Grimaldi TN Samantha Schwartz NC Michael Forness WA Matthew Hoffman WA Max Jewell AK Duane Tessmer CA Dmitry Chichkov CA Ralf Pfeiffer CA Arnaud Le Hors CA Sam Pasha CA David Pearson CA Preston Rhea CA Josh Charles HI Tyson Jensen CA Jonathan Brinkerhoff NM Chloe Bureau-oxton NM Trent Simpler NM Teague Holmes UT Joshua Gutzwiller UT Lance Ferguson CO David Whitmore UT Mladen Basic Sam Thompson MT Robert Simpson Jr AR Thomas Berryman David Chu Stan Morris AR Will Williamson AR Isca Navarro
Jerome Daoust Max Marien Dave Turner David (dexter) Binder Rob Sporrer T Lee Kortsch T Lee Kortsch T Lee Kortsch Dale Covington Kevin Hintze Jerome Daoust Paul Whitmore Jerome Daoust Andy Macrae David Hanning Steven Yancey Britton Shaw Britton Shaw David Hanning Britton Shaw David Hanning Alex Tang Chi Vi David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning Michael Appel Rob Sporrer Soren Braddock Michael Appel Marc Chirico Douglas Hoffman Terry Bono Rob Sporrer Jeffrey Greenbaum Jesse Meyer Jesse Meyer Gabriel Jebb Jerome Daoust Dave Turner David (dexter) Binder Rob Sporrer T Lee Kortsch T Lee Kortsch T Lee Kortsch Dale Covington Kevin Hintze Jerome Daoust Paul Whitmore Jerome Daoust Andy Macrae Britton Shaw David Hanning Steven Yancey Britton Shaw Britton Shaw David Hanning
RTG RGN NAME
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-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 8 9 9 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 9 10 12 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 10 12
STATE RATING OFFICIAL
Stephanie Conte Yung Yee Ming Surya Bahadur Dhakal Yogya Dutt Chet Bahadur Neupane Ghana Shyam Gautam Sunil Bahadur Bhattarai Saroj Bhattarai Amit Thapa Sundar Gurung Yogesh Bhattarai Michael Holmes MA Andrew Craig VA Jacob Wrenn PA Joost Wienese CA Tonia Fox CA Dale Keehan CA Scott Marchant HI Craig Wheeler CA Kirk Wheeler CA Sam Pasha CA Ryan Nelson CA Jimmy Clark NM Todd Cross WY Thomas Berryman Patrick Doyle Isca Navarro Stephanie Conte Surya Bahadur Dhakal Yogya Dutt Chet Bahadur Neupane Ghana Shyam Gautam Sunil Bahadur Bhattarai Saroj Bhattarai Amit Thapa Sundar Gurung Yogesh Bhattarai John Hopkinson VA Carolyn Thomas FL Justine Haupt NY Chien (charlie) Dinh CA Jan Passion CA Caroline Kidd Lewis CA Andrew Konstantinov CA Colin Kemp NV Toby Ebens NV Jean-noel Michel CA Sam Pasha CA Scott Warren AZ Matthew Paine MT Thomas Berryman Isca Navarro Stephanie Conte Surya Bahadur Dhakal Yogya Dutt Chet Bahadur Neupane Ghana Shyam Gautam Sunil Bahadur Bhattarai Saroj Bhattarai Amit Thapa Sundar Gurung Yogesh Bhattarai Steve Beach NC Kent Wien NY
David Hanning Alex Tang Chi Vi David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning Rick Sharp Rob Sporrer Terry Bono Jesse Meyer Jeffrey Greenbaum Jerome Daoust Pete Michelmore Max Marien Max Marien Gabriel Jebb Charles (chuck) Smith Charles (chuck) Woods Andy Macrae David Hanning Alex Tang Chi Vi David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning Kevin Mcginley Dale Covington Philippe Renaudin William Laurence Jeffrey Greenbaum Andy Macrae Jesse Meyer Chris Santacroce Chris Santacroce Jerome Daoust Gabriel Jebb Nik Peterson Andy Macrae David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning David Hanning Kari Castle Benoit Bruneau
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can be submitted online at http://www.ushpa.aero/email _ events.asp. A minimum 3-month lead time is required on all submissions and tentative events will not be published. For more details on submissions, as well as 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 80901-1330. If paying with credit card, you may email the previous information and classified to info@ushpa.aero. For security reasons, please call your Visa/MC or Amex info to the office. No refunds will be given on ads cancelled that are scheduled to run multiple months. (719) 632-8300. Fax (719) 632-6417 HANG GLIDING ADVISORY: Used hang gliders should always be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigued, bent or dented downtubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially the heart bolt), reused 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.
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MAY 18-24 > Souther Field, Americus, GA. Fly-
tec Americus Cup. More Information: Jamie Shelden 831-261-1544 naughtylawyer@gmail.com, orflytecamericuscup.com.
JUNE 1-7 > Highland Aerosports, Ridgely, MD. East Coast Hang Gliding Championship. Open fields as far as you can see; free camping; competitive sport class; and a great social atmosphere. More information: Adam Elchin 410634-2700 hanglide@aerosports.net, or www. aerosports.net. JUNE 22-28 > Woodrat Mtn, Ruch, OR. 2014 Rat Race/Sprint Paragliding Competition. Twelfth Annual Rat Race/Sprint Paragliding Competition. June 22 - 28th, 2014. Practice Day June 21st. Two parties, daily lunches, retrieve and mentoring provided. Join the experience, travel southern Oregon, bring your family and see why the Rat Race is more than the largest paragliding festival in the USA. Go here and see what southern Oregon has to offer: http://southernoregon.org. Registration opens Feb 15, 2014 - $450.00 until 4/15/2014. Sign up at MPHSports.com. More Information: Mike and Gail Haley 1-541-702-2111, mphsports@charter. net, or www.mphsports.com. JULY 5-12 > Chelan Butte, Chelan, WA. Chelan Flats Nationals. 2014 US Paragliding Nationals, Race-to-goal, Chelan, WA More information: Kimberly Phinney, 707-508-5431, info@whiteowlpg. com, or whiteowlpg.com. AUGUST 3-9 > Big Spring, TX. Big Spring Nationals. Strongest, smoothest, most consistent conditions of any US competition. Air-conditioned pilot lounge, hangar, paved runways, ice cream, water, all facilities. More information: Belinda Boulter and Davis Straub, 1-863-206-7707, belinda@davisstraub.com, or http://ozreport.com/2014BigSpring. SEPTEMBER 14-20 > Francisco Grande Golf Resort, Casa Grande, AZ. Santa Cruz Flats. More Information: Jamie Shelden 831-261-1544naughtylawyer@gmail.com, or santacruzflatsrace. blogspot.com.
NON SANCTIONED COMPETITION JULY 10-13 > Enjoy field, Chebanse, IL. First
non-sanctioned PG towing comp in the Midwest. More info coming soon: Jaro Krupa, 708-9350177 chicagoparagliding@gmail.com, or www. chicagoparagliding.com.
MARCH - OCTOBER > United States informal race-to-goal events at sites across Northern California. Aims are to get pilots to fly farther than they would on their own. More information: Jugdeep Aggarwal, 831-566-8652 scpjka@gmail.com, or www.santacruzparagliding.com.
FLY-INS AUGUST 23-30 > Villa Grove, CO. Colorado Fly Week presents: Rocky Mtn Airmans Rendezvous & Mountain Flyer Championships. We're back this year with big air & smooth lift along the Sangre de Cristo Range. Tiffany's Tavern greets you in the LZ w/refreshments. Live music, food vendors, stage shows, awards dinner & more. This is the fly party of the season! It'll be great to see old friends & make new. This event caters to accomplished H2 & P2 pilots seeking their first mountain experiences. A fundraiser for our launch, consider a donation &/or register early until April 1 for $100 & get the 2012 Fly Week DVD. $140 at the door. For comp info contact Fred Kaemerer, mountainflyercomp@ gmail.com. Event info Tiff Smith, tiffanyandlarrysmith@gmail.com & www.facebook.com/ColoradoFlyWeek
clinics & tours APRIL 4-6, 11-13 & 18-20 > Sebring, Florida SIV: Over the waters maneuvers training,guide/ coach David Prentice over 20 yrs experience. Sebring is a world class SIV destination with white sand beaches and crystal clear waters just minutes from downtown. From basic to advanced maneuvers each pilot advances at their own pace. Boat tow to 3,000 ft and gain priceless knowledge and experience under your wing. More information: David Prentice, 505720-5436, or earthcog@yahoo.com. APRIL 7-13 > Honduras. Come fly with Nick
Crane and Paracrane in Honduras. Help support the growth of our sport and the growth of low impact tourism in a beautiful rural mountain community. In conjunction with Karma Flights, Nick will be teaching some local pilots to fly before this tour. Your participation in this tour will help these local young pilots in their learning process and help finance their dream. Prices are $1295 for one week. More Information: Nick Crane 541-840-8587 nick@ paracrane.com, or www.paracrane.com.
APRIL 27 - MAY 2 > La Belle, Florida. NeverLand flight park. The 9th annual Spring Fling XC clinic and fun comp. Hosted by David Prentice, this is a 6 day XC clinic/fun comp for newer pilots who want to improve thermal and XC skills. Entry fee is $300 and includes daily briefings and XC releated clincs covering everything from GPS to flying skills. We’ve averaged 5 out of 6 days flown, and many pilots fly personal bests. Scoring, prize money and awards ceremony included. 40 pilot limit. Registration opens Feb 1st. Check out USPG comps.com for more information or contact David Prentice, 505-720-5436, or earthcog@yahoo.com.
MAY 4-10 > La Belle, Florida. NeverLand flight park. This is the 10th annual East Coast Paragliding Championships(ECPC) Come enjoy the world class flats of Florida, with many 100Km tasks. Strong lift and epic cloud streets, have drawn top pilots from around the world to Florida for more then 75 yrs! 40 pilot limit: Entry fee is $300. 10% goes to prize money, includes xc retrieval, scoring, awards ceremony dinner. Tow fee is $150. Registration opens Feb 1st. More information: David Prentice, 505-720-5436, earthcog@yahoo.com, or earthcog@yahoo.com.
JUNE 8-10 > Northern California Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Northern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and former national champion Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching you over the water with our state-of-theart towing setup. Eagle is known for high quality tours and clinics with lots of staff, and this clinic is no exception. We encourage you to make the time for this important safety training with any qualified SIV instructor. More information: Rob Sporrer 805968-0980 rob@paraglide.com, or www.paragliding.com.
MAY 9-19 > Owens Valley, CA Geared for Very Strong P3/H3 pilots and above that are ready to fly XC in pretty sweet conditions. Owens Valley with Kari. Fly one of the best sites in the US with one of the best pilots in the world. Let Kari’s 33 years of flying and 26 years of living/flying the Owens Valley, be your guide! We work on anything that has to do with high altitude mountain flying from launching thru record setting XC flights and everything in between the sky is the limit!!! More Information: Kari Castle 760 920 0748 kari@ karicastle.com, or KARICASTLE.COM.
JUNE 14-15 > UT. Mountain Flying and learning how to pioneer a new site in Utah with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone: 801-971-3414, e-mail twocanfly@gmail.com, or www.twocanfly.com
MAY 10-11 > Dunlap, CA. Dunlap Thermal and
JUNE 22-28 > Ruch, OR. Come train with the best instructors during the 12th annual Rat Race paragliding competition. Kari Castle, Ken Hudonjorgenson, and Kay Tauscher make up the instructor team that will guide you through one of the most comprehensive training weeks ever. Train in the morning, and then watch the competition action from the top of Woodrat Mt. Before the competition and after the race competitors are off, you will have virtually the entire mountain to yourselves where you can train and fly at what has been named one of the top 25 best paragliding sites in the world. Ken, Kari and Kay have an amazing foot-launch history that includes competition and record attempts. This combination will be unforgettable. Go to mphsports.com to reserve your spot as attendance will be limited. Sign up today. $450. More Information: Mike Haley 503-704-7004 mike _ haley@charter.net, or mphsports.com.
Cross-country Clinic with Eagle Paragliding. Dunlap offers some great flying in the foothills of the west side of the Sierras. This trip is a fun two-day excursion. Join us for some nice flying with some great people. More information: Rob Sporrer, 805968-0980, rob@paraglide.com, or www.paragliding.com.
MAY 24-26 > Santa Barbara, CA. Instructor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. This three-day clinic is open to Basic and Advanced Paragliding Instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. We invite you to apprentice with us anytime to get as much hands-on experience as possible before the clinic. More information: Rob Sporrer, 805-968-0980, rob@paraglide.com, or www. paragliding.com. MAY 25-27 > UT. Thermal Clinic. Utah flying sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone : 801971-3414, e-mail twocanfly@gmail.com, or www. twocanfly.com MAY 27-28 > Santa Barbara, CA. Tandem Paragliding Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. We will be doing classroom and practical training at the best yearround training hill in North America. More information: Rob Sporrer, 805-968-0980, rob@paraglide. com, or www.paragliding.com.
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JUNE 21-28 > Ruch OR. Rat Race Super Clinic : Kari Castle, Kay Taucher and Ken Hudonjorgensen will be helping Mike Haley at the Rat Race, training newer pilots with thermaling, launch sequence proficiency, restricted landing approaches and more. All necessary for XC and competition. Contact: mphsports@charter.net
JULY 5-7 > UT. Instructor Training with Ken Hudonjorgensen in Utah. Phone: 801-971-3414, e-mail twocanfly@gmail.com, or www.twocanfly. com JULY 6 > UT. Instructor Re-certification with Ken Hudonjorgensen in Utah. Phone: 801-971-3414, e-mail twocanfly@gmail.com, or www.twocanfly. com AUGUST 7-9 > Northern California Over-the-
water Maneuvers Clinics in Northern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and former national champion Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching you over the water with our state-of-the-art towing setup. Eagle is known for high quality tours and clinics with lots of staff, and this clinic is no exception. We encourage you to make the time for this important safety training with any qualified SIV instructor. More information: Rob Sporrer 805-968-0980 rob@paraglide.com, or www.paragliding.com.
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AUGUST 10-12 > Northern California Over-thewater Maneuvers Clinics in Northern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and former national champion Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching you over the water with our state-of-the-art towing setup. Eagle is known for high quality tours and clinics with lots of staff, and this clinic is no exception. We encourage you to make the time for this important safety training with any qualified SIV instructor. More information: Rob Sporrer 805-968-0980 rob@paraglide.com, or www.paragliding.com.
DON’T MISS OUT. RENEW ONLINE.
SEPTEMBER 5-9 > UT. Cross-country and ther-
maling clinic with mentoring. Paragliding intensive with Ken Hudonjorgensen and other mentors. Inspiration Point, Jupiter, West Mt. and Monroe, Utah, wherever the weather tells us to go. Phone: 801-971-3414, e-mail twocanfly@gmail.com, or www.twocanfly.com
SEPTEMBER 18-20 > Northern California Overthe-water Maneuvers Clinics with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and former national champion Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching you over the water with our state-of-the-art towing setup. Eagle is known for high quality tours and clinics with lots of staff, and this clinic is no exception. We encourage you to make the time for this important safety training with any qualified SIV instructor. More information: Rob Sporrer 805968-0980 rob@paraglide.com, or www.paragliding.com.
Be sure to renew your USHPA membership online to participate in the USHPA Green initiative. Online renewal is only available to current members, and members who have been expired less than 3 years. Members who have been expired more than 3 years will not have access to online renewal.
SEPTEMBER 21-23 > Northern California Overthe-water Maneuvers Clinics with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and former national champion Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching you over the water with our state-of-the-art towing setup. Eagle is known for high quality tours and clinics with lots of staff, and this clinic is no exception. We encourage you to make the time for this important safety training with any qualified SIV instructor. More information: Rob Sporrer 805968-0980 rob@paraglide.com, or www.paragliding.com. SEPTEMBER 27-28 > UT. Mountain Flying and learning how to pioneer a new site. Utah sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone: 801-971-3414, email twocanfly@gmail.com, or www.twocanfly. com SEPTEMBER 27-28 > Dunlap, CA. Dunlap Thermal and Cross-country Clinic with Eagle Paragliding. Dunlap offers some great flying in the foothills of the west side of the Sierras. This trip is one of our favorite two-day excursions. Join us for some nice flying with some great people. More information: Rob Sporrer, 805-968-0980, rob@paraglide.com, or www.paragliding.com. SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 4 > Richfield, UT. Red Rocks fall fly-in and thermal clinic with Ken Hudonjorgensen and Stacy Whitmore. Phone: 801971-3414, e-mail twocanfly@gmail.com, or www. twocanfly.com
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HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 3 - DECEMBER 1 > Iquique, Chile: This year we have divided the tour into four different segments: Instructional Days, Iquique Days # 1, 2 and 3. Our tour leaders are Todd Weigand, Luis Rosenkjer and Ken Hudonjorgensen. The entire tour will be packed with instruction for all levels of paragliding (P1 through P4). For anyone wanting to fly, fly, fly... this is the tour to join. The last tour will focus more on XC. Phone: 801-971-3414, e-mail twocanfly@gmail.com, or www.twocanfly.com SEPTEMBER 20-28 > Owens Valley, CA Geared
for Very Strong P3/H3 pilots and above that are ready to fly XC in pretty sweet conditions. Owens Valley with Kari. Fly one of the best sites in the US with one of the best pilots in the world. Let Kari’s 33 years of flying and 26 years of living/flying the Owens Valley, be your guide! We work on anything that has to do with high altitude mountain flying from launching thru record setting XC flights and everything in between the sky is the limit!!! More Information: Kari Castle 760 920 0748 kari@ karicastle.com, or KARICASTLE.COM.
OCTOBER 1-5, 10-13 & 17-20 > Owens Valley, CA. Owens Valley with Kari. Fly one of the best sites in the US with one of the best pilots in the world. Let Kari’s 33 years of flying and 26 years of living/flying the Owens Valley, be your guide! We work on anything that has to do with high altitude mountain flying including launching to record setting XC flights and everything in between. The sky is the limit!!! More information: Kari Castle, 760-920-0748, kari@karicastle.com, or KARICASTLE.COM. OCTOBER 24-27 > Owens Valley, CA Women With Wings- The Third Annual gathering of women pilots! Geared for P2-P3’s but all are welcome! Owens Valley with Kari. Fly one of the best sites in the US with one of the best pilots in the world. Let Kari’s 33 years of flying and 26 years of living/flying the Owens Valley, be your guide! We work on anything that has to do with high altitude mountain flying including launching to record setting XC flights and everything in between. The sky is the limit!!! More information: Kari Castle, 760-920-0748, kari@karicastle.com, or KARICASTLE.COM.
NOVEMBER 8-10 > Santa Barbara, CA. Instructor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. This three-day clinic is open to Basic and Advanced Paragliding Instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. We invite you to apprentice with us anytime to get as much hands-on experience as possible before the clinic. More information: Rob Sporrer, 805-968-0980, rob@paraglide.com, or www.paragliding.com. NOVEMBER 11-12 > Santa Barbara, CA. Tandem Paragliding Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. We will be doing classroom and practical training at the best year-round training hill in North America. More information: Rob Sporrer, 805-968-0980, rob@ paraglide.com, or www.paragliding.com.
CLASSIFIED FLEX WINGS A GREAT SELECTION OF HG&PG GLIDERS (ss,
ds, pg) -HARNESSES (trainer, cocoon, pod) -PARACHUTES (hg&pg) -WHEELS (new & used). Phone for latest inventory 262-473-8800, www. hanggliding.com
PARAGLIDERS NIVIUK PEAK2 SIZE 24, 85-105kg, green+black.
134 hours, good condition, no acro, little dirty from dusty Colorado launches. Free shipping US $700. thedepartmentofstate@gmail.com
HARNESSES FLY CENTER OF GRAVITY CG-1000 - The
most affordable single line suspension harness available. Individually designed for a precise fit. Fly in comfort. www.flycenterofgravity. comflycenterofgraity@gmail.com, 315-256-1522
SCHOOLS & INSTRUCTORS ALABAMA LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - The best facilities, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more. Wide range of accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543, hanglide.com.
ALAska AK Paramotor - Paragliding & Paramotor
School. Year-round: USHPA+USPPA certification. Novice, Refresher, Training, Equipment. Frank Sihler 907-841-7468 www.USAparagliding.com
CALIFORNIA AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING - Year-round excellent
instruction, Southern California & Baja. Powered paragliding, clinics, tours, tandem, towing. Ken Baier 760-753-2664, airjunkies.com.
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA HANG GLIDING FLIGHT SCHOOL - WW Dealer offering year round positive
and encouraging teaching with smaller class sizes allowing for quality instruction. Discounts for servicemen/students. (209)543-4617 glendecoshanggliding.com EAGLE PARAGLIDING - SANTA BARBARA offers
the best year round flying in the nation. Awardwinning instruction, excellent mountain and ridge sites. www.flysantabarbara.com, 805-968-0980
FLY ABOVE ALL - Year-round instruction in
beautiful Santa Barbara! USHPA Novice through Advanced certification. Thermaling to competition training. Visit www.flyaboveall.com 805-9653733.
6020
Mission Soaring Center LLC - Largest hang
gliding center in the West! Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment: Wills Wing, Moyes, AIR, High Energy, Flytec, Aeros, Northwing, Hero wide angle video camera. A.I.R. Atos rigid wings- demo the VQ-45’ span, 85 Lbs! Parts in stock. We stock new and used equipment. Tradeins 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. 408-2621055, Fax 408-262-1388, mission@hang-gliding. com, Mission Soaring Center LLC, leading the way since 1973. www.hang-gliding.com
World famous historic TORREY PINES
GLIDERPORT: Incredible Flying – food – fun. Come enjoy coastal San Diego flying year-round! We offer USHPA-certified instruction for all ratings, as well as tandem, instructor, and SIV clinics and local flat land towing. Call us for details on our domestic and international clinics and tours or join us in our 4x4 12-passenger tour van for 15 other flying sites opportunities in SoCal and Baja California. We have expanded product lines including Ozone, Skywalk, Sup Air, Independence, Woody Valley, Sky, Gradient, Niviuk, Paratech, Plussmax helmets, Crispi boots, Gopro, Flytech, Flymaster and a lot more. Come test our new mini wings from Ozone. We have a huge selection of Demos on site. Our full service shop offers reserve repacks, annual glider inspections, repairs and more. We also carry an extensive new and used inventory of certified gliders and harnesses. Check us out at flytorrey. com, facebook.com/flytpg, info@flytorrey.com, or call us at (858) 452 9858.
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 GUNNISON GLIDERS – X-C to heavy waterproof HG gliderbags. Accessories, parts, service, sewing. Instruction ratings, site-info. Rusty Whitley 1549 CR 17, Gunnison CO 81230. 970-641-9315.
FLORIDA FLORIDA RIDGE AEROTOW PARK - 18265 E State Road 80, Clewiston, Florida 863-805-0440, www. thefloridaridge.com. GRAYBIRD AIRSPORTS — Paraglider & hang glider towing & training, Dragonfly aerotow training, XC, thermaling, instruction, equipment. Dunnellon Airport 352-245-8263, email fly@graybirdairsports. com, www.graybirdairsports.com. LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Nearest mountain training center to Orlando. Two training hills, novice mountain launch, aerotowing, great accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543. MIAMI HANG GLIDING - For year-round training fun in the sun. 305-285-8978, 2550 S Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133, www. miamihanggliding.com.
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
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WALLABY RANCH – The original Aerotow flight
park. Best tandem instruction worldwide,7-days a week , 6 tugs, and equipment rental. Call:1-800WALLABY wallaby.com 1805 Deen Still Road, Disney Area FL 33897
GEORGIA LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Discover
why 5 times as many pilots earn their wings at LMFP. Enjoy our 110 acre mountain resort. www.hanglide. com, 1-877-HANGLIDE, 1-877-426-4543.
HAWAII 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.
ILLINOIS
MINNESOTA Twin Oaks Hang Gliding Center - Whitewater, WI - Bunny hill, scooter towing and aero towing. Training and Discovery Tandems. Ric WisconsinHangGliding.com. Paul - ScooterTow.net. Danny - 608-469-5949
NEW HAMPSHIRE Morningside - A Kitty Hawk Kites flight park. The
Twin Oaks Hang Gliding Center - Whitewater,
WI - Bunny hill, scooter towing and aero towing. Training and Discovery Tandems. Ric WisconsinHangGliding.com. Paul - ScooterTow.net. Danny - 608-469-5949
IOWA
north east's premier hang gliding and paragliding training center. Teaching since 1974. Hang gliding foot launch and tandem aerowtow training. Paragliding foot launch and tandem training. Powered Paragliding instruction. Dealer for all major manufacturers. Charlestown, NH. Also visit our North Carolina location, Kitty Hawk Kites Flight School. (603) 542-4416, www.flymorningside.com
Twin Oaks Hang Gliding Center - Whitewater,
WI - Bunny hill, scooter towing and aero towing. Training and Discovery Tandems. Ric WisconsinHangGliding.com. Paul - ScooterTow.net. Danny - 608-469-5949
INDIANA CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION -
Michigan
See Cloud 9 in
MARYLAND HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS - Baltimore and DC’s full-time flight park: tandem instruction, solo aerotows and equipment sales and service. We carry Aeros, Airwave, Flight Design, Moyes, Wills Wing, High Energy Sports, Flytec and more. Two 115-HP Dragonfly tugs. Open fields as far as you can see. Only 1 to 1.5 hours from Rehoboth Beach, Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia. Come Fly with US! 410-634-2700, Fax 410-634-2775, 24038 Race Track Rd, Ridgely, MD 21660, www.aerosports.net, hangglide@aerosports.net.
NEW YORK AAA Mountain Wings Inc - New location at 77 Hang Glider Rd in Ellenville next to the LZ. We service all brands featuring AEROS and North Wing. 845-647-3377 mtnwings@verizon.net, www. mtnwings.com FLY HIGH, INC. - Serving New York, Jersey, and
Connecticut areas. Area’s exclusive Wills Wing dealer. Also all other brands, accessories. Area’s most INEXPENSIVE prices! Certified instruction/ service since 1979. Excellent secondary instruction! Taken some lessons? Advance to mountain flying! www.flyhighhg.com, 845-744-3317. Cooperstown New York Serving the North East since 1978. We have the best training hill in New York. Dealers for Wills Wing and others. Trade-ins welcome www. cooperstownhanggliding.com 315-867-8011
SUSQUEHANNA
FLIGHT
PARK
(hang gliding equipment), North American Soaring (Alatus ultralight sailplane and e-drive systems), Dragon Fly Soaring Club (hang gliding instruction), at Cloud 9 Field, Webberville, MI.More info: (517) 223-8683, Cloud9sa@aol.com, www.DFSCinc.org.
Cloud
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Sport
Aviation
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION -
Michigan
See Cloud 9 in
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. 787-8500508, tshg@coqui.net.
TENNESSEE LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Just outside
Chattanooga. Become a complete pilot -foot launch, aerotow, mountain launch, ridge soar, thermal soar. hanglide.com, 1-877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543.
TEXAS FlyTexas / Jeff Hunt - training pilots in Central
Texas for 25 years. Hangar facilities near Packsaddle Mountain, and Lake LBJ. More info: www.flytexas. com, (512)467-2529
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 801576-6460 if you have any questions.
VIRGINIA BLUE SKY - Full-time HG instruction. Daily lessons, scooter and platform towing. AT towing part time. Custom sewing, powered harnesses, Aeros PG , Flylight and Airborne trikes. 804-241-4324 , www. blueskyhg.com
WISCONSIN Twin Oaks Hang Gliding Center - Whitewater, WI - Bunny hill, scooter towing and aero towing. Training and Discovery Tandems. Ric WisconsinHangGliding.com. Paul - ScooterTow.net. Danny - 608-469-5949
NORTH CAROLINA Kitty Hawk Kites - The largest hang gliding
MICHIGAN
OHIO
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.
school in the world! Celebrating our 40th year! Teaching since 1974. Learn to hang glide and paraglide on the east coast's largest sand dune. Year round instruction, foot launch and tandem aerotow. Powered Paragliding instruction. Dealer for all major manufacturers. Fly at the beach! Learn to fly where the Wright Brothers flew! Located on the historic Outer Banks, NC. Also visit our New Hampshire location, Morningside Flight Park. (252) 441-2426, 1-877-FLY-THIS, www.kittyhawk.com
INTERNATIONAL COSTA RICA - Grampa Ninja’s Paragliders’ B&B.
Rooms, and/or guide service and transportation. Lessons available from USHPA certified instructors. USA: 908-454-3242. Costa Rica: (Country code, 011) House: 506-2200-4824, Cell: 506-89508676, 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 Gunnison Gliders – X-C, Factory, heavy PVC
HG gliderbags $149 Harness packs & zippers. New/used parts, equipment, tubes. 1549 CR 17 Gunnison, CO 81230 970-641-9315
3 NEWto WSuappyorst your Sport just follow the links at
OXYGEN SYSTEMS – MH-XCR-180 operates to
USHPA.aero/STORE
18,000 ft., weighs only 4 lbs. System includes cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula, and remote on/off flowmeter. $450.00. 1-800-468-8185. SPECIALTY WHEELS for airfoil basetubes, round
basetubes, or tandem landing gear.(262)4738800, www.hanggliding.com.
Shwag OUT
PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS
With new print-on-demand products.
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.
SERVICE CLOUD 9 REPAIR DEPARTMENT - We staff and
maintain a full service repair shop within Cloud 9 Paragliding; offering annual inspections, line replacement, sail repair of any kind (kites too!), harness repairs and reserve repacks. Our repair technicians are factory trained and certified to work on almost any paraglider or kite. Call today for an estimate 801-576-6460 or visit www.paragliders. com for more information.
Bone UP
RISING AIR GLIDER REPAIR SERVICES – A full-
With the best books and DVDs available, shipped from Amazon.com.
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.
SMILE : ) Start ALL of your Amazon.com shopping at USHPA.aero/STORE.
Buy ANYTHING ELSE at smile.Amazon.com (even a rubber chicken) and Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of your purchase to USHPA! HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
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THE 1
by JAMES BRADLEY
We know there was a day when it all worked for you. When your training clicked, the conditions were perfect, the stars aligned, and you soared to new heights (real or imagined). Send in your tale of “The 1” flight you'll never forget, and we'll print it right here. You'll be entered into the annual drawing for a USHPA soft shell jacket!
Below us is Mt. Yamaska, a low, lumpy, eroded mountain 100 million years old, formerly an island in an inland sea, but now covered in sugar-maple trees. As we leave it after the start to head over brilliant green farmlands, the sun is bright, the clouds are few, and the pressure is high. Circling in the faintest of lift, we drift slowly downwind. Frederic Bourgault leads out. He finds another “climb” a kilometer ahead and Elie Bourdilloud goes to join him. The rest of us are ready to pounce at the first sign that their climb is stronger. It isn’t. Through four unflyable days, my roommate and I heard so often that while thermals on the flats can be scarce, the town of Granby always works—lots of thermals in Granby—that we now call the town Mother Granby, because she always gives. Today’s course is a triangle, 60 km. The first turnpoint is on the far side of Granby. Local knowledge is a great feeling, isn’t it? As we circle under a frail cloud, I fail to recognize in myself the mounting anxiety that precedes rushing into a bad decision. We have to get going! We’ll never get around the course this way! I go. I fly past Fred and Elie, who are circling. That’s not a thermal. “Granby!” I yell. They tilt their heads. I point to the town, keep flying straight. I look back to find the others have not followed. Vultures. They’ll come soon enough to Mother Granby. She’s just up ahead. A kilometer into town I angle toward
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HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
a good-looking gravel pile. I glide along in beautiful sunshine. I fly straight, in confidence. Mother Granby! I become aware that my Boomerang 9 has finally found peace. I have joked after every flight on it that “the glider felt a little nervous.” Other pilots are alarmed watching the Boom 9’s constant movements. Not today. The glider is as still as a photograph. I peer at it with a mounting bad feeling. Gradually the truth sinks in. I am on death-glide over a town, and soon I will be landing. Mother Granby is the worst kind of tease. I am headed for the town center and two steeples just before the lake, hoping for the thermal that often comes upwind of a lake. Nothing. My landing option is a small triangular field between river and trees, with a few slalomable light poles on the short downwind side. At least the landing won’t be thermic. The field is now to my right, across the river. The steeples are rising alarmingly close to eye level. It is time to turn for a base leg…now. The glider bumps. The vario beeps. I listen intently to the wing, feeling for the thermal. I circle. Somehow, I don’t lose it. I start to center. I am going up, but it is weak and I am low over buildings. I scan desperately for other landing options downwind; one more circle, and I won’t be able to get back to the triangle. There is a tiny grass patch on the river, next to the last bridge before the lake, between the cars and wires. With a decent shot at not dying, I focus. Thirty minutes later, at 4200 feet, my feeble thermal sputters out. I turn right,
angling to kiss the large first cylinder and head down the crosswind leg. In the distance, Brett Hazlett and Torsten Siegel are frisbeeing downwind, just as I left them, with a small gaggle not far behind. Brett had watched me glide over Granby until it was too painful. Torsten had been jealous of the cappuccinos I was drinking. When they saw me again, high to the northeast, they thought, who the heck is that? In a wink we are together again. My friends! I am grinning and giggling in my helmet. How is it possible that I am with them again? Fred leads out to the upwind side of the hills and gets stuck. I lead the others over the high ground to a weak climb. Two kilometers ahead a sailplane shows me the strongest lift of the day. Heading on in stillness, I slow down and let Torsten go by, so I can learn something. With Brett behind and higher, we make the turn. Low over a barn, Torsten finds one more weak one. I lose the handle, thrash briefly, and land. Brett and Torsten land together, two kilometers farther on, and run for the woods with their wings kited, laughing. They score the same distance. Torsten wins by one leading point. Overall, Brett is the Canadian Open champion, Torsten is second. By missing out on those cappuccinos, I climb into third. I have never had a flight with more funny things, more camaraderie, or a better low save. Leonardo page: paraglidingforum.com/ leonardo/flight/817431
ION 3 - Performance For All Where’s it taking you?
|
ION 3
The Feel-Good Intermediate
The Ion 3 is the realization of our mission: to produce paragliders with excellent performance, that give a lot, but require very little. The ION 3 handling is precise but at the same time forgiving. This makes it a wing for all occasions: a fun wing which turns like a dream; a cross country machine, tutor and gentle acrobat all in one.
You can’t get more out of a single paraglider.
801. 255 . 9595
w w w. sup e r f l y in c .co m
Super Fly, Inc • 8683 Sandy Pkwy Sandy, UT 84070 • info@superflyinc.com P A R A G L I D E R S
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