Hang Gliding & Paragliding Vol46-Iss4 Jul-Aug 2016 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

JULY/AUGUST 2016 Volume 46 Issue 4 $6.95

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

2016

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Picture: Thomas Ulrich, visualimpact.ch | Location: Interlaken, Switzerland

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Shaggy flying the T2c over Andy Jackson Airpark, CA. Photo by Scott Isbell.

WARNING

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.

SUBMISSIONS HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine welcomes 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.

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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.

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HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1543-5989) (USPS 17970) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding

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PLAN

FLIGHT D

ealing with risk is a personal endeavor that each pilot practices in an individual way. For many in America, our underlying ethos centers on self-determination, liberty, autonomy, and freedom of choice. Our sports attract what would be, politically speaking, “Risk Libertarians.” Some postulate it is this fierce independence that creates the ultimate pilot-in-command. Perhaps many of us feel that the risks we take are justified and tend to get uptight if other pilots question our decisions. I recently talked with a friend who discovered, after launching, that the wind had picked up, forcing him to perform a backward landing. As we were about to move on to another topic, I thought, that’s a major error, or at least an incident that merits some discussion. We took a moment and discussed the need to identify incidents as well as accidents. We need to acknowledge that the problem of our actions goes beyond a healthy dose of risk into what becomes an incident. Rather than gloss over these occurrences or glorify them in public realms, let’s start compassionately acknowledging incidents in our practices that “red flag” the first warning signs that catastrophic failure may be on the horizon. I challenge each of you to do a fearless search inventory of every flight during which something out of the ordinary occurs. Log these incidents in some detail. For example, I fly for 100 miles and land in a field because cloud development looks ominous. I pack up and start walking home. About 15 minutes later, a massive gust front blows through, knocking my hat off my head and blasting me with dirt. Did I crash? No. But is this an important incident to take note of? Yes! If I log all the incidents and note that a number of gust fronts come through after I land, or that it began to rain, or that I must often fly very low through a mountain pass, then I can deduce that I have a problem in some area of my decision matrix. The pattern should reveal the issues one needs to fix whether it be analyzing weather to fly in more conservatively, or gaining more altitude before attempting transitions, or identifying conditions that have changed during a flight as dangerous and making the choice to land. If we take time to identify even more subtle events than these (this one is obviously exaggerated for effect) and record them in our logbooks, we will not only acknowledge important patterns in our flying that may save our lives, but may also warn and inform those around us who often glorify poor decision-making. Hopefully, this behavior will help everyone understand and alleviate, through a culture shift, the errors in our thinking when it comes to acceptable risks in aviation. While the new insurance program ramps up, and a number of our training protocols are updated to raise the bar on teaching, tandems, and schools, the membership needs to do its part by taking a step back, focusing on safety, and acknowledging the reason this massive transition has been necessitated —a spike in accidents and fatalities. We are tackling the issues of insurance that we have every hope will eventually settle into a new normal, but vigilance in our practices of the sport is a lifelong pursuit that the majority of us must promote as our ultimate responsibility, in order to enact a crucial improvement in our safety statistics.

Martin Palmaz, Executive Director executivedirector@ushpa.aero Beth Van Eaton, Operations Manager office@ushpa.aero Galen Anderson, Membership Coordinator membership@ushpa.aero Julie Spiegler, Program Manager programs@ushpa.aero

USHPA OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Paul Murdoch, President president@ushpa.aero Jamie Shelden, Vice President vicepresident@ushpa.aero Steve Rodrigues, 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: Ken Andrews, Pete Michelmore, Alan Crouse. REGION 4: Bill Belcourt, Ken Grubbs. REGION 5: Josh Pierce. REGION 6: Tiki Mashy. REGION 7: Paul Olson. REGION 8: Michael Holmes. REGION 9: Felipe Amunategui, Larry Dennis. REGION 10: Bruce Weaver, Steve Kroop, Matt Taber. REGION 11: Tiki Mashy. REGION 12: Paul Voight. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Paul Murdoch, Steve Rodrigues, Greg Kelley, Jamie Shelden, Mitch Shipley. 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. The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, a division of the National Aeronautic Association, is a representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale in the United States.

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

“The rewards of a successful RRG are returned to the group much sooner if we all participate. Everyone will benefit: chapters, individuals and schools. But we need to be all in to make that happen. Seeking coverage outside the RRG delays the benefits we will see from self-insurance.”

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

Gaggle Up

The Importance of Going All In on the RRG

by Paul Murdoch, USHPA president

bove my head dozens of wings are rotating around an invisible hub. From this distance it looks like a serene maypole dance. Having been in many start gaggles, I know otherwise. The annual paragliding Rat Race is going off like an insect hatch on a trout stream. The excitement of carving circles in the sky with friends is palpable and contagious. This excitement and camaraderie is why we do this. Not necessarily to compete, but to find those moments we’ll remember. Months of work around insurance and RRGs and fundraising and PASA certification has distracted many of us. It's time to remember what our flying is all about. I sat down intending to write another article about the current status of our insurance and certification project. We have written so much on the details of RRG policies and regulations that it's become some degree of background noise. It was Friday afternoon and I had scrapped my previous draft, as much of it was already dated. I realized that I was losing sight of why we take to the sky, so I set out to rediscover that. As I said above, the Rat Race in Southern Oregon is currently underway. Multiple distractions kept me out of this year's race. I knew the pack would soon be returning from a long out-leg. I decided to pull a Rosie Ruiz and join them for their return leg to goal at Donato’s. Lift was plentiful, as was sink. Afternoon winds made things much more challenging than anticipated. It was a struggle to get above ridgeline and stay there. Twice I turned for the LZ before finding that solid and steady

tug that would take me above the valley winds. At 7000’ I turned for the race goal. Along the way I found beautiful convergent lift lines. I got low and squeaked it out on some weak thermal that was wandering around aimlessly. I saw friend and Rat Race competitor Brian Thibault have his own struggles with the weakening lift on this final leg. Ultimately, we both cleared the final ridge and of course found massive lift over goal. Spiraling down, we were met by the goal crew with a cold beer. This thing we do is fun. We are very lucky.

hat passage was more enjoyable to write than one on specifics of the RRG. It may have been more fun to read. But on the drive back to HQ, I thought about how important the work is that so many are doing to save this activity. The RRG is staffed with pilots. All have day jobs. All would rather be out flying. PASA is staffed by more pilots. The details these people are working with are much less fun yet far more important than finding that one last thermal to get to goal. Here is where we are at the moment. Our RRG is funded and is insuring sites. PASA is working through a glut of applications that came in this month. It is our nature to postpone unfamiliar tasks. Many of us waited on our site or PASA applications. There were some sticking points in getting all through the system. Both RRG and PASA have my undying gratitude for working through the pile of paper. There are still concerns about the process, particularly from the instruction community. This is simply a new reality that means our activity will cost more. There is little joy to find in this

scenario and its increased costs, but let me try…. First, it might initially be more expensive, but happily we have the option. The alternative was to be without insurance. That might be feasible for those willing to take the personal risk and who also have access to sites not requiring insurance. That scenario is vanishing. The vast majority of us work with landowners who want coverage. I am ecstatic that we can provide it. Secondly, with each day I am more convinced that self-insurance is the path we should have been on all along. It is the hard path initially. But once established, it has such clear advantages. We have autonomy and flexibility to craft policies for our needs. We all feel more buy-in to this shared risk group. One can see that attitude shift already. Finally, with reduced claims we are on the path to a much better financial picture. Currently, we are spending a great deal on reinsurance to cover us above $250K. If we establish a clean track record, the size, cost and necessity of this reinsurance diminishes. The result is a steadily improving financial picture. I firmly believe we will look back at this transition as an enormous turning point in our organization’s history. But it is not all roses and kittens. There is still angst about the costs, mostly from commercial operations. That is very understandable. Some misunderstood the initial fundraising donation to be the extent of their added costs. It was not. That initial donation was simply a critical cover fee to get access to the party. Details were initially scarce. We knew what we were aiming for but only with each step did we uncover firm data on costs. As they evolved, those costs settled well below what I thought might face smaller schools. That likely doesn’t make any school that is paying those fees feel better. But it speaks very well to the people in PASA and RRG

who made that happen. At this point, there are some other entities who offer coverage for outdoor pursuits. These alternatives can be appealing to those who were frustrated with the process and the new certification requirements. I certainly understand that. However, they have reviewed these alternative school policies. They found gaps in coverage that leave the policyholder, the landowner and USHPA exposed. These are not trivial gaps. They include exclusions for aviation, bodily injury and for vehicles. There are exclusions for towing devices and for instructors that are hired as contractors. Some plans limit landowner coverage for commercial operations to just 25% of that provided for recreation pilots. There is an exclusion which limits coverage to H/P-4 pilots and above. This eliminates any coverage for beginning students through intermediates, thus undermining the main goal of a school policy. There are also issues with sub-limits. A policy might offer $1 million total coverage, but limit that to only $50K per incident. And finally, these “claims-made” policies will only cover claims filed in the policy year, ignoring the fact that many claims don’t get filed until a year or two after the incident. Understanding insurance terms can be a challenge. The fine print in the other policies we’ve seen leaves too many coverage gaps to be effective policies. The RRG will continue to examine alternative offerings, but I assure you, they are striving to provide the most comprehensive coverage tailored precisely to our activities. Let me say this emphatically—if there exists an alternative policy for commercial operations that is equal to or better than the RRG's, then by all means present it to the RRG and they will do their best to match it. The RRG has minimal profit incentive. It is required by law to be

profitable. But that legal requirement is met with just one penny of surplus. Conventional insurance firms are much hungrier. It is only logical that, apples to apples, the RRG will be a better policy and a better price. The long-term hopes, with good returns and low claims, are aiming for a massive reduction in free-flight insurance premium costs, seven to ten years down the road. Our RRG is unique among the competitors in that it is literally set up to serve the interests of the sports long-term by fighting cases we should be contesting and settling the ones we should not, with the ultimate goal of accumulating capital to pay off the loans needed to start the RRG and then pass on deep discounts toward membership insurance premiums. Here is why this is critical. The rewards of a successful RRG are returned to the group much sooner if we all participate. Everyone will benefit: chapters, individuals and schools. But we need to be all in to make that happen. Seeking coverage outside the RRG delays the benefits we will see from self-insurance. In some ways it feels like being on that last glide—looking for a thermal to get us over the ridge. We’ve found one that will get us there. I'd love to see it develop into the boomer we seek to get us into goal with plenty of room to spare. Gaggle flying is a cooperative endeavor. Each pilot plays a role. Operating at its best, the gaggle shifts to explore the air, finding and retaining the core. Good gaggles maximize altitude for all. At its worst, each pilot strives to get the best air for him- or herself. They cut off others, creating chaos. Ultimately, no one achieves maximum altitude. Perhaps one does reach that height, but everyone else scatters. Let's not do this with the RRG. Let's stay cohesive and achieve maximum benefit for all. The season is on. Let’s go fly!

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

CORRECTION One of the briefings in the last issue was incorrectly attributed to Nova when in fact the Easiness 2 is manufactured by Advance.

ADVANCE EASINESS 2 Finally, a reversible hike-and-fly harness that has all of the best features of a true mountaineering backpack, and a comfortable paragliding harness. It features wider shoulder straps, longer leg pads and a removable airbag/reserve compartment for more comfort in the air. For the hike up, you’ll enjoy the removable waist

Earthquake in Canoa, Ecuador Welcoming Village Hopes to Rebuild

strap, helmet net, pole and ice axe holders. Comes in two sizes, will fit everyone from 155-202 cm. Visit www. superflyinc.com for more info.

by Susan Sparrow

he images are gut-wrenching. Open fissures that once were major roadways, homes toppled like dominos, people in shock staring off into space beside a pile of rubble that recently housed their family. This is Canoa, a small coastal village in Ecuador hard hit by a 7.8 earthquake. On April 16, 2016, everything changed in an instant for the roughly 5000 people living there. Earthquakes in Ecuador are not unknown, as this is a seismically active part of the world. In 1906, an 8.8 occurred just off the coast at Esmeraldas, causing a tsunami that killed between 500 and 1500 people. In 1979, an 8.2 quake generated another tsunami along the Ecuadorian and Colombian coasts. More quakes struck the area in 1987 and 1998. In 2010 a 7.1 caused slight damage, but over a very wide area.1 After the 7.8 quake on April 16, Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa declared a national emergency. He warned that the recovery could take years and stated that a tax reform is being discussed to fund the reconstruction costs, which are estimated to be in the billions.3 On April 24, President Correa reported 646 dead, 12,492 injured and 26,091 people homeless and

staying in shelters. In Canoa alone, an unofficial count puts the numbers at 37 dead, 200 injured and 1000 homeless. Thankfully, a tsunami did not occur, although aftershocks continue to plague the region. The hang gliding and paragliding communities have strong ties to this tiny seaside village with the phenomenal flying conditions. Blessed with smooth, consistent ridge lift that provides abundant opportunities for hours of epic soaring, Canoa has hosted many hang gliding and paragliding competitions, including the Canoa Open, a class-1 cross-country competition held each October. Additionally, a group that supports free-flight pilots in their efforts to help the communities in which they fly, The Cloudbase Foundation, partnered with the James Dean Byrd Foundation, a group that empowers children to become global citizens through language and knowledge in Canoa. Together they support a bilingual school that, miraculously, is located in one of the very few buildings that survived the earthquake with little damage. That building is now being used as headquarters for the relief effort. Other structures, however, did not fare nearly as well. An estimated

80-95% of the town was demolished in the quake. Unconfirmed reports say the little restaurant right below launch that is beloved by the paragliding community was badly damaged. The Hostal Shanti Lodge, a favorite with many hang glider pilots, suffered extensive damage, as did many other highly regarded places frequented by pilots. Mauricio Herrera, owner of Hostal Shanti and president of the local hang gliding club, was evacuated to the hospital in Quito by a rescue convoy of pilots. He is recovering from injuries to his leg sustained during the earthquake when the house he was in collapsed. Mauricio hopes to begin repairs to Hostal Shanti soon, and once again provide jobs for local workers. He states a government minister has indicated a commitment to rebuilding and strengthening the tourism industry in the area. The Ecuadorian government responded quickly to organize and provide relief to the area although much still needs to be done on the coast and throughout the country. A group of Ecuadorian hang gliding and paragliding pilots led by Julian Larrea and Juan Carrasco has joined with Hombro a Hombro Con Ecuador to deliver food, water and survival kits to the devastated town.2 UNICEF has also provided tarps, tents, mosquito netting and blankets, in addition to other items. IsraAID, an Israeli disasterrelief team, flew into the country using private planes and has provided emergency medical care to the residents. The United States, Spain, Cuba, Switzerland and other Latin American countries have all contributed to the relief effort as well. Years ago, Kevin Lee, owner of Thermal Tracker Paragliding, had been impressed with how environmentally progressive Canoa was. That, coupled with the friendly people, the consistently good weather conditions and the great international cuisine, keeps him leading tours to Canoa year after

year. “The town means a lot to so many people,” Kevin said. “They really need relief in these small towns. We hope they can rebuild.” And from the local club, “We invite our foreign pilots and friends to come or return to help us put Canoa back on its feet and enjoy the magical ridges and beaches that have made this place so special.”

AIRMAIL Fellow free flyers: I want to proclaim a heartfelt thank you to the Foundation for Free Flight and Gus Johnson for their matching donation to help the Ellenville flying community with their maintenance of “the road to launch.” Knowing we were going to be able to purchase a significant amount of material generated enough excitement that 35 pilots showed up for the endeavor and worked their hearts out. “The Club” sponsored this event but it wouldn’t have been possible without individual pilot donations and the matching grant. With the help of these

Certainly there are many places on our planet where disaster has struck and aid is needed. Many pilots have donated time and/or money to help the people in Canoa recover. If you’d like to specifically assist our friends in Ecuador who have been so welcoming to the hang glider and paraglider communities over the years, donations can be made through the following partial list of donation sites:

35, and one incredible man and his heavy machinery (Wayne Neckles), we laid down 120 tons of material, carved out drainage ditches, created permanent water diversion diagonals on the road, and spruced up our launches. I’m making a donation to the Foundation in thanks—and I urge others to do the same as the FFF is really making a difference for all of us. The all-volunteer group

Thecloudbasefoundation.org

is also looking for help within their organization. If you can’t

Jamesdeanbyrdfoundation.org (Scholarship donation for the school in Canoa.) Youcaring.com Help Rebuild Hostal Shanti. Hombro a Hombro Con Ecuador helps locals rebuild their houses. Gofundme.com (Canoa, Ecuador Earthquake Relief.)

help with a large chunk of money, the FFF gladly accepts $10 or $20 dollars added to your annual USHPA membership at renewal time. Free flying isn’t free! Help keep the sites open.

Jim Donovan, SNYHGPA (Southern New York Hang Glider & Paraglider Association)

FOOTNOTES

1 Wikipedia 2 Thecloudbasefoundation.org 3 Timesofisrael.com

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

Fly With Confidence

How to Be Happy and Stay Out of the Trees

by Greg Launt

EVERYONE HAS MORE FUN WITHOUT CONFLICT OR INCIDENT. HAVE MORE FUN THAN ANYONE YOU KNOW!

know we have heard it all before: “We are ultimately responsible for our own safety.” Though very true, it’s equally important that we look after one another, because pilots are still getting hurt, or worse. Likewise, we might see things that another pilot does not. The solution: Share what you see, ask lots of questions, be aware. The most significant safety measures that have kept me (mostly) out of trouble: 1) Know and understand your equipment

Get comfortable and confident that your whole kit is ready to go. Inspect your gear carefully. The more familiar you are with your equipment, the better chance you will have to notice if something is not right or is out of place. You are likely to be the only one who has the opportunity and motive to really take a careful look at your gear. Too often problems occur simply because the pilot was unfamiliar with his equipment. If you have not flown for some months, you should get all of your gear together and spend some time kiting. Get into and out of your gear several times, and rehearse the preflight and launch sequence many times. Review the last time your reserve had been repacked. Afterward, pack all your gear thoroughly and carefully to simplify your tasks at launch and help minimize the distractions or delays. On the launch, be confident that you and your gear are ready to go. I’ve heard one wise pilot say that he “has never been burned by being ready early.” 2) Study the weather conditions

This would include careful, honest, assessment of the launch conditions. Talk to the other pilots. Try not to let your craving to fly overpower your best

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

judgment. Try to imagine what it will be like 30 seconds after you launch…and if you don’t think you’ll be liking it, don’t launch! Weather is tricky. I’ve been wrong about it many more times than I’ve been right. It’s easy to review all the predictors but then decide to believe the one that is most favorable for flying. Do your best to be objective. Utilize as many resources as you can. This can involve asking others why they are not launching. It can be especially valuable to know if conditions are predicted to deteriorate as the time passes. You don’t want to be airborne when things turn bad. By the same token, if conditions are predicted to improve, you should be patient and not launch when it’s marginal. Are other pilots having difficulty launching or staying up? Maybe a sled-ride is what you should expect. Maybe you should be ready for an aggressive launch, or consider watching and waiting a bit longer. There’s no shame in being a driver, either…we love our drivers! 3) Pay attention to yourself

No one else will know how you really feel, so you need to ask yourself, “Am I really ready to do this?” We can’t expect everyone to bring his “A-game” every time; but we must bring our “whole game” every time. Be focused, especially at the critical times (just prior to, and while, launching). If you are having trouble focusing, take some time to yourself and reassess. Do not let yourself get distracted by others or your surroundings. Furthermore, hydration is important; inversely, relieving yourself before launch is highly recommended. I always pack extra water and a snack. 4) Maintain your margins

Follow the ridge rules, and give each other space to maneuver. Ask for clarification on those rules because some

people have differing interpretations. Be vigilant, look around you and even behind you. CLEAR YOUR TURNS—ALL YOUR TURNS—EVERY TIME. The faster wing needs to pass on the ridge side. Be aware of a faster wing coming up behind you, and give him room to pass on the ridge side. If the overtaking is happening in front of you, give both of those pilots room. Give yourself plenty of margin. Avoid “scratching.” Too often, the conditions seem to be getting light when they’re really “going cross.” The wind (and associated air currents) crossways on the mountain can have strong and broad areas of sink. Maintain your options for (AT MINIMUM) the bailout fields AT ALL TIMES. Always know, with confidence, that you can make it to a safe landing area with plenty of altitude to execute a smooth landing at any moment during your flight.

A REMINDER ABOUT THE

USHPA AWARDS PROGRAM by George Sturtevant Every year, the USHPA presents

5) Site-specific precautions

Generally, you should learn as much as you can about any site you intend to fly. This is of great importance for a site that you have never flown before. Do your homework and contact someone who knows all the particular protocols and characteristics. Try to get the paperwork completed before you arrive, and spend the time with local pilots to take a good look at the landing areas before going up the mountain. While in the LZ, visualize and discuss preferred landing approaches and hazard avoidance with different wind directions. Study the location of power lines, fences, and trees. Take note of the slope (or terrain contours). Identify the best landing areas and utilize them. Wind-streamers may or may not be present, so be prepared to determine which way the wind is blowing (or not blowing) as you near the landing field and choose your approach. Know beforehand that there may be many suitable-looking landing areas that are off limits.

outstanding service during 2016 NAA Safety Award: from the US National Aeronautic Assoc. for promotion of safety FAI Hang Gliding Diploma (in-

Some sites have areas that you do not want to fly over. Maybe there’s an area of frequent rotor or turbulence. Perhaps a neighbor has skittish livestock, pets, or privacy concerns. Good pilots are good neighbors. Again, talk with the current, local pilots, and ask them if there are places to avoid. They will also tell you where to find the good lift! Some sites may have a launch that is treacherous in certain wind directions, and wonderful in others. Every venue that I have ever visited has characteristics that need your attention, and may change from time to time, day to day. Get the current information, first hand, from the local pilots and active club members. Go with confidence! Know your gear, the weather, yourself, the site, and maintain wide margins. My paragliding instructor (some 11 years ago) reminded me that “You can go your whole flight career without incident, or injury, but you gotta be careful—really careful.”

Bettina Gray Award: USHPA’s recognition of a member’s photography Best Promotional Film: showing aesthetics, originality and positive portrayal of our sports

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vice to the members

description of the awards: Presidential Citation: USHPA’s highest honor Rob Kells Memorial Award: for a pilot or group having a long-term commitment of service to hang gliding or paragliding or both USHPA Exceptional Service: for

Instructor of the Year: one paragliding, one hang gliding instructor Recognition for Special

Awards committee is to use the online award nomination form found at https://www.ushpa.org/page/awardnomination-form. You do not need every last piece of information that is requested; the important thing is that

Contribution: for a non-member’s

you nominate—before October 1—your

exceptional contributions

fellow pilot, club officer, hard-working

USHPA Commendation: for members who have volunteered “above

volunteer, or friendly landowner as a way of showing your appreciation.

and beyond” HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

FLUSH CYCLE by Annette O'Neil

ot every paraglider has experienced a flush cycle—but it’s usually a dramatic, go-to story for pilots who have. A true flush cycle starts with a sky full of happy-go-lucky pilots, cruising around in a sweet hammock of ridge lift (or a muscular house thermal). Suddenly, often without warning, the lift disappears, sending everyone down—quickly—at once. Sometimes, the landing area is enormous enough to accommodate dozens of separate landing patterns. Often, however, it’s not. To safely and successfully navigate a flush cycle, you’ll need to be MVP of a team of pilots whose names you may not yet even know. Here’s how. Determine if you’re really in a flush cycle (or if it’s just your own flight that’s going down the drain).

Look around to determine the vertical separation between your own wing and the other pilots in the air. If other pilots seem to be staying reliably up, you can turn down the alarm bells: You’re not in a flush, you’re just sinking out. However, if the vertical separation remains similar between you and the others while you’re clocking down at a steady rate of descent, you can be reasonably sure that you’re in a flush cycle. Get ready for some logistical jockeying. Place yourself on the “scale” of

“Maintaining pilot safety in the throes of a flush cycle is the responsibility of every pilot in the sky.” 14

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vertical separation and behave accordingly. Increasing vertical separa-

tion, especially when everyone is being pushed down at once by conditions, is the key to successfully navigating the situation. If you’re towards the bottom of the pack, head to landing at once. Pilots in the middle of the pack should follow the most predictable landing patterns being set up below them, maintaining as much horizontal distance as the situation allows. Pilots at the top of the pack must do the hard work of staying up as long as possible while looking very alertly at the patterns below, calling out where necessary. Be completely predictable.

Maintaining pilot safety in the throes of a flush cycle is the responsibility of every pilot in the sky. However, since you won’t be connected by radio to a sky full of fellow pilots, you’ll have to use your best “sign language” to initiate this vital teamwork. Signal fellow pilots of your intent by behaving in a way that states your flight plan clearly. For instance: Pilots on the bottom should immediately begin making obvious signals that they are landing: use big ears, fly with a bit of speedbar, head for clear sink and sit upright in the harness. On final approach, do your best to execute a standard landing pattern (either aircraft-approach or figure-of-8) so other pilots can reasonably anticipate your next move. Set your priorities. Vertical separation may not be possible, especially if the flush cycle is severe. Horizontal separation may be just as tricky. While it’s ideal for your shins (and your expensive gear) to land in the flat, brush-cleared environment of the official LZ, that’s

not your priority. Your priority in a flush cycle—or, indeed, in any paragliding situation that involves more than one wing in close proximity—is to avoid a mid-air collision. After that comes ground-level obstacle avoidance. As a paraglider pilot, you have accepted the possibility that you may be required to land in a tree, in rocks or, if you’re very lucky, a friendly stand of bushes. (Carrying a tree self-rescue kit can help.) Be ready to safely land your paraglider in the water at a shoreline site. Clear the landing area. Once you’ve touched ground, you must immediately clear precious LZ real estate for pilots still in the air. Don’t be precious about your gear: move your equipment quickly aside and stay out of the way. Be aware of hang gliders. There may be hang gliders in the mix. If there are, the situation becomes complicated by the fact that they must land with much higher airspeed than do paragliders, and they must make wider approaches. These landing styles are, of course, at odds—especially when both airfoils are using the same landing area, under duress, at exactly the same time. Help other pilots. Once you’re on the ground and out of the landing area, immediately set about helping the other pilots land safely. Ensure that the windsock is untangled. Kick dust to help indicate wind direction. Gesture with your arms and voice. Help freshly landed pilots remove their gear to the side of the LZ. Keep an eye out for pilots who may have had to execute a tree or water landing. Roll call the pilots you know personally.

REAL PERFORMANCE FOR SPORT CLASS PILOTS

WWW.WILLSWING.COM HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

A Week with

ZAC MAJORS

ang gliding is such an amazing sport and one of my favorite activities that I enjoy sharing with other fellow pilots on the weekends. I’ve been hang gliding since 1994 and absolutely love it. However, I was having some issues with my launches and landings that needed to be addressed. A friend of mine once told me that, in order to achieve your full potential as a hang glider pilot you should hang out and learn from the very best. That’s why I went to Zac Majors, who helped me fine-tune my skills and correct the bad habits that needed to be “fixed” during the week that we spent together in the Bay area.

Day One (9/27/15) Six aerotowing flights (four tandems, two solos) at Brentwood, California: Zac started assessing my skills. We worked on

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

by Luis Ramos

basic gliding speeds, stalls and recovery, 360s, 180s, landing approaches (DBF pattern), linked 90- and 45-degree turns, and general aerotowing training. After four tandem flights, he let me fly solo, which was a lot easier than flying in tandem. I had no problem letting the glider climb above the Dragonfly upon takeoff and pulling in, once higher than 10 feet above the ground. I was able to keep the glider directly behind the Dragonfly at all times and to have a relaxed grip, with more pulling than pushing, while climbing up. I learned about correction techniques when falling below the Dragonfly (no pushing until high enough to avoid funny situations close to the ground) as well as when being too high ABOVE Superman’s glider at Ed Levin. RIGHT

for a tandem.

Zac preparing Robyn

above it, always aiming at keeping the Dragonfly on the horizon and aligning its mast with the white cylinder in front of it, which is a good indication that I am centered right behind it. (Zac also likes having the Dragonfly’s mirror in plain sight, because if you can see the mirror, the pilot can see you, too). When the Dragonfly is turning, I also learned to wait a little while before I start my turn, in order to keep the glider on the inside, where the speed is lower than on the outside. If the glider falls below the Dragonfly, you need to correct towards the outside of the turn to pick up speed and get it higher. If it starts going up too high, you must correct towards the inside of the turn to slow it down and get it lower. Once the pilot gives the signal to release, you need to push out a bit to get higher above the Dragonfly and avoid the washout swirl upon release. If the main release fails, go for the secondary one. Once loose, the Dragonfly will turn left, and you’ll turn right, ensuring that you’ll avoid each other. Then you need to pull the tow bridle towards you and tuck it inside your harness, to prevent it from getting caught on anything upon landing. Finally, you get to relax and enjoy the rest of the flight. My friend Mathew Grimm and his fiancée Robyn Suddeth also had the privilege of meeting Zac that day, and Robyn took a tandem flight with him. This totally made her day, as she hadn’t expected to have her first taste of our sport that day, much less from the six-time US National Hang Gliding Champion (aka Zippy). We all went for a late lunch at BJ’s (courtesy of Mathew) and had a great time. To top it

off, Mother Nature delighted us that night with an amazing “Bloody Moon.” And even though we weren’t together during the lunar eclipse, we all witnessed it in the clear California sky and went to sleep like happy campers.

Day Two (9/28/15) One flight at Ed Levin County Park from the 1750 feet launch, lots of runs at the training hill, and two flights at Fort Funston: We had an early start on Day 2. Zac, his girlfriend Majo, and I met at Ed Levin County Park early in the morning, and, after following protocol with paperwork and Zac’s showing me the LZ, we went up to the highest launch, at 1750 feet. Once there, Zac asked me to describe the launch’s slope, the places I would likely find some lift, and my launch plan. I took off with a solid launch and went straight to the LZ. I killed altitude upwind and completed the approach with the DBF pattern. I made a slight mistake by extending the final leg for too long, trying to hit the target in the middle of the LZ. Consequently, I couldn’t do a proper flare and ended up landing on my wheels, right in the perimeter of the target. Then Majo took off, followed my steps, and also missed the target by just a few feet. Zac drove the truck down and met us at the LZ, after which we started running at the training hill. On these first runs, Zac noticed my tendency to exaggerate the angle of attack upon starting my launch. This technique, combined with an early rotation of my hands (before the slack on the hang strap was tight) from

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the grapevine position to a relaxed bottle grip, was causing the nose to pop up. So he recommended that I start the run with a slightly higher angle of attack and keep it constant, by not rotating my hands too early. He also noticed my hands were ascending as the glider started to fly, because I wasn’t letting the control bar slide up through my fingers. To fix that problem, he said I should keep my hands in the same position (about hip level) throughout the run (just like a ballerina does when she dances). This, in turn, gives me better pitch control and roll authority. After a few more runs, we took a lunch break and headed to Fort Funston. Fort Funston is a coastal site in a privileged location, just outside the city of San Francisco, making it very convenient for people to fly there any day of the week. When we arrived, there was plenty of lift (which is normally the case at this site), so we set up our gliders and headed to the cliff (first Majo, then me), at which time Zac explained the technique for launching in high winds. After struggling for a bit, Majo was able to level the glider and control it properly, so she proceeded to launch, and I did the same, shortly after. Given the extremely good lift-band along the ridge, we all were able to soar back and forth plenty of times until sunset. Other pilots were practicing aerobatics, and some were even flying backwards! Everybody was having a good time.

Day Three (9/29/15) Two flights at Fort Funston: On Day 3, Majo had to return to Guatemala because her visa had expired, so instead of going to the training hill, we headed straight to the coast. Majo wanted to fly her new Sport 2 glider one more time before her departure at 6:30 p.m., so she could redeem herself for her not-so-elegant landing the day before. I flew my UltraSport. The conditions were light, and the lift

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band extremely narrow, so I totally missed it upon launch and sank faster than the Titanic (one of the shortest sledders I’ve ever had), forcing me to land on the beach. That wouldn’t have been bad, if it hadn’t been for the agonizing hike back up to launch that awaited me after breaking down. The UltraSport is very heavy, and the soft sand trail was quite steep; my feet sank at every step, making it difficult to progress. My suffering was so evident that halfway up a guy coming back down offered to help me carry the glider the rest of the way. Needless to say, I was a most grateful hiker. Once at the top, one of the local pilots shared with all of us the coke and pizza that he’d had delivered for lunch. I mean, seriously? Where on Earth do you have pizza delivered to your flying site, so you can enjoy a nice meal in between flights? By the time we finished our meal, Zac had returned from delivering Majo to the airport. So I set up my Falcon, and we took a second flight that was really smooth, allowing us to enjoy the beautiful sunset from about 300 feet above the beach.

Day Four (9/30/15) Multiple runs from the 50-foot launch at the training hill at Ed Levin County Park: We started the day with a couple of runs on flat ground, so as to practice both the basic positioning of the hands on the control bar and maintaining the appropriate angle of attack. We moved on to the 50-foot launch at the training hill. I practiced launches and landings multiple times, always focusing on starting my runs with the right angle of attack and keeping it constant by not rotating my hands too early. As the morning progressed, Zac noticed several issues with my landing technique. First and foremost, I wasn’t timing the moment of flaring correctly. I thought I needed to wait until the control bar pushed back on me, but

Zac explained I should actually be flaring while at trim speed; the right time to do it can be determined with the two-step flare. The two-step flare consists of a small test in which you push out the control bar slightly to see how the glider reacts. If the glider goes up, it is too early to flare, so you have to wait for a couple of seconds and try again. Once the glider remains leveled (without going up), you can proceed to perform a solid flare. I also made a mistake by looking down instead of forward, as I was preparing to flare. And I was bending my arms and knees as soon as my feet touched the ground, so the glider would try to keep going, because I was not killing its forward momentum. This resulted in a nose-whack most of the time. To fix this, Zac told me I should imitate a preacher’s doing a big “Hallelujah!”: Keep my arms raised and my legs fully stretched out, until the keel had touched the ground and the control bar had settled on my shoulders. Yet another mistake I made upon landing was flaring with a tight grip. Zac told me to do the flare with the hands open. I made this adjustment, and, after a few more runs, we called it a day.

opportunity for XC, I suggested going to Brentwood to finish my aerotowing training. He liked the idea, but was concerned that AccuWhatever was predicting rain in that area, too, to which I said: “Screw the forecast, dude. Didn’t AccuWhatever predict rain for Ed Levin all day, and the conditions turned perfect for XC? Come on, let’s go!” But as we were approaching Brentwood, we could see a massive wall of rain in the distance. ONLY IN BRENTWOOD! REALLY?

Day Five (10/1/15) One flight at Ed Levin County Park from the 600-foot launch, three runs from the 50-foot launch at the training hill, and three solo aerotowing flights at Brentwood: The first day of October was particularly interesting. We met at Ed Levin and went up to the 600-foot launch to practice the DBF pattern. The weather, however, was looking sketchy; it began to rain, and the wind direction switched 180 degrees, so we decided to break down. After experiencing several quick weather changes, we set up again, and I decided to take off, before the conditions deteriorated again. I did great, and it proved to be good practice for my crosswind launching technique. Of course, I headed straight to the LZ (as planned), with a great approach and a good landing. Once there, I was able to squeeze in three runs with practice launches and landings from the 50-foot launch, before the wind became too cross and the thermals started to kick in. These conditions served as our indication to take a break for lunch. After finishing lunch, we realized that conditions had turned perfect for XC, but, unfortunately, we hadn’t planned for it, because AccuWeather (the app that Zac uses to check the forecast, which I call AccuWhatever) had forecast rain for the entire afternoon. While Zac contemplated the clouds and tortured himself with the thought of the missed ABOVE LEFT Majo assisting Zac before takeoff. RIGHT Zac flying

over the beach at sunset. RIGHT TOP Zac & I with my new glider at Fort Funston. BOTTOM Zac, Majo, Robyn, Mathew & I at lunch.

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As we traversed the storm towards the aerotow park, the rain got stronger, with drops the size of ping-pong balls. And there we were, in the middle of the California desert, with the biggest storm EVER in the history of Brentwood, feeling as if we were in an episode of the Road Runner. Fortunately, the storm drifted away and the ground dried out quickly, so we were still able to do the aerotowing operation before sunset. I got in the solo flights I needed to earn my aerotow rating with Kevin Dutt (the owner of the Dragonfly) as the towing pilot. I passed the test with flying colors. And the air was so smooth and laminar that I felt like ending my day with a few wingovers. I was, once again, a happy camper that night.

Day Six (10/2/15) Four flights at Fort Funston: Day six arrived with a lot of anticipation. The night before, I had told Zac I was thinking of buying a new glider, based on a conversation with Russ Gelfan (one of my fellow pilots in the Seattle area). Russ had told me something that resonated with me: “You deserve a better glider; therefore, you should invest in it.” Zac had a Sport 2 demo glider, produced the month before, with him

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that he was going to let me test fly at Fort Funston. I was eager to fly it and discover the excitement Majo had displayed when she had flown her new Sport 2 a few days earlier. The glider was beautiful, sporting the new transparent sail material (super tight from being so new) and a carbon-fiber speed bar. The tip wands were new to me, so Zac showed me how to set them up properly. Once the entire glider was set up, I put on my lucky sweater (a hoodie that says “I can’t keep calm, I’m Venezuelan”) before getting into the harness, and proceeded to do a hang check by using The Method of The 7 L’s—Loops, Lock, Lines, Legs, Length, Lid, Laundry— that Zac had taught me. Finally, I was ready to fly. Zac walked with me to the edge of the cliff. He reminded me of the technique for launching in high winds and remained standing in front of the glider, while staring at me like a dummy, until I yelled, “Clear, damn it!” Then he moved away, and I took off. It was delightful to fly this Sport 2 glider. The handling is so much better and easier than the UltraSport, especially during takeoff and landing. And given the mellow conditions at Funston, it was possible to take off and land several times in a row, which I did, in order to practice the ballerina pose

during takeoff, and the big Hallelujah! flare upon landing. I performed this four times, so Zac could observe my launching and landing. Afterwards, he flew the glider to test for quality control. And what a test fly it was: First, he sped up all the way to the end of the ridge and back, and then he carved some silky smooth air with a few climb-overs, right in front of the launch. Zippy is definitely half-bird and halfhuman.

Day Seven (10/3/15) One flight at Ed Levin County Park from the 600-foot launch and four runs from the 50-foot launch at the training hill: We went back to Ed Levin, where I took off from the 600-foot launch to once again show a good launch, DBF approach, and great landing. No funny business with the weather this time, so we were able to do as we had planned. I also had four runs from the 50-foot launch, to make sure I had built enough muscle memory to not regress to my bad habits upon launching and landing. The hill was very crowded, since it was a Saturday. When we were finished, I was happy to leave it behind. We then headed to Fort Funston to meet with

two people who wanted to do a tandem with Zac. However, the wind was so strong we decided not to fly. It almost felt like a hurricane, since the sand being blown against one’s body was painful. Zac rescheduled the tandem. That night we had dinner with my friend Joaquin, his wife Delhy, their two kids, and a few other folks, and Zac had the opportunity to enjoy a Venezuelan party, since it was Joaquin’s birthday. I was driving back to Seattle (my home town) the following day, so after the party, Zac asked me to share with him videos of my launches and landings moving forward. In this way, he could provide constructive feedback regularly and make sure I would continue to improve, instead of falling back into the bad habits that had made me come to him in the first place. Thanks to Zac, I feel more confident and stronger than ever as a pilot. If you ever need a little help from a friend, contact Zac. He’ll get you dialed in and back where you want to be, as only a great friend can do. I look forward to enjoying more flights with my new Sport 2 glider and hope to share more adventures with the great Master Zippy in the near future.

The FUN - High Performance Glider! 35% double-surface  great handling available with Full Race options and custom sail

150170190 +220 Tandem 1st place, 2014 King Mountain Championships 1st place, 2009 King Mountain Championships 1st place, Hombres Pájaro 2015 - Columbia 2nd place, Hombres Pájaro 2016 - Columbia

HANG GLIDERS



ULTRALIGHT TRIKES HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

Becoming a Better Pilot A Day in Santa Barbara, California by MITCH RILEY

he winds aloft are light, the day’s forecast is sunny—it’s a flying day! I post a meet-time to our club web board and go on my morning run. While running through fresh flowers and dew-soaked grass, I visualize turning my glider into a tight little thermal core. I imagine myself weight-shifting into the loaded side, and pulling enough brake to slice into that hard edge, but not so much that I spin my glider. The visualizations, combined with the run, have me pumped up and ready for action. I find myself in joyous anticipation of

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

photos by NEAL MICHAELIS

the sharp, tight little cores I’m likely to find. Bring it on! Old friends and new meet in the LZ. Many pilots in our community have just returned from Colombia. I listen in fascination to their stories of high bases, personal bests, and touching clouds. Aaron LaPlante arrives with his infectious smile and his absurdly awkward stuff bag. Aaron, as usual, is pumped. His typical MO is to show up totally stoked, during his “lunch hours,” and fly a respectable XC flight back to work. Greetings are exchanged all around, the gliders are

“Flow is a single-minded, full immersion in our present activity, and produces the ultimate personal potential at our present activity.”

fastened to the roof, and the van, squeaky brakes and all, lumbers up the hill. The radio plays catchy modern rock. The stories, reuniting pilots with questions and answers and discussion, flow like beer at the SBSA Christmas party. The general mood is energized, light-hearted and fun loving. This is not the ABOVE Santa Barbara Harbor and East Beach.

time or place to talk about crashes, collapses, or Uncle Ted’s predictions of strong afternoon valley winds. This is the time to cultivate excited anticipation and a positive mood that is going to help us achieve a flow state. Flow: Named by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does. Flow is a singleminded, full immersion in our present activity, and produces the ultimate personal potential at our present activity. In flow our emotions are positive, energized, and aligned with the task at hand. In order to enter flow, we must be in an environment that’s positive, energized, and focused on the task at hand. If we achieve flow state while flying, our entire being is going to be completely focused on the flight. While in flow, we will be more successful at achieving our free-flight dreams, and will be safer while doing so. We arrive at our takeoff, EJ Bowl. The grass is green, the flowers are blooming, and I’ve got the catchy song, “Billly Jean,” in my head. Life is good. Launchable cycles are coming in to takeoff, and weak cycles are coming over the back. Aaron is laid out on launch before I’ve even unzipped my backpack. (His absurd stuff bag comes in handy.) In the meantime, the cycles coming in all but fizzle out, and the over-the-back cycles begin to increase. “It’s good that you practiced your light wind launches the other day,” I say, in reference to an impressive display of running reverse inflations Aaron demonstrated at the road-cut launch days ago. “I’m great at forwards. Get out of my way, and I’ll show you boys how to do it,” a visiting pilot, Steve*, boasts. Then we see two vultures catch a climb out front and below us, quickly reaching our level. Seconds later, a light cycle comes up the hill. “Oh, I got this!” Aaron exclaims before executing a perfect running reverse inflation to a smooth launch. Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck, in her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, outlines two basic mindsets and how they relate to learning. Fixed Mindset: Students believe their abilities, intelligence, talents, and skills are fixed traits. They prefer activities and challenges they believe they have talent in, and avoid challenges they believe they have a

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disability in. Growth Mindset: Students believe their abilities, intelligence, talents, and skills can be developed through effort, good training, and tenacity. They tend to view deficiencies or failures as results that can change with perseverance in learning. Most of us cycle back and forth between these two mindsets. Once we learn the language and thought patterns associated with them we can strive to spend more time in a growth mindset and less time in a fixed mindset. Below are some examples of the two mindsets and how they will affect our flying progression. Fixed mindset: “I’m great at light wind launches.” When this pilot, who we will call “Steve,” in fixed mindset, is presented with a light-wind launch, he will feel overly confident. This cockiness will make it more likely that Steve will forget his preflight check, will not notice the bird thermaling, or will fail to see the dust devil rising up the hill. If the launch goes well, the fixed-mindset pilot will think; “Of course, that went well. I’m Steve, and I am great at light wind launches.” Steve will not think about why the launch went well, or slight improvements that could be made. If the launch goes badly, Steve will likely blame something other than his knowledge, skill, and learning effort. He might think, “It must have just started blowing down,” or “This glider is getting old.” Years down the road, this pilot will still be bad at light-

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wind launches, because anything that reinforces his definition of his talents is seen as truth, and anything that undermines his belief is explained away as luck or circumstance. Growth mindset: “I can improve my light-wind launches.” When the pilot Aaron, in a growth mindset, is presented with a light-wind launch, he will think about the actions he needs to take to execute a good launch. Most likely Aaron has sought out advice and done visualizations and will be at a heightened state

of concentration and awareness, a flow state. This flow state will help slow down his perception of time and increase his awareness. Aaron will be more likely to notice subtle changes in the wind, notice the bird out front, the knot in his lines, or the unbuckled leg straps on a friend’s harness. If the launch goes well, Aaron will think, “What did I do right to make that so smooth?” Then he will replay that launch in his mind, and his skills will improve. If the launch goes badly, the growth-mindset pilot will think, “What can I do differently to have a better takeoff?” He will ask for advice, and integrate that advice into his visualizations, the next ground-handling session, and the next light-wind launches. The growth-mindset pilots will be improving their light-wind launches each and every time because whether they had a success or a failure they will analyze their (in)actions and strengthen the skills that led to success, while discouraging the actions that led to problems. I find myself laid out on takeoff for more then five minutes, with no sign of an upslope cycle, with the over-the-back wind increasing. When the over-the-back wind is kite-able, I ball up my glider and suggest we go down to the Skyport Launch, which is 700 feet lower and more likely to be blocked from OPPOSITE TOP EJ launch. Chad Bastian in the foreground. BOTTOM

the light north (back) wind. While I’m walking off takeoff with my balled up glider, I notice that it’s completely possible and reasonable for me to launch off the backside and shoot the gap through a saddle, in order to search for thermals on the south-facing side. As I choose my takeoff cycle, I’m energized, loose, and bobbing my head to “Thriller.” My launch goes great, and the turbulence I encounter just south of the saddle is easily managed. I made a good call. I am completely focused on the task at hand, under my glider, and feeling very good. I get on the radio to let the launch crew know that only pilots with a desire to fly through some turbulence should think about repeating that move, and begin searching the usual places for lift. Nothing. Yep, I mean nothing, up high. I’m searching the usual triggers, but find no lift. Not until I am way lower and out front, near a feature we call the Antenna Farm, do I find a tight little usable thermal. I spent time this morning visualizing the act of turning my glider in a tight little thermal, putting it on edge, but not getting surged out of the lift. Now, turning my glider in this little bullet feels completely natural and fun, because I’ve already done it earlier in my head.

Pilots kiting at Elings park training hill. ABOVE Aaron LaPlante flying over

Santa Barbara on his way to East Beach.

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My mind is completely in the present, taking in all the information it can gather to help me achieve my goals and desires. Right now, my goals and desires are to stay in the air. Aaron is in another sharp little core nearby, when we learn that the thermals are not going over 2200 feet. We make a move to a ridge farther east. We are flying about 1000 feet lower than we would on a decent day, but we have some height to play with, and we are both completely in the zone, focused on the task at hand. The risks are not a lack of good LZs, wind, or turbulence; the risk of going to the next ridge is landing out and having to find a way back. Landing out will take just one wrong turn. Our height is so low that mistakes will mean landings. We have sacrificed ourselves to the chance of landing out and, in doing so, given ourselves the opportunity to learn more about the air, our gliders, and ourselves.

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We start completing micro out-and-backs, challenging ourselves to continually make low saves and choose the best glide lines. Each and every piece of data about how a thermal is shaped, a glide line turns out, or how our gliders react, is being absorbed by our conscious and subconscious mind. Each and every decision is based on years of creating and testing theories, allowing our conscious and subconscious mind to absorb data. Being in a state of flow allows us to be open to what our conscious and subconscious mind thinks we should do. Soon Aaron flies out to land and go back to work, and I ABOVE Mitch Riley going over-the-back towards the Santa Ynez Valley.

Pilots kiting at Elings park training hill. MIDDLE Aaron LaPlante soaring in front of the Skyport launch. BOTTOM Mitch Riley eastbound towards Ojai. RIGHT TOP

am flying by myself. The crew that drove down to Skyport comes out, flies, and lands. I am totally in a state of flow, truly enjoying myself, and challenging myself to catch that thermal lower or try a glide further out front. Eventually, I arrive in the Parma LZ, where the Skyport launchers are packing up their equipment. I am absolutely stoked by the flight, sporting a huge smile, and raving about the views, the birds, the entire experience. I soon hesitate when I notice the other pilots seem sort of “bummed.” One of them says, “You’re really good at thermaling, Mitch. Of course, you could make those lousy conditions fun.” “I’m better at flying when the conditions are good,” another pilot says. They walk off the landing field, while I stand there, grinning ear to ear. We can help our flying buddies cultivate a growth mindset with the language we use, both in praise and in constructive criticism. In multiple studies, Carol Dwek and her colleagues noted that mindset could be altered by praising the process through which success was achieved. Let’s look at some examples: “Nice flight; you’re great at thermaling.” This statement is an example of fixed-mindset praise. The pilot is led to think, “I’m great at thermaling.” If the pilot falls for this fixed-mindset jargon, he is likely to stop seeing any reason to challenge and improve his thermaling. Any future evidence of the pilot’s thermaling less than great is going to be explained away as a situational fluke. His deficiencies in thermaling will not be, or will be slow to be, corrected, because he will blame something other than his learning effort. Any success at thermaling will reinforce his belief that he has an inherent skill at it, and will not lead to learning or improvement. “Nice flight. You were thermaling really well today. It looks like that tour to Colombia is paying off.” This statement is an example of growth-mindset praise. The speaker is linking success with effort and diligence. The pilot is going to think, “I am thermaling well because I’ve been working hard to improve my thermaling.” Any future evidence of the pilot thermaling less than well will be seen as evidence of a lack of learning effort and will quickly be corrected by putting in more effort. Evidence of the pilot’s climbing well will buttress the work he/she has done. I recently moved out to California and restarted surfing after a 16-year hiatus. On one of my first days out, I was flailing in biggish surf, kinda getting my butt handed to me. Out in the line-up, I mentioned to another surfer that I had a lot to learn and relearn about surfing, and his response stuck with me. “You know who the best surfer out here is?” he asked me. “Who?” I responded, looking around for the likes of Kelly Slater. “The one having the most fun,” he said, as he caught a big wave. Let’s strive to be the pilot having the most fun!

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Eight Days at Base by Larry “Blueleader” Smith

W 28

ith 10 months of solid planning behind us, our team was busy crunching the punch list during the final hours. Things were looking good for

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opening day: ”All ahead,” Jedi Joe said, as he and Craig Austin popped the top off a lemon-yellow paint can. The finishing touches to the newly revamped Sunset Stage were nearing completion. Craig was testing his new curtain idea, as Jedi and I were snapping chalk lines and pushing paint, when the darkened skies of a monsoon suddenly descended upon us. The fresh tape lines and yellow paint that had been on that surface barely 20 minutes was sure to run down the

“The camaraderie of this event is like none other I have seen, with experienced pilots renewing their bonds and welcoming new mountain pilots who fit right in.” LEFT

stage façade and cry its way onto the new floor. Now what? Everything came to a grinding halt. We hid under the tavern’s tent, while Tiff and her crew juggled preparations for registration and bar-stocking chores. The unrelenting rain demonstrated its power in the normally dry San Luis Valley. As much as I wanted to continue working, there wasn’t much I could do. Early arrivals were trickling in, and the pre-party was on. Tomorrow will take care of itself, I thought, as we all cheered with beers. In the morning,

Busy LZ.

our crew needed to be ready to start hauling bodies and gear; the stage would have to wait. It “dumped” all night. Opening day saw cloud cover over the mountains and a 500-foot ceiling, while in the lower middle valley it was scattered and broken. A quick view of the satellite loop showed that it was going to move out. Monsoon moisture moving through can be some of the best flying in Villa Grove, as long as it’s on the move. And it was. Ridge-lift-induced cloudbase flying was the norm for the first two days of the event. Flying continued over and around the little storms, and sunset skies garnished it all with amazing rainbow displays. The pilots were here, the stage was complete, Tiff’s Tavern was in full operation, and the Rendezvous was on. The beautifully stunning belly dancers of Bellysattva opened the event’s entertainment that night, demonstrating intricate choreography, flawless performances, and brilliant costumes. The dancing was followed by the band Mine Control, who rocked the stage the rest of the night. An afterparty formed once the stage quieted, as band members and event participants gathered around the fire for an intimate drum and acoustic jam session. The first day was a wrap. All of the days begin with a pilot briefing, before the caravans start up the hill. It’s a great time to reflect on the day before and to share thoughts about safety and weather conditions. If someone had told me that the week would yield eight straight days of cloudbase flying, three parachute deployments, two suck-over-the-backs and one pilot-induced tuck and tumble, I would have told him he was crazy. Continually great weather rarely happens during flying events. The San Luis Valley rocks, however, and after living here for 10 years, I can tell you it can be soarable for months on end. I took an off-shift flight Sunday evening with my buddy and launch director guru, Rich Jesuroga; it was absolutely glorious. The sky yielded baby-butt-smooth air, with climbs to 13k feet. We navigated two small cells dragging sunshowers, with rays of evening light penetrating it all. The soft, wet

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bulbous clouds were truly a feast for the eyes. Two tough, but safe, downhill landings capped it off. Sunset Stage lit up with music from the nationally acclaimed band SHEL, fireworks exploded in the background, and we were treated to an intimate and personal encore around the blazing fire. Monday and Tuesday brought the “big-boy” air, which is what some of the pilots had been waiting for. Higher pressure and some turbulence were back. Some pilots launched off Whale hill, crossing the valley over to Villa side. Pete Lehmann cranked off 83 miles, running south. Frisky air slapped some pilots around pretty good, some of them now

wishing for the return of the smooth, wet air. At about 3 p.m. on Tuesday, cold, heavy air spilled over the back from the wet mountain valley; the Hayden Pass convergence zone set up. Pilots already in the air enjoyed smooth lift, as the SW San Luis Valley air dammed up against the NE wind coming through the pass. Everyone had to fight to get down, in order to land facing the mountain in 20-30 mph gusts; most landings were short of the main LZ. Two paraglider pilots flying cross-country to the north drove off the Sangre de Cristos, only to huck their reserves in the down-pounding air of the Arkansas Valley. It was a full day. On Wednesday, a big fast monsoon low had blown in overnight. Satellite again showed the low’s dry slot would be right over us as it moved out to the plains. Pilots awoke with a ceiling even lower than opening day, dragging their feet and moaning for coffee. I would have none of it, though, as this is my all-time favorite condition; I know you have to get up to launch fast to get ready for the base to rise up to launch level, and then punch off. Cloudbase continues to rise and produces some of the best cloud play there is. The pilots must have thought I was crazy, banging around on a cowbell calling for a swift briefing. Transpo rallied and the haul was on. Despite my obligations, I went up the hill to ABOVE Pilots study the leaderboard, jockeying for position. LEFT SHEL

soundcheck | photo by Tiffany Smith. OPPOSITE TOP Corey Barnwell on glide. BOTTOM Clowning around at the tavern | photo by Tiffany Smith.

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get some. En masse, the sky filled with gliders and cumies. After two hours of the best cloud play ever, I headed back to HQ, spiraling down into the pattern, only to be joined by Minnesotan Ralph “Greenleader” Karsten. We were at the same altitude. I asked if he wanted it first; if he did, I’d fatten up. But he said, “Naw, let’s do it together.” Ralph and I have been flying together for more than 35 years; what a joy to land side-by-side with him, just like old times. I peeled off my harness, grinning, to the ring of my cell phone and was greeted by the strong voice of the Saguache County Sheriff, who said, “Fremont County called Chaffee County, and they called me. A girl has crash-landed over the back of the mountains. She’s OK, and is now on her way back.” I was perplexed, but realized that he didn’t know what a safe landing was anyway; if she’s OK, it must be all good. Catherine Rios was the pilot, and she returned with Gary Waterman, who had hucked his reserve on the backside, again. They both had stories to tell; Cat got sucked up into the clouds and blown through Hayden Pass. She was rag-dolled pretty good, even got it on video. For Gary, it was just another day at the office. A drink at Tiff’s Tavern was named in her honor, the Cat-a-Batic-Blow-Back—whiskey and ginger ale, with a twist. Even I had one, or was it two? The film crew was soaking it all up. Another day done— phew. Thursday through Saturday was big air again, with pilots biting off what they wanted to chew—early, midday or late, it was all great air, with high cloudbase and climbs to 16-18k feet. Saturday afternoon we were all stunned to see a pilot,

who was bragging the night before about his new whipstall thermaling technique, repeatedly enter thermal gaggles and whipstall, only to eventually whip tumble and plummet to the ground with no reserve. It was stupid and unnecessary; our EMS staff shone and got this guy off the mountain and to the hospital. Luck was on our side; everyone was OK except the pilot, who suffered a broken leg and a concussion. As for competition, the pilots really enjoyed the leader board, jockeying for the top spots. On Saturday, I just happened to see a glider low, about a mile away from the main LZ. It was Will Ramsey, from California, down to

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FROM TOP TO BOTTOM Bartenders and GoGo Dancers – photo

by Larry Smith Rockabilly bar staff. Bellysattva delights the crowd. Rockabilly night welcomes Six Volt Rodeo from Florida. Lindsey Chew and Cory Barnwell, the old timer and the newbie | photo by Chris Grotbeck. Josh McMillan and Timo Friedrich, single surface champs | photo by Chris Grotbeck. maybe 250 feet, in his invisible Wills T2C. I uttered to myself, “Wow, he’s done,” then went about my chores. Later, I learned, he climbed out of the dirt and pulled off a great flight, securing first place in the Open Class, his second Open Class win here. Congrats, Will! Meanwhile, in the Sport Class, young upstart Cory Barnwell, from Tennessee, was relentless in his pursuit of a much-wanted trophy, scoring big points flight after flight. He was head-to-head with Ellenville NY’s oldtimer, Lindsey Chew; only 10 points separated them. I saw Lindsey on the last comp day, and he seemed a bit off. When I asked why, he said, “I wanted to take the day off, but I can’t let the kid win,” as he headed up to launch. Lindsey beat “the kid,” and I have to admit that a lot of us old-timers were rooting for him (it’s a Peyton Manning thing). All of us know full well that it won’t be long until Cory is in the top spot on the podium. Paraglider pilot Darren Payne, from Colorado, spent four-and-a-half hours aloft on the last day crossing the Sand Dunes no-man’s land, scoring a great flight, but arrived in HQ 10 minutes past the scorekeeper’s deadline. Because we don’t take ourselves too seriously in the competition, the cheering crowd, along with the meet head, allowed the flight. He won his category. Ellenville pilot Josh McMillan, Singlesurface Class, flew twice as far as his nearest competitors, taking the top spot. The banquet dinner was served, followed by the awards ceremony: cans of fish assholes handed out for humorous missteps, Mountain Flyer Championship trophies awarded, emotional speeches given, a Telluride Airmen Rendezvous reunion took place on stage, a tribute given to Tiff’s hard work, and cash for spot-landing champs handed out by hang gliding legend and pioneer, Reggie Jones. Two old gents, Jacob Schwaiger and John Armstrong, approached me and said that they, too, were Telluride Airmen Rendezvous alumni and belonged to the 18k-foot club The camaraderie of this event is like none other I have seen, with experienced pilots renewing their bonds and welcoming new mountain pilots who fit right in. Truly, this is a great brotherhood we belong to. Our goal was to try to introduce new pilots to

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the mountains, and with 60 pilots in the H-2/P-2 range, I think we did well. There were 170 pilots in total, plus family and friends, a gathering never to be forgotten. The Rocky Mountain Airmen Rendezvous was in the can. It’s a pilots’ meet, put on by pilots—one heck of a collaboration. We are really lucky, Tiff and I, having so many wonderful peeps volunteer for the massive cleanup of our property. And, finally, we all toast each other to another amazing sunset. Tiff shed happy tears at seeing all the hard work pay off, and I just thanked the weather gods. There are some notable quotes worth sharing: Tony Sitts, from Kansas, seeing one-legged Tip Rogers, from Tennessee, working hard on breaking down his glider said, “Hey, you need a hand with that?” To which Tip replied, “No, man, I need a (expletive) leg!” Garrett Gardner, from Colorado, said, “I arrived late and reluctantly paid the gate fee to go up, but after flying there, I’d have paid twice as much to get down.” Sam Crater, from Colorado, said “I don’t know how to turn, but I know how to thermal.” When asked if they needed anything in town, Fred Kaemerer of Colorado was heard saying “Oxygen, alcohol and gasoline.” Colorado Fly Week: The Finale, is on for 2016. This will be your last chance to see what it’s all about. We are going all out for this one last rodeo! The nationally acclaimed

band SHEL will headline closing night; pair that with the rest of the entertainment, and it’s worth the entry fee alone. And, of course, the flying will be great, as always. Space may be limited, so please don’t wait to submit your early registration and payment. Don’t forget to enjoy the film Eight Days at Base, a feature-length film about us, the people who immerse ourselves in this awesome sport. After reading all the great reviews, the one sticks with me the most is by cartoonist Harry Martin, “I showed Eight Days at Base to my kids and their eyes didn’t glaze over after a few minutes. ‘Dad ain’t crazy after all. I think I want to try it.’” Reggie Jones will be back with the first-ever US Spot Landing Championships. So, big shot, you can fly 100 miles. But can you hit the spot? $1000 purse! See you there! August 27-September 3, 2016 Register, get the film, get involved, volunteer: www.coloradoflyweek.com Three weeks after Fly Week, everybody’s friend, “Jedi” Joe Julik, was tragically killed, sadly flying with gear he wasn’t ready for. Joe was fully one-third creator of the Fly Week concept. He was the finest human being I have ever met. In a future article, I will share an inspirational story about this amazing man. Colorado Fly Week 2016 is for Jedi Joe.

2014 Mountain Flyer Championship PARAGLIDING 1st Place: Darren Payne 2nd Place: Gary Waterman 3rd Place: Bill Hudson HANG GLIDING SINGLE-SURFACE 1st Place: Josh McMillan 2nd Place: Timo Friedrich 3rd Place: Philip Morgan HANG GLIDING SPORT CLASS 1st Place: Lindsey Chew 2nd Place: Cory Barnwell 3rd Place: Vitaly Progrebnoy HANG GLIDING OPEN CLASS 1st Place: Will Ramsey 2nd Place: Kip Stone 3rd Place: Joe Petro

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Brett Hazlett at the Paragliding World Cup in Castelo, Brazil. Photo by JAMES BRADLEY

Thai Flying

Trolling for Thermals in Southeast Asia by C.J. Sturtevant

Here, There, and

EVERYWHERE

by PETE LEHMANN cartoons by HARRY MARTIN

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inter in the Pacific Northwest is, in my opinion, to be avoided whenever possible. The winter of 2015-16 was the wettest ever recorded in Seattle; luckily, my husband George and I managed to be off somewhere else for most of it. We choose our winter-escape destinations based on somewhat unusual criteria. Expectations for sunshine and soaring are right at the top of the list, of course, but so is “someplace we haven’t been to yet,” closely followed by “interesting cultural and historical sites for weathered-out days and post-flying excursions.” Enthusiastic reviews from several flying buddies who’d been to Thailand with 300 Peaks Paragliding convinced us that one of Matty Senior’s February tours would fit our requirements perfectly. Matty suggested we take his first tour, in early February— he knows we’re NW weather wimps whose brains and energy levels suffer meltdown when it gets much hotter than 80°. He warned us that XC options are limited early in the season, with cloudbase height and miles logged increasing as the summer progresses and the atmosphere heats up. George and I are OK with expectations for mellow flying and landing in the bail-out LZ on most days, and marked Feb. 6-16 on our calendar: THAILAND!! Getting started: We flew into Bangkok, where a van (included in the cost of our tour) collected us and all our gear and drove us the three hours south to Pak Nam Pran, a small squid-fishing village that was to be the base for our 11-day paragliding vacation. As we waited outside our guesthouse in Bangkok for our van’s arrival, we were surprised by the cool, breezy, sparkling clear morning—as, apparently, was everyone else. Our guesthouse hostess and the van driver both shivered in the sunshine and commented on how weird it was to need a long-sleeve top in February, and when we arrived in Pak Nam Pran, Matty concurred, pointing out the rolling breakers pounding the rocks along the shore of what is typically a glass-smooth bay. “We’re blown out for a couple of days—for the first time in all my years of running tours here!” Matty lamented. “But,” he continued, flashing his signature grin, “I’ll finally get to test out my ‘Plan B’ options!” And he proceeded to outline some alternative activities for the next two days, which was when the cold front was forecast to move on and the wind to settle down.

OPPOSITE Plan B” activity for a blown-out day: the temple in the cave. BELOW George patiently waits for Jenn to land at Paradise Bay—still too early for soaring that tall building.

rock and earth below the opening in the ceiling. Matty knew to time our visit so that the mid-day sun illuminated the temple in magical, mystical beams of light. Later that day we learned some basics of Thai cooking, with expert tutelage from Ane and Om, two young women owners of one of Pak Nam Pran’s beachside restaurants. With their guidance our group planned a menu of typical Thai dishes, then walked across the street to the open-air market to pick out the seafood and poultry and veggies and noodles and spices our recipes required. Then back to the restaurant kitchen to whack and slice and shred and bread as needed before tossing into the soup cauldron or the bubbling oil, all kept at the perfect temperature over open flames of propane burners. Everything turned out beyond delicious! We were too busy to take notes, but even with detailed instructions I suspect it was mainly the fresh ingredients and local spices, along with the years of experience of our mentors, that let us imagine we were all Thai-food culinary geniuses. When the next day turned out to be (as expected) again blown out, we took a short road trip to the Pala-u Waterfall trail, following a river with seven waterfalls. If it had been

What we ended up doing on our blown-out days:

Included in our tour was a scooter for each of us (although I opted to ride tandem with George), so we were free to scoot around and explore Pak Nam Pran’s beaches and local shops and eateries on our own. Matty and his partner Graham kept us pretty well occupied, however, with group activities. On our first morning we hiked to a cave that contained, in its depths, a huge room where the ceiling had collapsed many decades ago and a lovely temple was built on the mound of

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typically Thailand-hot, we’d have enjoyed cooling off in the fish-filled plunge pools below each cascade. We were hiking in fleece jackets, though, so the fish remained undisturbed, although when we tossed in handfuls of fish food (purchased at the visitor center), there was a brief explosive feeding frenzy before all the fish food was consumed and the pools returned to tranquility. On our way “home” we stopped for a late lunch at a posh resort that, Matty said, we’d probably get to fly over later in the week. The bay, with the waves crashing against its rocky bluffs, was stunningly scenic, and anticipating the view from hundreds of feet above kept the conversation flowing at the lunch table. Where we (finally) flew: By the third day of our tour we were all antsy to get in the air. Matty, Graham, and SIV instructor and Indian Paragliding Team pilot Debu Choudhury consulted their weather sources and determined that although it was still too breezy and rough for towing on the bays, by afternoon it should be doable for some towing and SIV instruction inland at the Pranburi reservoir. Perfect! All five of us clients were towing newbies or novices, George and I needed to get acquainted with our new wings, and P-2s Jenn, Sam and Lorenz welcomed the opportunity to expand

their flying skillset. By day’s end it was “mission accomplished” to all of the above, and as a group we were ready to get on with the real flying. And so we did. The next morning we drove to a mountain launch, Khao Den, for some mellow, scenic soaring. Our site briefing included a couple of unusual cautions: Don’t land or pack up near that tree in the LZ—a swarm of very aggressive and territorial bees will ruin your day. And don’t land short, in the pineapple plantations surrounding the LZ—they don’t look dangerous from above, but their sharp leaves will shred your wing and any exposed skin. Suitably warned, up we went to launch. George was first off and immediately climbed several hundred feet over takeoff, luring the rest of us into the air. None of us found anything remotely equivalent to George’s thermal, and soon were facing the challenges of landing in a thermic valley obstructed by aggressive bees and slasher pineapple plants. Having successfully eluded the bees and pineapples, we went back up for a second go, and this time we all caught some lift. Matty and I thermaled up high enough to cruise along the ridge for several kilometers, enjoying the over-theback view of lots of little lakes burnished gold in the westering sun. The LZ seemed a lot mellower, much friendlier, so much later in the afternoon. By the next day the post-storm surf had finally flattened, and Matty declared it—at last!—a Paradise Bay towing day. Graham and Matty invited Jenn, George and me to join them as they drove the boat from its river mooring out to the bay. Cool experience! The river was bustling with colorful fishing boats, decks piled high with nets, agile young fisherfolk scampering about high in the rigging doing whatever needed to be TOP L to R George, Ane and Om selecting the perfect squid at the open-air market. Om gives Jack some tips on seasonings. Who’d have guessed we could cook such a delicious Thai meal? LEFT George starts his first tow at Pranburi Reservoir. OPPOSITE TOP A group soarfest above Khao Den | photo by Matty Senior. MIDDLE The Bayon temple in Cambodia—hundreds of huge carved stone faces. BOTTOM The entrance to Wat Arun temple in Bangkok—we spent several hours enjoying the peaceful grounds and beautiful, opulent structures.

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done up there, older folks sitting on the net piles, sorting or mending or arranging. Everyone aboard these working boats was, indeed, working. By the time we arrived at the tow site, Debu had assisted Sam and Lorenz in getting ready to tow, but it wasn’t until our third round that anyone was able to soar—with just a slight increase in wind velocity, the one tall building right on the shore created just enough mechanical lift to allow us to stay aloft for over a half hour. Whoohooo! George and Sam and I tried going across to a rocky bluff that faced into the wind, but found no lift anywhere except in front of that building. I think we created a serious distraction to the three handymen working up on the roof, who waved enthusiastically each time we passed overhead. Having that taste of soaring made us hungry for more, and the next day offered great potential for some excellent flying on the mountains behind Dolphin Bay, or even out across the bay to soar above Monkey Island. Debu and George both left tow high and arrived at the mountain with enough altitude to climb up above it. None of the rest of us were able to get high enough on tow to make the crossing, and after we’d each had one attempt that put us quickly back on the beach, it was obvious that the wind had picked up and become cross enough to make further towing risky. George and Debu, leery of the increasing wind, came back and joined the beach party. Undaunted, Matty presented yet another interesting “Plan B”: He ferried us in small groups across to Monkey Island, handed us each a bunch of bananas, and left us to our fate. Those monkeys that looked so cute from a distance were not so sweet close up. Somehow the ones that greeted us on the beach passed the word that we had BANANAS!, and in an instant seemingly hundreds of monkeys came swarming out of the forest and surrounded us, even leaping up onto the backs and shoulders of those who didn’t relinquish the treats fast enough. Once convinced that all the goodies had been

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TOP Colorful fishing boats ply the rivers. MIDDLE

Sam high above Tim’s grassy yard/LZ at Khao Phang | photo by Matty Senior. BOTTOM We snorkeled near this rock, with its rickety shacks occupied by Burmese bird-nest collectors. OPPOSITE Our tuk-tuk ride to the airport in Cambodia.

distributed, though, the monkeys lost interest in us, and we were able to peacefully observe them going about their business: tiny black-faced babies clinging tightly to mama’s chest as she scampered up the rocks and trees, older youngsters playing rough-and-tumble games on the beach, monkeys of all sizes meticulously grooming each other. Watching the monkey show wasn’t a bad way to spend a non-flyable afternoon! Late in the afternoon Sam and Lorenz caught a brief

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interlude of favorable wind before velocity and direction once again went bad, and we all went home. Our next adventure was a road trip to Chumphon, several hours’ drive south, for some mountain flying and a snorkel trip. Khao Phang offered perfect conditions for our group of “leisure class” pilots: ridge soaring with some thermals tossed in, nobody getting really high but everyone able to cruise along the ridge and out in the valley, staying up as long as we wanted. Tim, a local paraglider pilot, graciously drove us up the steep, rough road in his trusty 4x4 pickup truck that was clearly a survivor of many runs up and down that treacherous mountain track. The official LZ for Khao Phang is Tim’s huge, grassy yard, surrounded by walls of tall palm-oil trees that, he warned, would shred a wing and pilot who misjudged an approach. Nobody had any close encounters. Typically by this point in the tour, Matty’s clients are ready for a brief break from flying, so he schedules a morning snorkeling tour. Even though our group had been a bit shorted on airtime, a snorkel trip appealed to all of us, so off we went with a boat and a guide to three small islands (big rocks, actually) to mingle with all sorts of cool underwater creatures and corals, and marvel at the rickety shacks that somehow clung to the almost-vertical rocky sides of the islands. Matty told us that Burmese nest harvesters live in those shacks, with special permits to take the nests used to make bird-nest soup. The nests are sold for some ridiculously huge sum, but I can’t imagine any amount being sufficient compensation for living in those precarious huts when the winds and seas are raging! Amazingly, after hours in and under the water, most of us still had enough energy to brave another ride up to Khao Phang launch to take advantage of the late-afternoon soaring. The wind was light—most of us chose to do forward launches—so it was surprising to find smooth, steady lift all along the ridge in both directions. I loved this lazy, easy flying after our long day in the sea, and stayed up until the setting sun dropped into a bank of cumulus clouds, outlining them in brilliant gold. Magical! The next morning, Matty offered us a choice: Bounce up that horrible road in Tim’s 4x4 for another go at Khao Phang, or try our luck on a scooter tow from a beach just outside Khao Sam Roi Yot —”the mountain with 300 peaks”— National Park. The forecast wind was perfect in both direction and velocity for the scooter tow, so we set off with high hopes of finally getting some real mountain flying. Matty towed up first, to show us how it’s done: Tow high, release, zip downwind and bench up 500’ or so on the bluff just above

our take-off point, then fade back to the higher ridge to the west and thermal up high enough to make the jump back to the big mountains. From the beach it actually looked quite doable, but when Matty wasn’t able to gain enough altitude to make the first transition, we re-assessed and took a lunch break, hoping the wind would increase to the forecast velocity. It never happened. Eventually George and I towed up for some one-pilot-at-a-time scratching, occasionally climbing above the bluff but mostly back-and-forthing just above treetop-kicking level. Just staying aloft in that light lift was sufficiently challenging to keep us entertained for a half-hour or so until gravity finally prevailed. And so ended our Thai flying. In spite of the disappointing weather conditions, George and I thoroughly enjoyed our week of mellow airtime, interesting “Plan B” activities and, of course, delicious Thai food. Our tour leaders and fellow pilots were all congenial and light-hearted, and we enjoyed our time together, in the air and otherwise. For those who’d like a glimpse of what Matty says would be a more typical Thailand flying vacation, check out Alex Colby’s post about his late-February trip, on the Hawaii Paragliding Association’s website at http://www.windlines. net/2016/04/generosity-of-earth-and-sky.html. Alex is a compelling storyteller, and his short video provides enticing snippets of what makes Thailand such a fabulous vacation destination for adventurous pilots and their non-flying companions. Alex experienced Thai flying at its more extreme; George and I preferred gentler conditions, and we all came home satisfied. Allowing for the fickleness of weather, you can choose the intensity of your flying by opting to travel early or later in the season, and by selecting sites that typically provide what you’re looking for. It also helps a lot to have local experience in choosing where to go on any given day. 300 Peaks guides Matty and Graham keep customer satisfaction and safety as top priority. Whether you want to book a tour or just learn more about the options for a Thai flying vacation, a visit to 300peaks.com will get you started.

FAVORITE PRE- AND POST-PARAGLIDING-TOUR

ACTIVITIES Bangkok is full of interesting, exotic sights; even a month dedicated to exploring that city would not have been sufficient. George and I scheduled in a few nonflying days at the beginning and the end of our trip, and thoroughly enjoyed taking Bangkok’s public transportation (clean, efficient, cheap) to visit temples and markets and restaurants throughout the city. While the Grand Palace is probably the site most visited by tourists, we found the smaller temples much less crowded and equally beautiful and interesting. My favorite was Wat Arun, across the river from most of the other main attractions (riding the ferry across the river was worth far more than the $.05 fare!)—beautiful architecture, carefully tended grounds, peaceful and quiet as one would expect in a temple environment. Back in the main tourist area, we loved the flower market, and all the streetside vendors selling lovely scarves and shawls and breezy lightweight “harem pants” that fulfilled the requirement to cover legs and ankles when visiting the temples, and we were unable to resist the siren song of street food that looked just a little bit dangerous but tasted delicious and gave us no digestive repercussions. Matty had suggested we’d really regret being so close to Cambodia and not taking a few days to explore the Angkor Wat complex. So we booked the short flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap, where we based for three days, not nearly long enough to grasp the historical and cultural significance of this amazing World Heritage center. We hired a tuk-tuk driver for two full days, and a local Cambodian guide for our first day; these congenial and knowledgeable men added depth and local insights to our understanding of both the Angkor Wat area and the more recent events in Cambodia’s social and political history.

fun, touristy shouldn’t-be-missed Thai experiences: A plate of mango sticky rice for dessert; sipping through a straw the milk from a chilled whole coconut; riding Bangkok’s Skytrain and the river boat to get to the city’s temples; eating delicious prepared-on-demand Thai specialties at the food court in Bangkok’s Terminal 21; picking out the perfect pair of “elephant pants” at the street market to wear while visiting the temples; hiring a tuk-tuk driver for a personalized tour of the city destinations; learning a few basic phrases in Thai and eliciting warm, surprised smiles from the natives.

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On Paragliding and the

ALPS

38km Out-and-back Cross-country Paragliding Flight — Annecy, France by Alex Neigher

he day started with a short drive south from Annecy proper, which is on the north side of Lac d’Annecy. Fortunately, rental-car companies are aplenty in town, and picking up a small 6-speed turbo diesel was a non-issue. A short 30 minutes later we were at the parking area for the Col de la Forclaz trailhead. The trailhead is clearly marked on Google Maps, and was very well signed. The first mile of the trail was surprisingly steep, but the shade of the dense canopy kept us cool. It is impossible to stray from the trail itself, as it is clearly

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defined, and lined with small rocks on both sides. Where the trail gets a little less traveled, there were markings on rocks and trees to guide the way. The Europeans have this totally nailed, and it is practically IMPOSSIBLE to get yourself too lost. An hour and 40 minutes later the trail intersected the mountain pass Montmin. Here, we found cafes, cyclists, and tour buses filled with tandem passengers on their way to launch for their first flight. Even on a Monday, there were people buzzing around, and a certain energy and environment that

California paragliding lacks. Granted, we also lack espresso machines at flying sites, but that is another story. Ten more minutes of walking put us at the Montmin paragliding launch. The Astroturf, shade umbrellas, ample staging areas, and dry eco-toilets were a welcome change from the typical poison oak and rattlesnake-filled launches of home…not to mention the 70 other pilots setting up their gear, ABOVE From 30km out, on glide back into Annecy. RIGHT Alex and Evan right off launch, looking for first climb.

and the countless more students taking early morning flights. Not too long after I arrived on launch, I was reminded how small the world truly can be, so long as you are willing to recognize it. As timing would have it, fellow Sky Person, Evan, comes hiking up the trail, guns blazing, ready to help me represent the Bay Area flying community in today’s undoubtedly epic adventure. The feeling of familiarity and companionship between paragliding pilots is unmistakable, and I knew that we were going to work together, and have an epic flight. Bay Area legend and paragliding ambassador, Thanh, was not long behind him. The four of us laughed and enjoyed being in a foreign place, surrounded by friends. From what I was told by locals, the flying here typically turns on between 10–11a.m., but considering it was already well into summer, we were

treated with more-than-normal stable conditions. I could tell the day would eventually turn on, but it would be a bit of a wait. By 1p.m. we were feeling stronger gusts of wind from the proper direction, and we could see the earliest puffs of cumulus cloud development on the highest peaks. Time to go. Launching was a bit of a circus, as I wasn’t the only one trying to catch the rapidly developing epic conditions. Trying to assert yourself on launch was remarkably similar to nudging your way into line at a crowded airport. Once off, the scene in the air was much the same. Tandems on the left and right, pilot circling the wrong direction below me, and countless other pilots all jockeying for the same house thermal, just to the right of launch. Surfing our way up and back to the big rock abutment behind launch, Evan and I were rewarded with a strong climb for

another thousand feet. The typical route out is to follow the high terrain to the northwest, stopping to thermal over each massive rock outcropping. Light winds and great conditions inspired confidence, and I felt comfortable enough that I would be able to make the next glide. Within minutes, I was greeted by a foreign bird of prey circling, going up, too good an opportunity to pass up. Thermaling up with my new bird companion, we made it to cloudbase for the first time of the day. Small wispies of cloud formed and swirled around me as I was lifted higher by the strong yet reassuring rising bubble of air. Just as I started to lose visibility of my surroundings—I was in the white room—I punched out of the side of the cloud and continued on glide towards the next rock. The story was the same here. Other pilots, cloud, and various other flying objects marked

the columns of rising air nicely, and finding my next refueling of altitude was trivial. Evan and I had finally managed to rejoin here, and were met with a decision point. Do we go north, towards Geneva, eventually trying to make distance towards Chamonix along the terrain that way? Or, do I split off and head back to my waiting girlfriend, a refreshing lake, and work. After a few minutes of back and forth on radio, the decision was made…just go. Leaving behind reliable lift and the comfort of glide to an established landing zone, to pursue new terrain… we were going cross country! It is quite remarkable, the feeling of leaving the safety net behind for the first time on a flight. There is a defining, yet unmissable, moment during every cross-country flight, when the switch flips, and my

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mentality changes into cross-country flying. I remember thinking to myself, “Landing zone there, maybe one over there as well, possible highway that way, don’t get caught in the valley wind, it looks strong down there.” Making the large valley crossing directly over the mountain town of Alex provided me a moment to take it all in. The Alps in all directions, the massive and unmistakable Mont Blanc towering over the rest, and the turquoise lake I was leaving behind. I had a snack, and some water, and it was time to re-engage. We had decided that the first, and most likely, place of next lift was a big rocky halfpipe across the valley. Evan had made the glide faster than me, and was already finding himself in the waterfall of sinking air on the fringes of this feature’s microclimate. Recognizing this, I sped up a little,

as I was lower and behind him. Evan arrived at the near-vertical rock wall and found bountiful lift less than a wingspan off the rock face. I was not so lucky. I had spent far too long in the sinking air and could not make it to the face, and was staring directly at the treetops of the lower hillside. I had no choice but to turn 90 degrees and fly alongside the ridge shoulder, hoping for a miracle. The tree canopy was intimidating and I was able to discern, in far greater detail than I’d like to admit, birds nesting, and leaves not rustling. Damn. Much like the first few passes on a very light-wind day along the cliffs in Pacifica, I found myself tickling the treetops, catching a puff here and a puff there, trying to work every small burble of air I could find. I tucked into nooks, and crept around treetops into the

LEFT

Thanh, Alex, Elena and Evan on launch.

sun-facing crannies, trying to make my mental-model of where the lift should be, work in my favor. Foot by foot, I was making progress. Higher and higher, each time I crossed over I was closer to the big rock wall. Willing to risk comfort and ground clearance here paid off in dividends. As soon as I was able to get my paraglider canopy within feet of the rock’s base, I was greeted by the invisible hand of god, and lifted skywards. Finally, I could work this face, back and forth, getting higher rapidly. Cheers of encouragement and stoke buzzed in on my radio, as Evan, who was several thousand feet over me by this point, recognized that I was on my way up the elevator to join him. Finally, cranking around a strong thermal, I topped out over what looked

like a church precariously perched on the cliff, 3000 feet above the valley floor, and reached my highest point of the flight. Almost 20km from launch now, I was faced with another decision: Stay or go? I had to be online for work in a few hours, and I was starting to miss my traveling companion, I decided that it was time to go home. After maxing out the thermal together, building an invisible helix skywards, Evan and I exchanged air high-fives and parted ways. I was stinking high, and took the downwind glide as a moment to reflect on the day, the conditions, and my surroundings (again). I was in the biggest playground on Earth. There wasn’t a mountain without a cloud marking the lift above it. I could see the flocks of paragliders in the distance, and knew I was right in my element. I briefly stopped for a climb once

more before arriving back in the Annecy area and found the lift much more established. I would only need a few turns before I had my predetermined landing zone easily on glide. I made the decision to fly the straight line back, which took me directly down the long axis of the lake. I had a long glide in some of the most tranquil air I have ever flown to look around and soak it in once again. Both paraglider launches above the lake looked like bees’ nests buzzing with airborne life. The lake was criss-crossed with boat wake, and I could see wake boarders, water skiers, and people swimming. After playing with wingovers and big spirals to lose altitude, I arrived at the landing zone and was greeted with big smiles from the reason I was in Europe in the first place. I closed the book for the day with a long hug and a beer.

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TAKE A SHOT!

Best Practices for Free Flight Photography by USHPA Photographer of the Year Ryan Voight

his month let’s get specific about what we capture in our images, and how to best “arrange” that content. In photography terms, this is referred to as “composition.” It really doesn’t matter if you’re newly interested in photo- or video-image capture, or a long-time professional, learning/reviewing and incorporating these general guidelines will help you gather compelling, visually interesting images. One of the biggest guidelines of composition is known as the “rule of thirds.” I tend to remember what the rule of thirds says, by remembering what it implies: pictures with the

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subject or point of interest dead center are boring. Instead, the rule of thirds tells us to divide the image into “thirds”, with two imaginary lines creating equal left, center, and right portions (also applies vertically, creating top, center, and bottom thirds). Now aim a little off-center and put the subject on one of the dividing lines. Buried in the menu system of most cameras, there’s often a way to display “guides” on the screen or viewfinder, making it really easy to shoot using the rule of thirds. Despite the name, I’ll add that it’s more of a guideline than a rule—so don’t feel like you HAVE to put your subject right on

those grid lines. As long as they’re off center, but not at the very edge of the image, you should be good. In hang gliding and paragliding, embracing the rule of thirds takes some creativity; The easiest place(s) to mount a camera tend to put us, the pilot and subject, centered in the shot. In hang gliding, the easiest and most common mount is on the keel, behind the pilot, looking forward. This spot is great because it more or less shows the pilot’s perspective, but it also includes the pilot, giving us a subject in the frame. Probably the easiest mount when paragliding is on the pilot’s knee. It’s a hands-free mount, and your knee is always on your leg, and your leg runs right up to your body, so the camera is pretty much always looking at you. Also, because of the wide angle of a GoPro lens, it makes capturing pilot AND wing a little easier, which can be a real challenge in paragliding, since the pilot is much farther from the wing than in a hang glider. In either case, it’s not hard to turn the camera a little left or right, putting the pilot/subject into one third of the image, and creating some open space on the other side. Which brings us to the next key to interesting images: Create depth. Photos and videos are viewed on flat surfaces—paper, computer screens, mobile devices like tablets or smartphones, and TVs. However, flat is boring! If we want our image to get

noticed, convey a story, or inspire an emotion—we need to make it interesting, and including a measure of depth will aid in that. Simply put, we need to SEE a foreground, middle ground, and background. Foreground and background are usually easy in hang gliding and paragliding imagery—foreground is the pilot/ glider, and background is usually the ground. The higher the pilot flies, the more separation between foreground and background, and the more we crave something in the emptiness in between. If we follow the rule of thirds, we’ve already created a space to put something in the “middle ground” of our image. This could be a bird, another glider flying with you—as long as you’re careful to maintain safe distance between you—or on a really good day maybe a cloud could fill that space! (BUT PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE AND PROMOTE THE VIOLATION OF THE FARs!) If you can’t incorporate anything else in your middle ground, a point of interest on the ground can work. You may wonder, “If the ground is my background, how can it be my middle ground too?” The answer is that, in creating depth, we are also creating alternate points of interest. How often do you look at a picture, and only look at the subject? Well, in fairness, flat and boring pictures that’s exactly what happens, right before we scroll past it looking for something more interesting. An image that grabs a viewer and holds them needs to have something more to keep the viewer busy, so once they see the subject, they’ll notice the depth because there are other points of interest (at other depths). If a point of interest on the ground is going to be your middle depth, try to catch it somewhere in the opposite third as the subject. Maybe it’s the launch where you started, and it stands out because it’s a brown clearing amid a green mountain.

Or maybe it’s just an interesting peak that’s closer than the “background” peaks. Or if you’re somewhere flat, it could be a pond or a lake, or even just a field that’s a different color or texture than the surrounding environment. One last thing to look out for when composing impactful images, kind of a bonus if you can find and incorporate them: diagonal lines. Straight lines are less interesting, we see them all day, every day. A glider flying with wings perfectly level with the horizon may be hard to discern from the environment.

OPPOSITE Ryan and Dave Gibson getting close at the North Side, Point of the Mountain, Utah. This is a great example of putting your subject off to one third, and then occupying that newly created space with something closer than the terrain in the background. A diagonal road passes behind each pilot, with the two roads intersecting in the small space between the two, helping call the viewer’s attention to their proximity. ABOVE Rudy Gotes launches at Dinosaur, CO. The diagonals created by the glowing red glider and the white rock band in the lower left both guide your eye across the image, to the other glider in the distance, silhouetted against the silver sky. The clouds, the distant ridge poking out below Rudy, and the endless flat valley stretch the depth of this otherwise flat image. Photos by Ryan Voight.

Even a slightly banked glider, or level glider and banked horizon, can convey motion, movement, or just separation. Diagonal lines can serve a deeper purpose than just being more interesting than straight vertical or horizontal lines: A viewer’s eye will naturally follow these diagonals across the image. With some creativity, a diagonal element can connect someone’s attention from the main subject, deeper into the image toward the secondary point of interest, and if the line continues it will guide them deeper into the background. To recap and bring it all together: The rule of thirds creates visually appealing spacing, and makes room for additional points of interest in your image. By having elements that occupy the foreground, middle, and background, you can effectively capture and convey our 3D world despite using a two-dimensional medium. And if you’re really good, creative, or lucky, incorporating diagonals to connect depth elements and guide your viewers through your images will surely catch people’s eye. Whatever you capture in your images, if you embrace practicing and incorporating these ideas in every shot, your images are going to get noticed in a very positive way. This is a fun yet super-important way we can all do our part in sharing and promoting free flight positively. I’m absolutely stoked to help inspire you all and see what you see when you look at this flying thing we’re so passionate about. Join me here next issue to talk imagery, and in the mean time, get out and TAKE A SHOT! To submit photos to the magazine please use the USHPA.ORG website. More information is located here: https:// www.ushpa.org/page/publications. Please remember to submit a separate text document with captions.

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ABOVE Sometimes things work out better than planned! While trying to arrange a father-and-

son shot over Wallaby Ranch in Florida, we happened to ALSO capture another tow in progress down lower. The dark blue diagonal line on the red glider guides your attention first to Paul, then down to Ryan, and it’s a little hard to see but the lower tow really gives some perspective as to how big the Ranch really is! Photo by PAUL Voight. lEFT, TOP Dave Gibson over cloudbase, over Snowbird. Dave expertly maneuvered to capture

this cloud between him and Snowbird resort in Utah, creating a very aesthetic image! Photo by Ryan Voight. MIDDLE Ryan and Dave Gibson over Willard Bay, Utah. The second glider creates some deeper depth, while the lake does the same much farther out. The horizon line is then much farther still, and the second glider’s leading edge connects with the reflection on the lake, creating a diagonal that guides the viewer deeper and deeper.. Photo by Ryan Voight. BOTTOM A simple shot taken from launch as the author (white Gin Atlas) and Ellenville Club President James Donovan (green Gin Atlas) take a break from their hang gliders to practice the softer side of free flight. The diagonal tic-tac-toe style connection of Ryan, then Jimmy, and finally the Ellenville LZ all at different depths helps this image pop. The bright glider lines also help grab the viewer’s eye from the moreobvious wings, down to the harder-to-see pilots. Photo by Matt Hickerson RIGHT, TOP Dave Gibson and the author captured this image at Willard Peak, with good foreground, middle, and background representation. The main road on the left of the image, and the diagonal spines of the mountain ridge, help guide a viewer’s eye toward the two pilots. Photo by Ryan Voight. BOTTOM Self portrait by the author, featuring the north shoulder of Mount Timpanogos in Utah. The slightly off-center glider draws your attention inward toward the pilot, whose harness literally points at the peak in the middle ground. The southern end of Utah Lake and a distant snow-capped Mount Nebo complete the image depth. Photo by Ryan Voight.

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The

DEEP LINE

he Red Bull X-Alps is billed as Race on Earth” which Gavin hopes to the “toughest adventure race on publish by the end of 2016. Earth” and for good reason: 32 Editor’s note: This is part two of a twoathletes and their support teams race by foot and paraglider across the Alps, part series. from Salzburg to Monaco via a series of turnpoints. Through 2013 only 11% Day 8, The Deep Line (Turnpoint 6 to 8) of the field had completed the course. “The man who has no imagination The 2015 edition was the longest and has no wings.” — Mohammad Ali hardest course yet, covering over 1100 straight-line kilometers. The following Other than the pain in my feet, the 10-kilometer walk into Bellinzona the are excerpts taken from a book he is working on about the race, “The Deep morning of Day 8 was bliss. I’d gotten the first proper night of sleep in over Line, Inside the Hardest Adventure

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by Gavin McClurg

a week and felt like a new person. My brain was working again and my body felt as fresh as the first day. Winds would once again be strong out of the west, which would make progress difficult, but cloudbase was high and the day looked promising. I needed to use a high launch, ideally above 2000 meters, to get above the inversion in Italy and the stable air. I made fast time of the first 1000-meter climb to the top of the gondola at Mornera where Ben met me and we set off for the remaining 1000 meters to

Cimetta peak. Ben informed me that it wasn’t just Tom Dorlodot who’d been hurt the day before. Race legend Toma Coconea had landed hard and was pretty broken up in hospital. We got to launch at 10:30. Thermals were already ripping up the mountain and Bruce texted that some of the pilots ahead of me were already in the air making progress. Time to go! The typical line from Bellinzona stayed on the south-facing mountains past the town of Locarno, north of Lago Maggiore to Domodossola. But the mountains on that line were low and would be below the inversion. I needed to stay in the big mountains all day, above the inversion. The only way to do so would be to fly initially northwest towards the Airolo pass, along the “Big C” valley that led to

the Nufenen, where all the pilots ahead of me had gone. But once I got established I would turn west and fly cross-grain over a series of peaks and north/south ridges directly towards the Simplon Pass, shaving 30 kilometers of distance off the route the others were taking. It was risky. If I wasn’t able to fly the route, getting out would take an eternity and my chance of reaching Monaco would be finished. I launched, yelled goodbye to Ben, flew around to the southeast-facing slope of the mountain and found a gentle climb just as a text came in from Bruce. “You’re in 18th place, Skipper. Good luck!” The next two hours were scary and hard work but glorious. To my northwest the always-impressive and dominating Eiger and Jungfrau; to

my southwest Monte Rosa and way off in the distance the Matterhorn, 80 kilometers and closing. Below me meandering and steep-walled canyons fell to fast-flowing rivers that led to the Mediterranean across the plains of Italy. More than once I found myself distracted from the task at hand by the sheer beauty and absurdity of what I was doing. What a gift it was to have nothing to do every day except figure out how to traverse one of the greatest mountain ranges in the world! I found my first true ripper of the day above Baceno, north of Domodossola on a south-facing spine OPPOSITE Bruce Marks, Gavin McClurg, and

Ben Abruzzo stand proud in Monaco! BELOW A X-Alps pilot launches into a nice cycle. Photos courtesy of Redbull Photofiles.

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LEFT Paul Gushelbauer flying in Italy. RIGHT

An epic day in the Redbull X-Alps means a respite from ground-bound suffering stemming from feats of incredible lengths of walking. Photos courtesy of Redbull Photofiles. where I’d been beaten up on a flight at the very same spot only weeks before. Without making a single turn I was yorked like a yo-yo on a string held by the hand of God over 500 meters in less than a minute to cloudbase, which had risen to 3200 meters. My original plan was to attempt to fly the Simplon Pass, which was to my southwest. The Simplon led to the Saas Valley, which I could hopefully cross and fly into the Zermatt Valley, which led to the Matterhorn. Even against the wind I felt like I was flying fast, making good time, but as I topped out the climb and analyzed the terrain ahead I got another idea. I could fly an even more direct line by flying north of the Simplon, right by Monte Leone (3552 meters). I’d need a lot of height to pull it off but if I could “back door” the Simplon I’d shave yet another 10 kilometers off the others, and avoid the strong headwind in the pass. I went on glide, pointing due west for Monte Leone and checked my watch. 2 p.m. A lot of day left. All the pilots who had been 30-50 kilometers in front of me were now within a few kilometers. Bruce reported very strong valley winds in the Rhone to my north so I began thinking about the exit from the Matterhorn. I snuck over a col barely off the ground to the north of Monte Leone, surprised a few hikers and headed towards the Saas Valley. Predictably Bruce sent me a text a few minutes later. “Skipper that was awesome!!! Keep going!!!” Our risky plan had officially worked. I entered the Zermatt Valley just after 3 p.m. and quickly ran down four other X-Alps pilots. It was windy, conditions were extremely strong and

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dicey but I was having the time of my life. It’s a heck of a lot more fun not losing! Just like on the first day, I looked up at my trusty Icepeak and had a little talk with her. “OK, baby, let’s pick these off!” The turn point was a 5.5km circle around the Matterhorn. Most of the turnpoints in the X-Alps required us to land and sign a board but the Matterhorn could be tagged in the air. When I’d launched that morning the Matterhorn was 102 kilometers out in a straight distance. Now it was less than 10. Guys that were nearly 100 kilometers ahead of me were now less than 30. With strong climbs everywhere and valley wind coming up from the Rhone helping us along, tagging the turnpoint was not going to be hard. What I was worried about was the next move. Most pilots had chosen to fly right back out of the Zermatt valley the way they had come. All of

them were battling very strong wind and making slow progress. Only one pilot, Ferdinand Van Shelven, had taken a nearly directly west line from the Matterhorn towards Mont Blanc, turnpoint 8. This was my preferred option as it avoided the Rhone valley winds, avoided the tricky airspace around Sion, and shaved a huge distance off the route but required traversing some seriously big, daunting terrain and could not be done without getting at least 4000 meters high, not an easy task. By 4 p.m. all of us had moved over to the west side of the Zermatt valley and were within a stone’s throw of the turnpoint. I was still trying to figure out how to get over the huge walls to the west. The thermals were completely blown apart and the wind that was dumping into the valley was causing everyone a lot of problems. I needed a really strong climb to pull it off. Once we tagged the turnpoint the pilots

around me all reversed course but I kept driving deeper in towards the glacier to the west of the Matterhorn. As I pushed into the abyss the air got worse and worse and I became hyperaware of my glider. She was speaking to me loud and clear. “Gavin, get us out of here!” But somewhere in the maelstrom I knew there would be a climb. I just needed to hang on. I pushed deeper and deeper until I got to the north of Dent Blanche (4357 meters), which had a long blue tongue of glacier hanging off its flank, above my head. Then suddenly the sink alarm on my vario started screaming. I hate sink alarms—they are totally unnecessary as it’s easy to know when you’re going down and having a horrible noise to confirm it only adds stress, so I’d set mine at a level that a pilot rarely sees: eight meters per second. Losing that kind of height that fast is an emergency indeed. Steering a glider in strong sink

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is like trying to steer a raft down a waterfall. The glider doesn’t do what you want it to do. I leaned hard to the left and braked hard away from the terrain and turned back down the valley. The sink continued and even got worse and I started thinking I would crash, but thankfully, after losing over 400 meters of height and getting out from under the glacier, I found some liftier air and avoided what would not be the last close call of the day. I returned to a ridge where I’d seen another pilot get a good climb earlier, hoping I could still get high enough to take the direct line. A pilot who I recognized as Pawel Faron (Poland 1) joined me and we quickly climbed to 4200 meters. I wanted more height but went on glide to the west, pointing at some of the most treacherous

terrain the Alps have to offer. I looked back and saw Pawel following me, which made me feel a lot less crazy. Our goal would be to stay high, out of the reach of the valley winds in the Rhone, and jump a series of north/south running ridges and eventually reach Verbier, or possibly even Orsierres, at the entrance to the Chamonix valley below Mont Blanc. Thick cloud covered all the highest peaks and a strong west meteo wind continued to make any work to the west very challenging. At each of the ridges we’d have to glide into their lee, get worked in the rotor until a strong climb could be found, then hang on for the ratty climb before heading off on glide and do it all over again at the next ridge. This kind of flying is not for the faint of heart, and as I hadn’t

seen a single non-X-Alps pilot in one of the most popular flying areas in Europe meant that conditions were definitely tenuous. It was closing on 7 p.m.; I’d been in the air for eight hours. I’d flown through some of the most magnificent terrain I’d ever seen, knocked off 165 kilometers of the course, and in a few minutes I’d fly over Ferdinand Van Shelven’s head to climb into 7th place. Guys that were 50 kilometers in front of me that morning were now over 50 kilometers behind. Girard, Petiot, and Durogati (4th, 5th, and 6th place) had been over 100 kilometers in front of me at the day’s start and were now less than 20 kilometers ahead, well within reach. I squeezed into a tight field above the town of Orsierres next to a wind-

ing road. My team pulled up a few fun, more difficult and more terrifyminutes later. Bruce and Ben’s faces ing than anything I’d ever done. For were a reflection of my own. All smiles. me, it was the perfect game, one that We were all animatedly talking at couldn’t just be muscled through. My once, reliving the day, hugging one an- job was easy: All I had to do was keep other and sharing in the joy of finally moving and participate in my greatest making a good move. Ben noticed I passion, which was flying a paraglider. was dizzy and unstable and handed My team was doing the hard work. me a giant protein shake. I downed All the logistics and strategy and it, packed my wing and began the being there for me whenever I needed short climb to Champex. Bruce found them, at any time of the day or night; a place to camp on the trail up the anticipating my every move; figuring Arpette valley, which I would take in out routes; keeping me fed; working the morning towards Chamonix, and out weather forecasts; keeping my we settled in for the night. instruments charged; and making sure The X-Alps was living up to its rep- I didn’t forget anything. That night I utation. It was more adventure, more should have dreamt of Monaco but instead I worried about the inevitable. ABOVE XAlps pilots work together in times At some point the race would end. It of need with the hope of leaving the other pilots didn’t matter if we reached Monaco behind as soon as possible | photo courtesy of or not, at some point the magic that Redbull Photofiles. we were experiencing would come to

an abrupt halt. We had poured our lives into this race for the better part of a year, and in one moment it would be over. We had 330 kilometers to go, the most difficult and dangerous part of the course was still ahead, but that wasn’t what was on my mind that night. What was on my mind made me sad because I knew that when this craziness ended I would no longer have the precious gift that the race had given me: the gift of being right here, right now. Kung Fu Panda said it best: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why it is called a Present.” The author would like to express deep appreciation to the Foundation for Free Flight, and all the donors of the US Team, for their generous support. Thank you!

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

Thinking Outside the Blocks

Part XXIII: Tossing Silk by Dennis Pagen

parachutes with an ample number of lines were tried in the late 1800s and experimental aviation got safer (it was all balloons back then). f you’re a pilot, forget Geico, Aflac, Round parachutes were the norm Hartford or any other fear slinger; until the late 1950s when various the best insurance you can buy is a designers started trying cutouts, parachute. Of course, we all have one, which are openings at the bottom of but is it effective? The only way to tell one parachute side. A cutout lets air is to try it. Not in the air, of course, escape to propel the canopy in the but in a flight simulation at a repack opposite direction—think Newton’s clinic. Most clinics hang you up in action and reaction. Despite the escapflight position—prone for hang gliding air, the forward movement actually ing, seated for paragliding—jerk or slowed the descent because it created spin you around and yell, “Toss silk!” a certain amount of lift in the canopy’s Then you are timed to see how quickly crude airfoil shape. In addition, the you can get the chute out with a good parachute now had a flying direction hearty throw away from the imagined to it so it became possible to actually mess of glider. steer it. What a boon for all those All that is good practice and good military jumpers who would often fun as well as a revealing experience. land in trees, houses or water in a Too many pilots have found out in the mass jump! simulation exercise that they could The next step was to make the not deploy their chute. Having a para- canopy more rectangular with chute with problems is like having an precise cutouts to capture even more insurance policy with a million dollar lift. The first successful such design deductible. It’s useless. Recent experiwas the Paracommander by Pioneer ences have prompted this update Parachutes in the late ‘60s. Now we article. could begin talking about a glide ratio, which was an optimistic 2.5 to SALVATION CIRCLES 1 for this design. From there, sport Before we look at what can go wrong, parachuting took off with more and let’s have a short review of rescue more rectangular designs, double parachute design. Just as early aircraft surfaces with openings, and full designs went through an evolution of control capabilities through toggles dreams on paper to eventual experithat warped the trailing edge. If this ments and success, so too with parasounds familiar, it should, for parachutes. Leonardo—the 15th century gliders were directly descended from design genius, not the current acting these parachutes. genius—had a parachute in his noteBut rescue parachutes remained books. It was a four-cornered arrange- round canopies, mainly because such ment and would have been only large canopies have greater reliability—any enough to give you more time on the departure from the round shape way down to contemplate your demise. provides more chance for lines to Eventually, reasonably sized round entangle cloth. Hang glider parachute This article is appropriate for both hang gliding and paragliding pilots. It is not intended for miners.

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designers came from the parachuting industry and gave us the size and deployment systems we needed for our weight and typical deployment speeds. Even today hang glider rescue chutes (and by implication paragliding chutes) are not intended for freefall terminal speeds. One of the problems we found early on is that a reasonably sized canopy is quite large and presents a pretty big package when packed into a harness. In fact, a larger canopy is safer since the descent is slower, so there is always a safety/bulk trade-off. But designers have some tricks up their sleeves. One of the first things designers did was invent conical canopies. These new parachutes were not actually cones, but the canopy had a bit of an s-curve in it so it acted more like an airfoil than a pure drag devise. A conical chute was an improvement, but the next step was to develop the pulled-down apex (PDA). As shown in figure 1, this design runs a line up the middle to pull the center of the canopy down. Imagine a round balloon, and push down on its top. You will see the balloon expand outward. A pulled down apex causes the parachute canopy to spread more for a slower descent. So you can have

a smaller package for the same descent rate, or a slower descent. Many of today’s pilots have this type of rescue chute. The next step was to begin opening up the hole in the center of the canopy. Gradually this hole grew larger until we have the annular (ring) parachutes that some pilots carry, as shown in figure 2. It would seem that opening up a hole would let air escape and increase the descent rate, but what actually happens is the whole thing acts like a circular airfoil to greatly reduce the descent compared to a similarly sized circular or PDA parachute. Again the payoff is reduced size for a given descent rate, or vice-versa. For some time, paraglider pilots— especially those doing aerobatics—have been using Rogallo-shaped parachutes as shown in figure 3. Francis Rogallo developed these as his original glider design, so things have progressed full circle. The benefit of such a design is complete directional control after deployment, a bonus when tossing silk over water or near buildings (as during the recent World Air Games in Dubai). The drawbacks are a bit less reliability during deployment, and more complicated repacking. I have repacked many types of chutes, and the Rogallo type was the most complicated. There is also the experimentation with little speedgliding type rescue chutes. It should be noted that paragliding aerobatic pilots often tumble out of helicopters to begin their routine, so they typically carry two rescue chutes. If at first

you don’t succeed… Finally, it should be noted that hang glider and paraglider pilots have slightly different requirements in a rescue chute. I haven’t seen a scientific study, but it seems to me that paraglider pilots get in trouble down low when thermals are ratty and likely to compromise the canopy. If they are high, a good pilot can usually clear even the most ugly canopy mess. Hang gliders get in trouble up high when strong rolling thermals are organized to roll or tumble the glider; then there’s usually no recovering. I have seen three such hang glider deployments up close. I have seen at least 10 paraglider deployments down low (and with all the online films, now anyone can witness such events). If the above premise is true, it would seem that paraglider pilots need faster deployment at the possible expense of size. In addition, a hang gliding safety chute needs to have a bridle long enough to clear any glider wreckage since the pilot is normally still

attached to the glider when things go sour and it’s time to toss silk. A paraglider bridle is typically much shorter so the parachute canopy doesn’t foul with the paraglider canopy. If a hang glider is totally broken up it may be mostly dead weight (not slowing the descent much), so it adds 60 to over 100 pounds to the falling package. A paraglider will slow itself down, unless it is downplaning, in which case the lifting force is pointed partially downward, which increases the falling speed (this is the reason paraglider pilots are advised to collapse their paraglider canopy once their parachute is deployed). From this, it should be clear that we should not exchange hang gliding and paragliding parachutes.

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PARACHUTE PROBLEMS Now we come to the meat of the matter: What can go wrong. We will look at all the problems I have seen pop up in recent times. Failure to Pull. A few months ago a hang glider pilot I know well tried to deploy his chute in a simulator. Despite being strong enough to lift me or maybe you over his head—240 plus pounds of muscle and gristle—he could not pull the chute out of his chest-mounted container. The reason was, he was in the prone position and trying to pull the handle towards his head, which is the direction he wanted to throw the parachute. Try as he might he couldn’t pull it out. What a wakeup call. Once he was instructed to pull down

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

towards his bellybutton, to peel open the Velcro first as shown in figure 4, the chute came out of the container easily, and everything went as planned. What a great boon to have discovered this proper technique in the simulator, rather than in the air with the ground rushing up at an increasing rate of speed. It behooves all of us to try deploying in a simulator. In other incidences, there was one harness with a side-mounted container that would not release the parachute because the handle wedged the canopy under the lip of the container Velcro. No amount of gorilla pull would free the deployment bag. In early harness designs (and I am afraid still on some unproven harnesses) with chest-mounted parachutes, the Velcro was too wide and could not be opened by most pilots. Designers went from inch wide to half-inch wide Velcro to solve the problem, but who knows the specifics of different setups? The only answer is to try your chute deployment in a simulator to check it for reliability and to practice in a lessthan-dire situation.

Out of Reach One of the big problems with rescue parachutes is where to put them so they are convenient and reachable when needed. A chest-mounted container is ideal for safety with hang gliding, but not as desirable with sleek harnesses for both hang gliding and paragliding. As a result, early on the parachute handle could only be reached with one hand—on the side the chute was mounted. Such a one-sided situation is very compromising with both hang gliding and paragliding, for sometimes one arm is incapacitated. The solution was for the CIVL to pass a rule that the parachute handle must be reachable by both hands. All that was required was for the handle to be relocated on hang gliding harnesses. For paragliders, the CIVL passed the ruling that a comp pilot must carry two parachutes—one on either side, or to have an arrangement that allows deployment by either hand. That’s a safety enhancement. What is important for the pilot in the public is, again, to try the whole process in a simulator. If you can’t

reach your chute, your deductible may be your life.

Out of Sight—Out of Luck In a recent hang glider accident video, I watched a guy spiraling in due to a glider malfunction; he reached for his parachute at least five times with no luck. He had a side-mounted parachute that he couldn’t see, despite his straining to look for it. His hand kept missing the handle. At the end he was able to pull the deployment bag partially out with a flap, but he had to let go to control the glider at the last second. He fortunately walked away from the impact, but it is clear that he was way behind the eight ball in preparation. His big problem was that he could not see the parachute handle in flying position. Partially, the problem was that the chute was mounted too far down and to the side. A bigger factor was that his helmet had a chin guard that obscured his vision downward. I fly with a chin-guard helmet, and have found that some brands have the chin guard so far forward or high that you cannot see your chute handle. This problem also applies to paragliding harnesses and helmets. I have sat in many paragliding harnesses with the parachute handle way down to the side and out of sight. Get to a simulator to check your system out. If you cannot see and easily reach the parachute handle, first think of how that will panic you in a need-it-right-now emergency. Then go out and fix the problem. Buy a different brand helmet if necessary.

Out to Lunch There are some parachute maladies that just induce us to shake our collective heads. One such occurrence that has shown up in practice more times

than you will believe is a parachute quently, repack it more often because that isn’t connected to the harness. pounding it increases the creasing and The pilot may be diligently repack“stickiness.” ing his chute, but somehow, someFinally, after every repacking, lie or where an erroneous human forgot to sit in your harness to make sure the hook up the bridle to the harness. It pins hold the chute in. A fresh repack behooves all of us to check for this tends to leave the parachute a bit bulkconnection every time our chutes are ier than before it was repacked. repacked. I mentioned that such an eserve or rescue parachutes are error has been discovered in a repack an important insurance policy. or simulator situation. Who knows By understanding how they how often it has happened in flight function and the potential problems, and the pilot hasn’t been around to we make sure that policy is up to date. report it? Essentially all the problems we have The other problem of this ilk is discussed will show up in the simulapoor repacking or seldom (or never) tion practice. If there is a problem, repacking. It has been demonstrated that more recent repacking—say three that’s where it should show up. A few clichés come to mind: “A pitch in time months—will improve opening times saves nine,” “Better to be sane than because a packed canopy gets creased sorry,” “A word to the wise is efficient,” and may stick to itself somewhat. “He who procrastinates is lost” and “If Repacking helps keep the canopy the ’chute fits, wear it.” freer. Of course, with more frequent repacking it is important that the repack is carefully done. It is my contention that every pilot should learn to repack his or her own parachute. It isn’t rocket science, and when you can do your own you’ll do it more often and probably with more care. I have watched aerobatic paraglider pilots repack their chutes on every flight since mostly they land in water (and there is always a drying/repacking tent for convenience). It should be noted that a parachute on the front of a hang gliding harness helps protect the pilot in the event of a belly landing, as does a paraglider parachute under the seat. However, any flopping or impact on the chute can compromise its integrity. Always check your closure pins after such a landing. Many, many pilots have had their chutes open unexpectedly in the air—such an occurrence ruins your flight if not your day. If you do tend to bounce off your chute fre-

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Cody Tuttle flying over Mardi Himal in Nepal. Photo by Cherise Tuttle. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

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be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigued, bent or dented downtubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with non-circular holes, and on flex wings, sails badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading edges. PARAGLIDING ADVISORY: Used paragliders should always be thoroughly inspected before flying for the first time. Annual inspections on paragliders should include sailcloth strength tests. Simply performing a porosity check isn’t sufficient. Some gliders pass porosity yet have very weak sailcloth.

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

CALENDAR FLY INS JUL 1-10 > Talihina, Ok. Buffalo Mountain Flyers 4th of July Fly-In 2016. Yes, we have mountains! The Torrey Pines of the central states! 10 acre roll-off pasture launch. Thanks to FFF we have 5 launches covering all wind directions and all within 30 minutes drive. Launch from 1,000ft 5-mile long ridges, soar for hours, mass gaggle multi-wingal 50mi+ XC’s, altitudes >6K AGL,easy retrieves, come back for epic evening glass-off flights. Hotels, motels, camp at launch, share the stars with all your flying friends. This is THE place to enjoy air sports to the fullest. More info: www.buffalomountainflyers.org. JUL 21-23 > Monroe, UT. Pioneer Days Fly-in. Spend three days with us in Central Utah, soaring Cove Mountain and flying in together at sunset, enjoying hamburgers at the park as we watch the fireworks. The 6000-foot butter-smooth morning sledder from Monroe Peak, then the pancake breakfast at the park and the parade. The Pioneer Days Fly-in combines flying from world-class sites with a hometown celebration. Fun for the whole family. More info: Stacy Whitmore, 435-9790225, stacy@cuasa.com, or Jef Anderson 435896-7999, jef@cuasa.com. AUG 27 - SEP 3 > Villa Grove, CO. Colorado Fly Week. Colorado Fly Week presents: Rocky Mtn Airman’s Rendezvous & Mtn Flyer Championships The Finale! The fun competition is back with self designated tasks, easy scoring & killer trophies. H2 and P2 welcome. Evening performances on Sunset Stage - bellydancers, burlesque, GoGo dancers, live music & more. Tiff’s Tavern, food, camping, and vendors. Don’t miss this last, best, one of a kind event! Also, buy the 2014 movie, Eight Days at Base, named USHPA’s Best Promo Film - coloradoflyweek.com/buy-the-dvd/. More info: tiffany@ coloradoflyweek.com, www.coloradoflyweek.com, or Larry Smith 970-209-5212.

SEP 2-5 > Pine Mountain, OR. The Annual Pine

Mountain Fly-In has been high flying since 1991. The purpose of the fly-in is to generate revenue for site insurance, site improvement, share our wonderful flying site and to have a blast with our flying friends. It is a free fly-in, which gladly accepts donations. More info: http://www.desertairriders.org/

SEP 16-18 > Ruch, OR. Starthistle Fly-In. We’re

planning a low key, fun fly-in at Woodrat Mountain in Ruch, OR. Enjoy hanging out with your friends and experiencing those big thermal mid-day conditions, and smooth evening glass-off flights that Woodrat has to offer. Registration is free with your RVHPA annual or 7-day membership. More info: http://rvhpa.org/events/star-thistle-fly-in/.

SEP 26 - OCT 1 > Richfield, UT. Red Rocks Fall Fly-In for Hang Gliders and Paragliders. Enjoy the vibrant fall colors, beautiful mountains, and flying activities for all levels and interests. Thermaling Clinics with Ken Hudonjorgensen, morning sled rides, and distance challenges. Low pressure, fun-flying activities to give everyone a chance to mingle and enjoy flying from Central Utah’s many world-class flying sites. More info: Stacy Whitmore, 435-979-0225, stacy@cuasa.com, or Jef Anderson 435-896-7999, jef@cuasa.com. COMPETITION (non-SANCTIONED) JUL 24-30 > Boone, NC. Tater Hill Open. Join us

at the end of July 2016 for the 11th Annual Tater Hill Open. A Paragliding and Hang Gliding Competition in the beautiful mountains surrounding Boone, North Carolina! Last year we saw 50-mile paragliding flights from Tater Hill. Competition scoring is handicapped so everyone has a chance to win. Our focus is on newer, and upcoming, pilots who want to learn or improve their cross-country skills. The most international comp on the east coast. Contact us at www.flytaterhill.com.

COMPETITION (SANCTIONED) JUL 10-16 > Chelan, Washington.Race to Goal in the world class Chelan Flatlands. Contact: Matt Senior, mattysenior@yahoo.com, or 206-420-9101 AUG 7-13 > Big Spring, Texas. The 15th Annual Big Spring site of the 2007 World Hang Gliding Championship, the finest cross country hang gliding competition site in the US. Big Tasks (world records), smooth thermals, unrestricted landing areas, easy retrieval on multiple roads, consistent cumulus development at 1 PM, air conditioned head quarters, hanger for setup, free water and ice cream, welcome and awards dinner, live tracking, many drivers available, strong safety record, highest pilot satisfaction rating, easy airport access to Midland-Odessa airport, inexpensive accommodations, plentiful infrastructure (restaurants), great community support, superb meet director. Contact: Belinda Boulter and Davis Straub at Belinda@ davisstraub.com , or 836-206-7707. AUG 21-27 > Utah Dual Paragliding Competition.

First Paragliding Dual Competition: Race to Goal and Open Distance. Practice day 20th; Rain day 28th. $475 if before June 1st. Pilots must choose which Competition they are entering (one only). Retrieve provided. Contact: Ken Hudonjorgensen, twocanfly@gmail.com, or 801-971-3414.

SEP 11-16 > Santa Cruz Flats Race—Mark Knight

Memorial Competition. The Francisco Grande Resort is welcoming us back for the 10th year anniversary of the Santa Cruz Flats Race. Last year we flew seven straight tasks and we expect the same this coming year. If you’re up for 7 out of 7 days of awesome technical flying conditions, come join us for the 10th Annual Santa Cruz Flats Race. Registration opens at noon eastern time on April 11th. Contact: Jamie Shelden naughtylawyer@gmail. com, or 831-261-5444.

clinics & tours juL 8-10 > Sandy, UT. Thermal clinic with Ken Hudonjorgensen. More info: 801-971-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com, or www.twocanfly.com.

6030

JUL 22-24 > Northern California. Over-the-water

SIV Maneuvers Clinics with Eagle Paragliding. Eagle is known for high quality tours and clinics with exceptional staff, and this clinic is no exception. We encourage you to make the time for this important safety training with a qualified SIV instructor. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805-968-0980 for more information.

AUG 4-7 > Lake Berryessa, CA. The clinic is the

SIV and Acro combination clinic hosted by Torrey Pines Gliderport Master Pilot and SIV/Acro coach Gabriel Jebb. The clinic is open to first time SIV students,second-time SIV/beginning acro students and acro pilots. The clinic will provide several hours of classroom theory and analytical discussion, personalized instruction by the SIV coaches on each tow, several tows per day to practice maneuvers, recoveries and aerobatics. Pre-requisites: be able to bring it and go big! More info: www. flytorrey.com, info@flytorrey.com, or 858-4529858.

AUG 8-12 > Lake Tahoe, CA. Lake Tahoe Cross Country Clinic. Join the Torrey Pines Gliderport team for the basic and advanced XC flying clinic. The flying will be conducted from the Lake Tahoe region and flying the Northern parts of the Sierras. Pilots are shuttled to launch and get into the air with the instructors as guides who carefully plan the routes, and make it easy for the pilots to follow. Radio communication throughout the flight will enable participants to achieve their personal bests. More info: www.flytorrey.com, info@flytorrey.com, or 858-452-9858. AUG 13-15 >Sandy, UT. Thermal clinic with Ken Hudonjorgensen. More info: 801-971-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com, or www.twocanfly.com. AUG 19-21 > Torrey Pines Gliderport, La Jolla,

CA. Join the Torrey Pines Gliderport Tandem Team and Tandem Administrator Gabriel Jebb, to earn your Tandem Instructor (T-3) rating. This clinic is the USHPA-accredited Tandem Instructor Training Program. The clinic will include all your prerequisite requirements to attain your Tandem Pilot (T-1) rating as well as your Tandem Instructor rating. Both ratings can be attained after completing this clinic. Clinic materials will be mailed/emailed, with receipt of deposit or full payment. More info: www.flytorrey.com, info@flytorrey.com, or 858452-9858.

AUG 25-28 > Torrey Pines Gliderport, La Jolla, CA. Join the Torrey Pines Gliderport Instructor Team and Instructor Administrator Gabriel Jebb, to earn your Basic or Advanced Instructor rating. This clinic is the USHPA-accredited Instructor Training Program. The clinic will include all your pre-requisite requirements to attain your Basic Instructor rating or your Advanced Instructor rating. All equipment and clinic materials will be supplied by the Gliderport. Just bring yourself, logbook and be ready to learn. More info: www.flytorrey.com, info@flytorrey.com, or 858-452-9858.

SEP 17-18 > Sandy, UT. Site Pioneering Clin-

ic. Site pioneering and mountain flying with Ken Hudonjorgensen . More info: 801-971-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com, or www.twocanfly.com.

SEP 23-25 > Northern California. Over-the-water

OCT 15 - NOV 13 > Iquique, Chile. Paraglid-

ing Trip. Most consistent thermals on earth! Luis Rosenkjer & Todd Weigand have been winning competitions, leading trips, and working as local guide/tandem pilots in Iquique since 1992. With 24 years of combined guiding experience in Chile, nobody can lead new pilots to this region with the expertise that these gentlemen provide. USHPA certified, bilingual, novice-adv, 4 star hotel that overlooks the beach landing. 115 km flights possible. Improve flying skills, break personal records, enjoy the best of Iquique! More info: www.paraglidingtrips.com.

OCT 25 - NOV 1 > Iquique, Chile. Fly Atacama

Desert. Fly over the driest desert in the world—the Atacama in Chile. It’s our tenth trip to what many consider to be the most consistent place to fly on the planet. Iquique offers pilots of all levels endless thermaling days and plenty of XC miles. Every year our guests beat their personal bests. Included: topnotch logistics, stunning locations, in-depth local knowledge, deluxe off-road trucks, and beachfront hotel. Join Jarek Wieczorek—desert site pioneer, expedition leader and local XC expert. More info: www.antofaya.com.

NOV 1-8 > Iquique, Chile. Iquique, Chile. Fly

Atacama Desert. Fly over the driest desert in the world—the Atacama in Chile. It’s our tenth trip to what many consider to be the most consistent place to fly on the planet. Iquique offers pilots of all levels endless thermaling days and plenty of XC miles. Every year our guests beat their personal bests. Included: topnotch logistics, stunning locations, in-depth local knowledge, deluxe off-road trucks, and beachfront hotel. Join Jarek Wieczorek—desert site pioneer, expedition leader and local XC expert. More info: www.antofaya.com.

JAN 23-30 (2017)> Tapalpa, Mexico. Tapalpa P-2 Week. Tapalpa is the site of 2003 World Cup & 1 1/2 hour drive from Guadalajara Airport. With big launch and landing areas and no crowds, this is the best in Mexico! With two other sites nearby, there is always a place to fly. Private hotel room, breakfast, airport pickup and deliver, site fees & coaching by USHPA advanced instructor are included for $1800. More info: http://parasoftparagliding.com/ mexico-flying/ HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

HAWAII

JAN 30 - FEB 6 (2017) > Tapalpa, Mexico. Tapal-

pa P3 Week. Tapalpa is the site of 2003 World Cup & 1 1/2 hour drive from Guadalajara Airport. With big launch and landing areas and no crowds, this is the best in Mexico! With two other sites nearby, there is always a place to fly. Private hotel room, breakfast, airport pickup and deliver, site fees & coaching by USHPA advanced instructor are included for $1800. More info: http://parasoftparagliding.com/mexico-flying/

EAGLE PARAGLIDING - SANTA BARBARA offers the best year round flying in the nation. Award-winning instruction, excellent mountain and ridge sites. www. flysantabarbara.com, 805-968-0980

CLASSIFIED

Mission Soaring Center LLC - Largest hang

CLINICS & TOURS ITALY - Fantastico! Great flying! Great food! Great

weather! ALL inclusive service suitable for all levels of pilots. Round topped grassy mountains and large flatlands. Flying with culture! www.flytaly.com

MISCELLANEOUS Flight On Fire Mountain - "A young paraglider finds his inner strength high above a blazing inferno." - KIRKUS REVIEW. Available on Amazon and other websites.

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

SPECIALTY WHEELS for airfoil basetubes, round ba-

setubes, or tandem landing gear. 262-473-8800, www. hanggliding.com.

POWERED & TOWING Pilots: FREE Crossover Training when you

purchase your Miniplane Paramotor! Instructors: Add PPG to your offerings and watch the fun begin! Visit our website for more info: www.Miniplane-USA.com/ USHPA

SCHOOLS & INSTRUCTORS ALABAMA

FLY ABOVE ALL - Year-round instruction in Santa

Barbara & Ojai from the 2012 US Instructor of the Year! More students flying safely after 10 years than any other school in the nation. flyaboveall.com

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. Trade-ins welcome. Complete lesson program. Best training park in the west, located just south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Pitman Hydraulic Winch System for Hang 1s and above. Launch and landing clinics for Hang 3s and Hang 4s. Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and custom training harnesses. 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035. 408-262-1055, Fax 408-262-1388, mission@hang-gliding.com, Mission Soaring Center LLC, leading the way since 1973. www. hang-gliding.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. LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Nearest

mountain training center to Orlando. Two training hills, novice mountain launch, aerotowing, great accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-HANGLIDE, 877426-4543.

MIAMI HANG GLIDING - For year-round training fun

in the sun. 305-285-8978, 2550 S Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133, www.miamihanggliding. com.

WALLABY RANCH – The original Aerotow flight park.

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.

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.

MONTANA Bozeman Paragliding - Montana’s full time

connection for paragliding, speedflying, & paramotoring instruction & gear. Maneuvers courses, thermal tours abroad, online store. www.bozemanparagliding.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE MORNINGSIDE - A Kitty Hawk Kites flight park. The Northeast'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. Located in Charlestown, NH. Also visit our North Carolina location, Kitty Hawk Kites Flight School. 603-5424416, www.flymorningside.com

NORTH CAROLINA KITTY HAWK KITES - The largest hang gliding school in the world, 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. Learn to fly where the Wright Brothers flew, located at the beach on NC's historic Outer Banks. Also visit our New Hampshire location, Morningside Flight Park. 252-441-2426, 1-877-FLY-THIS, www. kittyhawk.com

TENNESSEE

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

Best tandem instruction worldwide,7-days a week , 6 tugs, and equipment rental. Call:1-800-WALLABY wallaby.com 1805 Deen Still Road, Disney Area FL 33897

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.

CALIFORNIA

GEORGIA

TEXAS

AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING - Year-round excellent instruction, Southern California & Baja. Powered paragliding, clinics, tours, tandem, towing. Ken Baier 760-213-0063, airjunkies.com.

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Discover why 5

FLYTEXAS TEAM - training pilots in Central Texas for

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

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.

25 years. Hang Gliding, Paragliding, Trikes. Hangar facilities Lake LBJ, Luling, Smithville www.flytexas. com 512-467-2529

Take your ratings and expiration date everywhere you fly. Download from the Members Only section of the USHPA website. Print, trim, and store in your wallet. Great for areas without cell coverage.Always available at www.USHPA.aero Save the PDF on your mobile device for easy reference.

UTAH CLOUD 9 PARAGLIDING - Come visit us and check out

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

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.

VIRGINIA BLUE SKY - Virginia's full time, year round HG School.

Scooter, Platform and Aero Tow. Custom sewing, paragliding, powered harnesses, trikes, representing most major brands. 804-241-4324, www.blueskyhg. com

RISING AIR GLIDER REPAIR SERVICES – A full-

service shop, specializing in all types of paragliding repairs, annual inspections, reserve repacks, harness repairs. Hang gliding reserve repacks and repair. For information or repair estimate, call 208-554-2243, pricing and service request form available at www. risingair.biz, billa@atcnet.net.

INTERNATIONAL BAJA MEXICO - La Salina Baja's BEST BEACHFRONT

Airsport Venue: PG, HG, PPG: FlyLaSalina.com. by BajaBrent.com, He’ll hook you up! Site intros, tours, & rooms. bajabrent@bajabrent.com, 760-203-2658

WINGS & HARNESSES

EXOTIC THAILAND X/C CLINIC - Phu Thap

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

Boek,Thailand's most awesome,highest flying site 5,200ASL.Open to P-2 and above.Come learn how to fly high and far! Very inexpensive! More info: pchumes@ gmail.com

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.com; flycenterofgravity@gmail. com; 315-256-1522

FLYMEXICO - VALLE DE BRAVO and beyond for HANG

GLIDING and PARAGLIDING. Gear, guiding, instruction, transportation, lodging - www.flymexico.com 512467-2529 / 1-800-861-7198 USA

GEAR recycled wing

HEADGEAR

T-SHIRTS

JACKETS

United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

2016

USHPA Calendar 2016.indd 1

8/30/15 12:52 PM

TECHNICAL

United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

2016

USHPA Calendar 2016.indd 1

PACKS KEEN

charms

for necklaces

bracelets & earrings

SEE THE ENTIRE LINEUP @ ushpastore.com

8/30/15 12:54 PM

books + videos + calendars + cards HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

Eagle Rock Station

Setting Up Local Weather Monitoring

y friends and I frequently fly our paragliders at Eagle Rock near Roanoke, Virginia. Like most flying sites, there didn't used to be any weather reporting available. Pilots would check the local weather forecast, then drive to launch. Sometimes conditions were as expected or better. Sometimes they weren't. All that money wasted on driving to the mountain, only to find the conditions not as forecast, got me thinking about installing a weather reporting station, but I knew it wouldn't be easy. There was no electricity or Internet available. We definitely didn't want a bulky desktop computer sitting somewhere on the mountain. We needed a small, inexpensive solution.

THE COMPUTER Knowing a number of components would depend on software requirements, I began researching. I found that Meteobridge is widely used and supports many popular weather stations. I purchased a TP-Link TL-MR3020 router, because it could be reprogrammed (flashed) to run the program. The router could actually work as the computer we needed to run the software. It was only 3" x 3" x 1"–tiny compared to a desktop. For Internet, the only option was a cellular modem and monthly service. I purchased a second TL-MR3020 to act as the router, and a USB 3G modem to plug into it. I got a Straight Talk SIM card (AT&T) for our Internet service.

THE STATION For our site, I needed a weather station that could transmit wirelessly to a receiver connected to the computer equipment. Unfortunately, the only secure structure I could mount the com-

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

puter and receiver unit to was 1000 feet away from the station. There are several weather stations available for less than $100, like the compact Meteostick, but most are limited to 300 feet. We used the more expensive Davis Vantage Vue rated to transmit 1000 feet. In my tests, without obstacles, it was reliable to over 1500 feet. With the help of a fellow pilot, Carl Dennis, we mounted the station transmitter on a high structure.

POWER I determined that the computer and receiver could run on 5V, through USB connections. That simplified things. So I needed a solar panel, solar controller (to regulate 12V from the panel and charge a battery), 12V battery, and a 12V-to-5V converter. During the day, in most cases, the solar panel could power all the hardware. At night, the battery would do the work.

SETUP COSTS Meteobridge Software

$75

TP-Link "Computer"

$29

TP-Link Router

$29

Internet Modem

$20

Used Weather Station

$185

Solar Panel

$90

Solar Controller

$20

18 amp Battery

$40

12V to 5V Converter

Delay Relay

$10

SockitBox

$20

Wires & Adapter Cables

$40

Monthly Internet Access

$15

only using 200-400MB

by Mark Gilliam

But to minimize the solar panel and battery requirements, it was decided to only run the station during the day. So I connected a delay relay to turn off the equipment at night. With this setup, I only needed a 50W solar panel. I elected to get a large, 18-amp battery. I calculated that the station could run for several days on a fully charged battery if we had continuous dark, stormy days. This setup was probably more than we needed, but it was inexpensive. The solar panel can completely charge the battery in only a few hours on a sunny day. Everything, including the computer and receiver, was placed in a waterproof 16" x 13" x 6" box called a SockitBox.

DISSEMINATING DATA With the hardware installed and working perfectly, I set up the Meteobridge software to send data to Weather Underground. Setting up a weather monitoring page is free, but for a small cost (I think it was about $15 for several years), additional options are available. I also sent the data to our website and created a webpage that I programmed myself. After working a few bugs out of my programming, the station came online and has been working great for several months, now.

MAINTENANCE The actual Davis weather station–the sensor unit–runs off its own solar panel and a backup battery. That battery ($5-$7) can be purchased at most stores and has a 2- to 3-year lifespan. The battery for the solar panel that powers the computer is the same used in most UPS backup power supplies. It will probably need to be replaced every 2 to 3 years as well.

USHPA CALL FOR REGIONAL DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS Deadline August 16, 2016 Voting Begins November 1, 2016 Do you know someone who... ... is passionate about hang gliding and paragliding? ... has a desire to help with the protection and growth of free-flight aviation?

Up for Re-election in 2016 (already nominated) REG 1 (AK, OR, WA) Rich Hass REG 2 (North CA, NV) Jugdeep Aggarwal REG 3 (South CA, HI) Pete Michelmore

... can both create goals to achieve their ideas and then follow through on them? Then please nominate him or her for the Board of Directors of USHPA!

REG 4 (AZ, CO, UT, NM) Bill Belcourt

You may also nominate yourself. However, please only nominate people in your region. (You do not need to re-nominate current directors.) Regional Directors are the cornerstone of the US Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. They are the mouthpiece of the members that they represent and for the sports of hang gliding and paragliding. The USHPA wants and needs participation in this process. Requirements include: * Travel to Board meetings twice yearly (some expenses reimbursed) * Interaction with committees * Participation in open-discussion forums * Representation of the members in the region Process for becoming a Regional Director: 1. By Aug. 16, nominate yourself or another pilot IN YOUR REGION by completing the online Regional Director Nomination Form. Go to http://www.ushpa. aero/elections.asp and click on the “complete the online nomination form” link. Or you may submit a written nomination statement to USHPA Headquarters 2. By Sept. 1, nominees must submit a bio and a “VOTE FOR ME!” statement for inclusion in the November issue of HG&PG magazine and the electionrelated emails sent to members. 3. Starting Nov. 1: VOTE! Elections begin November 1. On December 15th, votes received via online ballots from active USHPA members of each region will be

REG 5 (ID, MT, WY, Canada) NO ELECTION THIS YEAR REG 6 (AR, KS, MO, NE, OK, INT'L) NO ELECTION THIS YEAR REGION 7 (IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, ND, SD, WI) Paul Olson REGION 8 (NH, CT, ME, MA, RI, VT) Michael Holmes REG 9 (DC, DE, KY, MD, OH, VA) Felipe Amunategui REG 10 (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VI, PR) Steve Kroop REGION 11 (LA, TX) NO ELECTION THIS YEAR REGION 12 (NJ, NY) Paul Voight

tallied. Election results will be announced on the USHPA website. Nominations: www.ushpa.aero/elections.asp Results: www.ushpa.aero

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE