USHPA Pilot Vol51-Iss4 Jul/Aug 2021

JULY/AUGUST 2021

UNITED STATES HANG

VOLUME 51 #4 $6.95

GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

SPEED SOARING + TOWING SAFETY + FUTURE GEAR

IT’S ABOUT THE PEOPLE

Although we are a global brand present in 80 countries, Ozone is a small family united by a passion for our sport. Our teams are constantly working together to develop and manufacture the products that we offer to you and that we fly ourselves, every day.

INDUSTRIAL CRAFTSMANSHIP

Our unique made-to-order system means that every glider is effectively tailor-made for each pilot. The technicians in our production perform strict quality controls at each stage of the manufacturing process.

2 US HPA PI LOT

SINGLE-LAYER LASER PRODUCTION

USHPA PILOT 3

When most companies cut up to 12 wings at a time, Ozone is the only manufacturer in the world to cut each glider individually in a single layer. This ensures the highest precision and consistency in production from one wing to the next. Each glider we make, from our beginner range to the wings flown by our world champions, is constructed with industry leading precision.

TOTAL CONTROL

From our unique, and proprietary, R&D software to our wholly-owned production facility, Ozone retains ownership of all elements of design and manufacturing. Everything we do is developed and maintained in-house, by our people.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms Ending in 2022 Martin Palmaz, Executive Director executivedirector@ushpa.org Beth Van Eaton, Operations Manager office@ushpa.org Erika Klein, Communications Manager communications@ushpa.org Chris Webster, Information Services Manager tech@ushpa.org Galen Anderson, Membership Coordinator membership@ushpa.org

Bill Hughes (region 1) Tiki Mashy (region 4) Paul Voight (region 5) Kate West (region 5) Terms Ending in 2021 Jugdeep Aggarwal (region 2) Steve Pearson (region 3) Kimberly Phinney (region 1) Sara Weaver (region 3) Jamie Shelden (region 3)

OFFICERS Steve Pearson, President president@ushpa.org Matt Taber, Vice President vicepresident@ushpa.org Jamie Shelden, Secretary secretary@ushpa.org Bill Hughes, Treasurer treasurer@ushpa.org For change of address or other USHPA business

+1 (719) 632-8300 info@ushpa.org

Matt Taber (region 4) REGION 1 NORTHWEST [ AK∙HI∙IA∙ID∙MN∙MT∙ND∙NE∙OR∙SD∙WA∙WY ] REGION 2 CENTRAL WEST [ Northern CA∙NV∙UT ] REGION 3 SOUTHWEST [ Southern CA∙AZ∙CO∙NM ] REGION 4 SOUTHEAST [ AL∙AR∙DC∙FL∙GA∙KS∙KY∙LA∙MO∙MS∙NC∙OK∙SC∙TN∙TX∙WV∙VA ] REGION 5 NORTHEAST & INTERNATIONAL [ CT∙DE∙IL∙IN∙MA∙MD∙ME∙MI∙NH∙NY∙NJ∙OH∙PA∙RI∙VT∙WI ]

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. 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 AND PARAGLIDING ARE INHERENTLY DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES

USHPA recommends pilots complete a pilot training program under the direct supervision of a USHPAcertified 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.

POSTMASTER USHPA Pilot ISSN 1543-5989 (USPS 17970) is published bimonthly by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc., 1685 W.

Uintah St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80904 Phone: (719) 632-8300 Fax: (719) 632-6417 Periodicals Postage Paid in Colorado Springs and additional mailing offices. Send change of address to: USHPA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO, 80901-1330. Canadian Return Address: DP Global Mail, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, ON N9A 6J3.

4 US HPA P I LOT

cover photo USHPA

by NANCY PILOT BLOOM 5

Flight Plan [ Editor > LIZ DENGLER ] Complacency is criminal.

A day this past spring, I was out at my local hill hoping to find a few climbs to get used to a new pod. The day was reasonably mellow (as far as high-desert, spring conditions go) but rather disorganized. I was climbing above launch and felt I was handling the air well in the new harness. Convinced I wouldn’t sink out, I decided to put on my warmer mitts as my hands were getting a bit cold in the Colorado spring air.

Though comfortable in the harness, I was still not totally used to the weight shift. Amid putting on my mitt, toggles in one hand, I hit some turbulent air. With a pitch of the wing, a twist of the hips, and a tug on the toggles, I was suddenly staring at the earth. A few quick reactions and all was fine and I continued flying for a bit to level my heart rate. After landing a while later, I spent the rest of the afternoon assessing my flight and my mental state.

Complacency happens to all of us at some point in our flying careers. We can get complacent about our home site, gear, launches and landings, and conditions. Or we find we’re simply feeling good in the air. For me, I was at my home site and was starting to feel comfortable in the new harness. However, I wasn’t completely familiar with it yet. I launched in the wrong gloves for the day, and I also made the wrong decision to put my mitts on too low–I should have waited for a little more ground clearance. Complacency. Any one of those mistakes is not a deal-breaker on its own, but a few small lapses can compound very quickly. My complacency resulted in precisely what you would expect—an entirely preventable and pilot-induced incident.

It does not escape me that this incident could have ended differently, but luck overcame laziness, and I flew away. My complacency was my criminal act, and I put myself in danger. However, I was able to recognize my mistake and take ownership of it.

I have found that as I move through the seasons, it’s wise to do a regular mental checkup and make sure I’m up to snuff. As I start to feel good during the season (I get current in my flying and my mental game is solid), I sometimes come up short on the complacency end of things. It’s something to consider. Take some time in the middle of the season to assess how you’ve been flying and do an honest assessment to find where you’ve gotten complacent. Check in with yourself and keep flying smart!

Pilot Mark Anderson kites at White Crest Beach, Wellfleet, MA (Cape Cod).

Martin Palmaz, Publisher executivedirector@ushpa.org Liz Dengler, Editor editor@ushpa.org Kristen Arendt, Copy Editor Erika Klein, Copy Editor copy@ushpa.org Greg Gillam, Art Director Beth Van Eaton, Advertising advertising@ushpa.org STAFF WRITERS Dennis Pagen Lisa Verzella Jeff Shapiro

PHOTOGRAPHERS Ben White

SUBMISSIONS from our members and readers are welcome. All articles, artwork, photographs as well as ideas for articles, artwork and photographs are submitted 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.org or online at www.ushpa.org. We are always looking for great articles, photography and news. Your contributions are appreciated.

ADVERTISING is subject to the USHPA Advertising Policy, a copy of which may be obtained from the USHPA by emailing advertising@ushpa.org.

COPYRIGHT ©2020 US HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING ASSOC., INC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of USHPA.

2021 July/August CONTENTS 11 ACCIDENT REVIEW

5 FLIGHT PLAN

Minimizing Aerotow Risks

8 LAUNCHING

by SAM WASHBURN

10 FINDING LIFT 11 ARC

14 BOOKS

48 RATINGS

Advanced Paragliding

52 CALENDAR

New book from Gavin McClurg

53 CLASSIFIED

20

54 FINAL

by LIZ DENGLER 16 WEATHER

Weather to Fly

A top down approach

by LISA VERZELLA 36 WEATHER

Energy Balance

Sensible heat flux versus latent heat flux

by HONZA REJMANEK

24

28

42 FEATURE

From the Ground Up

Seeing, shooting, and selecting photos that publish well

by GREG GILLAM

38

14

20 PROGRESSION IN FREE FLIGHT

28 SPEED SOARING

by KATE EAGLE

by CARL WEISETH

Navigating external and internal pitfalls

Tips and skills

24 HANG GLIDING MEMOIR

38 FUTURE OF FREE FLIGHT

by JOHN ARMSTRONG

by CHRIS KLAPHEKE

Part 4 - John's journey continues

6 US HPA P I LOT

Imagining advances in gear

Reliable Paragliding Equipment advance.swiss

USHPA PILOT 7

NOW IN 6 SIZES, FROM 1.85 KG Experience the freedom and simplicity of paragliding. The PI 3

Light Versatility HIKE & FLY PARAGLIDER

unites low weight and a pronounced fun factor. This light wing now weighs from 1.85 kgs. The choice of size means that you can use the PI 3 for Thermaling and Travel, Hike & Fly, or even as a Mini Wing for Climb & Fly Touring. The decision is yours.

Available in sizes 16 / 19 / 21 / 23 / 25 / 27 m2 Distributor: superflyinc.com, info@superflyinc.com, 801-255-9595

Photo Sepp Inniger – Gasterntal, Schweiz

Launching

[ Latest Gear ]

FLYMASTER LIVE DS Flymaster USA is proud to announce the long awaited LIVE DS is now available. The LIVE DS offers all of the features of the LIVE SD 3G plus, dual screens, low energy bluetooth, 4G cell network connectivity, voice assistant, route optimization during flying, optional FLARM and FANET module, and a host of other features. For more information contact Jug at jugdeep@flymasterusa.com or visit www.flymasterusa.com LEVEL WINGS FORCE 41 TANDEM The FORCE 41 tandem paraglider was designed by Francois Bon and his team in the French Alps. The Force is for professional and recreational pilots. The team boast that there were no compromises on safety, reliability, and ease.

The FORCE was thoroughly tested in all conditions and situations both in a professional and leisurely environment.

It has a 5.5 aspect ratio and weighs 17 pounds. It is available for demo or purchase through Super Fly, Inc. www. superflyinc.com service@superflyinc. com 801.255.9595 or your local dealer.

8 US HPA PI LOT

GIN GLIDERS EXPLORER 2 The latest and greatest version Explorer builds on years of success offering improved climbing and glide, better pitch stability and collapse resistance. There is a smart riser for C-riser controls on speed bar.

It comes in five sizes from 55-120 kg.

The aspect ratio is 4.56. Gin have also added 2 cm of available speed bar to the Version 2.0 Explorer. Finally, folding just got easier with the use of Nitinol (nickel titanium) rods which keep better shape and require less care. There are two colors: turquoise and lemon but there is also a limited addition sea blue color available for a short time. The price is $4450 and the Explorer comes with the Gin Light rucksack 80 or 90 l. It is available for demo or purchase through Super Fly, Inc. www.superflyinc.com service@ superflyinc.com 801.255.9595 or your local dealer.

NEO STRING 3.0 The Neo String 3.0 is a do everything paragliding and speed flying harness that weights half a pound.

Its most outstanding feature is its overall cut and feel. One look at the pictures and you can see that is is supremely comfortable, It is also extremely easy to put on even with skis on. It is certified for use by a 240 lb. pilot. It comes in three sizes, has EN 1651 certification and has an optional airbag and speed system.

It comes with Automatic Neo AustriaAlpin Rocket carabiners. It is $400 and the optional airbag is $200. It is available for demo or purchase through Super Fly, Inc. www.superflyinc.com service@ superflyinc.com 801.255.9595 or your local dealer.

NOVA ION 6 LIGHT The Ion 6 Light is a 8.5 pound EN-B with a 5.19 aspect ratio.

It’s 1.7 pounds less than the Ion 6 and it is is ready for anything. It kites like a dream, will fit into the smallest hike and fly kits, has the most elegant construction and materials available in an EN-B and has performance to spare. The main lines, brake lines, and stabilo lines are all sheathed. There are 5 sizes from 60 to 130 kg and three colors: red, blue and lime. The aspect ratio is 5.19 and the price is $4800. It’s delivered with backpack stuff sack and riser bag, repair kit, speed system, and Nova windsock.

All Nova wings are covered by Nova Protect which is valid for one year, and insures against accidental damage above $70 (not including shipping). Nova will replace lines and panels for free plus check your gliders trim before returning it to you. It is available for demo or purchase through Super Fly, Inc. www. superflyinc.com service@superflyinc. com 801.255.9595 or your local dealer.

PILOT USHUSHPA PA PILOT 27 9

consensus was that we would have a tough time making any distance.

We abandoned Mansfield and returned north to the Omak Airport to fly from there. The conditions still weren’t quite right so we packed up again and headed to Dorothy Scott to do a ceremonial flight across the border and back. The local news met us out there along with the airport manager. The manager mentioned that he saw a news report about our trip and was surprised to hear that we wanted to fly from his airport. We relayed our concerns to him about crossing into Canada before returning, and he stated that with the airport only 2.5 miles from the border and oriented northADVANCE SUCCESS 5 The fifth gensouth, it was common to do final eration Advance Success 5 isaall about approach from just over the border safety and comfort. Advance cite more in order to land there.

Thethe plan was SAS-TEC elements along back, adto tow up to the north, release and ditional foam protection in the thoracic and lumber areas, energy continue across thehigher border then absorpturn tionand and land 20% back reduced packing volume. south at the airport.

There’s hook knife the shoulder and The flightawould be aon beautiful finish it comes with Edelrid Alias carabiners to our fantastic journey. a carbon speed bar. The colors are Asand Rick towed us high to the north, Coral Blue and Sahara Brown. It comes the sunlight crept out from the in three sizes from 155 cm to 202 cm (5 clouds long enough to light up the feet to 6’6”). The harness is $1200 and is lake in silver the rays available forribbons demo oras purchase through bounced off the light chop from the Super Fly, Inc. www.superflyinc.com wind lines and the wake from boats service@superflyinc.com 801.255.9595 running up and down both sides of or your local dealer. the border. The mountains too were displaying their shades ofSupAir brown and SUPAIR VISOR HELMET has tanreleased juxtaposed with the dark green an all new paragliding helmet with integrated visor.

The helmet is pines along with a colorful tapestry designed with cross-country andin long of apple orchards, corn, and soy the flights in mind. valley beneath us.Its category 3 visor protects the sun and reduces The flightyou wasfrom surreal—we had finalfatigue in flight thanks to the absence ly done it! Over a year of planning, of relative wind on the face. The SUPAIR 1,800+ flying miles, 7,500+ road miles, VISOR flight helmet meets the require13 traffic warnings and tickets, four ments of the European standard EN966: flat2012 tires+and A1 : almost 2012 andinsurmountable the European weather conditions, and we were here.

Directive EU/89/686/EEC (indicated by Robin broke out the champagne, and the CE marking). It comes in two sizes wewith toasted our tug pilot, our the small at 56 to 58 cmdrivers, and the 58for to 61cm.

There are two andlarge eachfrom other accomplishing the colors Black Grey and Petrol Green. objective.

TheCanada! helmets are $180 and in stock at Oh, Super Fly, Inc.service@superflyinc.com

www.superflyinc.com 801.255.9595 or Robin Reflects through your local dealer.

It has been difficult to “come down”

from this adventure. I am continually unpacking the memories of flights over fresh, new terrain, our teamwork in the face of all the weather challenges, the friendly and helpful people we met along the way including Rick “the Mountain” Mullins, and the different shades of Americana we felt in each of the legs across the 11 states.

The trip has probably also confirmed again just how hopelessly addicted we are to free flying.

We were lucky to be able to drink in the richness of this experience and at the same time to be able to share some of that with others through both the social media sharing and the Susan G. Komen partnership.

ADVANCE ALPHA 7 The Alpha 7 is the Wehighest raised evolution over $30,000 in the fight for in EN-A technology against breast cancer.

Special thanks this season. New pilots love how easy to all those who contributed and it is to sort out the lines, how easy it is helped beat our goal.

I also the became to fly,us and how good it makes pilots lookupon at their best and that worstthe moments. aware returning extra It has Advance “Air Scoop” leadeffort to the publicize events like these ing edge which a veryinspire low and is worthwhile as gives it canittruly forgiving stall point.

Turning is easy with others.

X-Flight articles in local newsgood coordination throughout the range. papers, TV and radio interviews, and It is available in five sizes from 50 kg to even local storytelling in our own free 130 kg and an extended weight range flight community created a positive up to 145 kg. The medium weighs 10 response. seems to be roypounds.Hang There gliding are 5 colors including somehow cool again.

We may take our al, spectra ,fire, grey and sangria. The flying for granted, but people truly Alpha 7 comes with an Advance Comfort want to3, hear about it.

Pack a compress bag, repair kit and mini wind sock. It’s $3700 and available

for demo or purchase X-Flight Round 2 through Super

Fly, Inc. Though forwww.superflyinc.com most of the trip weservice@ were superflyinc.com 801.255.9595 or your challenged by weather and logistics, dealer. thelocal flying was always a blast. We all found it refreshing to fly over new terrain and meet new people. We were flying hang gliders where no one had flown hang gliders before. When we landed, we enjoyed our interactions with new people and got a kick out of their quizzical expressions when we told them of our journey.

Almost as soon as we reached Canada, we started talking about what would be next. X-Flight 2020? We are still talking, but whatever the next adventure looks like, it probably will involve warmer clothes, oxygen, and passports.

RECORDS

are made to be

BROKEN.

NAA encourages pilots of ALL LEVELS of experience to set records.

Dozens of records are established each year.

Know the rules before you fly! ➽Is your FAI Sporting license valid? Check here:

old.fai.org/about-fai/fai-sporting-licences

➽Your Official Observer must not only be a member of USHPA, they must be independent and not be perceived to have a conflict of interest.

➽ Initial notification of a record claim must be filed via the NAA web-site within 72 hours of the attempt.

Learn more at:

naa.aero/records

(General Info & FAQs)

naa.aero/applications-downloads/

(Records & Sporting Codes Downloads)

GOOD LUCK!

Finding Lift

[ Executive Director, USHPA > MARTIN PALMAZ ]

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh tent to interact with the exhibit partners and This year, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 is USHPA. Currently, the Wright glider is not scheduled for July 26 to August 1—and USHexpected to be flown at the event, but it will PA will be there! The “world’s greatest aviation celebration” is a weeklong festival in Wis- be available for viewing and photos. Various consin focused on all things flight. The event, presentations will also be made at the forum locations throughout the week. which is open to pilots, aviation enthusiasts, The EAA has been collaborating with us to and the general public, includes aerobatics help make our display a central attraction in displays, films, workshops, and aircraft from the ultralight section and for event demos. different points in history.

The historic aircraft display is where USHPA We are grateful for their support in showwill be participating, alongside partners Kitty casing the advance of hang gliding over the Hawk Kites, Hang Glide Wisconsin, Wright centuries, culminating in today’s impressive Experience, the Foundation for Free Flight, achievements in miles flown, altitude gained, Interested in and Markus Raffel. Collectively, we will create and hours spent in the air in as close an a more active a historical exhibit featuring the evolution approximation to flying like a bird as humans role supporting of flight and hang gliding. The display will have yet achieved. Besides adding interest to our national include a replica Otto Lilienthal glider1 recthe event, the exhibit will provide a unique organization? opportunity to publicize the sport of hang reated by German engineer Markus Raffel, a USHPA needs you! gliding to other flight enthusiasts as well as replica Wright glider recreated by the Wright Have a skill or potentially attract new pilots.

Experience in Virginia, and a selection of interest and some It has been two decades since USHPA was modern hang gliders along with a paraglider time available? actively involved in EAA AirVenture. We are which will demonstrate the sport’s progresVOLUNTEER! sion and the capabilities of modern free flight. thrilled to celebrate aviation at one of the largest air shows in the world while highlightWe are excited not only to display these ushpa.org/volunteer special aircraft to the public but also to share ing the evolution and joys of free flight. If you them the way they were meant to be expewill be attending the event, I hope you’ll stop by and say hello! rienced: in flight. Pending successful towed Check out the December 2018 USHPA PILOT flights of the Lilienthal glider in North CaroliFall Board Meeting na prior to AirVenture, the glider will be flown issue to catch up on the Otto Lilenthal glider replica flights as well as the Jul/Aug 2020 November 11-13, 2021 during the event along with aerotowing demos of modern hang gliders. We have flight issue to read about the Otto and Wright glider Van Nuys, CA demonstrations planned for Monday, Tuesday, replicas flying side by side.

Visit the website for Thursday, and Friday in the late afternoon or - Blue skies, Martin Palmaz further details and evening, and our tent will be set up all week Executive Director, USHPA the most up-to-date to display the gliders. Visitors can stop by the

information:

ushpa.org/boardmeeting

Do you have questions about USHPA policies, programs, or other areas? Email us at:

communications@ ushpa.org Let us know what questions or topics you’d like to hear more about!

10 US H PA P I LOT

Andy Beem preparing to launch the Lilienthal glider.

USH PA PILOT 11

Accident Review Committee

[ analysis by > SAM WASHBURN ]

Minimizing aerotow risks with proper pre-flight procedures *If you have never towed, do not attempt any kind of towing without training from a certified tow instructor. If you have never aerotowed, do not attempt any kind of towing without training from a certified aerotow instructor. *

AIRS Accident/Incident Reporting System is standing by at airs.ushpa.org If you've been injured or experienced a close call, file a report today.

All AIRS reports are completely confidential.

In the USHPA Accident Review Committee, we review reports of many hang gliding mishaps that run the gamut from trivial to fatal, some of which have involved towing.

Covering all safe towing topics is beyond the scope of this article, which is the first part of a series on towing safety. Though this piece focuses on hang gliders, the same points about preflights and having a contingency plan apply to paragliders as well.

A recent fatal aerotowing incident has increased the urgency of addressing the topic of aerotowing, both solo and tandem. For safety, all flying must begin with a proper pre-flight process. However, the additional preflight processes for aerotowing are often overlooked or incomplete. This article will cover best practices for preparing for a safe aerotow. Specifically, we will discuss: • Correct preflight check of all towing gear • Formulating a contingency plan for an early, unexpected release from the tug (plane).

SAF ET Y

Preflight check

Aerotowing is a gear-intensive undertaking. You not only have your glider, harness, helmet, and instruments but also a tug plane, tow line, releases at both ends, and a wheeled dolly that you will release from as you go airborne. And all of this gear is under the most stress when you are within a few hundred feet of the ground, the danger zone for all flying. A failure or malfunction of any of these components at the wrong time can put a pilot in danger.

Prudent hang gliding pilots do a careful preflight check of their glider and harness every time they fly. But most pilots participating in aerotow don’t do a serious preflight check of all the towing gear between themselves and the tug or the dolly. It is imperative to check the following every time you tow: The tug pilot: Let the pilot know your rat-

ing, towing experience, and preferences. For example: “I’m an H3 with 25 tows, and I prefer towing a bit on the slow side. I see there are crossing wind cycles. Let’s wait for a straightin cycle before we launch.”

If it’s a high-volume operation, you may not be able to speak with the pilot. You can have the same conversation and ask the same questions of the launch assistant. They can relay your preferences to the pilot. Also, confirm that the tug is included on an insurance policy from USHPA’s self-insurance arm, the Recreation RRG. The tug (aka the plane): You cannot preflight the entire tug. That is the tug pilot’s job.

But you should politely ask the pilot about the following items before your first tow: How often is the tug’s weak link checked?

How often is the tug’s towline release tested?

How often is the tow line inspected?

If there’s a mini-carabiner on your end of the tow line, look at the gate. If it is not closing all the way, it could fail. Ask for it to be replaced.

Ask about the power output of the tug engine. If it’s less or more than what you’re used to, your time on the dolly will be different.

You need to know what to expect.

If any answers to the above questions make you feel uncomfortable with the towing equipment, you may want to defer from towing that day.

The dolly: Not all dollies are the same. If the dolly type is new to you, spend some time thinking about how you’ll adjust to the differences, especially if your weight is centered further forward than you’re used to. Make

󲢫 For safety, all flying must begin with a proper preflight process. However, the additional preflight processes for aerotowing are often overlooked or incomplete. 󲢻

RIGHT Photo courtesy of Matt Taber.

sure to inspect everything including: Tubes: Check all tubes are straight, with no cracks or serious dents.

Hardware: Check that all nuts and bolts are tight, especially those that attach the wheels.

Wheels: Make sure the wheels spin and rotate easily on their spindles without excessive wobble. Make sure the tires are inflated and have roughly equal pressure.

Hoses: Inspect the attachments and give the hoses a good yank to ensure they won’t break off in your hand.

Base tube cradles: Make sure the base tube cradles are equidistant from the front corners of the dolly and positioned close to the base tube ends so you can easily grab the hoses.

Keel support: If adjustable, make sure the keel support is set for the angle of attack you prefer and that the adjustment pins holding it in place are secure. If not adjustable, verify your angle of attack is appropriate. Otherwise, find a different dolly. Make sure your keel-mounted camera (if you use one) will not snag on the support.

Dolly orientation: Push the dolly to confirm that it tracks straight and is lined up with

󲢫 Despite the best pre-flight procedures, you will eventually find yourself unexpectedly released from the tug. 󲢻 the runway, directly behind the tug. Make sure the front wheels are straight.

Releases: Test that the main release does not spontaneously release under tension and that it easily releases when you squeeze or pull the release tether/handle. After your test, confirm it will stay fully closed by tensioning it again. If not, look for cable kinks and make sure the tether/handle is fully retracted.

12 US H PA P I LOT

Visually inspect the secondary release, and tension it to be sure it won’t spontaneously release.

Weak links: Inspect for fraying fibers, and replace the weak link if you find any. Replace the weak link after a rough tow that would have stressed the link, and always replace it after 10 tows, regardless of stress or wear.

Human launch assistant: You want one. A second set of eyes will catch things you miss!

Trace release lines: Make sure the release lines are over the front dolly bars and will not snag on any of your instruments. Ensure they are not passing inside your helmet strap.

After your launch assistant connects the tow line to your release line, have them pull on it and visually inspect the path of the release lines for weirdness.

Hook Knife: Verify that you have your hook knife and it is accessible.

VG line (if present): Make sure the line is safely stowed so it cannot wrap around the dolly. A velcro strap or bungee around the base or down tube works well. *Note on tandem training launches: Do all of the above out loud, even on your training flights. You are still the pilot in command, and your safety is at stake. Also, ask your tandem instructor what he or she wants you to do if anything unexpected happens.

Early release contingency plan

Despite the best pre-flight procedures, you will eventually find yourself unexpectedly released from the tug. When this happens shortly after launch, you’re near the terrain and in the danger zone. You need to be ready to respond quickly. To give yourself the best possible chance of success, review the possible scenarios before you put your glider on the dolly.

Watch at least one aerotow launch in the direction you plan to launch. Note the towed glider’s altitude as it passed beyond the end of the runway. If it was low (below 100 feet), an unexpected release at that point may require a quick landing in the terrain beyond the runway. Make a mental note of the conditions of that terrain, and determine if you could safely land there. Note the presence of any obstacles such as fences, trees, or power lines. If the wind is cross, cancel your launch if it makes you uncomfortable.

USH PA PILOT 13

Before towing at any given runway, try to imagine a spontaneous release near the end of the runway between 100-300 feet of altitude. Visualize several times how you would fly the scenario. Here are the flight process and steps you should imagine after the release: Pull in for speed and get the wings level right away. If the release was because of a lockout, the glider will be steeply banked already, so just continue the turn and flatten out after pulling in rather than risking a stall by fighting against the turn.

Release the tow line if it is still attached to you. You do NOT want to fly near the terrain with a 200-foot line hanging over your base tube!

Estimate your range back to the runway where you could land. Can you make a 180-degree turn to get back and land downwind on the runway? If not, look left, right, and front for the best landing option into the wind. If the best non-runway option is a forest, walk your imagination through a tree landing. If you can make it to the runway, execute the 180 and fly at best glide. As you approach the runway, assess your altitude to determine if you can fly down the runway, execute another 180, and land into the wind. If not, land

downwind on the runway on your wheels as near to the end as possible (remember the dolly is still on the runway back where you launched). If you don’t have wheels, land crosswind or be ready to flare hard and run like crazy.

Visualize these scenarios twice in your mind. Being mentally prepared will help you react quickly and calmly in the situation.

Altitude is a pilot’s best friend. When there’s an unexpected release above 300 feet, you have more time to make decisions as long as you quickly pull in and level your wings. On the other hand, if you release very early (like in a scenario where a weak link breaks as you come off the dolly), you may have enough runway left in front of you to simply pull in and land.

Though this article is focused on tug-based aerotow, the practice of pre-flighting all the towing gear and mentally rehearsing early release flight plans apply to all towing methods. Regardless of your tow method, use a rigorous preflight process to minimize the chance of an equipment failure triggering an unexpected release, and always be mentally prepared to fly the glider and make the right landing decisions if an unexpected release does occur.

2021 PHOTO ANNUAL 〉 SEND IN YOUR IMAGES We know you've got high-resolution images you want to share, so for the NOV/DEC issue USHPA PILOT will feature the best photographs taken by members in 2020-2021.

Submissions are due September 10th.

Captions should include location, pilot name(s), photographer name, and a short description.

If you're looking for inspiration and tips, check out the story "From the Ground Up," on page 42, written by Greg Gillam, Art Director for USHPA Pilot.

Review the guidelines at ushpa.org/editor

Submit images at ushpa.org/editorial-dropbox And we’re always looking for stories!

No matter your experience level or wing type, we want to hear about your epic adventures, everyday flights, and community updates.

Send in stories that are important to you— weekend adventures, gear reviews, fly-ins and competition pieces, trip-of-a-lifetime stories, photo essays, learning moments, educational pieces (weather, flying techniques, site reviews), and creative content such as poems or artwork.

Advanced Paragliding: A Review

[ contributed by LIZ DENGLER ]

breathing room to absorb the information.

Accomplished pilot and host of the CloudIn the pilot chapters, McGlurg condenses base Mayhem podcast, Gavin McClurg interviews with 18 pilots into 18 comprehenrecently released a new book, Advanced Paragliding, creating something that only sive Q&As. For those who either don’t care he could. Since launching his podcast in 2014, for podcasts or who, like me, routinely wish McClurg has connected with and interthey had time to listen to each episode a secviewed some of the world’s best pilots. For ond time, these chapters allow readers to rehis latest endeavor, he has combed through absorb the content from McClurg’s podcasts. his years of conversations with top pilots The condensed format makes each chapter and distilled the information into one maneasy to re-read, for an even better chance of retaining the information. ageable and engaging read.

The how-to chapters offer advice from mulThe book is organized into two different types of chapters: distilled interviews with tiple pilots on a single topic—for example, pilots and how-to chapters. Each pilot chap- “How to Thermal Better,” “How to Glide Better,” and “How to Kill Complacency,” to name a ter is separated from the next by a how-to few. They are fun and offer diverse opinions. section—this digestible format offers an easy breakpoint and gives the reader a bit of Readers will not only appreciate the varied advice, but also the breadth of pilots and mentalities represented from across our sport. Reading this book is like having the world’s best pilots as your personal mentors.

In addition to providing unique viewpoints on paragliding, several unifying themes repeatedly pop up throughout the book: Fly your own flight and make your own choices about flying; Progress at your own rate; Fear is ever-present and appropriate but can be managed; There is a substantial mental component to paragliding; Take time for self-reflection. We all hear these concepts on a fairly regular basis; however, that these themes crop up time again throughout this book is refreshing to see, affirming that pilots at all levels are susceptible to the same tendencies.

The only thing that would have improved this work would be the inclusion of a few more female voices into the mix. The Cloudbase Mayhem podcast has featured some fascinating interviews with outstanding woman pilots that would have made excellent fodder for this book. However, perhaps McClurg is saving that for volume 2.

All in all, I would consider this book a must-read. Every pilot, from beginner to expert, will find something helpful within this volume. I know that I’ll be flipping back through the pages for years to come. Thank you, Gavin, for putting in the effort to compile this work and distill the key points into an easily digestible format.

14 US H PA P I LOT

This page unintentionally blank.

USHPA PILOT needs more hang gliding contributions. You've been asking for it, and we want to share it, but we need your help!

Had a great flight? STORY! Learned to tow launch? STORY! Bought a new glider? That's a STORY! Anyone can do it, and we are here to help.

Contact Editor Liz Dengler at

editor@ushpa.org

Weather To Fly

[ contributed by LISA VERZELLA ]

A “top-down” approach

FOOTNOTES (1) www.spc.noaa.gov/ obswx/maps/ (2) Two good internet sources for these models are www.PivotalWeather. com and www.TropicalTidbits.com (3) www.windy.com

BELOW Figure 1: National Weather Service 500-millibar (mb) observed weather map.

16 US H PA P I LOT

For the multitude of us who were unable to chase thermals or warm weather during the winter or who just wanted to take a break while things cooled off, it’s high time to get back on that flying horse. Now that it is July, undoubtedly most pilots have gotten back into the air.

However, being airworthy not only involves brushing up on the skills of our craft but also requires reviewing our knowledge of, renewing our focus on, and seeking new sources of divining the weather. This is imperative for all free flight pilots, both new and experienced.

Renewing our weather mastery each season is pivotal whether we are ridge soaring or going cross-country (XC) at a local site or at our dream destination. One of the primary keys to a safe and enjoyable flight is understanding the air you’ll be flying through, both vertically and horizontally, during the whole time period you’d like to fly.

As both a soaring pilot and meteorologist, I’ve adopted the forecasting “top-down” method to assist my grasp of how tiny particles like ourselves fit into the giant parcel of the atmosphere in which we navigate. This method consists of examining the largest scale down to the smallest; in other words, beginning with discerning the“big picture” so I have an idea to expect fair or foul weather, then checking observations, and lastly seeking out the “answers” on a more local scale, better known as the

forecast.

For a first glance at the big picture, we will look at a National Weather Service 500-millibar (mb) observed weather map1 (Figure 1). This map sketches lines of equal pressure (isobars) at about 18,000 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL). These lines tell us if our area is currently in a ridge of high pressure (arches of isobars) or a trough of low pressure (dips of isobars), as well as the upper level wind flow, which contours the lines.

On this large scale, high pressure generally indicates a window of fair weather, not to be confused with localized high pressure which often creates stable conditions and skinny, sharp-edged thermals. Likewise, a trough of low pressure indicates active weather, often accompanied by precipitation and/or thunderstorms in the summer months. This particular upper air chart (map) demonstrates troughs over the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes areas of the U.S. with a ridge in between over the Plains states.

Next, I take a glance at the global forecast models, using the animation feature to look ahead 2-5 days. The two primary global models I use are the GFS (Global Forecast System), produced in the U.S., and the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), produced in Europe.2 I begin by looking at the upper level dynamics (Figure 2), which indicate whether I can expect high pressure (ridge) or low pressure (trough).

For the Intermountain West, I study the 500mb level (about 18,000 feet MSL) followed by 700-mb (about 10,000 ft MSL). Winds circulate clockwise around a high pressure region; counter-clockwise around a low.

Ridges generally indicate fair weather and troughs active weather. If this is new stuff to you, find local pilots who understand the weather conditions and forecasts at your area to best correlate how these dynamics relate to your site.

Narrowing our focus in a notch, you can see how these ridges and troughs translate to forecasted wind circulations in your region via the online weather tool Windy3 (Figure 3). Using the slider and model choice, you can start at the upper levels and work your way down tothe surface. Note the resolution of each model: the GFS 22 km means a modeled grid spacing of 22

USH PA PILOT 17

km, where the NAM (North American Model, a down-scaled solution of the GFS) 5 km grid spacing is much smaller, generally allowing it to capture more terrain-driven features influencing wind direction, strength, and even duration.

The smaller resolution model forecasts usually don’t extend as far out in time as the larger ones.

To examine how these dynamics affect weather in our flying zones, it’s helpful to view a surface analysis. There’s an excellent one produced twice a day by NOAA’s (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Weather Prediction Center.4 The map in Figure 4 shows surface highs and lows (think wind circulation) as well as indicators of active weather, including cold/ warm fronts and precipitation areas.

Now let’s see how this information shows up in reality by looking at the animated satellite in Tropical Tidbits (Figure 5). Selecting the Satellite Imagery tab and then Land will reveal those actual wind flows over the U.S., translated through water vapor motions. The fixed image below reveals cloud temperatures; the coldest clouds are generally the highest. As we transition into actual observations, it is important to recognize if a model’s initial solutions are corroborated with observations; if not, that particular model run may not be very reliable.

The final big picture information I crave, and on the most local level, is the National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Discussion.5 This product, updated twice daily, gives detailed information on the weather patterns and systems impacting the forecast area served by that office. From the weather.gov link, click on the area of any state where you’ll be flying, and the local office site will pop up. From there you’ll have access to the Discussion as well as several other products I’ll relate below.

While some of the terms may be new to readers, most office discussions have embedded links, showing up in blue, that lead to term definitions. It may seem daunting at first, but after a few days or weeks of reading this information and observing the weather, it’s easier to make sense of the overall picture. Challenge your friends to read it every day for a week, with a six-pack awarded to the pilot who reads it most often!

Now knowing the ingredients making up our weather recipe, let’s delve into the actual current conditions. Observations are the key link

to connecting model runs to more specific and local flying forecasts.

Everyone loves the billboards with the most accurate weather, the empty-frame ones. So yes, looking out your window, especially if you can see launch, is a good start. But the bigger window, that of time, altitude, and conditions from surface to cloudbase, needs to be explored in order to fly with the lowest risk, or at least an understanding of what risks you’ll be willing to take that day.

TOP FIgure 2: Pivotal Weather global forecast model.

BOTTOM Figure 3: Windy, the go-to wind forecasting tool.

FOOTNOTES (4) www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov

Continuing our top-down study into the obser(5) www.weather.gov vational field, the first product I look at, saved as a widget on my phone (since NWS doesn’t have official apps), is the Soaring Forecast. This product is created from actual data obtained

FOOTNOTES (6) For a map showing NWS launch locations, and launch data, see http:// weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/ sounding.html (7) https://forecast.weather. gov/product.php?site=slc&issuedby=SLC&product=SRG (8) For a thorough discussion of how I use XC Skies for cross-country forecasts, see Episode 120 of Gavin McClurg’s Cloudbase Mayhem podcast at www. cloudbasemayhem.com/ episode-120-lisa-verzella-and-understanding-xcskies-and-weather-forecasting/ (9) A good tutorial on the Skew-T product is available at http://www.theweatherprediction.com/thermo/

BELOW Figure 4: NOAA'a surface weather prediction map.

18 US H PA P I LOT

from early morning balloon launches at many NWS offices across the country.6 There is a radiosonde instrument connected to the balloon, which logs and transmits several parameters of the atmosphere as it ascends from ground level up to about 100,000 feet. This data includes temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and wind direction and strength.

The observational aspect of the Soaring Forecast gives real-time wind data from the morning balloon release at each thousand feet of ascent.

Currently, there are only a few dozen offices in the country that offer a Soaring Forecast, so check with local pilots and/or the local NWS office to determine if there’s one in your flying area. Since this product was primarily created for the sailplane community, chances are good it exists around these areas, such as in Boulder, Colorado, Salt Lake City, Utah7, and Reno, Nevada.

If your site is not near an office that produces this product, you can call Flight Service at 1-800-WX-BRIEF to get model-derived upper level winds for your area. Just tell the briefer you’re a hang/paraglider pilot and give your last name to get access to all the juicy details.

Next we move down to the terrain. Surface winds are a critical observation, particularly if you are familiar with how various automated weather station data translates to your site. A free app many pilots like to use for this information is Wind Alert. You can also find many wind stations on the Wunderground Map. Next I’ll check out the radar to make sure

there are no pesky rain showers in my flight area, upwind, or along courseline. Unforecasted precipitation can significantly change expected weather conditions for the rest of the day. Your local NWS office will have radar links, and often images, on its opening page. A free app I often use, occasionally from the air, is MyRadar.

Even better than one window with a view to the sky is a dozen or more windows, accessible via weather camera links, again available on the NWS site. These are not necessarily NWSowned cameras, just a “warehouse” of all public links shared with the NWS for all to view. These webcams cover much of the NWS forecast area, though sparsely spaced in many rural areas.

Now to bring it all home, we zoom in to the best guesses (a.k.a. the forecast) for the day, the site, and the potential XC route. My favorite tools for this final part include the Soaring Forecast and the ultimate weather sleuth’s tool, XC Skies.8 Since not all pilots will be flying in areas with a Soaring Forecast available, I’ll give a brief runthrough of how it can be used in the Salt Lake City area. After the morning balloon relays observed data from the surface to well above our flying window of 18,000 ft. MSL, this data is plugged into a Skew-T algorithm9 that divines such details as time of thermal trigger temperature, strength of thermals, top of lift, and degrees of instability.

Another parameter calculated in this product is the lapse rate. This is a measure of the change in temperature with height. More positive numbers show cooling occurring more rapidly as a parcel rises vertically, generally translating to a faster ascent for us. Negative numbers show an inversion, where temperatures rise with height and thus suppress thermal development (near the surface) or ascent.

This profile of the atmosphere is generally relevant for a radius of 20-30 miles or more, depending on local topography. Interpolation is key; comparing forecasts with actual flying conditions helps develop a relationship between the two, even for areas farther removed than the balloon’s region of ascent.

In addition to the current observed winds and details mentioned above, a set of model-derived forecasted winds are available for periods throughout the day. It is important to note the 9 a.m. forecast. In general, the closer it is to observed balloon winds, the more reliable the

USH PA PILOT 19

forecasted winds are for later in the day.

XC Skies 10 was created and is maintained by Utah XC wizard Chris Galli, a research associate in the Atmospheric Sciences Department at the University of Utah. As the website states, it reveals “Soaring Forecasts for Everywhere.”

The cost is only $4.95/month via PayPal, (or 6 month/annual options), one of the best deals in the flying tool universe. The site offers several thorough tutorials on its products, which have been recently updated. I highly recommend going through these tutorials, whether as a new user or for a refresher. You can also check out Cloudbase Mayhem Episode #120 for more information about this tool.

Again using the top-down approach, I start by looking at the models. XC Skies shows several types of models, including my three favorites: • GFS 30: Global model 30 km resolution (updated every 12 hrs), best for longer range • NAM 3: Downscaled GFS, 3 km res (every 6 hrs), best 1-2 days out • HRRR 3: Updated hourly with the most current observations; highest resolution; best for current day In each of these models, I examine winds, instability, and overdevelopment (OD, or thunderstorm) potential. For winds, I get an image of the vertical profile of my flying area by checking Top of Usable Lift, then top of my local mountains (in the Wasatch that’s 10,000 ft), then launch level.

Once I have an idea of the big picture, I look at levels in between these (often interpolated from the models). Note any wind shear, which is significant direction and/or speed change between the levels. Shear, at its most benign, can result in thermal columns being disrupted; larger shear can result in strong turbulence.

Instability tells us how fast an air parcel will rise in the atmosphere, influencing thermal lift and strength as well as the tendency for OD. For thermal characteristics, I check the Top of Lift, to get an idea of the height of climbs I can expect and whether to bring oxygen. I also check the Lifted Index (LI) which signals how well I will be able to climb to the top of lift and also indicates thunderstorm potential. A positive number shows a stable atmosphere, often correlating to more difficult or non-existent climbs.

Negative values indicate an unstable airmass,

with -1 being the “sweet spot.” More negative numbers like -2 or -3 are warning signals of potential overdevelopment (OD).

Other parameters signaling possible OD conditions include Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) and cloud information.

CAPE, derived from temperature and moisture measurements, shows the amount of buoyant energy that can hoist a parcel (or pilot) vertically. In the Intermountain West, values reaching the 300-600 range are good indicators of OD. To pinpoint areas most likely to develop thunderstorm activity, I’ll also check cloud cover, base height, and depth. Vertically deep clouds, coupled with low LI and high CAPE values, indicate more likelihood of thunderstorm development. There is one last tool I use to determine thunderstorm potential, from NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center.11Select the SPC Guidance tab and then 3Hr Calibrated Thunderstorm to see percentage of likelihood for the next three days near your site.

While all of this beta may be daunting at first, especially for newer pilots, the more we understand the air in which we fly, the safer we are as pilots. The top-down approach is a method to tie it all together, to see the air in which we fly as a continuous unit from ground to sky, launch to landing. As a local, you can really help new or visiting pilots interpolate the forecast to your site. You might even inspire other veteran pilots who may not regularly consult the forecast to become interested, ultimately reducing the risk factor and increasing the fun factor for everyone at your site.

ABOVE Figure 5: Tropical Tidbits satillite imagery.

FOOTNOTES (10) www.xcskies.com (11) https://www.spc. noaa.gov/exper/sref/sref. php?run=latest&id=SREF_ PROB_TRW_CALIBRATED_HRLY__

PROGRESSION

IN FREE FLIGHT

Navigating external and internal psychological pitfalls

S

everal years ago, after a series of traumatic incidents among my group of pilots, I sought honest feedback from friends about my own flying. I received some distressing criticism. Several people told me that they were uncomfortable flying with me because they felt I crowded them.

Surprised by this, I found myself reacting defensively, causing me to pause in self-reflection. What was this feeling of resistance, and how was it interfering with my safety and ability to learn?

I was resistant to criticism of my flying because I saw flying as an extension of myself. I over-identified free flight as a part of me (internal) rather than as something I did (exter-

20 US H PA P I LOT

by KATE EAGLE nal). To address this, I worked to shift my perception of myself as a pilot to see myself as a person who engages

in free flight. Making this subtle shift to separate my perception of myself from activities I engaged in, I gained much-needed objectivity and became open to hearing feedback.

Openness to criticism is often dependent on whether an individual feels their identity (as a pilot) is being questioned, compared with hearing criticism of an external behavior (paragliding and hang gliding).

Letting go of a pilot-based identity allows a person to be more open to receiving feedback as potentially useful information rather than perceiving it as an attack on their identity. Separating ourselves from the activity of paragliding or hang gliding also helps us figure out what we really get from

USH PA PILOT 21

free flight and honestly evaluate the risk versus benefit. Answering the question, “Why do I fly?” is the beginning of forming a healthy relationship with free flight or even making the wise decision to walk away from the sport.

Common Personality Traits

Individuals come to free flight from a variety of backgrounds, and pilots have learning styles and abilities. Understanding yourself is the first step in taking responsibility for the safe progression of your flying career. As an instructor, I’ve realized that all pilots are a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses and often exhibit traits in one or more of the following categories.

The enthusiastic pilot: This pilot is ready to try anything and everything.

Though paragliding, speed flying,

󲢫 If getting into the air is your primary drive, you may miss many risks or threats that should be considered before taking off. 󲢻 and hang gliding are joyful sports, being able to slow down and temper excitement with observation and planning are essential for safety. Enthusiasm is natural, especially when discovering the magic of free flight.

However, keep in mind that if getting into the air is your primary drive, you may miss many risks or threats that should be considered before taking off. Many new pilots can identify with this category.

The natural athlete: Coming from an athletic background is helpful with the physical demands of ground handling and stamina for long flights.

Having a sense of your physical body will give you an early edge in syncing

up to your glider and the conditions.

However, you may develop skills faster than you develop the mental understanding of risk and conditions. In addition, if you have participated in adrenaline-inducing or contact sports previously, you may have a reduced fear response and may pilot dangerously without realizing the risk.

The analytical pilot: Often intelligent, these individuals are inquisitive and great ground school students.

They are frequently accomplished in their field and take ground-based studies, like weather, seriously. These pilots tend to be more visually oriented and can struggle with transitioning into feeling the glider rather than

HERE Pilot Clif Westin launching off Woodrat Mountain, summer of 2016. Photo by Tim Daw. OPPOSITE TOP Pilot, Kate Eagle, Launching atop Woodrat Mountain, Ruch, Oregon, 2015. Photographer, Wendy Pepper. BOTTOM Kate Eagle landing on the beach after an XC flight in Jaco, Costa Rica, 2018. Photo by Aric Krause.

looking at it. Becoming overly reliant on mental processing can be a setup for stress in flight and a barrier to physically relaxing. You can practice breathing exercises and relaxation techniques in flight. Identify stress early and practice a simple routine to de-escalate, helping you maintain situational awareness and control of your glider. It is especially important to take small steps in your physical progression and maintain skill proficiency.

The image seeker: Are you more focused on your flying or on capturing imagery of yourself flying?

We all like to snap images of happy memories, and free flight is full of picture-worthy moments. It is also natural to want to share our happiness with others through photos.

However, there is significant risk in flying for the camera rather than being fully present in your connection to the glider and the conditions of the moment. Try setting aside the GoPro and camera for a season, and see how you feel. Do you fly differently? Do you feel differently? Be honest with yourself.

The competitor: There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be the best you can be as a pilot, and a competitive environment can be both fun and a great learning experience.

However, be aware of your focus. If you are competitive, it is important to pace yourself to match both your skill and understanding. Maintaining flexibility and a willingness to change your flight plan or abandon the goal altogether is essential for maintaining safety in the face of a changing situation. As pilots, we often don’t do well when we set ourselves up to battle nature which can be unpredictable and unforgiving. Be willing to surrender to the situation at hand.

Common Psychological Pitfalls

In my experience as both a hang glider and paraglider pilot as well as a paragliding instructor, I have found 22 US H PA P I LOT

ABOVE Kate Eagle, Dominical, Costa Rica, 2017. Photo by Ryan Kent.

that, in addition to understanding our motivation for flying, good preparation involves an awareness of our personality traits as well as some of the common psychological pitfalls many pilots experience.

1. Groupthink: Just because one or more pilots launch, do not assume that conditions are right or safe. Take your time to evaluate conditions. Be honest about your own mental state

in the moment. Watch others fly before deciding to launch yourself. Use other pilots as indicators that map conditions (lift, sink, etc.) but only follow others if doing so fits with your unique combination of skills and the conditions at hand.

2. Competitive attitude: If you feel like you are taking flight to prove a point or outdo someone else, STOP! This is a huge red flag. This attitude has the potential to blind you to other threats entirely. If competition is the setting or goal, make sure you are mindful of all other risks and make a carefully calculated flight plan within your skill level for conditions at hand.

Be willing to change your flight plan if needed to err on the side of caution, even if it means sinking out.

3. Diminished mental capacity: Be mindful of stress, mind-altering substances, fatigue, etc. Only fly when you are 100% mentally present. Unlike some other sports, using free flight as an escape from stressors presents a unique set of risks. Self-evaluation and honesty are critical. You need 100% of your brainpower to accurately evaluate threats, create a flight plan, and be able to quickly respond to changing or unexpected conditions.

4. Overconfidence/complacency: Just because you have successfully flown at a site before does not mean you will fly successfully today. Fly the conditions at hand, not the conditions you envision or have experienced in the past. Maintain a wide margin for error no matter how benign conditions seem or how current you think your skills are. Avoid fixation on a goal (tunnel vision) and be willing to abandon your flight plan for the sake of a safe landing.

5. Over-identification with the external: If you feel reluctant to admit mistakes or find yourself bristling when someone offers constructive criticism, you may be over-identifying with the external. The same is true if you feel a craving for praise or

USH PA PILOT 23

attention for your flights. When you separate your identity from the external (that which you do, own, etc.), you are more comfortable with hearing feedback on those external things because you don’t see it as a reflection on yourself. When you disassociate your identity from free flight, feedback feels neither like a stab in the heart nor like an over-inflation of your self-worth. You are no longer at the mercy of how others view you because your core is firmly rooted in your internal sense of self rather than the external. You can then develop a foundation from which to honestly evaluate your knowledge and skills.

After my cumulative trauma several years ago, I took a long look at my own strengths and weaknesses. Although I was technically a P4 (advanced) pilot with 300+ hours, I had insufficient understanding of conditions, weather, etc., for the level

of flying I was doing. In addition, my continuing enthusiasm often blinded me to risk, and my athletic background in roller derby, though helping me quickly gain physical skill, set me up to be aggressive, overconfident, and too comfortable flying dangerously close to other pilots.

The combination of my enthusiasm, physical skill, competitive drive, and lack of a well-rounded understanding of conditions placed me at risk. I was lucky not to have suffered a serious incident.

In the past several years, becoming brutally honest with myself about my strengths and weaknesses has provided me with a path to move forward and remain connected to a sport. This process has involved asking others for their perspective on my flying.

Talking about our mistakes requires a willingness to be vulnerable. Being humble takes daily practice. Cultivating this trait is the most challenging

thing I’ve done in free flight, and it is the thing that has had the most significant impact on my safety and progression as a pilot.

KATE EAGLE began hang gliding in 2013 and transitioned to paragliding in 2014. She married her husband, another pilot, in 2017. After losing him to a paragliding accident three months after they wed, Kate dedicated herself to raising awareness of safety in the flying community. In addition to working as an instructor with Discover Paragliding on the northern Oregon coast, Kate also continues to work part-time as an RN in a critical access hospital. When she is not teaching or saving lives, you will often find her high above it all in the beautiful Northwest.

EN/LTF-C The future of glider design depends largely on simulations. Instead of designing and producing prototypes one by one, we can now accurately simulate hundreds of paragliders using our in house simulation program; ALULA. In effect, we are now able to test virtual prototypes using this program, and on the CURE 2 we made hundreds of virtual prototypes that have created a comfortable, fast, stable, and maneuverable wing with exceptional passive safety and performance.

Discover all of the technology designed into the CURE 2 at www.flybgd.com/cure2 PHOTO  VITEK LUDVIK

BGD-USA.com • 801-699-1462

A Hang Gliding Memoir My Journey Continues > Part 4

A

by JOHN ARMSTRONG

Thanks again, Polly! It was great to t the end of July 1990, I veningside Flight Park hosted a Lift see her again, 30 years after that flight, Over Drag (L/D) Contest. I remember tured north on a two-hour drive into Canada with a small at the second Rocky Mountain Colora- Dennis Pagan doing a write-up about this fun contest in the USGA monthly group of my Vermont pilot friends do Fly-in. magazine. Many pilots from near and (Hans, Jake, Bob, George, and Jay).

In late September 1991, after 20 minsome from far attended. Beginning at Our destinations were two nicely utes in the ridge lift off Mt. Ascutney, organized flight parks named Umaska I flew southwest and crossed over the 7:30 a.m. when there was little to no wind, pilots lined up to launch from and Umaski. These two separate hang Connecticut River into New Hampthe 250-foot vertical launch point. gliding clubs had LZs next to each shire. Near Bald Mountain, I unexOne by one, each pilot ran down the other and were not on good terms. pectedly met up with pilot Randy They even had different launches up Adams. I had never been in this region grass slope. There wasn’t enough time on the mountain top. We got several before, and using radios, he guided me to get properly into their harness, as the flights lasted less than one minute. flights on this mini-adventure. The further on. At one point, getting low Judges were at the landing area to first evening as night fell and I retired and passing over the forested area mark and record the landing point to my VW camper, the northern lights below us, a dismal-looking landing and the glider type. We each took two appeared. It was undoubtedly the best spot appeared. I asked Randy if he flights and averaged the distances show I’ve seen, even to this day. had ever landed there. He responded, September arrived, and we again “John, don’t be thinking about landing; flown. For me, the L/D was the same on each flight on my Wills Wing Sport headed across the U.S. to the Airman’s we still have 1,000 feet of altitude.” I 167; 8.5 to 1. A TRX had the best L/D Rendezvous in Telluride, Colorado. felt somewhat safe following right of the day. Between the L/D contest The annual flying event was always behind Randy since I was about 100 a great time for all who attend. The feet higher than him. Shortly after, we and the flights at Jake’s Mountain the following day, it was a wonderful time pilots would take over the town for flew on toward an alfalfa field in the full of flight and camaraderie. the week, filling the sky during the distance. We got there with about 50 In April of 1992, Jake Schweiger and I day and the bars at night. That year, feet of altitude. This flight, at 27 miles, headed down to Dunlap, Tennessee, to in addition to my numerous fantastic was my longest XC. kick off a new flying season. We were flights, I was invited to take a flight Shortly after this PR flight, Mornfrom the Telluride Airport with Polly Ross in her four-place Piper Dakota.

Polly had invited Dave Gibson (one of the aero comp pilots), Dwain Richardson, and myself. We flew all around the area, over Tom Boy Mine, Ouray, and even buzzed the Gold Hill launch.

󲢫 I was circling in zero lift and drifting along in the breeze. The backup LZ was looking blurry to my eyes, and then I realized there were hundreds of pigs moving about in it. 󲢻

24 US H PA P I LOT

USH PA PILOT 25

pumped to do some cross-country flights. On our first day there, I got the first flight of the year from Henson’s Gap. I got up a little and decided to fly north along the cliff edge of the ridge.

I managed to make it 17 miles, almost to Pikesville. That was a nice warm-up for the season.

At Henson’s Gap the next day, I launched, thermaled up, and headed south down the valley ridge. I generally stayed 3,000 feet above the height of the ridge, but there was one long gap to cross where I barely made it to the safety of the ridge lift on the far side of the gap. That crossing was close to putting me down on the ground out in the Saquachy Valley.

I flew on. After getting back up to around 3,000 feet over the ridge, just behind where I had flown, a giant military plane crossed over the ridge about 800 feet below my elevation.

Yikes!

Though Jake had launched quite a bit before me, we had stayed in communication via radios. I made it

An aero comp pilot at the Telluride Airman's Rendezvous Festival.

to the end of the valley ridge with a lot of altitude and decided to continue southwest out into the open flatlands where I knew Jake had gone. There was very little thermal lift to be had.

After passing the airport and the town of Jasper, I spotted Jake on the ground way below me. He had landed in a field behind a shopping center.

At that point, I was at 3,400 feet over the deck and decided to continue on.

I soon was approaching the mighty Tennessee River.

To make the retrieve less complicated in this unfamiliar southern countryside, I stayed on a course keeping me to the west of the river. In

general, I was getting lower and lower the further I went. I approached about 500 feet over the small town of Richmond City, Tennessee. Partway across the town, I spotted a backup landing spot if I couldn’t make it to the huge open fields on the southern side of the town. I was circling in zero lift and drifting along in the breeze.

The backup LZ was looking blurry to my eyes, and then I realized there were hundreds of pigs moving about in it. I couldn’t land there!

I headed off toward the open field, flew over the power lines bordering the town and the field with about 100 feet above them, and landed just

Pick up these hot titles by

DENNIS PAGEN

www.DENNISPAGEN.com Sport Aviation Publications PO Box 43, Spring Mills, PA 16875 pagenbks@lazerlink.com | 814-404-9446

󲢫 As we all know, it is hard to detect the slope of a field from above. Well, I learned quickly, skimming along the ground, that it was a downhill slope. 󲢻

short of the power lines. That was a close one! While I was breaking down, a couple with two kids stopped to talk to me.

“We never see hang gliders here,” he said. “Where did you come?”

“Dunlap, Tennessee,” I answered.

“Where am I now?”

“You’re in Alabama now, boy,” he said and pointed out the granite state boundary marker beside the road.

That was a 2 hour 35 minute, 34-mile flight. It was my longest XC to date!

We went off to Whitwell launch the next day. I managed to soar about 200 feet above launch for 25 minutes.

Though I had a decent landing, I tweaked my right ankle. My ankle swelled up during the night and hurt to walk on. It was quite the sprain that ended my flying for that trip.

However, with three flights and four hours, mixed with good times with pilot friends and my longest cross-country flight, I was happy with the trip as a whole. On the last day, Jake and I hung out at the Henson’s launch to say goodbye to the other pilots before traveling home.

On the way back to Vermont, passing through Ellenville, New York, we stopped at Mountain Wings, and I ordered a Terry Reynolds design UPTRX 140 from Gregg Black. At that time, the TRX was the first glider to use carbon tubes in the frame, and there was considerable talk about the safety of the new materdial. If an aluminum tube got dented, the damage could be easily seen. On the other hand, to notice a dented carbon tube, you had to inspect for damage by looking down through the inside of the tube ABOVE An aero comp pilot coming in to land. for carbon spurs sticking inward at the damaged location.

I received my new glider on May 15, 1992, and had the first flight on it the next day at West Rutland. The glider turned nicely; I went fast, slow, tried some mild wingovers, sharp turns, and pulled the VG on (my first time with a VG). I had an excellent two-step landing! I loved it.

26 US H PA P I LOT

USH PA PILOT 27

During the summer months, I accumulated quite a few flights on the new glider; 20 in all. One of note was on July 7 from Big A, where I ventured into completely new territory for me. Immediately after launch, I took a thermal right up into the clouds, reaching 6,200 feet. I flew east, passed

by Claremont, New Hampshire on the north side and Newport, New Hampshire flying to a half-mile short of Lake Sunapee. Getting low, I had to go back two miles to get a decent landing spot. Pilot friend Phil Friel and his wife Ellen were in the area, heard my radio communications, and came to my rescue. They loaded me up and delivered me back to my VW Bus at the top of Mt. Ascutney.

In late August, I had a flight from West Rutland that finished in a pretty

significant crash. On my TRX, I flew 17 miles, getting up to cloudbase a few times. Then, while circling low at my chosen landing spot, over a small,

2020 USHPA AWARDS Call for Nominations Every year, USHPA gives awards and commendations to those making "aboveand-beyond" contributions to our sport.

You know who's worthy of recognition in your community; please let us know, too.

Make your nomination at ushpa.org/page/award-nomination-form

NOMINATIONS ARE DUE OCTOBER 1.

PRESIDENTIAL CITATION - USHPA's highest award is presented to a member or non-member who has made significant contributions to the sport.

ROB KELLS MEMORIAL AWARD - Recognizes a pilot, group, chapter or other entity that has provided continuous service, over a period of 15 years or more, to the sports of hang gliding or paragliding or both.

narrow but long field surrounded by trees, I realized that a tractor was working the land at the far end. To avoid the chance of colliding with the unsuspecting tractor, I did a few tight 360s to lose altitude and set my approach nearly 90 degrees to the long field.

As we all know, it is hard to detect the slope of a field from above. Well, I learned quickly, skimming along the ground, that it was a downhill slope.

In only a few seconds, I was about to fly straight into the woods, so all I could do was just let it land, crashing.

Luckily, I was pretty much unscathed.

However, I had smashed through both carbon down tubes. Thank goodness they took up most of the impact.

The good times in my hang gliding life were a-rolling by...

FAI PEPE LOPES MEDAL - The medal may be awarded annually by the FAI, on recommendation by the FAI Hang Gliding and Paragliding Commission (CIVL), for outstanding contributions to sportsmanship or international understanding in the sports of hang gliding or paragliding.

CHAPTER OF THE YEAR - This award recognizes the USHPA chapter/club that has conducted successful programs that reflect positively upon the chapter and the sport.

NEWSLETTER/WEBSITE OF THE YEAR - This award recognizes an outstanding club publication (printed or webbased).

INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD - Nominations should include letters of support from three students and the local Regional Director. One award per sport per year may be given.

RECOGNITION FOR SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION - Awarded to any number of non-members and organizations that have done exceptional volunteer work that has significantly enhanced and promoted our sports in the U.S. COMMENDATIONS - Commendations are given to any number of USHPA members who have contributed to hang gliding and/or paragliding on a volunteer basis.

NAA SAFETY AWARD - The NAA presents this award to an individual, recommended by USHPA, who has contributed to safety promotion in hang gliding or paragliding.

BETTINA GRAY AWARD - The Bettina Gray Award was created to honor the woman who contributed so much to our sport through her photography. This award is issued to the photographer (male or female) whose work (three examples needed for review) is judged best by the committee in consideration of aesthetics, originality, and a positive portrayal of hang gliding or paragliding. One award will be given each year.

FAI HANG GLIDING DIPLOMA - This diploma may be awarded every year by the FAI to an individual who is considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the development of hang gliding or paragliding by his or her initiative, work, or leadership in flight achievement.

BEST PROMOTIONAL FILM - This award recognizes the videographer whose work is judged best by the committee in consideration of aesthetics, originality, and a positive portrayal of hang gliding or paragliding. One award will be given each year.

USHPA EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE AWARD - This award recognizes outstanding service to the association during the year by any member or non-member.

SPEED SOARING As the prevalence of pilots soaring on speedwings has grown in the last five years, the broader free flight community has watched with simultaneous awe and trepidation. With the high winds needed to successfully soar sub-16m wings comes an increased sense of consequence, a lower margin for error, and a heightened importance on accurately assessing and forecasting wind conditions.

28 US H PA P I LOT

USH PA PILOT 29

TIPS AND SKILLS TO SPEED SOAR SAFELY

C

ommonly referred to as “speed soaring” or the somewhat tongue-in-cheek “turbo soaring,” the launching and sustained flight of speedwings in soaring conditions require a unique skill-set, best acquired gradually on both paragliders and mini-wings at lower windspeeds. Although many of the techniques for soaring apply to a broad range of wing sizes, the increased rapidity with which both harness and brake inputs affect change on a speedwing, as well as inherent differences in wing design, necessitate the acquisition of a distinctive mentality and skill-set unique to speed soaring.

The range of soarable wind speeds for any glider or pilot varies given both the size and design of the speedwing and the weight of the pilot. At a given wind speed, a 150-lb pilot may be immediately aloft, while a 200-lb pilot under the same size/model of wing is glued to the ground. When using a wing classified by the manufacturer as a “speedwing,” wind speeds of approximately 15-25 mph will most commonly provide strong kiting and potentially soarable conditions. Thus, the first component to successfully and safely soaring a speedwing is accurately gauging the wind speed.

Wind Speed

Although soaring pilots from all disciplines commonly use impeller anemometers (propeller-driven), these devices do not compensate for variances in density altitude that LEFT The author speed soaring at Point of the Mountain, UT. RIGHT Hayden Dudley at the South Side, Point of the Mountain, UT. Photos by Ian Rinefort.

by CARL WEISETH may occur at different elevations or in varying temperatures, barometric pressures, and humidity. Hall wind meters (cylinder containing a float-

ing disc) are a durable, accurate, and inexpensive option (under $30) for accurately gauging wind speed while taking density altitude variables into

account.

Various soaring sites offer live wind readings via local weather stations accessible online. However, it is necessary to accurately gauge wind conditions on launch, in-person, before ever bringing a wing overhead.

A 5 mph gust-differential (the difference between the base-wind and top gust speeds) is generally deemed an approximate maximum for optimal soaring conditions. Although some pilots tolerate a wider range of wind speeds, the greater the gust-differential, the bumpier the air will be and the greater one’s risk of blowback.

As is true of all flying sites, visiting or new pilots should always make a point of consulting local pilots and/ or mentors with experience flying in high-winds, who can point out idiosyncrasies or commonly overlooked dangers specific to a given site.

Safety

Although many speedfliers opt not to fly with reserve parachutes during low or no-wind descents due to their proximity to the ground, flying with a reserve is highly recommended for pilots on any size wing when actively soaring. High-wind soaring conditions are, by definition, more variable than those typically sought for speedflying descents, and many a pilot has desperately wished for the comfort of a reserve as rapidly increasing winds

while also risking the possibility of a violent canopy inflation before the pilot is prepared to control it. These perils can be avoided by always taking the time to prepare in a stress-free, low-wind environment before walking the wing and carefully gathered lineset to the location one wishes to bring the wing overhead.

Safely inflating any canopy in strong winds should be undertaken Inflation with great caution and practiced in There are a number of techniques light-wind conditions before engagfor safely inflating one’s wing in high winds, all of which begin with finding ing at the edge of one’s experience a safe space with minimal or no wind level or skill-set. Pilots should be adto lay out the wing and prepare for ept at both inflating as well as safely flight. Often, a safe location with low and rapidly deflating their speedwing wind speeds can be found in the “lee” before ever considering leaving the or “shadow” behind the top of the ground in high winds. ridge; however, pilots may use their Most speedwings are designed car or another obstacle as a windwith a 3-riser system, consisting of block. Or they may simply get situatA’s, B’s, and C’s (also referred to as ed at the bottom of the hillside before “rear risers”) and brake lines. Rapid, aggressive pressure on the C’s will walking the wing up to launch. safely and immediately collapse a Preparing in a calm location allows speedwing, folding it neatly along a the pilot to inspect the lineset, safely clip into the harness, adjust trimmers, horizontal crease in the fabric and preventing the nose of the canopy and loop the brake handles around from catching air. Before considertheir wrist in the proper orientation.

Attempting to clip into one’s wing in ing soaring, pilots should practice strong wind dramatically increases grabbing and disabling their wing the chance of tension-knots, riser with rapid inputs to the rear-risers, twists, and misrouted lines or brakes, from both forward and reverse-kiting orientations.

It should be noted: to grab rear-risers, a pilot will need to briefly surrender the ability to make active brake nudged them higher into the sky.

When flying in winter conditions with thick gloves on, pilots should remove their wrists from brake loops if they feel they are confronting the possibility of a reserve toss. Doing so will free their hands for a rapid deployment and prevent violent brake inputs if a reserve toss is required.

Soaring the North Side, Point of the Mountain, UT. Photo by Ian Rinefort.

30 US H PA P I LOT

USH PA PILOT 31

inputs, which may result in the wing veering to one side. For this reason, it can be helpful to practice not only disabling the glider with rears but also steering and controlling with the rear-risers while kiting on the ground.

Although familiarity with rear-risers is important to cultivate while kiting, rear-risers should never be used in flight in soaring conditions.

Although advanced speedfliers sometimes pilot their wing using the rear-risers on low or no-wind descent flights, this is not a technique that even the most advanced pilots utilize

when speed soaring.

When inflating a speedwing in potentially soarable conditions, it is advisable to hike the wing downhill into lighter wind conditions lower in the lift band. Then, after inflation, kite the wing back uphill to launch.

This will allow the pilot to gauge the lift being exerted on their canopy, as well as the laminarity, or smoothness, of the wind while kiting the wing.

At flying sites with steep or rocky terrain, kiting one’s wing gradually uphill may not be an option. In this case, pilots should ensure that they have a clear, open area, free of obstacles on launch, so that if their wing begins to pull them backwards as they bring it overheard, they don’t

󲢫 Pilots should be adept at both inflating as well as safely and rapidly deflating their speedwing before ever considering leaving the ground in high winds. 󲢻 risk impact with sharp or dangerous objects and avoid the possibility of getting dragged off the backside of a cliff!

The safest method for inflating a speedwing in strong winds is to orient the wing nose-down on the ground, with both line-sets running

of the wind-window and smoothly overhead, ideally rotating forward with the wing so as never to allow the risers to cross.

Although this nose-down launching method exposes the leading edge of the wing to friction with the ground, it helps prevent violent inflations,

ABOVE The author getting some speed soaring in. Photos by Ian Rinefort.

which may jerk a pilot suddenly into flight while still in a reverse orientation, and before they are prepared to pilot the wing properly. It also allows for a safe inspection of the speedwing for lines, snags, or tension knots before committing to flight.

In conditions where a nose-down inflation is untenable or unnecessary, a pilot may opt for a standard reverse inflation. One technique for reverse-launching a speedwing in strong winds is to place one hand on the C’s or “rears” while coaxing the wing overhead with the A’s. Maintaining pressure and control on rear-risers as the wing inflates allows the pilot to temper the speed with which the wing accelerates overhead and

parallel and uncrossed from the pilot’s harness directly to the wing in a reverse-launch orientation. From this position, the pilot may apply gentle brake pressure to inflate the wing as the canopy attempts to “fly” downward into the ground. Next, the pilot can increase brake inputs to one side of the wing, guiding the nose of the wing along the ground diagonal to the oncoming wind, thus negating some of the wind’s perpendicular force. As the canopy transitions from the ground to the air, the pilot can continue to guide the wing diagonal to the prevailing wind along the edge

immediately shut the wing down if anything feels out of control. Brake toggles should remain safely looped around the pilot’s wrists while the wing is inflating; however, once the wing is safely overhead, the pilot should transition rapidly to brake inputs for more precise control.

Additionally, taking several rapid steps toward the wing (downwind) as it inflates and rises overhead may sig-

nificantly reduce the explosive power exerted on a pilot’s harness during inflation. When paired with appropriate brake inputs, moving toward the canopy will help prevent the speedwing from overshooting the pilot as it surges into flight, lessening the likelihood of frontal collapses during a rapid, pivotal high-wind launch.

Rather than utilizing the C’s or rears on a soaring launch, many pilots

reverse-inflate their canopy in highwinds exclusively with brake inputs, allowing the wing to rapidly surge through the powerband and overhead. Although this technique makes it more difficult to control the wing’s speed of ascent from the ground or to deflate one’s wing quickly, it allows for more finely-tuned directional control as the wing ascends and avoids the transition from rears to brakes in the pivotal moments when strong winds may be lifting the pilot from the ground.

As with the nose-down method, some pilots may inflate their wing diagonal to the prevailing wind direction in order to lessen the wind’s direct force — guiding one wing-tip upward through the edge of the wind window and bringing the wing overhead gradually from the side.

Because speedwings are smaller and boxier than the paragliders on which this technique was initially pioneered, there is a higher chance of the canopy rapidly inflating and surging back to the center of the prevailing wind direction or spinning into line-twists as it first catches the squirrelly diagonal air-flow. As with all inflation techniques, practicing in lighter winds under controlled conditions is the only way to perfect this launch method safely.

Trimmers

ABOVE The author getting on his South Side slide. Photo by Ian Rinefort.

32 US H PA P I LOT

If a speed soaring pilot elects to inflate their wing in the high winds on top of launch, they may opt to open their trimmers (partially or completely) to diminish the initial force generated by the wing as it inflates.

If trims have been released, pilots should always confirm their trims are pulled back in, at least over halfway, before launching into flight.

“Trims pulled in” is the safest inflight configuration for a speedwing and the most resistant to collapse due to turbulence or rotor. As a final safeguard, it also retains the option to “drop trims” as a descent technique

USH PA PILOT 33

Not for beginners, speed soaring the terrain takes a lot of control. Photo by Ian Rinefort.

— similar to pushing speedbar on a paraglider — in case winds become too strong for the pilot to penetrate with steep turns and/or wing-overs.

If soaring conditions are perfectly matched to a pilot’s wing, they may inflate the canopy with trims out, kite it into the lift-band at the edge of launch, then pull both trims in to gracefully ascend into flight.

Brake Inputs

One of the defining components of speed soaring, as opposed to soaring on larger miniwings or paragliders, is the necessity for constant active piloting. Ongoing brake inputs and weight-shift adjustments allow speed soaring pilots to continually adapt to inconsistencies in the air as well as generate lift with engaged brake pressure. That said, there is a delicate line between flying in the brakes and stalling the wing — a line which can only be fine-tuned through hours of high-wind kiting practice in controlled conditions.

To practice generating lift with brake inputs, pilots should find a clear, open space to kite their wing, preferably on the edge of a hillside in moderate but manageable winds.

By slowly and evenly deepening

brake inputs, pilots can repeatedly practice taking the wing to the edge of collapse (and occasionally beyond) to attune their muscle memory and learn exactly how deep in the brakes they can consistently pilot the wing before the risk of stalling.

In strong enough winds, pilots may also practice “run-and-flares.” With the wing inflated, they may take several running steps toward the edge of a hillside and pop briefly into flight with strong, even brake input, then gradually release brake pressure as they elevator back to the ground.

Exploring the ability to generate lift in high winds through brake pressure can be helpful when regularly soaring on small wings; however, it is critical to practice this skill gradually under controlled conditions. Pilots should be aware that flying deep in the brakes may create additional susceptibility to rotor/wakes from other gliders flying upwind. If another pilot is going to fly in front of you, avoid flying deep in the brakes until the pilot and the risk of their rotor have passed.

Flying in brakes will also place a higher priority on utilizing active weight-shift to steer one’s canopy.

Using weight-shift to direct the wing

rather than additional brake inputs will allow the pilot to steer effectively while maintaining the smooth, even brake pressure often needed to stay aloft.

Soaring

After successfully launching a speedwing in active soaring conditions, pilots should continue diligently assessing both the wind speed and direction throughout their flight. If the wind speed is steadily increasing, it is probably a good idea to land. Likewise, if the wind direction is shifting at an increasingly diagonal angle to the ridgeline or cliff you are soaring, the quality of your lift will diminish, and the risk of landscape-induced rotor may increase.

Pilots should also remain aware of weather on the horizon. If it is a coastal soaring site, patterns on the water will indicate incoming gust-fronts or turbulence. If a wall of white-caps is moving across the ocean toward you, it may be time to come down before the wind arrives.

Likewise, at inland or desert soaring sites, incoming gust-fronts may be readily visible as low dust clouds on the horizon and can signal violent winds fast approaching.

LEFT Sunset session. Photo by Ian Rinefort.

Advanced Maneuvers

Pilots should exercise extreme caution when considering downwind turns, 360s, or barrel rolls while speed soaring. What appears to be sizable clearance from a hillside can diminish at an unintuitively rapid rate when turning one’s back to the wind.

Downwind turns are one of the most common and most violent causes of crashes when speed soaring.

Although the sustained altitude sometimes achieved while speed soaring offers a fantastic opportunity to hone one’s skills, it is not an appropriate place for new or even intermediate pilots to begin attempting 360s or barrel rolls. The increased risk of collapse and difficulty gauging the downwind travel during such maneuvers makes these advanced skill-sets highly inadvisable to practice while soaring.

As with any new in-flight maneuver, pilots considering rolls or spirals should consult with an instructor or mentor before attempting to emulate more advanced pilots mid-flight.

Landing

When landing from a speed soaring session, pilots should pay particularly close attention to the precise direction of the oncoming wind, pointing the nose of their wing directly into it to ensure as smooth a landing as possible. The prevailing wind direction may be at a slightly different angle at the bottom of a ridge-soaring site than at the top. It may also be significantly lighter, so pilots should come into landing ready to run as they would on a no-wind flight.

When top-landing, pilots should avoid the intuitive assumption that the wind is intersecting with the hillside at an exactly 90-degree angle. More often, the wind is at least slightly cross to the hill, in which case, any top-landing approach should also be angled to ensure the wing faces 34 US H PA P I LOT

USH PA PILOT 35

-

directly into the wind as theRates pilot CLASSIFIED RATES descends toward the ground.

As a start at $10.00 for 200 characters. pilot de-weights their wing on landMinimum ad charge is $10.00.

ALL ing, they should prepared CLASSIFIEDS AREbe PREPAID. Nofor the refunds willthat be given on adsmay can-begin possibility the wind celled that are scheduled run pushing them backwardtoon launch. multiple months.

For more info,upon visit Immediately dropping trims www.ushpa.org/page/magazine-classilanding or grabbing rears and rapidly fied-advertising collapsing the wing are both tools that every speed soaring pilot should SCHOOLS & INSTRUCTORS feel comfortable and proficient at utilizing before ever flight.

HAWAII > PROFLYGHTtaking PARAGLIDING At many hillside soaring sites, side> Call Dexter for friendly information hill landings are a common occurabout flying on Maui.

Full service rence speedbeginner soaringto pilots — both schoolfor offering advanced instruction, yearsinking round. 808-874-5433 when avoiding out as well as paraglidemaui.com when traversing to other areas of the flying site. Pilots should always make HAMPSHIRE > MORNINGSIDE aNEW careful analysis of the prevailing > A Kitty Hawk Kites flight park. The wind direction and angle before conNortheast’s premier hang gliding and sidering a side-hill landing to ensure paragliding training center, teaching they thefoot hillside when sinceonly 1974.approach Hang gliding launch veering toward the incoming wind and tandem aerowtow training. Pararather away from it. Side-hill gliding than foot launch and tandem training. landings can be deceptively fast, so Powered Paragliding instruction.

Dealer for all should major manufacturers.

Located in pilots always attempt to angle Charlestown, Also visit ourback North their wing atNH. least partially into Carolina location, Kitty Hawk Kites the prevailing wind direction before Flight School.

603-542-4416, engaging their feet with the www. ground. flymorningside.com

Sharing the Sky NEW YORK > SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT

Although soaring with atraining friend PARK > 40speed acre park.

Awesome ishills always a great case oftake an with rides up.idea 600 in mountain accident, it can in also become off. Best facility NYeasily to teach foot launch.

New used WWifgliders the cause of and an accident both in stock. don’t www.cooperstownhanggliding. pilots remain actively aware of 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 one another in the air (as well as of Coast’s largest sand dune. Year-round other pilots who may be sharing the instruction, foot launch and tandem site). Pilots should practice standard aerotow. 1902 Wright Glider Experience ridge-soaring etiquette, surrendering available. Dealer for all major manufacright-of-way to others when approturers. Learn to fly where the Wright priate.

When should Brothers flew,possible, located atthey the beach on avoid exposing other pilots tovisit wakes NC’s historic Outer Banks.

Also our NH location, Morningside Flight Most Park. when flying upwind of them.

(252) 441-2426, kittyimportantly, all 1-877-FLY-THIS, pilots should continhawk.com/hang-gliding ue to grant one another a wide berth

in the sky, avoiding one another’s TENNESSEE > LMFP > provides unblind spots and never presuming that matched service & attention to students other pilots are aware anoth& visitors.

We have overof 40one years of exer’s proximity, particularly when perience making dreams of flight come being approached behind. true on Lookout Mtnfrom & can't wait to It canour bepassion tempting want towww. fly share withtoyou.

Visit flylookout.com playfully close to friends. However, many accidents and many more TEXAS > FLYTEXAS TEAM > training piclose calls have been logged by pilots lots in Central Texas for 25 years. Hang overeager to share camaraderie Gliding, Paragliding, Trikes. Hangar farather than simply focus on safely cilities Lake LBJ, Luling, Smithville www. piloting their512-467-2529 wing in the demanding flytexas.com conditions requisite for soaring a VIRGINIA > BLUE > located speedwing.

NeverSKY assume it isnear okay Richmond , year roundorinstruction, all to approach friends other pilots forms of towing, sewing , tunin the sky unlessrepairs, you have explicitly ing... Wills Wing, Moyes,before Icaro, Aeros received their consent takePG, Mosquito, Flylight, Woody Valley. off. Even then, always allow adequate www.blueskyhg.com buffer room between pilots in case of wind fluctuations or unanticipated CLINICS & TOURS directional inputs by the other party.

A

BAJA MEXICO > La Salina Baja’s BEST lthough the broader of BEACHFRONT Airsport Venue: sport PG, HG, speedflying isby still relatively PPG: FlyLaSalina.com.

BajaBrent. com, He’ll hookthe youpractice up! Site intros, young, of speed tours, &has rooms. bajabrent@bajabrent. soaring now been practiced by com, 760-203-2658

PARACRANE Paragliding Tours 2020

Fly Costa Rica, Brazil and Europe a>wide range of pilots in locations with veteran tour guide Nick Crane. throughout the world, on various Small groups, flexible schedule | Costa sizes and designs of speedwing. AlRica-Jan 21-31 & Feb 4-14 | Brazil-Feb though the wind-speeds required to 19-29 | Germany, Austria, Slovenia, remain aloft can be intimidating and Italy June 1-10 and Sept 8-18 | France, the consequences for mistakes severe, Italy, Switzerland Sept19-29 | visit: speed soaring has, at this point, forwww.costaricaparagliding.com, contact: mally established itself as a unique nick@paracrane.com discipline that can be practiced both FLYMEXICO > Valle de Bravo Winter safely and consistently withfor approand year round fl ying tours and support. priate practice, training, and protoHang Gliding, Paragliding. Guiding, gear, cols in place. instruction, transportation, lodging.

By publicly sharing the ever-exwww.flymexico.com +1 512-467-2529 panding knowledge base and offering appropriate and accessible training PARTS & ACCESSORIES and mentorship opportunities to intermediate speedwing pilots seeking GUNNISON GLIDERS – X-C to heavy to soar, hopefully, speed soaring can waterproof HG gliderbags. Accessories, continue to grow as a sport while parts, service, sewing. Instruction ratsafely integrating with the broader ings, site-info.

Rusty Whitley 1549 CR paragliding and hang gliding commu17, Gunnison CO 81230. 970-641-9315. nities around the world.

SERVICES LMFP has a full glider shop and sew CARL WEISETH is the founder of shop for all pilot From annual Speedfly.com andneeds. has soared speedinspections to bigger fixes, have you wings throughout the U.S.we and covered. Visit www.flylookout.com or internationally. He has written the call 706-383-1292 proposed USHPA Speedflying Rating System (currently under review) and WINGS & HARNESSES co-authored the accompanying speedfly-specific syllabus for both LMFP has the largestcontent fleet of new & the U.S. andand Canada. now resides used wings is one He of the largest inWills Utah at Point ofinthe Wing dealers theMountain, US. With GT Harnesses just next door, we deliver top where he teaches and promotes speedquality orders on your trainer, flying tocustom the public. pod, or cocoon. www.flylookout.com

Parting is such . sweet sorrow

We know that it can be hard to toss your old issues of USHPA Pilot in the recycle bin. Instead, give them a second life and help grow interest in our sports!

Consider donating old magazines to your local community.

Toss them on the table at work, or donate to doctor’s offices, auto repair shops, libraries, or other local businesses.

64 USH PA PI LOT

Energy Balance

[ contributed by HONZA REJMANEK ]

Sensible heat flux vs. latent heat flux

OPPOSITE, LEFT Energy balance over a sparsely vegetated dry field. The net radiation, Rn, is split into heating the ground, G, drying the ground, LE, and heating the air, H. By afternoon most of the net radiation goes into heating the air. This field would be a good source for thermals.

WE AT HER

OPPOSITE, RIGHT Energy balance over a flooded rice field. Throughout the day most of the net radiation, Rn, goes into evaporating water, LE. By mid afternoon we start to see an oasis effect. H becomes negative. The surface is cooler than warm air blown in from elsewhere and the rice field is a heat sink. It is certainly not a good place to look for thermals.

36 US H PA P I LOT

To some, the term “energy balance” conjures up images of a drum-beating, granola-eating free-spirit sitting cross-legged on a mountaintop watching the sunset. If this was a soaring pilot who had top landed on the mountain, then they might indeed have achieved “energy balance.”

To a meteorologist, the term “energy balance” has a more scientific meaning. In essence, it means that net radiation, the total available energy, has to go into some combination of heating the surface and ground below, heating the air, and evaporating water, respectively referred to as ground heat flux, sensible heat flux, and latent heat flux.

For soaring pilots, we are most interested in the sensible heat flux. Strong, sensible heat flux occurs when the sun is high in the sky above a dark arid surface. Naturally, strong thermals would be expected under such conditions.

However, really strong thermals also require a deep convective boundary layer through which to accelerate. This depth is dictated by the day’s environmental lapse rate.

In the morning, we will see a nocturnal inversion above the surface. Above this inversion, we want to see a deep layer where the environmental lapse rate is close to the dry adiabatic lapse rate before we reach a capping inversion. The air above the surface inversion should be cooling at 1oC per 100m of altitude. Unless there is very strong subsidence (sinking air) over the area, an arid region will tend to have deeper boundary layers than a humid region.

How fast the air above the surface will heat depends on how much warmer the surface is than the air. Over flat ground, this difference is usually greatest about an hour after high noon on a clear day. Air temperature continues to climb for several hours into the afternoon, but the surface to air temperature contrast begins to diminish. Once topography is present, the exact timing of maximum heating is very dependent on the aspect.

The other factors to consider is the heat capacity and thermal diffusivity of the substrate beneath the surface. Granite, for example, has fairly high heat capacity coupled with high thermal diffusivity. Dry sand, on the other hand, has about half the heat capacity and much

lower thermal diffusivity. This will make a dry, sandy surface heat and cool much faster than a granite face. The granite face will exhibit a lag time for heating and cooling. The advantage is that it can continue to produce thermals longer after being shaded by cloud than a dry sandy riverbed would.

A layer of air over a warmer surface will become less dense and, therefore, more buoyant.

It will eventually coalesce and form a thermal.

This surface air layer has two ways in which it can become less dense. It can either be heated, or it can become more humid by the addition of water vapor. Given the same amount of available energy, we can decrease the density of the surface layer more than 12 times more efficiently by just heating it compared to evaporating water into it. More than 12 times! The take-home message is that if you want to create thermals, you are far better off heating the air than using that heat to evaporate water and humidify the air. This is why the type of surface makes a huge difference in terms of thermal production.

Under clear skies, dry, barren areas will exhibit more sensible heat flux than latent heat flux.

More of the available energy goes into directly heating the air above the surface rather than evaporating water into the air. Over lush, densely vegetated terrain, much of the available energy goes into the evaporation of water from the stomata (the pores) of the leaves. This is why arid regions can produce some booster thermals in the summer months. In contrast, you’ll find much more mellow conditions over vegetated areas despite receiving the same amount of sun.

Depending on what conditions you prefer to fly, it might be worth investigating how arid the region is where you plan on taking your summer flying holiday. Thanks to Google Earth, this is now a fairly simple task. If both north and south aspects have trees, then this is probably a fairly humid region, and much of the energy will go into the evaporation of water—latent heat flux. Synoptic wind issues aside, flying all day should be pleasant. If the slopes facing toward the equator no longer hold trees, then this is a semi-arid region. You’ll want to be aware that a considerable part of the sun’s energy intercepted by these slopes will go into heating the air—sensible heat flux. Thus, there is a

USH PA PILOT 37 DRY FIELD 800

Rn

G

H

LE

800 800

400

200

0

-200 12:00 AM

FLOODED FIELD G G

H H

LE LE

600 600 -2)-2) Energy Energy Flux Flux (W(W mm

Energy Flux (W m-2)

600

Rn Rn

400 400

200 200

0 0

6:00 AM

12:00 PM

6:00 PM

potential for more powerful thermals. Needless to say, if no trees are to be found, and vegetation, in general, is sparse, then midafternoon flying, with the sun high overhead, is best left to the most experienced or the most foolish pilots.

Another concept to keep in mind, especially in areas of complex terrain, is that even under benign synoptic situations which occur when high pressure is centered over the area, strong thermally driven circulations can result. The more arid the area, the stronger the valley winds will be. Some prominent valleys can have 30km/h

12:00 AM

-200 -200 12:00 AM 12:00 AM

6:00 AM 6:00 AM

12:00 PM 12:00 PM

6:00 PM 6:00 PM

12:00 AM 12:00 AM

valley winds develop by 11 a.m. whereas cycles on launch are still quite reasonable. Moreover, a long valley can meander through different climatic zones. Your flying site might be located in a lush region of the valley, but the thermals that are starting to draw a strong valley wind can be located tens of kilometers up-valley in a much more arid region.

Much of this theory eventually becomes second nature when flying. But it can be equally important for planning a pleasant flying vacation.

877.FLY.THIS

HANG 2 & AEROTOW TRAINING DEMO GLIDERS AEROS TARGET Target 13

WILLS WING

MOYES

Sport 2 155 Gecko 170 Sport 3-C 155 Malibu 2 188 Falcon 2 140 Falcon 4 170, 195

AIRBORNE BLADE RACE 152

COLUMBUS DAY FLY IN Morningside Flight Park, New Hampshire

Air games, cookout & more!

8-10

FUTURE of Free Flight Imagining advances in gear

by CHRIS KLAPHEKE

38 US H PA P I LOT

USH PA PILOT 39

I

magine the excitement of the 1970s, when hang gliders finally surpassed NASA’s rogallo wing in glide ratio, reaching 4:1 over the prior 3:1.

Pilots must have mused with starry eyes about long soaring sessions and cross-country flights of previously unimaginable length. Finally, the sky was the limit, and in 1977, a pilot accomplished the first 100-mile cross-country flight. Forever changed, it wasn’t much later that paragliding came along, and from there, the eternal human game was afoot: competition. Who can fly the furthest, the fastest, and the highest?

It was the Wild West of the sky.

World Cup competitions ensued, new flying locations were discovered, and media attention grew. Anyone who wanted to manufacture a flying contraption could put one on the market.

Imagine selling the original ideas to a boardroom today: a collection of poles and cloth you could strap to your truck. As time passed, wing certifications became pervasive, paraglider cell counts grew from humble beginnings with fewer than ten pilots, and glide ratios increased far beyond aspect ratios.

For me, the reason to tell any of this tale from before my time is to reflect on where we are today and wonder about tomorrow. Besides knowing much more about thermals and air flow in general, we now have hierarchies of licensure, insurance, product reviews, magazines, small-time celebrities, and tiny computers to tell us how to fly better, all of which describe an increasingly technical sport with increasingly marginal gains. Certainly, some pilots fly new lines, but for most pilots in the bell curve, the way forward is known and guided. Where most of us travel, there is a cleared launch site.

So hang on to your hats; this is going to be a ride of current tech and conjecture.

Like nearly all technologies, the rate of improvement follows an S-curve:

slow at first, increasing considerably as attention and money grow, and reaching a plateau as the lower-hanging fruits of innovation are harvested.

Perhaps development within our sports hasn’t yet slowed, and it’s only our existence in the current day that makes it seem so. Instead, perhaps we are in the valley winds of a technological growth spurt. From our present, commercialized vantage, I ponder the future. With the base of participants

As a parallel example of progress in industry, car engines in the 1930s, like the Type 57 Bugatti, produced around 41 horsepower per liter of displacement. Today, that number has exceeded 150 horsepower per liter in the Bugatti Veyron, with many other engines exceeding that power output.

The Veyron has a recorded top speed of 267 mph. Similarly, wings from 30 years ago, as an analogy to the 1930s Bugattis, sometimes had fewer than 10

󲢫 Besides knowing much more about thermals and air flow in general, we now have hierarchies of licensure, insurance, product reviews, magazines, small-time celebrities, and tiny computers to tell us how to fly better, all of which describe an increasingly technical sport with increasingly marginal gains. 󲢻 higher than ever, I feel the best is yet to come. Where we lie on the development curve is an answer we’ll see in time, but metrics are a great place to look for progress.

cells and glide ratios lower than some ram air parachutes of today.

The technology of wings will progress in a similar way in terms of glide ratios, sink rates, and resistance to

ABOVE A pilot contemplates launching. OPPOSITE A pilot kiting in the evening light.

collapse. I suspect not only the rules limiting aspect ratios will relax as wings more routinely and safely push those bounds but also the definitions of safety will evolve as well.

Let’s start with cells in paragliders, which have a diminishing return as each cell more closely approximates the ideal curvature of a wing. Gin’s Boomerang 11 has 109 cells. Triple Seven’s Gambit has 137, and both have a flat aspect ratio of 7.9. Both are CCC (CIVL Competition Class) wings, and there are many like them (CCC wings are limited to a 7.9 aspect ratio). NOVA took the high cell count into the EN-B category with the Phantom which has 99.

While the Phantom has more than 3,000 parts to its assembly and a commensurate, albeit, astounding price, it’s worth noting that most feasibility studies, first versions, and early-year

the terminus of that developmental models are susceptible to the same tree, where do we head? set of undesirable realities. They cost I believe material science is one more because of their complexity, and because new manufacturing methods area that will be making more of an have to be invented, and because R&D appearance in the future. Even now, designers and manufacturers are costs necessitate a higher price. Early adopters know that new models come developing and incorporating new technology into both paragliders and with bugs and quirks since getting to hang gliders, giving me hope that we market first is a balancing act beare only at the tip of designs to come. tween being “good enough,” but not For example, the relatively recent perfect and being first. and clever implementation of nitiIn time, design improvements simplify and reduce part count, manu- nol, a fascinating alloy of nickel and titanium known for superelasticity facturing becomes streamlined with and shape memory, is being used as experience, R&D costs are amortized, reinforcement in paragliders. Adand quirks are sorted out. Competition drives these processes. Iteration, vance’s Omega XALPS 3 and Niviuk’s therefore, is our friend, and it is here Ikuma 2 P use nitinol, as does the new that I spend time pondering what’s Gin Explorer 2. BGD’s Cure 2 has fullnext. I don’t think we’ll have to wait chord plastic ribs that help maintain as long for flying innovations as the shape for much the same purpose. world had to wait for advances to the Perhaps with a future of flight more automobile engine. So, once we reach accessible, we may see these sorts of

HERE A pilot kites while enjoying the sunset. OPPOSITE The author coming in to land.

40 US H PA P I LOT

developments trickle quickly to the aforementioned bell curve of pilots, just as Formula 1 technologies trickle down to production car manufacturing. What will tomorrow’s EN B wing look like?

A

s for hang gliding, Wills Wing’s simple use of carbon fiber over existing battens shows how tech, once inaccessible to the average 1970s consumer, is now implemented to provide three times the stiffness.

With carbon base bars and advances in leading-edge materials, could we one day see another 20% weight reduction with an increase in stiffness?

For that matter, what about packable hang gliders? We may yet see the resurrection of ideas tried without success 20 years ago, like inflatable ribs and spars. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll finally get a reliable inflatable hang glider. Don’t laugh too hard; have a Google search for inflatable structures like AirBeam that can hold the weight of an SUV. The technology exists today, and I am elated to think of

a surge in hang gliding should wings one day be small enough to check on a commercial flight in a backpack.

But with evolution in gear comes an evolution in opinions as well. In the future, we may have wings highly resistant to collapse for XC and learning and collapsible wings for acro. This may lead to that part of the sport being considered more extreme, especially by new pilots, and we may find ourselves with a more difficult justification for learning acro for the sake of safety. Conversely, as pilots play with new features, we may also have the development of ever-fascinating new tricks that simply weren’t possible before.

Regulations may change in the future to reflect these technologies, too. For example, current EN-certification for paragliders only regards how a wing behaves once an event like a frontal collapse occurs. It does not measure how resistant to those events a wing is in the first place. So, if wings become more resistant to collapse but recover within the current

structure of testing, pilots may not be aware that a wing they are purchasing for safety reasons is more prone to collapse than the one they decided against. As the relationship between recovery and resistance becomes less linear, the criteria must evolve to reflect this.

In the end, maybe one day, the base bar of a hang glider will have controls for control surfaces like ailerons. Perhaps the wingspan will increase along with the aspect ratio without sacrificing too much turn radius, and therefore glide ratios will soar (so to speak).

Maybe 2-liner paragliders in the EN B class will emerge once the aspect ratio is high enough. I believe the current trend of combined B and C control in 3-liner gliders is a middle step to a 2-liner EN-B. I think we’ll eventually see EN-B wings with aspect ratios beyond 7, and EN-C wings with glide ratios comparable to today’s hang gliders. At some point, the very definition of our sports may come up for debate.

I hope I’m still flying when that day arrives.

FROM THE GROUND UP

How to see, shoot, and select photos that publish well.

O

by GREG GILLAM, Art Director for USHPA Pilot

f course, we all want a selfie at cloudbase, but let's get real— you're the pilot in command, not the photographer in command.

Don't take your hands off the brakes! If you're tempted to shoot photos while flying, get advice from an expert and think long and hard about how to mitigate the risks. We all know flying can be unforgiving if you lose your focus.

My recommendation: Forget photography and focus on flying.

The good news is that it's not necessary to shoot air-to-air get your photography published in USHPA Pilot. But shooting with your feet on the ground does present some challenges. After all, you are trying to photograph subjects that are extremely eager to leave you behind.

Having designed over 10,000 pages as Art Director for this magazine, I've noticed patterns of missed opportunities in some of the on-the-ground photography we receive. With a few slight adjustments, images that didn't make the cut might have ended up on the page, and photos that were published would have been that much better.

As a former director of photography, I want to pass along a few tips for how to improve your from-the-ground shots, whether you’re slinging a professional camera as big as a loaf of bread or just grabbing snaps with your phone.

I hope that any pilot, regardless of their photography experience or flying skill, will feel empowered to document the little stories that are all around us— the low-hanging fruit. Why? Because a large swath of our readership are mem-

RIGHT Same photo taken from launch, cropped differently to illustrate how an image with no horizon lacks context. Photo by Shane Parreco.

42 US H PA P I LOT

ber pilots who are at the same waypoint in their journey as you are. They are just as eager to read about how you fared during your first high flight or how you approached an overcast sledder at your local hill as they are to follow the inspirational exploits of top pilots braving the Red Bull X-Alps.

You're a pilot, and you probably have a phone with a camera—that's enough.

You don't even need a story idea—it will emerge right before your eyes, and soon you'll realize that all it takes to be a published photographer is the moxie to start taking photographs.

The deadline to submit your favorite images for the Nov/Dec USHPA Pilot photo issue is coming up soon, so let's get your game on with ten PRO TIPS. PRO TIP #1

Sky needs earth. Earth needs sky.

If you're shooting from the ground, at some point, you're going to look up. But therein lies a problem. Wings floating in an expansive sky, with no horizon

in sight, are too abstract. Those shots rarely get published. Which way is up?

How far away is the pilot? Where are we?

So, how are you, standing there on the ground, going to get a shot of a pilot in flight without looking up?

First, if you're shooting from launch, remember that some go up, and some go down. We gaze longingly at the pilots who go up and hope we're not the one who goes down, but the pilot who missed the house thermal might give you your best shot because they will be at or near the horizon. You should also think of your window of opportunity as relatively short and fire off shots as fast as possible. Usually, only one of any type of shot you submit will get published, so don't worry if you don't have a lot of opportunities to shoot.

You don't need many. If you manage to get one good launching shot and a handful of pilots near the horizon before they get too far away, you've done well shooting on launch!

USH PA PILOT 43

B B A

A C

ABOVE LEFT In this image from a recent story about Bridal Veil Falls, the relationship between the windsock and the falls tells us the team has arrived and will soon be attempting a flight. Photo by Erik Henrickson. RIGHT From the relationships in one image it is possible to estimate a timeline. The darkening sky suggests conditions may be bringing pilots out of the sky. Photo by Alex Neigher.

If you are in the LZ, it's even more challenging—you will certainly be looking up. So find something to climb on to. Stand in the bed of a truck or get up on a tall rock. No, you shouldn't climb the cell tower. If nothing else, just hold your phone or camera up over your head and fire away as they come in on final approach. That little bit of extra height will make a big difference in your LZ shots.

Of course, the further away your subject is, the higher they can be in the sky without losing the horizon. But it's no fun looking at specks (especially when you're still on the ground hoping to do the same). But there is one more trick you can use to grab a workable shot if your subject is up and away.

Objects that have a clear verticality to them, like trees, people, or cars, make for an interesting foreground and clue the viewer in to which way is up and how far away the subject is. So if you're shooting up into the sky, get next to something and use it as a foreground.

󲢫 Think of your photos not as a record of a thing you saw at any one moment, but rather as a window into a world. 󲢻 It's not always going to work, but it's a you are sure to get both earth and sky good fallback if the thermals are boom- in the shot.

And don't let them get away! Some ing and everyone is hitting the elevator phones and cameras have a burst mode right off of launch. that will give you several shots per Shooting down from launch onto pilots who are sinking out will not give second. Fire off a bunch of shots in you the best shot either. Earth without those precious seconds while they are less than a few hundred feet away, and sky is not as bad as sky without earth select your favorites later. The secret because there are things on the earth that clue us into distance and direction. weapon of all great photographers is trashing the stuff that didn't work out.

But hang gliders and paragliders are creatures of the sky, so top-down imagPRO TIP #2 es with no horizon can feel flat, particularly if there is significant distance It's all about relationships. between you and the wing—and that Admittedly, it's the pretty shots that will usually be the case. often make our cover. You might get There are exceptions, of course. lucky and grab one of those if you're Maybe you're taking an instructional out there shooting. But the images tandem flight, and your instructor is that get the job done on the pages of okay with you grabbing a few air-to-air the magazine are those that put the shots as she safely floats you in over story before aesthetics (or manage to your subject. Those sorts of top-down deliver both). Since stories are made up images can be pretty spectacular, but of relationships between things, places, it's rare that you'll be in the front seat and people, your mission should be to of an instructional tandem and even document relationships. It's a skill you more rare that you'll float in over your have to practice. subject. When you're on the ground, As we move through the world, we the best rule of thumb is to photograph "look at" individual things, our focus pilots flying at or near the horizon, so jumping from this to that as we

UNITED STATES HANG GLIDING

AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATIO

N

March/April 2020 Vol 50 Issue 2 $6.95

LEFT An excellent from-the-ground cover shot with a clear A and B. Cloud cover softens light and shadows, but even so, the photographer has avoided the axis of light, which is passing from left to right. A low angle captures enough of both wings while keeping the photographer in close where expressions come to life. Photo by Ben White.

B A

Save Sylmar ▶Thermaling

101 ▶ Spain ▶ Women's World

s

pilot2002.indd 1 2/6/20 11:48 AM

process the visual field. It's natural to think of photography as capturing one of those "things" we looked at—like a lovely sunset or a hawk soaring overhead. But photos that focus on one thing struggle to add information to a story because they don't reveal much about the subject’s relationship to other things.

Think of your photos not as a record of a thing you saw at any one moment but rather as a window into a world.

Someone other than you should be able to look through that window, scan through a number of subjects and visual cues, and understand what was happening in the moments leading up to your finger pressing the shutter button. They will make conclusions about how everything is related and what's going to happen next. That's what you want your editorial photographs to do—to involve the viewer, not just impress them. For example, rather than shooting a pilot waiting in line to launch, position yourself to see that pilot AND the pilot currently running

off the hill. Rather than taking a shot of someone packing up their wing, position yourself so that you can see them packing the wing while another pilot lands in the background.

A mnemonic I use is "A and B.” I always look at a scene and ask myself, where is A, where is B, and how can I connect them? And when you're feeling strong—where is C? Develop this habit, and the editorial value of your photos will improve dramatically. Practice when you're not photographing.

Find these relationships in the world as you go about your day, and then, when you need it, you'll be able to switch on your matrix-vision and expose the world as an ever-evolving tableau of cause-and-effect relationships.

PRO TIP #3

Get the wing in the shot.

A pilot without a wing is akin to a musician without an instrument or a surfer without a board. Something is missing. It's hard not to get the wing in the shot when your subject is a hang glider pilot, but paragliders have a lot of distance between pilot and airfoil. I assure you, all photographers and illustrators struggle with this conundrum.

Look for an angle where you can cap-

⚠ YOU ARE A HAZARD! ⚠

Photographers on launch or in an LZ risk pulling other pilots' attention away from critical tasks, emboldening risky or showy behavior, or simply tripping someone up as the proverbial object ripe for fixation.

Be aware that if you are taking photos around pilots who are launching, landing, or even kiting, you are trouble. Keep your motions predictable and smooth. Stay quiet and unobtrusive. Have good situational awareness and always ask permission, but...

NEVER INTERRUPT A PILOT ONCE THEY HAVE BEGUN THEIR PREFLIGHT ROUTINE.

Remember—preflight is a time of concentration and attention to detail.

Ask for permission before your fellow pilots enter that headspace.

44 US H PA P I LOT

ture both without getting too far away.

Low and high angles can work. Turn your camera or phone to a vertical orientation if that better suits framing both pilot and airfoil. Do what you can to at least get a wingtip in there. If you are shooting a hang glider, try positioning the tip of the wing in your frame and shoot towards the pilot. You'll get a lot of the wing in the shot, and the viewer will be pulled into the image.

PRO TIP #4

Leave the wing out of the shot.

Sometimes it's not about the wing; it’s all about the pilot, a bystander, the task board, or an instrument. You don't have to have a wing in every shot to give the complete picture of what sort of flying was going on that day, particularly when multiple photos are used together in a story. One of your shots with the wing in it can take care of that requirement, while another shot goes in close to see the determination on the pilot's face or the numbers on their vario. Just remember, going in for close-ups can be hazardous to you and others, so be sure to put safety first. But be ready to ignore PRO TIP #3 when the moment calls for it. Not every flying shot needs a wing.

PRO TIP #5

Use the long lens.

A discussion about lenses can get very technical. That's beyond the scope of this thoroughly unresearched opus.

But you should at least keep in mind that your phone probably has more than one lens. It will be obvious on the back if it does.

If you have more than one lens, the phone will usually default to the wide-angle option. Wide-angle is best for selfies and casual candids. It can be good for action too if you can get fairly close, but for safety reasons, free flight photography is rarely close in, so don't forget that you have another lens—the LONG lens. We're not talking long like the monstrosities you see sitting on the monopods of a nature photographers,

USH PA PILOT 45 U SH PA PILOT 9

but you get the idea. Long lenses zoom action in the Speed Soaring story on you in close when you need to be some page 28. distance away. That's an obvious plus PRO TIP #7 in our situation.

A word of warning­: Do not equate Get off the axis of light. a long lens with digital zoom. Digital Photographers spend a lifetime trying KORTEL KARRE SQUARE STEERzoom crops the image and blows up to understand and master Let's ABLE RESERVE Karre is light. a lightwhatever is leftover. It's like someone boil itweight downsquare to oneand simple thing— steerable reserve eating half a stick of gum, stretchkeeping suninbehind to the fromthe Kortel France.or There are side foursubject. sizes with weight ranges from of your ing what's left over to look like the kg (1.17 kg)not to 220 kg (2.52 You100 know you're in the bestkg). original stick, wrapping it back up, Prices range from $800 to $1250 position if your shadow is pointing and offering you a piece. It's half the available through Super Fly - www. in thesuperfl sameyinc.com, direction as your camera. gum! We need all the pixels we can service@superflyADVANCE STRAPLESS is there a chance your shadget to print at usable sizes and2toThe have Not only inc.com and 801-255-9595.

Strapless 2 weighs mere 195 options for cropping.

Don'tause digital ow will end up in the shot, but your grams and is designed for the hiker zoom. image might also turn out flat because and mountaineer who does not straight-on shadows don't communicompromise on weight and volume.

PRO TIPThe #6 Strapless 2 now has lightweightcate depth very well and can make it hard to see shapes properly.

Three is shoulder the magic number. straps.

The Strapless 2 Shooting is three shots in1651) closefor se-a takeoff Fortunately, you don't have to move certifi ed (EN kg. $400 through very much to get off the axis and quence is weight alwaysofa 110 strong way to tell Superyou Fly can - www.superfl improve the shot. But in high sun, a story. While certainlyyinc.com, shoot yinc.com and 801you're generally going to get better, four, five, service@superfl or six-shot sequences, three 255-9595. more dimensional shots if the sun is the magic number. For example: is behind the subject. That might • Wing up/turn and burn/lift-off.

ADVANCE MONOCHROME SHIRT seem counterintuitive. Don't we need • Helmet/radio/hang check.

The well-known monochrome LOGO The Advance lightADVANCE to shine on the HAT subject?

Yes, of • Two chili rellenos/one chili relleno/ T-shirt is now available in a second Logo Cap is now available in a new course, but remember that there is no chili rellenos. color combination, “Blue Melange.” color, “Sky Blue.” The summer cap You can The see T-shirt a three-shot sequence comes in the samein sizes light coming from everywhere. Light is a classic for look and can be and with the same Advance quality is bouncing off the ground and objects adjusted to any head size.

BELOW The axis of light runs left to right as the original monochrome T-shirt.and is diffused in all directions by the and the photographer has found a little extra Made in Portugal, it is 95% cotton atmosphere. So even though the most height in a flat cornfield, keeping the wing and 5% elasthane for a comfortable powerful source of light, the sun, is on near the horizon. Photo by Bart Garton. fit and wearability over the years.

Sizes available: S, M, L, XL. Colors: Blue Melange and Black Melange available through Super Fly - www. superflyinc.com, service@superflyinc.com and 801-255-9595.

C

A

DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS Do you know someone who... ... is passionate about hang gliding and paragliding? ... is strongly motivated to help with the protection and growth of free-󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹󹀹 ... can both create and communicate goals to achieve their ideas, and then follow through on them?

Then please nominate him or her for the BOARD of DIRECTORS of USHPA! You may also nominate yourself.

(No need to re-nominate current directors.)

Directors are the cornerstone of the US Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association.

They develop policy to support the USHPA's mission and represent our members in the sports of hang gliding and paragliding. Under USHPA’s new governance structure, directors will have more ability to bring about change than ever before - and heightened responsibility to go along with it. In addition to the qualities listed above, we’re seeking individuals who can see the big picture, are willing to try new things, and have the ability to understand and work for all our pilots, regardless of any individual affiliations.

Director requirements include: • Participate in monthly board meetings via teleconference.

B

• Actively collaborate with committees.

• Represent USHPA members, both regionally and nationally.

Submit your nomination BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1st at ushpa.org/page/call-for-nominations

The USHPA welcomes and encourages your participation in this process. We also encourage members with unique viewpoints (such as women pilots, younger or college-age pilots, instructors, etc.) to run and contribute their valuable perspective to the organization.

LEFT Flying photography is about more than flying, and the best camera is almost always the one you have with you. Photo by Austin Adesso.

the back of your subject, all that light bouncing around will illuminate whatever is facing your camera. As a result, you’ll avoid harsh shadows and the flat, dimensionless look that over-lit scenes tend to have.

Ah, but there is also too much of a good thing. If the sun is lower in the sky and directly behind your subject, there will be less light bouncing around compared to what is coming straight at your camera, and you will likely end up with a silhouette shot. Silhouette shots are like anchovies­—best enjoyed in moderation. We often cull those out of the magazine. But you might be able to save a silhouette shot with forced flash.

Set your phone or camera to use flash on every shot, no matter what, and, if you're lucky, it will fill in the shadows of a silhouette shot by supplementing all that bouncing light that happens to be in short supply because it's later in the day.

Forced flash (technically called fill flash) can work in many outdoor situations, even if the sun isn't all that low yet. It's an advanced skill to use a flash to fill shadows predictably. But if you switch it on while shooting and hope for the best, even midday, you might like the look you get. But flash or not, get off the axis of light and ideally get the sun slightly behind your subject for best results.

46 US H PA P I LOT

PRO TIP #8

Flying is more than just flying.

We want to see people flying. We want to see wings. There's no doubt about that. But we also want to see what happened before, after, and elsewhere.

Non-flying shots give the story context and depth and give you, the photographer, a less intense environment to find relationships and get those great story shots with A, B, and maybe even C. But you have to have your camera at the ready for whenever those moments and relationships jump out at you. Stop comparing Nikon and Canon because...

PRO TIP #9

Phones are the best cameras.

The old photographer's saying, "The best camera is the one you have with you," is especially true for pilots who already have plenty of gear to haul around. Phone cameras can easily produce pictures that will look great in the magazine. What you do as the photographer will impact your photo quality more than what the camera does. If you put these pro tips to work, you will transcend the limitations of your phone. Just be sure not to add any social media type filters or crop the

original image. Let us take care of that (the cropping, I mean).

Also watch out for Mail and other apps trying to downsize photos, so they take less space in an email or on your computer. Keep the images at "ACTUAL SIZE." The more resolution an image has, the more we can crop out extraneous elements and still have a goodsized image to work with.

If you already use a mounted action camera like a GoPro, hopefully, you have worked with your instructor or mentor to get it safely mounted. Just know that stills can be pulled from your video or even set aside by the camera as it films the action, and those can work well in the magazine. In fact, last issue's story about vol-biv in New Zealand was almost entirely made up of action-cam stills.

PRO TIP #10

Buy full-frame.

So now that you regularly shoot sequences and instinctively avoid the axis of light, you're probably going to want a DSLR. You can pick up a used Nikon D700 for $500. It's an outdated camera, but it's also a right-sized workhorse with the all-important full-frame sensor. That means more luscious, out-of-focus backgrounds than you'll know what to do with. Whether you go Nikon or Canon or some other direction, a DSLR gives you an enormous ecosystem of lenses to choose from.

You'd better start a penny jar.

But PRO TIP #9 still holds. Phones really are the best cameras. You don’t need a professional camera to take professional photos. And not even the most expensive pro rig can tell you how to connect A and B. All those fancy cameras are just as useless as your phone when it comes to finding shots that will publish well. That, my dear photographer, is up to you.

󲢫 The secret weapon of all great photographers is trashing the stuff that didn't work out. 󲢻

USH PA PILOT 47

STILL FLYING HIGH! NEW PROGRAMS IN 2021 D O NA T E WI T H YO U R US H PA MEMBER S H IP R EN EW AL O R A T F O UNDATION FOR FR EEFLIG H T.OR G PRE SE RV E S & E NHA N C ES FLYIN G S ITES LIK E BIG S UR , SA NDI A PEAK & MT. S EN TIN EL P R O M O T E S S AFETY & ED UC ATION WI T H T HE I NST R UC TOR S UPPOR T G R AN T PR OG R AM SUP P O R T S ALL LEVELS OF LOC AL T O I NT E R NATION AL C OMPETITION S

FFF IS A 501 C(3) NONPROFIT STAFFED ENTIRELY BY VOLUNTEERS SINCE 1989 E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R @ F O U N D A T I O N F O R F R E E F L I G H T . O R G O R

C A L L

5 5 9 - 6 7 7 - 7 5 4 6

Ratings Issued March & April 2021 RTG RGN NAME

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

48 US H PA P I LOT

H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1

1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 5 5 1 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Silas Eastman Ashlon McEntire Shane McEntire Raemi Poitras Brett Brown Katie Brown Anakayla Carchi Easterly Jonathan Toomim Travis Williams Sean Ahearn Joshua J. Parke Reed Thompson Oscar Cohen Max Dubnowski Austin Koontz Matthew Thomas Mayne Mihir Savadi Nicholas Weaver Silas Eastman Ashlon McEntire Shane McEntire Raemi Poitras Brett Brown Katie Brown Thomas Blake Masterson David Olkkola Vann Seebass Kaveh Vejdani Travis Williams Dalton Burkhalter Oscar Cohen Nicholas Weaver Timothy Ryan Stahl Rex Zink Jonathan Michael Gregson Thomas Cook Rusty Horner Juris Puchin Ed Wiggins David Marshall J Brad Salzmann Cole G. Stewart Timothy Curran Peter Geoghegan Manuel David Paradis John Lydic Ron Barry Todd Bricker Plaridel Caparas Paul D. Harris Masayo Miyauchi Anthony Tagliaferro Alvaro Niemeyer Forrest Baumfalk Shirley Bevens Michael Blades Ryan Coath Rex Cowie Ryan Davis Michael DeRossett Abrianna Lynn Drake Samuel Lyle Duguay Zac Lenox Connor Michael Livingston Wendall Johannes Lorenzen Ryan Mullen

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

OR OR OR OR CA CA CA CA CA CA NM CA FL VA VA NC VA GA OR OR OR OR CA CA CA CA CA CA CA NC FL GA WI MI OR CA CA CA CA TN TX GA NY NJ CT OR CA CA CA CA CA CA CA AK WA MT WA ND WA ID WA OR HI HI WA WA

John Calvin Matylonek John Heiney John Heiney John Heiney William C. Dydo William C. Dydo Scott Seebass Anthony Tagliaferro William C. Dydo Andrew T. Beem Mel Glantz Josh Patrick Laufer James E. Tindle Steve A. Wendt Ryan Salvo Wolf Gaidis Ryan Salvo Matthew Taber John Calvin Matylonek John Heiney John Heiney John Heiney William C. Dydo William C. Dydo Anthony Tagliaferro Anthony Tagliaferro Anthony Tagliaferro Patrick J. Denevan William C. Dydo David J. Miller James E. Tindle Matthew Taber David Miller Matthew Taber Raymond C. Berger Scott Seebass Robert D. Soares John Simpson Dan DeWeese Richard Westmoreland Richard Westmoreland Matthew Taber Richard A. Fitzpatrick Greg Black Richard A. Fitzpatrick David Brose John Simpson Patrick J. Denevan Zac Majors Patrick J. Denevan John Simpson Kurtis Carter John Heiney Nathan Alex Taylor Kelly A. Kellar Andy Macrae Marc Chirico Nathan Alex Taylor Marc Chirico Randall Shane Kelly A. Kellar Kelly A. Kellar David (Dexter) Binder Pete Michelmore Stephen J. Mayer Marc Chirico

RTG RGN NAME

P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1

1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Albert Nazarov Jason Palevsky Dale Paul Isaac Plunk Seth Tucker Zain Wedemeyer Jackie Bafford David Bormann Eurico Chads Ethan J. DeLano Daniel Wystan Dunbar Franco Filice Ryan Frost Terrence Gillick Stephen Hansen Valerian Kryshak Marc LeJay Wenliang Liu Mahir Kris Lupinacci Paul Masura Matthew Matera Dominic Montagu Ray Silvan Peterson Jessie Ritchie Assi Zvik John Baron John Paul Bonn Jose Concepcion Mercado Mohamad El Lakiss Odecir Leo Gocking Alexis Gregorie Boaz Hazzard Ashley Henderson Kenneth Wayne Henderson Michael Holden Kejia Lin Kraig Necker Ryan Rockow Darrin Schechinger Sky Sequoia Navjot Singh Andrew Smith Courtney Suett Marion Villenave David Weaver Eric Wisner Daniel Witt Robert Yuwiler Yosebe Amenabar Robert Fitzgerald James Pitzer Gills IV Michael Grennan Lingyu He Sami Hilden Lauren Ossian Gabrielle Scalf Chris Simmons Austin Wadsworth Ryan Boyle Kyoo Dae Lee Maxwell Ettelson Gunnar Gronowski Ryan Keating Soo Yun Kim John Modica Dylan Montagu

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

WA MT ID WA OR MT UT CA CA CA CA CA UT CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA AZ CA AZ CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CO CO CA NM CA CA CA CA NM CA AZ CA TX TX FL OK FL TN GA TX TX VA NY NY NH OH DE NY CT VT

Marc Chirico Andy Macrae E. Scott Edwards Jonathan Jefferies Kelly A. Kellar Ryan Schwab Ken W. Hudonjorgensen Jesse L. Meyer Jesse L. Meyer Robert Black Wallace K. Anderson Jesse L. Meyer Nathan Alex Taylor Kevin McGinley Jesse L. Meyer Mitchell B. Neary Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Wallace K. Anderson Rob Sporrer Robert Black Mike Fifield Rob Sporrer Jesse L. Meyer Rob Sporrer Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Stephen Nowak Nathan Alex Taylor Juan E. Silva Chandler Papas Marcello M. DeBarros Vito Michelangelo Rob Sporrer Vito Michelangelo Vito Michelangelo Jordan Neidinger Max Leonard Marien Vito Michelangelo Douglas Brown Max Leonard Marien Charles (Chuck) Woods Jordan Neidinger Marcello M. DeBarros Jordan Neidinger Jerome Daoust Chris W. Santacroce Vito Michelangelo Vito Michelangelo Rob Sporrer Miguel Rodas Rob Sporrer Rob Sporrer Jonathan Jefferies Stephen J. Mayer Christopher J. Pyse Steven Taylor Couch Sebastien Kayrouz David W. Prentice Jaro Krupa Miguel Rodas Philippe Renaudin Max Leonard Marien Misha Banks Michael Gatto Philippe Renaudin Rob Sporrer Rob Sporrer

USH PA PILOT 49

RTG RGN NAME

P1 P1 P1 P1 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2

5 5 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Joseph Mulder Dylan Pieper Julio Rocha Yasir Shah James Bates Forrest Baumfalk Shirley Bevens Michael Blades Ruben Blaine Steve Clark Christopher Clarke Ryan Coath Rex Cowie Skyler Crangle Justin Davies Ryan Davis Hallie Exall William Ford Jeff Harmer Marcie Jhong Jack Kindall Brian Kindall Lee Kindall Jordan Lamach Zac Lenox Connor Michael Livingston Wendall Johannes Lorenzen Sean Miller Ryan Mullen Albert Nazarov Doug Nowak Jason Palevsky Dale Paul Isaac Plunk Richard Romano Drew Safronoff Saul Stearns Zack Tappan Seth Tucker Michael Walach Zain Wedemeyer Dayton Wiseman Matthew Acadan Jonathan Aylwin Tal Barnea David Bormann Eurico Chads Ethan J. DeLano Stephany Dibble Emily Dietzenbach Hannah Droesbeke Franco Filice Rodney Fite James Dalton Foad Ryan Frost Terrence Gillick Sergey Gorbunov Matthias Gottmann Stephen Hansen Michael T. Harston Elizabeth Itz Nicholas Kalt Simon Klauser Valerian Kryshak Sam Lendle Mahir Kris Lupinacci

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

NY WI NJ MD ID AK WA MT OR MT MT WA ND ID WA WA OR WA WA WA ID ID ID OR HI HI WA WA WA WA OR MT ID WA HI WA OR AK OR MT MT OR CA CA CA CA CA CA UT CA CA CA CA CA UT CA CA CA CA UT CA UT CA CA CA CA

Philippe Renaudin Mariyan Radev Ivanov Marcus V. Santos Vito Michelangelo Rob Sporrer Nathan Alex Taylor Kelly A. Kellar Andy Macrae Kimberly Phinney Andy Macrae Jennifer Bedell Marc Chirico Nathan Alex Taylor Nathan Alex Taylor Stephen J. Mayer Marc Chirico Kelly A. Kellar Steven R. Wilson Marc Chirico Kelly A. Kellar E. Scott Edwards E. Scott Edwards E. Scott Edwards Nathan Alex Taylor David (Dexter) Binder Pete Michelmore Stephen J. Mayer Kelly A. Kellar Marc Chirico Marc Chirico Kevin R. Lee Andy Macrae E. Scott Edwards Jonathan Jefferies David (Dexter) Binder Steven R. Wilson Kevin R. Lee Stephen J. Mayer Kelly A. Kellar Andy Macrae Ryan Schwab Kelly A. Kellar Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Robert Black Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Jesse L. Meyer Jesse L. Meyer Robert Black Jonathan Jefferies Jesse L. Meyer Robert Black Jesse L. Meyer Robert Black Rob Sporrer Nathan Alex Taylor Kevin McGinley Marc Chirico Rob Sporrer Jesse L. Meyer Chris W. Santacroce Jesse L. Meyer Stephen J. Mayer Jason Shapiro Mitchell B. Neary Robert Black Rob Sporrer

RTG RGN NAME

P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Kasey Markel Lauren Martino Paul Masura Matthew Matera Dominic Montagu Sam Neustadt Mark Nugent Ray Silvan Peterson Allister Phan William Pitler Jacob M. Rendina Alexander Ries Jessie Ritchie Jason Seto Matthew C. Shoemaker Jonah Stiennon Brandon Tomlins David Verona Robin Ward Dustin Weatherford Nicholas Wong Richard Zahm Yasir Alani Peter Allen Jonatas Alves Ferreira James Glenn Austin John Baron Ian Belzer John Paul Bonn Jose Concepcion Mercado Tina De Santo Mohamad El Lakiss Richard Fung Cassandra Gillum-Jennell Andrew Hancox Boaz Hazzard C Brooks Hollan Jeremy Kindseth Hanna Letska Adrian Luginbuhl Michael McCaffery Alexander Nekhaychik Daryl Parks Patrick Logan Richard Ryan Rockow Katherine Scott Sujata Sen Andrew Smith Brandon Stringham Courtney Suett Wade Tallman Bryan Tarango Marion Villenave David Weaver Robert Yuwiler Yosebe Amenabar John Blank Daniel Booher Robert Fitzgerald James Pitzer Gills IV Chad Gobber Michael Grennan Lingyu He Sami Hilden Joseph Levin Stanley Nissley

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA NV CA CA UT CA UT CA CA NV CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CO AZ CA CA AZ CA CA CA CA CA AZ CA CA CO CA CA CO CO CA CA CA NM CA CA CA CA NM CA TX GA TX TX FL KS OK FL TN OK TN

Wallace K. Anderson Michael D. Vergalla Robert Black Mike Fifield Rob Sporrer Robert Black Jordan Neidinger Jesse L. Meyer Robert Black Robert Black Mike Fifield Mark Haase Rob Sporrer Robert Black Jonathan Jefferies Robert Black Jonathan Jefferies Jesse L. Meyer Robert Black Rob Sporrer Mike Fifield Jerome Daoust Jordan Neidinger Christopher Grantham Marcello M. DeBarros Vito Michelangelo Stephen Nowak Misha Banks Nathan Alex Taylor Juan E. Silva Max Leonard Marien Chandler Papas Rob Sporrer Rob Sporrer Kari L. Castle Rob Sporrer Vito Michelangelo Chandler Papas Vito Michelangelo Rob Sporrer Stephen J. Mayer Marcello M. DeBarros Jordan Neidinger Mauricio Fleitas Douglas Brown Vito Michelangelo Rob Sporrer Marcello M. DeBarros Charles (Chuck) Woods Jordan Neidinger Christopher Grantham Max Leonard Marien Jerome Daoust Chris W. Santacroce Rob Sporrer Miguel Rodas Steven Taylor Couch Vito Michelangelo Rob Sporrer Rob Sporrer Marc Noel Radloff Britton Shaw Stephen J. Mayer Christopher J. Pyse Britton Shaw Steven Taylor Couch

AIRS Accident/Incident Reporting System is standing by at airs.ushpa.org If you've been injured or experienced a close call, file a report today.

All AIRS reports are completely confidential.

Ratings Issued March & April 2021 (continued) RTG RGN NAME

P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3

50 US H PA P I LOT

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Kyle Nyoro Gabrielle Scalf Chris Simmons Cydney Skeens Kenneth Stein Saeed Toossi Austin Wadsworth Ryan Boyle Kyle Comerford Kyoo Dae Lee David L. Embertson Bret Ericson Andrei Gerashchenko Gunnar Gronowski Ryan Keating Soo Yun Kim Daniel Patrick Meeker John Modica Dylan Montagu Joseph Mulder Alex Prohaska Julio Rocha Adam Justin Weil Rebecca Wilson Vasile Babin Deric Claypool Daniel Cusick Ryan Davis Zachary Delaney Richard Drake Andrew Echeverria Garrett Eden Kristian Eide Marie Eide Adrian Forman Jennifer Geisen A. David Hoffman Houman Jalilian Scott McAllister Justin Ramsey Subir Sidhu Kevin Stone Chris Turnbull Alexander VanHorn Brian Codde Mackenzie Cope Grace Dinh Glenn Foster Sergey Gorbunov Joseph Hastings Jesse K. Hoff Alexander Honda Ciara Kamahele-Sanfratello Valerian Kryshak Enrique Perez Smutny David Warnick Jonatas Alves Ferreira Jose Concepcion Mercado Darren Dix Spencer Frank Christian Glover Deryk Goerke Jason Gore Debbie Hammond

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

GA TX TX AR MO VA VA NY MD NY MI NY PA OH DE NY NY CT VT NY WI NJ NY VT WA OR MT WA HI WA OR HI WA WA OR OR ID WA WA OR WA WA NE MT UT UT CA CA CA UT CA CA UT CA CA UT CA CA CA CO CO CA CO AZ

Steven Taylor Couch Sebastien Kayrouz David W. Prentice Patrick Johnson Steven Taylor Couch Max Leonard Marien Jaro Krupa Miguel Rodas Nathan Alex Taylor Philippe Renaudin Christopher J. Pyse Philippe Renaudin Thomas McCormick Misha Banks Michael Gatto Philippe Renaudin Philippe Renaudin Rob Sporrer Rob Sporrer Philippe Renaudin Miguel Rodas Marcus V. Santos Philippe Renaudin Calef Letorney Randolph Ruffin Randolph Ruffin Andy Macrae Marc Chirico Pete Michelmore Kelly A. Kellar Kelly A. Kellar David (Dexter) Binder Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Kevin R. Lee Kevin R. Lee Randall Shane Marc Chirico Roger Brock Samuel Crocker Marc Chirico Marc Chirico Marc Noel Radloff Rob Sporrer Jonathan Jefferies Jonathan Jefferies Jesse L. Meyer Jason Shapiro Marc Chirico Ben White Cynthia Currie Jesse L. Meyer Ken W. Hudonjorgensen Mitchell B. Neary Robert Posey Jonathan Jefferies Marcello M. DeBarros Juan E. Silva Marcello M. DeBarros Misha Banks Johannes Rath Juan A. Laos Johannes Rath Chandler Papas

RTG RGN NAME

P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5

Wes Hammond Benjamin Hunter Dallin Johnson Carl Martell Laurent Vincent Pagnier Daryl Parks Michael Plue Lucas Daniel Reivich Will Schaar III Vinay Shah Justin Smestad Courtney Suett Shadi Tasdighi Kalat Bijan Tuysserkani Marion Villenave Jason Virskus Andrew Steven Whitmire Will Yates Robert Anders Robert Fitzgerald Jorge Granier John H. Murray Charles Pearson Kyoo Dae Lee Mathew Greene Jacob Jacisin Lucas Jacisin Soo Yun Kim Gichul Koo Julio Rocha Dave Blizzard Olegario Carrillo Luke Christian Forrest Cox Samuel Inouye Patrick McFarland James Owen Arias Anderson Caleb Bourg Mark Cochran Joshua Ellison Jeff Katz Jordan Kilgore Rachelle McEwen Vinh Tran Sebrand Warren Carl Weiseth Tyler Wescott Jeffrey Worsnop Arnaud Boucherat Bob Brown Massimiliano De Santi Brian Doub Eugene Embree Jonathan (Jono) P. Fisher Josh Gray Ben Horton Erik Kinsey Whitney Martenson Mark Snyder Lane Michael Taylor Marion Villenave Joe D. Hutton Muharrem Kilic

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

AZ Chandler Papas CO Kevin McGinley CA Jordan Neidinger CO Misha Banks AZ Aaron Cromer CA Jordan Neidinger CA Max Leonard Marien CO Johannes Rath CO Chandler Papas CO Max Leonard Marien CO Misha Banks CA Jordan Neidinger CO Misha Banks CO Johannes Rath CA Jerome Daoust CA Juan E. Silva CO Max Leonard Marien CO Jonathan Jefferies TX Chris W. Santacroce TX Rob Sporrer FL Rob Sporrer VA Chris W. Santacroce TN Jeff Shapiro NY Philippe Renaudin OH Chris W. Santacroce MA Chris W. Santacroce MA Chris W. Santacroce NY Philippe Renaudin NY Philippe Renaudin NJ Marcus V. Santos OR Mark D. Sanzone AK Mitchell Riley OR Mark D. Sanzone OR Todd Joseph Weigand AK Mitchell Riley ID Lane B. Lamoreaux WA Roger Brock UT Misha Banks CA Robert Black CA Jesse L. Meyer UT Stephen J. Mayer UT Hayden Dudley CA Jeff Shapiro UT Stephen J. Mayer CA Robert Posey CA Mitchell Riley CA Nathan Alex Taylor CA Robert Black NV Mitchell B. Neary CO Edwin A. Williams IV CO Rob Sporrer AZ Chris W. Santacroce CO Misha Banks CA Hadi Golian CO Peter J. Van-Oevelen CO Douglas Brown CA Christopher Grantham CA Rob Sporrer CO Peter Thompson CO Ryan J. Taylor CA Jeremy Bishop CA Jerome Daoust AL Christopher J. Pyse Ankara Mert Kacmaz

Your expertise as a pilot has earned you exclusive access to top brands.

Your involvement with the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and your status as an advanced or master-rated pilot have earned you an invitation to join Experticity. It’s an exclusive community where you can get deep discounts and insider information from brands like Kelty, La Sportiva, The North Face, Brooks Running, Diamondback Bicycles and many more you know and love. Because brands like these recognize that experts like you know more, do more — and deserve more.

Signing up is simple and free: • Go to the members-only section of the USHPA website to learn how to sign up • Join the USHPA team • Complete your profile to lock in your access • Start enjoying up to 70% off top outdoor brands

2021 CALENDAR Submit listings

online at ushpa.org/page/calendar. A minimum 3-MONTH LEAD TIME is required on all submissions. Tentative events will not be published. Please contact event organizers

regarding the status of events as these are subject to postponement or cancellation depending on how the pandemic progresses.

Fall Board Meeting November 11-13, 2021 Van Nuys, CA Visit the website for further details and the most up-to-date information: ushpa.org/boardmeeting

JUL 11–16 > 2021 OZONE CHELAN OPEN Chelan Butte, Chelan WA. USHPA Sanctioned PG Race To Goal XC Nationals Competition.

The Ozone Chelan Open is a new fun competition format (for the USA) where new to competition pilots get to race along with and learn from the best pilots in the USA/world with everyone flying EN-C or B wings. Organizer: Matt Senior, mattysenior@yahoo.com | Website: https://airtribune.com/events/next JUL 18–24 > 2021 US OPEN OF PARAGLIDING Chelan Butte, Chelan WA. USHPA Sanctioned PG Race To Goal XC Nationals Competitio. Organizer: Matt Senior, mattysenior@yahoo.com | Website: https://airtribune. com/events/next JUL 25-31 > TATER HILL OPEN Boone, NC. Come join us for the 16th Tater Hill Open, in beautiful Boone NC. A fun comp for beginners to experts. $225.00 gets you rides to the top, retrieve, a t-shirt and a nice dinner. Bubba Goodman, (828) 7739433, Website: www.flytaterhill.com

52 US H PA P I LOT

AUG 7-8; SEP 25-26; OCT 16-17 > MOUNTAIN FLYING / SITE PIONEERING CLINIC Various Utah flying sites. Learn how to pioneer a site, fly the mountain sites in UT, improve your safety in the mountain, quickly and appropriately plan the best approach to any landing zone, weather tendencies, patterns and considerations. Learn how to visualize air flow in the mountains. Two-can Fly Paragliding, Ken Hudonjorgensen, (801) 971-3414, email: twocanfly@gmail.com Website: www. twocanfly.com SEP 3-5 > EAGLE PARAGLIDING PINE MOUNTAIN CLINIC Ojai, CA. Eagle organizes clinics at Pine Mountain behind Ojai. Two local legends Tom Truax a.k.a. “Sundowner“, and “Diablo”, Tony Deleo each set the California state distance record from this site back in the 90’s. September is our favorite month to do clinics out there, and we held a clinic there years ago where a pilot flew 50 miles on his first Cross Country flight. We followed the Team Flying strategy we share at our clinics and on our tours with a group of pilots on this flight. Cost is $895. Visit www.paragliding. com or call 805.968.0980.

SEP 19-26, OCT 24-31 > HANG 1 TRAINING CAMP Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School, Nags Head, NC. Immerse yourself in hang gliding for one week and let us take care of the rest! Our camps are intensive, challenging and fun. The cost includes unlimited lessons (weather permitting) and lodging for 7 days.

Website: https://www.kittyhawk.com/ adventures/hang-gliding/becomeapilot/ hang-1-camp/ SEP 27 – OCT 2 > RED ROCKS FALL FLY IN Cove and Monroe Peak, Monroe Utah. Why? Because flying Paragliders and Hang Gliders is awesome. Who? Paragliders and Hang Gliders from all over the world. The cap is 500 pilots this year. How much? $95.00 for the whole week. Plus $10.00 per ride up the mountain.

World class presentations each evening. Anything Else? Interesting culinary experiences in Richfield and Monroe. Fee includes certificates for free or discounted meals at many unique and mouthwatering restaurants. www.cuasa. com

OCT 01 – 03 > 2021 HSB ACCURACY CUP HSB Flight Park, Horseshoe Bend ID. USHPA Sanctioned PG Spot Landing Nationals Competition. The HSB Accuracy Cup is an opportunity to challenge your ability for spot landings.

The venue offers wide open space within the scenic Payette River Corridor. The valley flow along with our arid weather support smooth air and consistent conditions. Camp out and enjoy the stunning landscape of iconic rural Idaho with the flying community. Organizer: Scott Edwards, hsbflightpark@gmail.com | Website: hsbflightpark.com OCT 9-11 > EAGLE PARAGLIDING OWENS VALLEY CLINIC Bishop, CA. The Sierra’s and White mountains provide excellent thermal and XC opportunities. A variety of launch locations means we will make a move to the launch which matches our forecast for the day.

We can work as a group and team fly here as well, and put out some big distance numbers.

The State distance record is held from this area by Dave Turner. The area is world famous and worth a trip in the fall or spring for some classic flying, and big distance opportunities.

Cost is $895 for 3 days. Visit www.paragliding. com or call 805.968.0980.

NOV 12-14, DEC 10-12 > EAGLE PARAGLIDING SANTA BARBARA CLINIC Santa Barbara, CA. This clinic is aimed at getting pilots familiar with the thermal triggers, and lines to take to get from lift source to lift source moving down the range. After attending this clinic you will have a better understanding of the moves necessary to get down range, and the confidence to get through the pass and fly to Ojai and beyond. The Eagle Team will lead this 3 day clinic - cost is $895. Visit www. paragliding.com or call 805.968.0980.

USH PA PILOT 53

CLASSIFIED Rates start at $10.00 for 200 characters. Minimum ad charge is $10.00. ALL CLASSIFIEDS ARE PREPAID. No refunds will be given on ads cancelled that are scheduled to run multiple months.

For more info, visit ushpa.org/page/magazine-classified-advertising

SCHOOLS & INSTRUCTORS GEORGIA > LMFP > provides unmatched service & attention to students & visitors. We have over 40 years of experience making dreams of flight come true on Lookout Mtn & can't wait to share our passion with you. Visit www.flylookout.com HAWAII > PROFLYGHT PARAGLIDING > Call Dexter for friendly information about flying on Maui. Full service school offering beginner to advanced instruction, year round. 808874-5433 paraglidemaui.comNEW 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) 542-4416, www.flymorningside.com NEW YORK > SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK > 40 acre park. Awesome training hills with rides up. 600 mountain take off. Best facility in NY to teach foot launch. New and used WW gliders in stock. www.cooperstownhanggliding.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. 1902 Wright Glider Experience available. 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 NH location, Morningside Flight Park. (252) 441-2426, 1-877-FLY-THIS, kittyhawk.com/hang-gliding TENNESSEE > LMFP > provides unmatched service & attention to students & visitors. We have over 40 years of experience making dreams of flight come true on Lookout Mtn & can't wait to share our passion with you. Visit www.flylookout.com

TEXAS > FLYTEXAS TEAM > Training pilots in Central Texas for over 30years. Hang Gliding, Paragliding, Trikes. Hangar facilities Granite Shoals/Lake LBJ, Smithville www.flytexas.com 512-467-2529 VIRGINIA > BLUE SKY > located near Richmond , year round instruction, all forms of towing, repairs, sewing , tuning... Wills Wing, Moyes, Icaro, Aeros PG, Mosquito, Flylight, Woody Valley. www.blueskyhg.com CLINICS & TOURS 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 PARACRANE Paragliding Tours 2021 > Fly Costa Rica and Europe with veteran tour guide Nick Crane. Small groups, flexible schedule, excellent flying | Costa Rica-Feb 15-25 & March 26-April 5 | Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy June 4-14 and Sept 5-15 | France,Coupe Icare, Italy Sept 17-27 | www. costaricaparagliding.com, contact: nick@ paracrane.com FLYMEXICO > Winter & year round flying tours & support for near 30 years. Hang Gliding, Paragliding. Guiding, gear, instruction, transportation, lodging. www.flymexico.com +1 512 656 5052 SERVICES LMFP has a full glider shop and sew shop for all pilot needs. From annual inspections to bigger fixes, we have you covered. Visit www. flylookout.com or call 706-383-1292 WINGS & HARNESSES LMFP has the largest fleet of new & used wings and is one of the largest Wills Wing dealers in the US. With GT Harnesses just next door, we deliver top quality custom orders on your trainer, pod, or cocoon. www.flylookout. com PARTS & ACCESSORIES 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.

A LANGUAGE OF BIRDS A wing fan an archipelago of birds lava strewn in a marine aviary in a grey Watertown winter afternoon I met the hawk’s gaze suddenly perched in a calm fury she sang silently the songs of ageless memory our interlocked eyes danced and darted feathers and clothing fluttered as the storm grew silently like a wave everywhere around in a magnitude of communication we remained transfixed, growing cold and motionless pure lines of flight the incipient freedom in folded wings patiently waiting for maturity, the wind, or an invitation to fly in an instant she shared this with me and the interleaved glyphs and runes of future language whispered like leaves also unfolded from the bud sea of stories brimming tropical sun gleams directly overhead calypso ornithology—macaw, bluebird and yellow parrot travel here, a dance of navigability and fortuitous circumstance Kon-Tiki, sextant and GPS an infinity of kites tethered to earth the strain between the storyteller and the story, shadows of birds and shadow’s penumbra

PHOTO BY MICHAEL McNAMARA

TAVIS N. LINSIN

info@flytec.com 800.662.2449 flytec.com

naviter.com

Airspeed sensor with precise measuring Slim and aerodynamic to maximize your glide Sunlight readable color LCD with glove-friendly touchscreen A color-coded thermal assistant helps you center on the best lift Preloaded worldwide maps for convenient out-of-the-box navigation Connect with SeeYou.Cloud for Logbook, route planning, and flight analysis

56 US H PA P I LOT