USHPA Pilot Vol53-Iss2 Spring/Apr-May 2023

12 Accident Review Committee TRENDS OF paragliding incidents by Chris Santacroce

USHPA Awards 2022

14

Honoring the recipients by Liz Dengler Valley Wind 18

An example from the owens valley by Honza Rejmanek

2022 Northern California 20

Cross country and sprint leagues by Jugdeep Aggarwal

One-Two-Three-Comp! 26

New Hang gliding event emerges in monroe, Utah by Ken Millard with contributions from Tim Delaney

38 Making Friends with Lonesome Ranch

Building relationships with landowners by Brian Greeson

46 How I Quit Paragliding

Exploring the range of the moustache parakite by Mark "Turtle" Rich

50 SIV in Turkey

No more excuses: facing my fear of stalling by Emily Milly Wallace

56 When Things Go Sideways

Preparing for the unthinkable by Kate Eagle

66 Pedagogy of Flight by Tavis Linsin

HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ARE INHERENTLY DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES

USHPA recommends pilots complete a pilot training program under the direct supervision of a USHPA-certified instructor, using 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 2689-6052 (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.

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. Obtain a copy by emailing advertising@ushpa.org.

©2023 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.

Photo: Adi Geisegger

Do you have questions about USHPA policies, programs, or other areas?

EMAIL US AT: info@ushpa.org Let us know what questions or topics you’d like to hear about!

USHPA PRESIDENT > Bill Hughes

: It’s an honor to be elected USHPA’s new president. I’m excited to work with the directors, staff, and volunteers to make USHPA’s 50th anniversary a great year.

USHPA does many things behind the scenes to facilitate free flight for members but doesn’t always stop to communicate its accomplishments. This is an area where we are looking to improve! To develop better transparency with the community, I want to offer a rundown of USHPA’s structure and daily efforts.

FAR exemption, help to maintain and acquire flying sites, and much more beyond that.

USHPA chapters are crucial to managing local sites and fostering healthy flying communities. Instructors, administrators, examiners, and observers teach new pilots and work tirelessly to enhance the skills of the pilots we already have.

Interested in a more active role supporting our national organization? USHPA needs you! Have a skill or interest and some time available?

VOLUNTEER!

ushpa.org/volunteer

USHPA staff consists of four employees who do the daily work of keeping the organization running. They handle memberships, process ratings and instructor certifications, work with chapters on site retention issues, monitor proposed actions by the government that threaten our airspace rights (most recently drone activity), manage the website and new online tools, oversee insurance renewals, and work on about a dozen or so other things that are crucial to our sport. Additionally, two contractors work with members and staff to curate and design the quarterly USHPA Pilot magazine.

USHPA committees are staffed entirely by volunteers who are the unsung heroes of the organization. They establish the framework and materials for pilot certifications, review and approve new instructor and administrator appointments, monitor and analyze accidents to improve safety, manage and improve towing guidelines, update the competition rulebooks and ranking systems, review event sanction applications, monitor the budget and finances, manage the award program, work with the NAA and FAA to maintain our

Finally, there are the members, all of you— all of us—who help maintain sites, participate in events, enjoy free flight, volunteer on the committees and at events, and inspire potential new pilots by soaring above people stuck in traffic below.

Occasionally I hear from someone who thinks that USHPA isn’t doing enough. However, having seen the inner workings, I can tell you that USHPA’s internal operations only function because of the handful of staff and unpaid directors, committees, and chapter officers, all of whom work tirelessly to support members in their pursuit of free flight.

The directors, staff, and committees are dedicated to continuing the great work of all who have come before us and are always looking for new ways to improve (for example: we are currently working on increasing engagement with and support of chapters, improving the website, and enhancing member communications). We will publish updates in future issues or newsletters as we develop these efforts and have them underway. If you have some ideas for what we could be doing better, let us know, or consider volunteering to help make it happen.

Happy 50th anniversary! I look forward to seeing you in the air!

: As editor, I am always seeking stories to publish in the magazine. Recently, I’ve received numerous pitches and suggestions for unique and engaging stories from an array of pilots. I am grateful to help share your stories.

Even with these pieces, the magazine still has a few areas where we would like to see more content! If you’re interested in writing, consider the topics below, and please reach out to editor@ushpa.aero. However, don’t let this list of suggestions limit you—if you have a story idea, pitch it! Please email me if you want to contribute but aren’t sure where to start. I work with individuals from all backgrounds to develop their ideas and hone their writing. Stories range from long features to 500word recaps. No matter the length or epicness of the adventure, our readers want to hear about it!

Photo stories: Have a ton of great shots from a trip but don’t like writing? Utilizing photo placement, an intro paragraph, and some detailed captioning, we can work with you to tell the story of your adventure!

Competitions: We’re always looking for a good comp recap. If you have recently attended a comp (or will soon) and want to try writing a story for the magazine, let’s talk! Let’s find the story within the comp and expand on the standard day-byday recap.

Gear reviews: If you’ve been flying with a new piece of equipment (glider, harness, flight deck, etc.) or handling some new tech (vario, radio, app, etc.), this is the

EDITOR > Liz Dengler

perfect opportunity to share your experiences with the community. Good or bad, let’s hear about those new items in your quiver.

Hang gliding: As always, we’re looking for hang gliding stories. Although stories about comps and fly-ins are always enjoyable, if you travel or have cool flights at home, consider sharing your daily adventures or travel tips!

Speedflying/riding: As a new player in the USHPA rating system, we’re looking for stories featuring little wings! I know there are many stories out there about fun events, rad lines, and sweet adventures that show what these little wings were made for.

Cross-sport adventures: Last year we shared a story about a group of speedflyers who explored new sites while on a pack rafting trip. Readers enjoyed it, and we would love to feature more pieces like this! Did you go on a ski tour to launch a fun peak? How about snowmobiling for speedriding laps? Why not share your fish-bike-fly, three-sport-day adventure?

Everyday adventures: Did you have an epic flight at your local hill, explore a new-to-you site nearby, or have an in-air incident that resolved but left you mulling things over? How about a casual evening

XC with friends ending at your local brew pub? Did you have an aha moment when your club hosted a kiting party at the local park? There are amazingly cool stories lurking in plain sight. Keep a lookout and share them with the community!

Martin Palmaz > Publisher executivedirector@ushpa.org

Liz Dengler > Editor editor@ushpa.org

Kristen Arendt > Copy Editor

Greg Gillam > Art Director WRITERS

Dennis Pagen

Lisa Verzella

Carl Weiseth

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ben White Audray Luck

cover photo by Gary Waterman

A lucky pilot getting in a bit of speedriding in the mountains of Colorado.

FLYMASTER TRACKER 4G

The new Flymaster Tracker 4G replaces the Tracker 3G and utilizes the 4G cell network which is likely to last at least a decade. You can find more info at FlymasterUSA.com or email jugdeep@flymasterusa.com

GIN GINGO AIRLITE 5

The new and improved Gin Gingo Airlite 5 weighs in at 3.12 kg in the medium size, it’s available in five sizes from extra-small to extra-large. This is a classic three buckle leg strap system with under the seat reserve. When paired with a lightweight backpack, this harness will have pilots hiking up the hill with a lighter kit than if they had a reversible harness. It’s EN and LTF certified and comes with Gin 30 mm carabiners. It’s available through Super Fly, Inc., www. superflyinc.com, +1 801-255-9595, or your local dealer.

FLY GIN BOOTS

GIN EVORA

The Evora is an all new EN-B for talented beginners and intermediate pilots and is a wing that can suit many pilots for many seasons. The new planform is optimized for flatter, more balanced turns, and progressive brake response. Pilots will love the efficient glide performance with or without speed bar. The Evora’s inherent pitch stability is ideal for learning to fly with more and more speedbar. The Evora even has an optional additional riser with a C-riser steering system. Internally stitched mini ribs reduce snagging, plus there are no adhesive material reinforcements to attract dirt and sand. It’s made from Myungjin semi-light fabrics, has 3 risers/3 spanwise line groups, and a mix of sheathed and unsheathed lines. There are three color options: purple, lime, and blue with 6 sizes from 55-135 kg. The Evora is available from Super Fly, Inc., www. superflyinc.com, +1 801-255-9595, or your local dealer.

Waterproof and breathable with outstanding stability and grip, the latest FLYGIN boots are available for $200 in 11 sizes from 235 mm to 285 mm in 5 mm increments (sizes 7-12 U.S. men’s). There are 2 colorsgrey and red. They weigh 1.4 kg (pair, 270 mm size) and are available through Super Fly, Inc., www.superflyinc. com, +1 801-255-9595, or your local dealer.

FLYMASTER SCREEN PROTECTORS For pilots

with the Flymaster LIVE DS, GPS M, or VARIO M instruments, Flymaster USA now offers screen protectors to add screen clarity to those wearing polarized sunglasses. The image shows a screen protector over the lower half of unit when viewed with polarized lenses. For more info, visit FlymasterUSA.com or email jugdeep@flymasterusa.com

FLYMASTER LINK APP

Just what you wanted for your Flymaster LIVE DS instrument; the Flymaster LINK app for your iPhone or Android allows you to connect your LIVE DS to your phone via bluetooth. You can update airspace and upload tasks using the phone camera and QR code, among many other new features. For more info, visit FlymasterUSA.com or email jugdeep@flymasterusa.com

NOVA AONIC LIGHT

The new Aonic Light (EN/LTF A) is a three-liner with 49 cells, an aspect ratio of 5.17 and weighs from 3.4 kg (size XXS). It builds on the amazing pedigree of the Aonic which is a high EN-A glider that has numerous 200+ km flights to its credit. Now with a lighter feeling up the hill and also while turning, the Aonic is the natural choice for pilots that want everything in an EN-A glider. The NOVA Protect (valid in the first year after purchase and product registration) and a four-year warranty on the materials (after NOVA Trim Tuning and NOVA Full Service) is a total bonus. The glider comes in four sizes with weight ranges from 55-115 kg and is available through Super Fly, Inc., www.superflyinc.com, +1 801255-9595, or your local dealer.

FALL BOARD MEETING

Sept 23-24 | Richfield, UT

USHPA is excited to host the annual Board of Directors meeting in Richfield, UT before the Red Rocks Fly-In. Please visit the website for updates.

ushpa.org/boardmeeting

ASSOCIATION > Martin Palmaz, Executive Director

50 Years in 50 States

: In the last issue, Steve Pearson shared his unique perspective of witnessing the birth and evolution of our sports over the years. The founders of the Southern California Hang Gliding Association, and ultimately USHGA, played a vital role in providing the flying community with an irreplaceable gift—FAR 103. If introduced today, it probably could not be achieved. They deserve our eternal gratitude for securing this historic access to the skies and creating flying sites throughout the country.

To honor these and other achievements, USHPA is celebrating 50 years of serving the flying community and protecting free flight throughout 2023. Help us commemorate the year by sharing your memorable adventures and flying experiences. When you post on social media, add the hashtag #USHPA50 so we can collect and showcase the enthusiasm of our amazing and supportive community. Every experience is worth celebrating, whether it is your lon-

gest XC flight, first hike-and-fly, or favorite sledder. We invite pilots nationwide to capture the flying in their state so we can represent every state—50 in 50, here we come!

During the year, USHPA will coordinate with directors, committee members, and staff to attend as many events and fly-ins as possible. I will be traveling to various events and sites throughout the country. If you are planning an event in your area, please let us know so we can try to have someone attend and give a presentation on USHPA’s latest efforts and achievements. Please use this link [www.ushpa.org/50tour] to send the details. In addition to special items and presentations to share with the community, I can provide a free outdoor showing of one of USHPA’s film festivals.

In addition to the “50 in 50” campaign and cross-country tour, we will have other events and elements to celebrate our 50th anniversary year, which you can check out at www.ushpa.org/50th

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.

(this will be updated as more details are finalized). Among them, we have a sweepstakes with some great prizes, including harnesses and a vario. As a member who joins or renews in 2023 (before the drawing on December 18), you are automatically entered. You can earn additional entries if you promote the “50 in 50” campaign or complete other tasks. Share your joy of free flight with us and increase your chances of winning a prize!

Whether your member number

is 1 or 100,001, USHPA welcomes all pilots to join us in the festivities! We look forward to serving our membership and preserving our privileges and flying sites for the next 50 years. Please let us know how we can improve or protect your flying experiences around the country at www.ushpa. org/contact.

It will be a memorable year! I am excited about meeting more members and reconnecting with old friends to celebrate at your local site!

New Online training!

USHPA P2 course available now!

USHPA is excited to announce a new partnership with Skygear Hub to deliver USHPA training material at glidertraining.org

This online course fulfills the 8-hour in-person ground school requirement. Spend your valuable time on the hill practicing, not studying! Also includes P2 checklist and flight log tools for tracking your progress, and a student management portal for instructors.

Bill Hughes President president@ushpa.org

Charles Allen Vice President vicepresident@ushpa.org

Julia Knowles Secretary secretary@ushpa.org

Pam Kinnaird Treasurer treasurer@ushpa.org

Martin Palmaz Executive Director executivedirector@ushpa.org

Galen Anderson Operations Manager office@ushpa.org

Chris Webster Information Services Manager tech@ushpa.org

Anna Mack Membership Manager membership@ushpa.org

BOARD MEMBERS (Terms End in 2023)

Bill Hughes (region 1)

Julia Knowles (region 1)

Jon Faiz Kayyem (region 3)

Nelissa Milfeld (region 3)

Pamela Kinnaird (region 2)

Steve Pearson (region 3)

BOARD MEMBERS (Terms End in 2024)

Charles Allen (region 5)

Nick Greece (region 2)

Stephan Mentler (region 4)

Tiki Mashy (region 4)

BROUGHT TO YOU IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

What's your region? See page 63.

USHPA will announce new online courses for all wing types, ratings, and skills as they become available.

ACCIDENT REVIEW COMMITTEE >

Chris Santacroce

2022 trends of paragliding incidents

: As we embark on the 2023 season, the volunteer members of the USHPA Accident Review Committee take time to reflect on our work and some of the trends we saw in the 2022 season. We do our best to know about most accidents and ensure a report is filed for each one. The real work of the committee is to call individuals who file preliminary reports and speak with them about what transpired to tactfully collect information. We want the folks who are reporting to feel reassured that their information will be handled with sensitivity and that everyone involved will take the information and try to learn from it in order to reduce the number of future accidents.

We meet once a month and discuss the events. We identify trends in hang gliding, paragliding, miniwing, and speedflying/riding accidents and communicate them with USHPA members. We also use this information to offer suggestions on how to prevent accidents.

Reviewing the 2022 flying season for paragliders, speedwings, and miniwings, we saw some concerning trends that we’d like to share. The first trend we noticed is related to managing the glider on the ground in wind. This is an acquired skill, and pilots would do well to make kiting practice happen as often as flying. Strategic kiting practice with lots of cycles, turns to face forward, and turns back to set down the glider under control can all benefit pilots when they are faced with challenging launch scenarios.

We saw several accidents in 2022 that started with poor glider management on the ground

and then manifested into an incident or accident during the “turn to face forward” stage and/or right as the pilot was taking off. Many of these centered around turning the wrong way to face forward and the subsequent management of that malfunction.

The second trend pertains to cross-country and competition flying. Overall, there was a slight decline in the number of incidents from the previous year; however, there were still numerous incidents in which pilots exploring cross country, especially in competition, found themselves in a compromised position and were unable to glide to a comfortable landing area. These ended with tree landings, most of which did not involve injury. These incidents represent a lack of situational awareness usually attributed to what the FAA calls “get-thereitis” or the determination of a pilot to reach a destination even when conditions for flying are very dangerous.

The miniwing and speedflying segment presented numerous accidents related to hard turns and circles close to the ground and barrel roll incidents and accidents. The decision to circle low should be strongly considered before execution. Most miniwing and speedwing pilots reporting on the subject attributed crashes to a poor last-minute decision to circle.

Lastly, several reports focused on mid-air collisions or crowded landing areas with traffic issues. These events remind us that the skies have become increasingly crowded, and many of us may find ourselves having to decide against taking a flight due to crowding. It’s never been

more important for us to wait our turn and yield the lift to other pilots.

Summarizing years of accident reports, we are reminded that none of us are immune. It doesn’t matter who we are—we all are susceptible to making mistakes. Whether we err by making a mistake during takeoff, under or overestimating our glide in a situation, doing too strong of a turn while close to the ground, or losing track of the other pilots in the air, things can sneak up on any one of us at any time.

It is the opinion of the ARC that flying should be thought of as a multi-decade pursuit. In keeping with that idea, there’s no need to be overly ambitious or to force any exceptional flying to happen in a given year. A recreational

pursuit of the sport will yield years of gratification in a more predictable way than an agenda-driven pursuit of immediate airtime.

On behalf of the USHPA volunteer Accident Review Committee, we wish you the best flying year possible and remain at your service. Please remember to file reports for any accidents you see at www.ushpa.org/page/incident-report. It is more common for no accident reports to be filed than for us to receive multiple accounts.

Finally, we welcome new volunteers to the committee and invite those submitting reports to write about their experiences and lessons. These can also be included in the USHPA Pilot magazine as a learning opportunity for all pilots.

none of us are immune.

It doesn’t matter who we are—we all are susceptible to making mistakes.

USHPA Awards

Honoring the 2022 Recipients

by Liz Dengler

: Every year, USHPA honors exemplary pilots and community members with the USHPA awards. The themed awards and commendations show our appreciation for the individuals who have significantly contributed to the free flight community. This year, USHPA is proud to recognize seven individuals for their outstanding achievements.

Presidential Citation Paul Voight

From former President Steve Pearson: The USHPA Presidential Citation is our oldest and most prestigious award, presented annually at the discretion of the president to someone who has made extraordinary contributions to our community. For 50 years, we’ve recognized the pioneers of our sport, those who advanced technology, and others who led us through transformation and crisis. As I considered past recipients, I reflected on the innumerable contributions of those who volunteer

on behalf of our association. We depend on directors, committee chairs, committee members, local chapter officials, administrators, mentors, observers, flight schools, instructors, event organizers, meet officials, industry professionals, and so many others, including the USHPA staff, to sustain and improve our association.

As I scanned the long list of distinguished recipients and new candidates, I realized that one person, more than anyone I’ve known, has made long-standing and substantive contributions in all these volunteer areas. Paul Voight has been a director, committee member, and chair and has not missed an USHPA meeting for 35 years. He has held hundreds of in-person meetings and thousands of calls and online discussions, all of which are just the tip of the iceberg of Paul’s contributions to our community.

As an administrator, he will volunteer to host a clinic for a small group that no one else has time for. As a local official, he’s been continually engaged in securing and developing the Ellenville, New York chapter for 45 years. As an instructor, he represents the highest standards of professionalism and commitment to developing pilots. At every event I’ve attended, he’s contributed before you could think of asking for help.

Over the years, Paul has repeatedly proposed awards for others. Now, it’s my great honor and pleasure to award him the 2022 USHPA Presidential Citation.

Bettina Gray Award Seth Warren

This year, USHPA is proud to award the Bettina

Gray Award to Seth Warren, whose visually stunning photography offers a positive outlook on free flight. The Missoula-based pilot and photographer is an expert at capturing the joy of flying. As one nominator summed it up, “Seth always portrays pilots in a way that is beautiful, original, and positive for the sport. People who look at Seth’s photos are inspired and want to share the beauty and happiness at the heart of free flight. Seth always finds a way to help us remember the bliss of flight, the laughter, and all the amazing views in between.”

HG Instructor of the Year Billy Vaughn

For anyone who has worked with him, it will be no surprise that Billy Vaughn has again taken this top honor in hang gliding. His commitment to the sport and his students is unwavering. As one nominator put it, “Billy Vaughn has loved hang gliding and the entire atmosphere around the sport for many years. He has always been a very friendly and knowledgeable hang gliding instructor.” Another commented, “He teaches by example and explodes with enthusiasm and positivity when working with students. On top of that, he has helped future pilots at the Virginia Tech Hang Gliding Club by helping them hone their skills and hosting the college’s club members at his residence

for weekend training.” Charismatic, engaged, and professional, Billy’s enthusiasm sends ripples into the free flight world—both in the present and looking to the future. As another nominator noted, “He is a co-founder of Appalachian Air Sports with other enthusiastic young pilots, and is on the leading edge of an effort to stimulate a Hang Gliding Renaissance.”

Rob Kells Memorial Award Chris Santacroce

One of USHPA’s most prestigious awards, the Rob Kells Memorial Award can only be awarded to an individual or group once. This year, the award is bequeathed to Chris Santacroce. Chris’s contributions to free flight are countless, and his generosity drips through the community. It’s rare to meet a pilot who doesn’t know and respect his name. According to one of his nominators, “Chris has embodied the characteristics of the Rob Kells Memorial Award with his dedication over many years to teaching people to fly and his service on the USHPA board.” Without question, he has been a huge asset to the flying community. “Chris has worked tirelessly over his paragliding career to support the goals and objectives of USHPA,” said another nominator. “He contributes to pilot education with his time, energy, and ideas through

his well-run school and participation in various USHPA committees and workgroups.” With a willingness to contribute to the community far beyond what is expected of any individual, Chris has worked, as another nominator noted, to make the sport of paragliding safer and to develop safe and professional instructors and schools in paragliding.

“He is a great role model for all in the industry and has improved standards and training serving on the USHPA and PASA boards.”

Commendation Stacy Whitmore

Stacy Whitmore has been hosting and managing the ever-successful Red Rocks Fly-In in Monroe, Utah, for many years. Stacy’s original vision of a single autumn fly-in hosted in Central Utah has blossomed to include several flying events throughout the flying season. As one nominator mentioned, “Stacy has been running the Red Rocks Fly-In for several years now. The event is so successful that it is routinely over-subscribed, and this is thanks to Stacy’s vision. Fly-ins foster community, which is crucial for retaining membership. Stacey’s events help support the success of hang gliding and paragliding and the continuity of the sports.” When asked to submit a photo for this article, Stacy responded quickly with a group shot (Judy Whitmore, Stacy Whitmore, Jef Anderson, and Stefanie Anderson) and made clear he

ascribes much of the success of the event to their support. “These people have been essential to the growth of the sport. Their support has enabled me to accomplish the things that have brought me this recognition,” he said. “Judy has been the retrieve coordinator of the Red Rocks and mother bear for the pilots in this area. Jef (co-founder of CUASA) has been the vice president of CUASA for 17 years and continues as treasurer, trusted advisor, and the man who makes my ideas a reality. Stephanie has served in various roles, including CUASA secretary, safety coordinator, and form finder.” USHPA is happy to recognize Stacy’s part of this group effort with this commendation.

Commendation Karl Allmendinger

Karl Allmendinger has been a pillar in the free flight community for decades. As one nominator pointed out, “He’s held various offices within the Wings of Rogallo Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club in Northern California, has volunteered his time to work to improve the launch and landing areas at Ed Levin County Park and Mission Peak Regional Preserve. He has been both an instructor and attentive mentor and organized flying trips for new pilots.” Few pilots have volunteered so much of their time to support local sites and pilots, and USHPA is happy to honor Karl’s work with this commendation.

Commendation Jessica Koerner

Jessica Koerner is awarded a commendation for her tireless efforts in the hang gliding community in the San Francisco region. Not only is she the president of the Fellow Feathers of Fort Funston Hang Gliding Club, but she has also volunteered countless hours building the club’s new website which, according to one nominator, simplified membership renewal for new and returning pilots and improved usability. They also noted, “Jessica is a natural leader who can run a club meeting with great efficiency. But, what she really brings to the table, is a sense of community. She instills the sensibility that we all share the bond of free flight—the purest form of aviation.”

2023 USHPA AWARDS

MAKE YOUR NOMINATION AT: ushpa.org/page/award-nomination-form NOMINATIONS ARE DUE OCTOBER 1.

PRESIDENTIAL CITATION - USHPA's highest award.

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.

USHPA EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE AWARD - Outstanding service to the association by any member or non-member.

NAA SAFETY AWARD - The NAA presents this award to an individual, recommended by USHPA, who has promoted safety.

FAI HANG GLIDING DIPLOMA - For outstanding contribution by initiative, work, or leadership in flight achievement.

FAI PEPE LOPES MEDAL - For outstanding contributions to sportsmanship or international understanding.

CHAPTER OF THE YEAR - For conducting successful programs that reflect positively upon the chapter and the sport.

NEWSLETTER/WEBSITE OF THE YEAR (print or web-based).

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 - For volunteer work by non-members and organizations.

COMMENDATIONS - For USHPA members who have contributed to hang gliding and/or paragliding on a volunteer basis.

BETTINA GRAY AWARD - For the photographer whose work (three examples needed for review) is judged best by the committee in aesthetics, originality, and a positive portrayal.

BEST PROMOTIONAL FILM - For the videographer whose work is judged best by the committee in consideration of aesthetics, originality, and a positive portrayal.

Valley Wind: An Example from the Owens Valley

: When flying in the mountains, it is important to be aware of what is happening in the valleys, as our primary landing zones are often located in the valley. Several hours can pass from the time that a pilot leaves the valley to head up to launch and the actual time that the pilot gets airborne. On a vol-biv, or sky-camping flight, the pilot might not set foot in a valley for days. As such, it is important for a soaring pilot to have a solid understanding of how valley winds develop in order to avoid flying into a dangerous spot.

This photo was taken around noon at cloudbase in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California in early April. Cloudbase was approximately 4,500 m. The view is looking south with the 3,000 m deep Owens Valley visible on the left-hand side. The snow-free Inyo Mountains are visible on the far left. There are many smaller steep valleys that enter the Sierra Nevada. These are perpendicular to Owens Valley, and they run east to west. Even on high pressure, synoptically benign days, the Owens Valley can develop strong southerly

valley winds. This is especially true in the spring and summer months. The yearly rainfall totals average less than 18 cm which explains why in early April the valley floor, the Inyo Mountains, and the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains are free of snow. Many peaks in this photo reach over 4,000 m above sea level. Owens Valley, being in the lee of such a tall mountain range, often receives a lot of sun, and the ground is usually dry and covered by sparse brush. Not much of the sun’s energy goes into evaporating water; therefore air can warm up quickly over such a hot and dry surface.

With the same amount of sunlight and with a similar type of surface, air in a valley will heat faster than air above the same area out in the plains. This differential heating is due to the Topographic Amplification Factor also known as the Valley Volume Effect. What this means, in essence, is that all the mountains that are present take up room that would be occupied by air out over the flats. Therefore, in a mountainous region,

If you are unable to get up and stay up all afternoon, then it is very important to know your landing zone or to have some way of getting a valley wind report.

it is easier to warm the air mass up to a given level. As air warms, it expands. Over areas where it warms faster, it expands more. This causes an outflow at the higher levels. This outflow is generally light and often masked by any synoptic wind that is present. The outflow does, however, drop the pressure at the surface. The greatest pressure drop occurs at the lowest surface, in this case, the valley floor. We now have a pressure gradient between the valley floor and the same altitude out in the flats. This drop in pressure might only be a few millibars but it is enough to generate significantly strong valley winds.

By the nature of the mechanism described, the valley winds will be strongest in the lowest levels. Higher up on the mountainsides, the valley winds can be very light. The lulls between thermals can be very pronounced. It is not uncommon for valley winds to start picking up by 11 a.m. and getting quite strong by 2 p.m. If you are unable to get up and stay up all afternoon, then it is very important to know your landing zone or to have some way of getting a valley wind report.

It is important to realize that, despite having nice thermal cycles of reasonable strength and duration on launch, thermals lower down on the mountain might already be getting badly shredded by the strengthening valley wind. It is very important to keep this in mind if you chose to fly and want to stay up.

If you start sinking down into the main valley wind, it becomes important to find a steep side valley that is perpendicular to the flow of the main valley. If the geometry is correct and the valley wind is strong enough, you can ridge soar

until a strong enough thermal comes through to allow you to get back up to crest level or higher. It should be noted that this can be considered an advanced maneuver since it usually puts you close to terrain in midday windy and thermic conditions. You should have the adequate skillset to execute this safely.

Up at cloudbase, in this photo, the wind is from the right. Since we are looking south, the wind at altitude is from the west, increasing slightly with height. In the upper right-hand corner, we see a curling of the cumulus cloud. This can be a sign that the cloud is rising into progressively stronger wind, or it could be due to the natural shearing on its periphery. If the cloud shadows on the ground indicate significant movement, then the cloud is probably rising into ever stronger wind.

With light westerlies, it should not be too hard to fly south along the range. However, enough altitude must be gained to cross each of the peripheral valleys with enough height. Lower down their north faces become lee to the southerly valley wind. If the goal is an out and return, then it is best to fly south early when the valley wind is lighter and back north later when it is stronger. On the way back, if you get low, you have a tailwind, and it is easier to run to an upwind face to get back up.

Owens Valley has a world-renowned reputation for being a very powerful place to fly. Overpowering, might be a more appropriate term on many days, especially in the late spring and summer. Your skill and mountain flying experience should dictate what time of year you chose to fly the Owens!

Cloudbase (4,500 meters or 14,764 feet) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California in early April.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CROSS COUNTRY and SPRINT LEAGUES

by JUGDEEP AGGARWAL

: 2021 was a great year for the leagues, but 2022 was even better. In the Sprint League, we had nine tasks at Tollhouse, Dunlap, and Potato Hill, all averaging about 30 km in distance. Turnout was exceptional, with 34 pilots attending the first meet in March, and participation staying over 20 pilots for each event for the whole season. We had five tasks in the Northern California Cross Country League, which runs harder and more committing tasks. We tried to get a task in at Mt. Vaca but were skunked by poor weather on two weekends. Despite this, we successfully got new routes at Dunlap, taking advantage of the

rare south wind, and ran a task from Tollhouse to Dunlap. The icing on the cake was a task at Slide Mountain, which had pilots fly as far away as possible before attempting to make it back to the LZ. If they missed making it back, they were heavily penalized.

Thanks to all for making this a successful year!

Although the Northern California Sprint League setup is similar to the Northern California Cross Country League, it better serves lower airtime pilots who have limited cross-country flying experience. The Sprint is designed to fill in the gap between P3/P4 pilots who have just

Photo of the Bob and Amy on the other tandem (see the Stories From Pilots section). Photo by Mike and Lauren.

learned to thermal and seasoned pilots who are familiar with cross-country flying. It serves as a training ground for future cross-country league pilots who fly EN-A and EN-B gliders with no requirements for satellite trackers or HAM licenses.

So why are the leagues so successful? Some unquantifiable aspects, such as the mentoring program, online tutorials, and additional web pages, are significant sources of satisfaction. The warm camaraderie helps create positive energy among participants. Whatever the reason, the format works, and pilots are having a good time while improving their skills.

Our pilot community also wants fly-ins to help develop pilot skills and explore the local areas of our flying sites. How better to do this than with friends? Once pilots have found the league meets, they continue to return. The camaraderie, the flying, the informal learning environment, and the chance to better personal distances all

contribute to keeping folks coming back. With a goal of being a fly-in with a mission, these league meets provide a forum for training for larger sanctioned competitions.

With two leagues, it is easier to cater tasks to differing pilot abilities. The Sprint League conducts more modest tasks with distances of less than 35 km, generally around the 20 km mark. The Cross Country League devises more demanding tasks, with distances typically around 60 km but sometimes up to 120 km.

Attendees quickly get into the swing of things, substantially reducing the task load of the organizer. Waypoints can be downloaded before the weekend from the website. Participants sign in and pay by PayPal before the event and submit their tracklogs via XC Demon to be scored. This procedure has run well, providing a smoother experience for all. Keeping track of a large number of pilots is difficult; however, the buddy system has proven to be a success—it allows

Pilots queuing up for launch at Tollhouse. Photo by Emily Reinys.

pilots to verify the safety of their buddy. Then the only issue is retrieval.

The dedicated website containing all information for the league, www.norcalxc.com, is a helpful resource for keeping pilots informed throughout the season. Several additions to the website—online pilot registration using a Google form, a page directed at first-timers about what to expect, and several pages on strategies and tips—have helped everyone.

Aaron Price, who runs the SoCal league, has been working on a software package called XC Demon to help with various aspects of the league, including pilot registration, event signup, scoring, pilot tracklog submission, and verification. It’s a fantastic platform, and I encourage those who want to run any type of race-to-goal event to use it.

I have been running the league for over 15

years. One of the most rewarding aspects is watching pilots’ progression. The league meets take over where formalized training stops by providing pilots a chance to fly with, and learn from, more skilled pilots.

I look forward to the organization of more leagues around the country. Such leagues can help pilot quality improve and reduce pilot attrition. With the 2023 season about to kick off, I hope to see new pilots coming out to the league to learn what they’ve been missing! Keep it fun, and see you in the air.

Stories from pilots

AMY POSEY It was the last Sprint League event of the year and a chilly and crisp October morning. We competed in the first event, so we decided to bookend the year’s league, convincing

“The buddy system has proven to be a success—it allows pilots to verify the safety of their buddy.”

Pilots before the start at Tollhouse. Photo by Jugdeep Aggarwal.

our friends Mike and Lauren to “tandem-tandem” the comp.

We knew it’d be a fun day and make for an interesting and friendly competition. They have a bigger wing, and although we were smaller, we had the speed advantage. As a group, we had flown together on a tandem-tandem adventure earlier that year in Colombia and wanted to recreate the fun of our trip with this last Sprint League event.

Flying in a competition as a tandem is ideal as you can divide the responsibilities. While Bob flew, I navigated so we wouldn’t hit anyone, paid attention to where others were finding thermals, counted down to when we’d get in the cylinder, and handled in-flight snacks and beverages. If Bob needed to adjust something, I’d take the controls and keep us going.

Right from the start of the task, we fell behind. The day’s thermals had just started to heat up, and the launch gaggle was crowded. The start time passed, and as we got low out in front of launch, we saw Mike and Lauren circle up and head on course, well ahead of us. They were finding lifty lines, and we kept them in our sights.

It was a challenging day to fly. There wasn’t enough lift to go around for all the pilots, and once we made the large crossing over to the ridge, we struggled to find any thermal that would take us to the top of lift. The course was also a contributing factor, with many back-andforth valley crossings that provided challenges in finding lift after sinking out, and we found ourselves looking for rocky terrain to eke out thermals to take us back to the ridgeline.

We spent most of the day enviously following Mike and Lauren. They’d cross over, get low, find the tiniest of thermals, and squeak back up. We’d follow their line, sink out, look for landing spots, and then, with steely determination and encouragement, find the lightest puff of a thermal to

Selfie with the pilots on launch during a site briefing.

Photo by Omar.

Photo of the Mike and Lauren launching a tandem at Tollhouse. Photo by JC.

OPEN CLASS

Winner: Mike Cozza

Second: Jugdeep Aggarwal

Third: Joe Seltz

SPORT CLASS

Winner: Jugdeep Aggarwal

Second: Zane O’Conner

Third: Chuck Leathers

turn and turn and turn. Working hard to check off each of the waypoints, we had several points in time when we thought we would not complete the task. But then, suddenly, we saw it—the opportunity.

We had flown a thermal to the top of its usefulness and saw Mike and Lauren in the distance. They were well on their way toward the end of speed waypoint, getting somewhat low, when, suddenly, we saw them turning.

It was our chance. We tucked into the most aerodynamic body positions we could on a tandem and charged ahead. We found a lifty line (thanks to the solo glider above us) and beelined for the waypoint and Mike and Lauren.

Not sure we could catch them, we saw the ground zoom past our feet as we got closer.

“Gooo! Gooooooo!” I shouted, and within moments we had gained as the vario counted down the meters…100…90…80…70… Within seconds we found ourselves neck and neck soaring toward the waypoint, nearly directly over Mike and

SPRINT LEAGUE

Winner: Clemens Grosskinsky

Second Place: George Du

Third Place: John Luu

Lauren. We could hear each other shouting and laughing as we were all surprised we caught up after an afternoon of being well behind.

“We got it! We got it!” I shouted in chorus with the vario’s horn as we hit the waypoint directly above Mike and Lauren. We laughed and reminded ourselves we still had to land and finish the task. We were thrilled to have crossed the finish line simultaneously with friends we had chased all day.

After a smooth landing in the well-manicured LZ, we high-fived and danced around, thrilled to have completed a challenging task as a tandem-tandem crew, crossing over the finish line, nearly wingtip to wingtip. Although the scoring software said we finished 2 seconds behind Lauren and Mike, it was still a valiant effort!

SEAN AHRENS I entered the Sprint League as a fresh, bushy-tailed P3. The league provided an invaluable framework to advance my paragliding skills and a community to support me on that journey. Furthermore, doing competitions with the league taught me the joy of turning what had felt like aimlessly floating in the sky into a harrowing adventure of calculations, bets, races, strategy, wins, losses, and accomplishments. I loved it!

JENNIFER LAURITZEN Participating in the League events has been a wonderful experience; learning to strategize for tasks and timing has paid great dividends toward helping me improve my skills and distance for cross-country flights. I

Pilots waiting for retrieve at goal. Photo by Emily Reinys.

have also met a great group of pilots and developed mentor relationships through league events.

PHILIP MASSOUD This was my first season competing in the Spring League, and safe to say, it was terrific fun racing around multiple California flying sites. As a 100-hour pilot, these competitions were a great way for me to progress. Learning how to navigate tasks, implementing strategies to fly fast, and building skills such as thermalling, using speedbar efficiently, and reading instruments made every task a rewarding challenge. By using these newfound skills, I was able to win a couple of tasks and place fourth overall.

JEFF WORSNOP This was my third year in the league, and I was fortunate enough this year to compete in several weekend events. What a fantastic way to fly paragliders! Flying with friends

is already awesome, but when combined with a little friendly competition, it’s next level. Not to mention the tremendous amount of learning that can be had! Sharing thermals, shouting across to your mates while on glide, and crossing the End of Speed Section neck-and-neck with a nearby pilot are the moments that stand out for me. The unofficial mantra of the league was “first muppet or last muppet, it doesn’t matter,” and that couldn’t be more true. Whether you are someone who will only be happy if you’re in first place or someone who’s just there for the good vibes and good retrieves, the NorCal Cross Country League accommodates all. Winning is fun, but what I remember most are the times shared with fellow pilots on launch, in the sky, racing to goal, or celebrating at the end of an excellent task. In short, I can’t wait for next season, and I hope to make it to as many meets as possible!

One-Two-Three-Comp!

New hang gliding event emerges in Monroe, Utah

by Ken Millard, with contributions from Tim Delaney

: In the fall of 2020, I joined a handful of hang glider pilots trying a new-to-us foot launch site in Monroe, Utah. Encouraged by our experience, we returned in 2021 and 2022. Each year,

we expanded our understanding of the area and conditions and flew higher and farther, gaining experiences that were a catalyst for growth for our band of pilots. In 2023 we are

Paragliders and hang gliders sharing the skies over Cove launch. Photo by Valerie McClary. Working the wall north of Cove launch. Photo by John Irlbeck.

returning as the organizers and support staff of a new foot-launch hang gliding competition!

This area of central Utah is dominated by a 250 km valley running northeast to southwest. At its narrowest, the valley is a few miles wide; at its widest, it’s over six miles—wide enough to create some flatland thermals. However, the primary soaring is over the hills that flank the valley.

The Central Utah Air Sports Association (CUASA) has done a superb job of support-

ing and growing free flight in the area. They have worked tirelessly in the towns to develop friendly relationships around the sport. Critically, they have secured a full-time, dedicated LZ at the edge of Monroe, which they continue to expand and improve.

2020

In September 2020, when many competitions and events were canceled due to the pandemic, CUASA decided to proceed with their

Gliders set up at launch on Monroe Peak. Photo by John Irlbeck.

annual Red Rocks Fly-In. The response was enthusiastic, attracting hundreds of participants—primarily paragliders. A group of hang glider pilots also showed up to check it out. We started every morning with a masked outdoor briefing in the parking lot of the local fire station, blocks away from the club’s LZ.

Mandatory temperature checks followed the meeting before we drove to one of the three local launches.

On one memorable day of the event, light north winds made Cove the preferred launch. At 8,700 feet, locals consider Cove a medium altitude launch, offering 3,300 feet of verti-

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Setting up our new oxygen systems. Photo by Valerie McClary. Gaggle of paragliders in front of launch. Photo by John Irlbeck.

cal to the valley floor. There is a nice bowl to soar in north winds and a spectacular sheer granite wall off the north end where the ridge attaches to the taller foothills that climb up to the 10,666-foot summit behind. The terrain is stunning.

A technical challenge specific to this site is finding a way to bench up to climb out above the summit. CUASA has established the “Cove Club” to recognize pilots who have made the flight and submitted their tracklogs. Inductees are given sequential numbers and are listed on a dedicated webpage. Once word of the club spread around our group of hang gliding friends, everyone was on fire to get in.

On this particular day, we had our work cut out for us. The lift was light, so staying up meant working a few narrow lift bands along the ridge, which we shared with scores of pilots (hang gliders and paragliders alike); the level of

crowding was nerve-racking. Two pilots in our group, Ric Caylor and Jon Irlbeeck, navigated the traffic successfully and picked up enough altitude to jump over to the big granite wall to the north. They were patient, skillful, and maybe a little lucky, and they found something strong enough to climb up that wall.

I, unfortunately, didn’t make it that far. Between the traffic and light conditions, I struggled to climb enough to glide to the wall. After a half dozen passes on the ridge, my mind played a classic pilot’s trick on me: “There could be a thermal coming off of that low knob over there.” I tried working that knob and the bump of lift I found on my way to it, to no avail. Once I was 200 feet below launch, I knew I wasn’t getting back up. On the long trek to the LZ, I targeted some more ground features to search for thermals without results.

Meanwhile, I listened to Ric and Jon’s radio

Celebrating a successful flight. Photo by Valerie McClary. The primary launch at Monroe Peak. Photo by Valerie McClary.

chatter and wondered if they had climbed enough to bench the foothills to the peak. Ric only talks when he is climbing; knowing that, the silence told me a fair amount about how their day was going. About an hour after they launched, Ric asked how Jon was doing—his voice had an edge of frustration. He had made no progress and was testing the water to see if Jon was also struggling—maybe they could

both call it a day. Jon’s voice crackled over the radio, elated, “I’m in the club!” Jon was above the summit.

Over the next half hour, I listened to Jon’s skillful “motivational” coaching. Saying very little, he said he would wait over the peak until Ric could join him. It was reassuring, supportive, and, to Ric’s particular blended sense of camaraderie and competitiveness (and I say this as a friend), it was infuriating. It was perfect. There was no more consideration of calling it a day. After another half hour of patient piloting, Ric joined Jon over the peak and made it into the club. Three more hang gliding pilot friends joined the club that week: Mark Dickson, Aaron Rinn, and Jeff Butler.

Monroe is hardly a secret; CUASA’s fly-ins and competitions draw hundreds of participants yearly. However, 2020 showed our small crew the potential of the site, and we talked about returning to fly it in stronger conditions.

2021

In early 2021, I got a call from Tim Delaney (a pilot and sailplane pilot with abundant experience fling in Utah and, particularly, the Monroe area). He suggested we put together a posse

Pete Lehmann, Ken Millard, Mitch Shipley, Ric Caylor, Jon Irlbeck.

Photo by Valerie McClary.

“

The reputation for excellent conditions in this area is welldeserved. Anticipate tasks of 100 miles or more.”

The author poses with his T3. Photo by Rick Warner.

of hang glider pilots and converge on Monroe in mid-June. I was in! Ten of us gathered for a week to enjoy the conditions which Tim described as nearly as strong as the Owens but

less punchy. “Come get some big air,” he said. On a memorable day that week, I launched Cove in good conditions, and in five minutes, I found a core and picked up 800 feet. Then I

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The author still smiling after a one-mile walk-out. Note the oxygen canula. Photo by John Irlbeck.

saw Tim climbing nearby. Tim knows his stuff, so I zipped through some sink and got in under him. I was rewarded with a smooth, wide climb that averaged 450 fpm over nearly fifteen minutes. And just like that, I was looking down at the summit. Later I sent in my tracklog, and CUASA assigned me Cove Club number 199. Having topped out my climb over Cove at a touch under 16,000 feet, I went exploring a little deeper into the high plateau. I am not sure what called me back there, but I cruised 10 km to the northeast before I found my next climb. I flew through a bump, turned back into it, and started climbing. It got better. In two minutes, I was averaging 1100 fpm, with a few pulses of 1600 fpm. For me, that is indeed “big air.” The air was howling in my ears, and I cursed the stiff handling of my new topless glider as I struggled to crank it up tighter in the turn. I glanced at my altitude, which was nearing 17,999—time to go. I straightened out and accelerated to leave the thermal but was still

going up. I stuffed the bar and held it until I was sure I was sinking. As I flew, I only eased up long enough to check my vario, looking for neutral air and legal altitude. Reviewing my tracklog later, I was awed that I flew through a full mile of lift before finding neutral air. Big air, indeed.

Two days later, I took the day off to drive retrieve for my friends. Tim and “All Day” Paul Voight headed south. I ended up wasting three hours chasing them down the valley, only to have them turn around to fly a 100 km outand-back. This site offers excellent flights.

2022

We gathered again in June of 2022. I arrived a day after Tim flew east over some uninviting terrain to land near Moab, more than 100 miles away. This site offers some great flights. By the time we returned in 2022, CUASA had improved the west launch at Cove, expanded the Monroe LZ, and made several other small

Tavo Gutierrez making his approach to the Monroe LZ.

but useful site improvements. Atilla Plasch created a local waypoint file, which we tested by setting practice competition tasks. Everything looked good for a week of flying and our planning of a competition in 2023.

As for myself, I was more confident with my equipment, had a better familiarity with the area, and made better decisions regarding local terrain and weather. As such, in 2022, I had much better flights. On the second day, I launched from Cove’s newly improved west launch, climbed consistently, flew 70 miles, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

We hope to see many other pilots have the same experience, or better, at the XC clinic and competition this upcoming June.

2023

Monroe Utah Hang Gliding Competition

Preparations are underway for a seven-day, Category-2 sanctioned hang gliding competition (June 17–24). The event is intended for

pilots with experience flying in the mountains and who have strong foot-launching skills. We recommend an oxygen system, a 2-way satellite communication/tracking system, and 2-meter ham radio with a helmet headset for clear communication. During this time, a fly-in will be open to all pilots who wish to participate in recreational flying and social activities.

Before the competition, we will host a threeday Red Rocks “Mountain Flying Academy” XC clinic (June 14–16). The course is designed to help pilots refresh their high-altitude flying skills. Our instructors are world record-holding and national champion pilots who will be mentoring ground school classes, launch and landing clinics, and navigation with aviation-assisted training. The goal is to emphasize safety, awareness, critical situation analysis, and to employ the proper use of gear and equipment. Both events aim to provide a fun, safe, competitive, and affordable foot-launched competition in one of the premier mountain

Jon Irlbeck climbing out over Cove launch during the 2020 Red Rocks Fly-In.

sites in the western U.S.

If my stories above didn’t offer a clear enough picture of the flying here, know that the reputation for excellent conditions in this area is well-deserved. You can expect to see cloud bases between 16,000 and 20,000 feet, and cloud streets and convergence lines are typical. Anticipate tasks of 100 miles or more with race-

to-goal, triangles, and out-and-back options. Tasking is possible in all directions (allowing us to plan with the weather), with predominate routes running north and south along the Wasatch and Sevier Plateaus. Flights over 100 miles have occurred in the last two years. Safe landing fields are abundant, and retrievals are generally convenient with good highway

Relaxing in the nearby hot springs. Photo by Rick Warner. A sunset landing at the Monroe LZ. Photo by Valerie McClary.

and road access. Four-wheel drive is recommended but not necessary. The lower Cove launch (8,800 feet) is a 45-minute drive from the LZ, and the higher launch on Monroe Peak (11,200 feet) is a 75-minute drive from the LZ. These launches can accommodate north, west, and south winds.

The Central Utah Air Sports Association and the town of Monroe are welcoming to pilots. There is a shade shelter at the in-town dedicated LZ, and camping sites are one block away. The city of Richfield is 20 minutes away on Highway 70 and offers several hotels, restaurants, and other amenities.

We look forward to seeing you in Utah in the summer of 2023!

Making Friends with High Lonesome Ranch

Building relationships with landowners

by Brian Greeson

(photos submitted by numerous fly-in participants)

: During the summer of 2021, I moved to a new area and discovered flying opportunities in the lesser-flown regions of Colorado’s Western Slope. I found a paraglider’s playground in Douglas Pass and the Roan Plateau. Initially, all to myself, I soon found a crew of brave local pilots willing to explore the remote and unknown spots. We were a small crew—Lukas Hill, Casey Evanoff, Chase Anderson, Luke Rome, and myself.

Connection

As we explored, we noticed the name High Lonesome Ranch (HLR) was common on the land ownership parcel maps. I knew the future of flying in the area depended on developing a positive relationship with whoever HLR was. An in-

ternet search provided the location of the ranch headquarters: at the base of a long, flat-topped, southwest-facing ridge in the Dry Fork Valley, and it seemed ideally suited for paragliding exploration. There were several possible launches, and the entire valley was wide open and landable with sparsely placed obstacles.

On a summer afternoon, I drove to the ranch headquarters. My initial goal was to educate them about paragliding and, hopefully, gain landing permission or approval to hike through their properties. Like my previous interactions with landowners, I practiced my introduction and responses to common questions the night before. First impressions are crucial in landowner relations, and this was the most important contact

for the area. In short, I was nervous!

I introduced myself and asked who I should speak to about the possibility of paragliding from their properties.

“Paragliding? We’ve been looking at that,” they responded. “Is that an activity you could help us provide to our guests?”

To say I was surprised by their response was an understatement. Typically, when making initial contact with a landowner, you can spend a great deal of time explaining what paragliding is and how it’s different from skydiving or base jumping, not to mention convincing landowners that we are not wearing “one of those squirrel suits.” If you have ever been asked, “What plane did you jump from?” or “What cliff did you jump off?” after landing in someone’s field, you know the uphill battle we face when educating the public

about our activities. After some initial discussions, it was clear that HLR was not only open to allowing paragliding on their property, but they were also very interested in hosting events.

A Concept

With permission, I began flying from the ridges surrounding the ranch’s headquarters and looking for the best launch and landing zones. That winter, we solidified the idea of a fly-in with an accompanying hike-and-fly competition. In late spring 2022, we selected our launch sites, and the ranch cleared the area with heavy machinery. I sent out an announcement via our local Telegram groups at the beginning of March about the gathering. I expected the event would be small; maybe we could get 15 pilots to show up. However, as the registrations started coming in,

Pilots scoping the launch area.

The massive LZs make this a fantastic place to hold an event.

Bivy race participants and winners Eric Klammer and Ryan Friedman.

I quickly realized that we were going to have a much larger event than I had anticipated!

The number of people attending, coupled with the remoteness of High Lonesome Ranch, were making logistics difficult. On top of that, I had never put on an event of any type, let alone a fly-in for over a hundred pilots. In short, I was in way over my head. Thankfully, an entire team jumped in to help make the event possible. The ranch’s guest services director Ariel, and her crew, Ace and Ginger, were instrumental in organizing all the logistics to make the event happen. They were able to coordinate food trucks, trash collection, campground layout, and more. Our small pilot crew managed to pull together other resources, such as fresh water and toilets

for the campground, help on launch, drivers for launch/retrieve, signage, and so on. The planning was coming together, but communication with the attendees leading up to the event was challenging. Even with multiple mass emails and maintaining an open dialog on the official event Telegram channel, I still received questions that made it clear people needed to be more informed. I was constantly worried that pilots would show up unprepared in knowledge or supplies. In response, we upped our communication level on Telegram and created a welcome packet for each attendee with as much information as possible about the area, flying, and ranch services.

Fly-in participants posing on launch.

A crew member surveys the area assessing wind for the day.

Complications

One aspect that proved to be a battle was our requirement for GPS trackers for each pilot. We required these primarily for safety, but there was an added benefit. The devices with two-way messaging would greatly assist with communications in the valley, which was devoid of cell service. The area is extremely remote, so having the ability to communicate could be the difference between life and death. From another point of view, it could be the difference between a happy story about a successful rescue or a tragic story about a fatality that builds a negative reputation for our beloved pastime and can jeopardize our ability to open more flying areas. GPS trackers were non-negotiable. As such, we found ways to borrow and rent units to provide for pilots who didn’t want or couldn’t afford to buy their own for a single weekend event.

In the months leading up to the event, the region’s monsoon was in full swing. Large afternoon thunderstorms produced heavy rains and,

with them, landslides. A few weeks before the event, a deluge of rain caused a debris flow that destroyed the valley road near the landing area and the road to launch. Without the road, the fly-in was at risk of becoming a hike-and-fly-only event or, worse, canceled. There was so much damage that the county had to bring in surveyors to find where the valley road was supposed to be before remaking it. After the road was repaired, the ranch’s maintenance director Aiden, did a fantastic job re-blading the road to launch at great expense to the HLR.

In the months leading up to the event, there were many times that the logistics and circumstances threatened the event’s existence. Instead of becoming discouraged, we rallied together to overcome these challenges. Each challenge strengthened our relationship with the ranch and brought our local community closer together.

The Fly-In

At long last, the fly-in began on a beautiful

A pilot soars over the the main ridge overlooking the valley.

Thursday afternoon in September. We prepared fresh water and set up solar showers and porta potties in the campground. We also set up satellite Internet in the landing area so we could track pilots and coordinate retrieves. The High Lonesome staff and our local crew were busy checking in pilots, setting up the bar, and completing last-minute tasks in the campground. It felt like we might pull this thing off.

A steady stream of pilots arrived Thursday and Friday; in the end, we had over 110 attendees. Quite a few more than the 15 I had originally anticipated! We had a good mix of flying and non-flying activities. The trucks were loaded up in the landing area in the mornings and evenings to haul pilots up to launch, though the recent road work made the drive hilariously dusty, so much so that some pilots chose to hike the trail to launch instead. For many pilots, this was their

first experience away from their home site, and many had personal bests during the weekend. Regardless of skill level, all pilots were treated to

“It felt like we might pull this thing off."

The morning competition meeting.

Food trucks were available every day of the fly-in. Participants could enjoy meeting the ranch life. Kiting practice in the landing zone.

amazing views of the unique and remote landscape.

The event had two competitions, Daily and Bivy, which shared a similar waypoint collection format. We distributed a waypoint file consisting of over 50 waypoints across the flying area, and each waypoint was worth the same number of points. For the Daily comp, a pilot was awarded points for each waypoint cylinder crossed, and waypoints could only be collected once per day. Each morning we designated several bonus waypoints that were worth double points. A pilot was allowed to relaunch as many times as they liked, and waypoints had to be crossed in the air. There was no defined route; rather, pilots had to make their own strategy to maximize the day’s conditions. Each pilot submitted their day’s IGC files to a website, and the top two finishers received prizes during that evening’s bonfire. Then

the waypoints were reset, and everything started over the next day. On day 1 Randy Hughes took 1st and Casey Evanoff, 2nd. Day 2 was a weather day with no scheduled daily competition. On day 3, the winners were Randy Hughes in 1st and Luke Rome in 2nd.

The Bivy race was similar to the Daily race, with a few modifications. Pilots could only travel by foot and paraglider, waypoints could be crossed either in the air or on the ground, and the waypoints did not reset over the course of the weekend. The Bivy competition winners were announced during an awards dinner hosted on the last evening of the fly-in. Eric Klammer and Ryan Friedman took 1st and 2nd place in the Bivy comp. It was exciting watching the different routes and strategies during the competitions.

Pilots enjoyed the format and we hope to see more of these styles of competitions in the U.S.

in the future.

High Lonesome Ranch is a paraglider’s paradise. People spent the non-flying hours lounging by the pool, hiking and exploring the beautiful landscape, and attending the excellent workshops (risk assessment hosted by Brian Doub and regenerative ranching practices hosted by the ranch’s agricultural manager Dakota Glueck). Everyone enjoyed the food trucks during the day and the bar in the evening. We had a nightly

bonfire where people roasted marshmallows and filled the air with stories of the day’s adventures. The event became more than just a fly-in; it became a community of people sharing their love of free flight.

When I moved to this area and started exploring, I was flying alone and enjoyed the adventure. However, over time, I was joined by a few brave pilots willing to venture into the unknown. The shared experience was so much more enjoyable. In the end, we were able to share our adventures with an entirely new group of pilots through the fly-in, making friends and lifelong memories along the way. The small community here is looking forward to hosting this event moving forward and is planning to hold the 2023 High Lonesome Fly-In

24-27.

Windy evening at the fly-in campground.

Pilots relaxing in the evening at the ranch HQ firepit.

How I Quit Paragliding Exploring the range of the Moustache Parakite

by Mark "Turtle" Rich

: I was in a happy place with my paragliding when a wing with a funny name arrived in my life. I have a funny nickname, so I figured, why not try it? I was handed a 22-meter wing and told not to fly it in turbulence or strong thermals and to be extra careful with my brake checking because I could easily stall it. My first thought was, “Why would I ever fly this thing? Don’t you know where I live?” Utah is known for turbulence and strong thermals. What follows is a snippet of my new

aviation chapter with a parakite named the Flare Moustache.

The chops

I began by kiting the wing to get used to its character. I have enjoyed learning to dance with every wing I have ever owned, and I kite every chance I can when I am not flying. The Moustache was no exception and kiting it required adding new skills to my aviation toolbox.

The author playing on the North Side, Point of the Mountain, Utah.

While kiting on the flat, I had to learn how far the glider could fly past overhead and not deflate. This was a strange phenomenon at first as it was different from the paragliders that I was used to. I found it liked to sit overhead and could even push a little out front without needing to offer brake input, and it wouldn’t deflate. I learned to accept this characteristic and looked forward to the next gem the Moustache would offer.

Kiting up a slope, hill, or mountain is where I learn the most about a wing. This routine allows me to identify and understand a wing’s characteristics, such as how much brake pressure is needed or the hand positions to keep the wing overhead or in the drag mode to assist walking up. For the Moustache, I learned when to assist at the AB intersect of the risers. I also learned never to pull on the raw brake line because the perfectly inflated wing would disappear. Slip, stumble, or fall, but no matter what, keep flying the wing, even if it is only half of the wing. To date, I have trained countless hours on every size of Moustache (13, 15, 18, and 22 meters), and have found that each size is unique.

The brake travel

On this particular wing, the brake travel is much longer than a standard paraglider since the brakes and speed system are combined. My best description is that there are three ranges: 1) Hands all the way up to the trim tabs for the “speed system range.” 2) Hands at the trim tabs to the top of the carabiners for the “paraglider characteristics range.” 3) Below the carabiners to hands all the way down for the “flare and stall range.” Blending all three ranges allowed for some very creative and exhilarating flight paths.

The speed

It turns out I want to go fast, and the Moustache will deliver the speed when you ask for it. I was

never much of a speed bar user on my other wings; however, with the speed system of the Moustache in my hands, I am never out of the speed range. At first, I felt like an orangutan with my arms all the way up in the speed range. Even at the new-to-me high rates of speed, it behaved in a comfortable, intuitive manner, allowing me to calmly process the next moves of my flight path When tearing down the hill, I could choose to ascend, bank a turn, or glide out, thanks to the increased speed which built kinetic energy. Often, my flight path involved a swoop to a dramatic climb out; the sensation felt like I had a paramotor on my back. Making motor sounds and shifting gears in my head, I could almost pretend I did! I rolled, dove, swooped to build up energy, planed out, and enjoyed the longest slide landings I had ever experienced. The flights left me with stoke for days!

The ups

After two months of zooming everywhere and enjoying incredibly long swoop landings and pitch and roll maneuvers, I realized that the Moustache goes up, too, if you ask for it. That’s right—complete control over your lift and glide ratio. At first, I started following the tandems away from the ridge, just for fun. Before I knew it, I was 2 miles away from the ridge. After successfully returning for a refill, the fun continued. On a few occasions, in strong laminar conditions, I have flown the 13-meter Moustache 1,000 feet over the ridge to zip and zoom past all the paragliders parked in those conditions. I have landed on the east end of the ridge to kite, then flew 2 miles and landed on the west end and kited. I like the freedom to move about freely and avoid traffic, which is persistent at my local site.

Moods change

After many days of bombing the hill, having to

A

active pilot in “times two mode,” and constantly reassessing my risk management, sometimes I just want to float in the sky and decompress. The Moustache can do that too. On many occasions, the 22-meter has been my go-to for relaxing flights. It gives me that “back to my roots of paragliding” feeling. Paragliding provided me with 11 years of growth and enjoyment and has a special place in my heart. I’m glad the Moustache can offer that sense.

All sizes of the Moustache (13, 15, 18, and 22 meters) are impressive. So how do I decide which one I should choose? That particular question sent me down a few rabbit holes that sparked other questions like: How much do I weigh? Which wind speed is available most of the time? What is the angle of the ridge? There were other complications, too. My wife flies, but she is smaller than me, and we often share gliders. Also, I wanted to

fly every day. So the original question of “Which glider should I choose?” turned into, “How many side jobs do I need to buy them all?”

When someone asks about demoing the Moustache, I like to check on a few prerequisites to see if it might be a good fit for them. Questions I consider include: Has the pilot flown a paraglider for four seasons? Has the pilot flown a miniwing or speedwing for four seasons? Does the pilot own a paraglider and a mini or speedwing? Is the pilot willing to learn new skills to add to their aviation toolbox? These questions are just guidelines, and I customize a path to transition to a parakite for each individual.

The Flare Moustache Parakite is revolutionary. It’s been a long time since veteran pilots have been excited, giddy, and grinning ear-to-ear over new wing technology. Thanks to this wing, I am one of those pilots.

USHPA Sanctioned US Nationals and Cat 2 Pre PWC

Pilots flying the Flare Moustache at the South Side of Point of the Mountain, Utah.

SIV in Turkey

No more excuses: Facing my fear of stalling

by Emily Milly Wallace

: Over my years of flying, I’ve had many great opportunities to practice full stalls, but fear always took over and prevented me from trying. I would have excuses: my life jacket was too big; I had harness fit problems; my glider was too high performance; I was over dirt instead of water; I was too stressed coming off tow. The truth is, I was straight-up scared of risking a significant injury or being in a situation that would scar me and ruin my love of flying.

One by one, my partner, Billy, and I addressed each problem, excuse, and issue I created. Finally, I had the setup I wanted to practice stalls. I had planned to join RISE Paragliding for their first spring course of 2021 in Turkey, where I could foot launch instead of tow up, and I hoped they were the instructors to get me over my mental block. Unfortunately, COVID shut down travel, and I had to postpone the trip for a year and a half.

In the meantime, Billy made me a simulator with resistance band brakes, where I watched full-stall tutorials and practiced for hours. I spent many hours ground handling my glider, working on learning the stall and spin points, and backfly handling. I recorded my kiting sessions, and Billy offered tips and feedback, so I grew the proper muscle memory. Over the course of 2022, I kited my gliders upside down more than right side up. I would get all kinds of comments and questions like, “You’re doing it wrong” and “Why are you doing that?” I would simply respond, “I’m preparing for stalls and

backfly” and carry on.

With travel open and life lining up in autumn 2022, it was time. I boarded a plane to Oludeniz, Turkey, for my long-awaited course with RISE Paragliding. Upon arrival, I met my coaches, acro pilots Jack Pimblett and Blaise Brogan. They knew stalls were my goal, so Pimblett designed a custom program to get me stall-ready. Lap by lap, we worked through collapses, spirals, autorotations, and spin entries to help me understand my glider’s characteristics. Each night we reviewed individual videos, with footage from the ground and anything I filmed in the sky with my knee mount. It was amazing to break down each second into such detail. I felt so prepared and educated; the work melted away many of my fears.

Next up, we worked on bigger spins; this was the first time I had spun past 180 degrees in the sky. When I finally got good, I was spinning past a 360 to a 720—it was wild, but listening to Pimblett’s instruction helped me stay focused on what to do and when. I learned so much about my glider, built muscle memory, and practiced management of my legs and weight shifts. It was an incredible feeling to accomplish maneuvers and know how to handle them before moving to the next.

Stall day finally arrived, and the excuses started piling up as usual. My back was feeling tweaked, and other pilots were voicing concerns and sharing their scary stall stories—it seemed like so much was trying to drag me

Pilot Milly Wallace working those stalls.

down. I bawled my eyes out to my coaches, who had reassured me that they had no concerns about my glider or skillset and that we were on the right plan. I called Billy, and he agreed and told me to stay focused. I had been training for years on this glider, and it was time! As I walked to the lobby for breakfast, a stray dog rushed up to me and looked me in the eyes. He reminded me of my dog Blu back home; the look was comforting and reassuring, and

I felt he was encouraging me to be confident. Everything was falling into place. The morning briefings went great, and I felt prepared, but fear was lingering and trying to take hold. Once on launch, Brogen helped me not get in my head and ran me through arm practices simulating the brakes yanking my arms around. Tears kept leaking out of my eyes; I had to throw up to get my nerves in check. However, there was no denying the feeling that I was

exactly where I was supposed to be, so I pulled myself together and launched into the Mediterranean sky.

At almost a mile above the turquoise ocean, Pimblett prepped me on the radio. I felt the unique emotion of simultaneously being oddly calm and scared to death. I took a deep breath and said out loud, “This one is for Billy and Blu.” Then I buried the brakes farther than I have ever pulled them while in the sky, and my glider was gone! I listened to Pimblett telling me to bring my hands up a little while I tried to find a stable backfly.

I slowly crept each fist up while the brakes fought my hands, and suddenly I found myself in backfly. Once stable, Pimblett then reminded me to look at my wing, and I realized I did all that while staring out to sea. Once looking at my wing, he told me to exit when ready. I was elated that I’d done a stall, and I threw my hands up without thinking about timing. The glider was a little behind me, so when I went hands up, it surged out front and took an asymmetric collapse. Luckily, we had practiced them a few days previously, and it felt like no big deal. My glider recovered as expected, and I let out a huge “WHOOOO!”

Before I knew it, Pimblett had me taking another wrap to do it again. I took a deep breath buried the brakes, and WHOOSH, I stalled my glider again. I quickly found backfly and exited perfectly. In rapid succession for a third round, I stalled it again. This time, however, I brought my hands up too quickly out of the stall; I could feel the glider was done and exited and caught the surge. I did it, and I didn’t end up in my glider, have a cascading event, or throw my reserve. When I landed, I started dancing and immediately called Billy. He was overjoyed, and we celebrated the victory together!

Pimblett and Brogan couldn’t believe I had never stalled before and said my ground-handling work showed. We repeated stalls until I was doing them entirely on my own. After completing almost 30 stalls, I can do them confidently and feel safe in backfly.

Before the trip, I felt a lack of experience and knowledge with SIVs and stalls was holding back my flying. Now I look forward to achieving my flying goals, safer and smarter with a renewed spark and love for this sport.

Left to right Cesar Arevalo, Jack Pimblett, author Milly Wallace, and Blaise Brogan in the landing zone.

When Things Go Sideways

Preparing for the unthinkable

by Kate Eagle

: Eight years ago, as a new novice pilot and brimming with enthusiasm, I was rather impatiently para-waiting atop a popular mountain flying site in southern Oregon. My gear, meticulously checked, was laid out in anticipation of a developing morning breeze. I watched in awe as another pilot, seemingly satisfied with launch conditions, launched with a powerful forward. Several of us on launch ran to the edge to follow his progress off the steep launch.

As his weight settled into his gear in the calm morning air, we held our breath as he threaded

Students practice proper tree rescue technique with a realistic simulation during a WFA clinic.

a narrow gap in the forest toward the open air of the valley. Suddenly, his body swung sharply to

the right as his left wingtip snagged a branch, 100 feet above the ground. In a flash, his momentum pendulumed his body in a sharp overhead arc and down, narrowly missing several massive trees. He hit with a dull thud amid a boulder-strewn, steeply-banked slope. He lay in a crumpled heap, unmoving several hundred feet below launch. At this point in my short flying career, I saw this mishap as an anomaly. It seemed unlikely that I’d ever be on scene for this type of accident again. Surely this wasn’t a part of “normal flying life.” What I’ve learned since has taught me that life

as a free-flight pilot is anything but normal. Our experiences encompass an exquisite joy that few ever comprehend, as well as unbelievable trauma. Free-flight is an extreme sport. It comes with extreme rewards when things go according to plan and severe consequences when we don’t get things right. Although my joy in paragliding has been unmatched by any other activity, I have also been on the scene for about 12 more serious accidents since that first one eight years ago: six resulting in spinal injuries, one resulting in a fractured humerus, one shoulder dislocation, three concussions, two broken ankles, and one fatality due to drowning. I’ve lost count of harrowing near-misses. I don’t believe my experience as an active pilot is unusual.

As an RN, I know the basics of triage and care of trauma, but my experience is hospital-based.

Wilderness First Aid clinic, hosted by Discover Paragliding, on the northern Oregon Coast. Students practice rescue techniques and treating realistic injuries.

Violeta Jimenez of the Northwest Paragliding Club and Serge Romano of the Cascade Paragliding Club successfully demonstrate a proper immobilization technique during a Wilderness First Aid clinic, led by Josh Norris.

To find schools that host WFA courses, check out the Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative here:

www.wildmededucationcollaborative.org

Members include:Wilderness Medical Associates, NOLS, SOLO, Aerie Backcountry Medicine, Desert Mountain Medicine, and the Wilderness Medicine Training Center

Pre-hospital medical care or wilderness medicine is a unique subset of training that I quickly identified as an essential tool in my experience with free flight.

I see this training as essential as flying with a reserve parachute. Knowledge saves lives and can profoundly impact the quality of life following an accident, both for the patient and the person in a position to help. Knowing what to do not only increases the chances for a positive outcome for the patient, but it also helps responders cope with the post-traumatic stress by knowing we did all that we could in the circumstances.

What is WFA? Wilderness First Aid (WFA) is a certification course involving pre-hospital care in a wilderness setting. It is usually a two-day (16-hour) course that includes understanding the unique nature of a wilderness crisis, musculoskeletal anatomy and injury, cold and heat-related injuries, and medical emergencies.

Students are instructed in triage patient assess-

ment, patient lifting and moving, the latest spinal cord injury assessment and treatment recommendations, orthopedic injury care including splinting, pelvic binding, and internal and external bleeding management. The course also covers emergency medication use, including epinephrine.

Free flight-specific courses also cover tree rescue, PG/HG harness extraction, and proper helmet removal. A WFA instructor can also help participants create site-specific incident response plans. Training will help you develop an emergency kit tailored specifically to your needs.

How to put on a successful WFA? If you can’t find any free-flight specific WFA offerings in your area, here are a few steps you can take to set up a WFA class through your local club or school.

Find a reputable WFA provider/certifying body. Currently, in my area, SOLO Schools is doing PG/HG-specific clinics. Look for courses or instructors certified with the WMI (Wilderness Medicine Institute) or others that follow the Wilderness Medicine Education Committee (WMEC) Guidelines with oversight. Be confident in the instruction you are receiving.

Have a sponsoring school. Where I live, Discover Paragliding has been hosting WFA training for the past six years. Schools can help spread the word, facilitate registration, and emphasize WFA training as an essential part of their students’ flying experience. Fifty percent of the participants in our area are brand new pilots.

Have a sponsoring club. Become an active member of your local free flight club and help build a culture of risk mitigation. An Oregon club

near me, the Desert Air Riders, not only recently hosted a WFA certification course but also sponsored 50% of the cost of certification for club members. Training also helps drive a conversation, leading to increased safety at local sites.

Identify unique site risk and emergency equipment needs. Both old and new club members benefit from encouragement and support from their local club promoting WFA training. Everyone benefits from having a higher concentration of pilots and community members who can effectively help during emergencies.

Community perception is also improved when our pilot community is prepared and participates in emergency response.

My WFA training has provided me with the knowledge and confidence to spring into action to help my fellow pilots numerous times. Fortunately, most of the outcomes were significantly improved by the intervention of both myself and other trained pilots on site.

On the couple of occasions where outcomes

were devastating, the knowledge that I did all that I could was a huge benefit in helping me mentally recover from the trauma. I can’t think of anything worse than having been on the scene of these accidents and not having the proper knowledge to provide the help needed. Nothing feels worse than being helpless when someone needs our help.

Wilderness First Aid classes, especially those specifically designed for free flight, should be prioritized for every pilot. Certification courses ensure a thorough curriculum. PG and HG instructors are required to have first aid training and wilderness first aid more than meets this requirement.

WFA certification should be a priority for all pilots, and the off-season is an ideal time for this type of training. It’s not a matter of if, but when, this training will be used. When considering a club’s yearly budget, prioritizing funds for the profound and long-term positive impact of WFA training over expenditures like holiday parties, seems like a no-brainer.

Josh Norris, the director of The Adventure Leadership Institute at Oregon State University teaching a WFA clinic to the Desert Air Riders, a free flight club based in Bend, Oregon.

CALENDAR

The event calendar shows all USHPA-sponsored events including sanctioned competitions, ACE events, board meetings and instructor, admin, or towing cliniccs. For student cliinics, tours, fly-ins, and more check the Classified listings.

APR 23-29 > WILOTREE PARK NATIONALS > Groveland, FL. The Wilotree Park Nationals competition is a flatland aerotow competition and part of the U.S. National Hang Gliding Championship Series. The competition is for Open, Sport, Swift, and Rigid wing classes. More info: team@hgrac.com

MAY 1-6 > PARADISE AIRSPORTS NATIONALS > Groveland, FL. The Paradise Airsports Nationals competition is a flatland aerotow competition and part of the U.S. National Hang Gliding Championship Series. The competition is for Open, Sport, Swift, and Rigid wing classes. team@hgrac.com

MAY 6-7 > OCEANSIDE OPEN FLY-IN > Oceanside, OR. Annual club “flyin” at the coast. More info: www.cascadeparaglidingclub.org, msanzone@yahoo.com

MAY 18-21 > 51ST ANNUAL HANG GLIDING SPECTACULAR > Nags Head, NC. Join professional hang gliders, fans, and families for this Kitty Hawk Flight School tradition. The Hang Gliding Spectacular is the longest-running hang gliding competition in the world! More info: https://www. kittyhawk.com/event/hang-gliding-spectacular/

JUN 14-24 > 1ST ANNUAL RED ROCKS HANG GLIDING EVENT > Monroe, UT. A fly-in is open to all pilots who wish to participate in recreational flying and social activities. The competition will be a 7-day, Category-2 national event for pilots with experience flying in the mountains and strong foot-launching skills. Before the competition is our three-day Red Rocks Mountain Flying Academy which is designed to help pilots refresh their high-altitude flying skills. More info: https:// wolfpackhanggliding.com/shop/

JUN 17-23 > OZONE CHELAN OPEN 2023 > Chelan, WA. The Ozone Chelan Open 2023 will be an EN-C and lower event where XC pilots new to competitions get to race alongside and learn from some of the best pilots in the world. The competition will follow the same format as other FAI Cat-2 events and include daily briefings lead by U.S. National Champion and Ozone team Pilot Nick Greece and World Champion and Ozone test pilot Russ Ogden. These briefings will include analysis of previous days tasks, XC flying techniques, racing strategies, understanding the local weather and micro-meteorology and how to have fun, fly safe and make goal. Nick will be assisted by other top U.S. paragliding pilots. More info: https://airtribune.com/ozone-chelanopen-2023/info

JUN 22-24 > HATCHER HIKE-AND-FLY > Hatcher Pass, AK. Hatcher Pass and the surrounding Talkeetna mountains are a world class playground for a wide variety of paraglider pilots who seek to get off the road system and into the wild. The rules are simple; travel by foot and paraglider unsupported and tag as many waypoints as possible in 3 days. There are 50 waypoints that give pilots the ability to choose the lines that match the weather, their skill level, and thirst for adventure. Camping is a must in this environment and camaraderie will be reward. More info: www.hatcherhikeandfly.com

JUN 24-JUL 1 > U.S. OPEN OF PARAGLIDING 2023 > Chelan, WA. The U.S. Open of Paragliding will be a Cat-2 race-to-goal USHPA sanctioned XC Competition held in Chelan this coming June. Registration opens February 1st @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time Zone). More info: https:// airtribune.com/us-open-paragliding-2023/info

SEP 23-24 > 2023 USHPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING > Richfield, UT. USHPA is excited to host the Annual Board of Directors meeting in Richfield, UT before the Red Rocks Fly-In. Please visit the website for updates. www.ushpa.org/boardmeeting

MAY 23 > USHPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING [VIRTUAL] > Virtual Registration for online attendance closes at 5:00 p.m. MT on Monday, May 22. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. MT on Tuesday, May 23. Please use the email and zip code associated with your USHPA membership to register (Note: You may have trouble registering if you use Safari; we recommend using a different browser).

Register here: https://webinar.ringcentral.com/webinar/register/WN__SDbfS7FQ7iBm-XRT02N7A

CLASSIFIED

Rates start at $10.00 for up to 200 characters. ALL CLASSIFIEDS ARE PREPAID. No refunds given for cancellations. More info: ushpa.org/page/magazine-classified-advertising

HAWAII > PARAGLIDE MAUI > Call Paul Gurrieri for information about flying on Maui. Our school offers beginner to advanced instruction, year round. It takes 10-14 days to get your P2 license. +1 808-874-5433 paraglidemaui.com

NORTH CAROLINA > KITTY HAWK KITES > The largest hang gliding school in the world, teaching since 1974. Learn to hang glide on the east coast's largest sand dune. Year-round instruction, foot launch, and tandem aerotow. 1902 Wright Glider Experience available. Dealer for Moyes, Wills Wing, and North Wing. 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. +1 252-441-2426, +1-877-FLY-THIS, kittyhawk.com/hang-gliding

NEW HAMPSHIRE > MORNINGSIDE > A Kitty Hawk Kites flight park. The northeast's premier hang gliding and paragliding training center, teaching since 1974. Hang gliding foot launch and tandem aerotow training. Paragliding foot launch and tandem training. Powered paragliding instruction. Dealer for Moyes, Wills Wing, and North Wing. Located in Charlestown, NH. Also visit our North Carolina location, Kitty Hawk Kites Flight School. +1 603-542-4416, www.flymorningside.com

VIRGINIA > BLUE SKY > Full-time year-round hang gliding instruction, scooter towing, platform towing, powered harnesses, part-time aero towing, part-time paragliding, custom sewing. Wills Wing, Moyes, Icaro, Swedish Aerosport, Woody Valley, +1 804-241-4324, www.blueskyhg. com

USHPA WEBSITE CONTENT COORDINATOR > Have experience with content review? USHPA needs your help! We are in search of a volunteer to review and index content on ushpa.org to help our updating process. Interested? Visit ushpa.org/volunteer.

PARACRANE TOURS 2023 > Paragliding tours to Costa Rica, Brazil, and Europe with veteran tour guide Nick Crane. Small groups, flexible schedule, epic flying. Costa Rica, Jan. 17-27 and Feb. 1-11 / Brazil, March 10-20 / Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Sep. 7-17 / France, Switzerland and the Coupe Icare, Sep. 20-30. www. paracranetours.com, contact: nick@paracrane.com

GUNNISON GLIDERS > XC to heavy waterproof hang glider gliderbags. Accessories, parts, service, sewing. Instruction ratings, site-info. Contact Rusty Whitley 1549 CR 17, Gunnison CO 81230. +1 970-641-9315.

KITING RETREATS > Groundhandling is the key to safer wing control. Andre Bandarra offers 7-night retreats for PG and PPG pilots on the beautiful Silver Coast of Portugal. Can't travel? Join our online course! Learn more: andrebandarra.com

CALIFORNIA > EAGLE PARAGLIDING > Thermal XC Clinics. Santa Barbara has a very long mountain flying season extending from September through early June. These clinics are aimed to get pilots familiar with the thermal triggers, and lines to take to get from lift source to lift source moving down the range. We often set tasks similar to race to goal events much like the SB HoeDown organized by local flying guru Aaron “Cracka” LaPlante. Apr 14-16, Nov 10-12, Dec 8-10

CALIFORNIA > MAX ACRO PARAGLIDING > SIV clinics (basic SIV, advanced SIV and acro training) in Lake Berryessa, Napa, CA. Apr 23-26, Apr 27-30, May 10-13, Jun 8-11, Jun 12-15, Jul 13-16, Aug 10-13, Sept 14-17, Sept 18-21 More info: www.maxacro. com, maxacroparagliding@gmail.com

UTAH > TWO CAN FLY > Mountain Flying clinic: Site Pioneering: Utah flying sites. 2-day clinic: $550. Learn how to pioneer flying sites, safely fly in the mountains, analyze the sites safety and potential, best approach for landing and weather tendencies, patterns & considerations and more. May 6-7, Jun 3-4, Jul 15-16, Aug 5-6, Oct 7-8. More info: +1 801-971-3414, twocanfly@gmail.com, www. twocanfly.com

UTAH > TWO CAN FLY > Thermal/Winglistics clinic. 3 days: $650. Learn thermaling efficiency, reading terrain features for thermal triggers and reservoirs, cloud identification and how to "work" cloud base, weather-related specifics that determine favorable thermaling, best launching and landing techniques to use during thermic conditions, your wing's language and what it is communicating about the parcel of air it is in and more. This clinic is designed to dramatically shorten your learning curve and improve your joy of flight. More info: Ken Hudonjorgensen +1 801-971-3414, twocanfly@gmail. com, www.twocanfly.com

BUYERS SHOULD SELECT EQUIPMENT THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR SKILL LEVEL OR RATING. NEW PILOTS SHOULD SEEK PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION FROM A USHPA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. USED HANG GLIDERS should always be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigued, bent or dented downtubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with non-circular holes, and on flex wings, sails badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading edges. USED PARAGLIDERS should always be thoroughly inspected before flying for the first time. Annual inspections on paragliders should include sailcloth strength tests. A porosity check isn't sufficient. Some gliders pass porosity yet have very weak sailcloth. If in doubt, many hang gliding and paragliding businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you bring them to inspect. BUYER BEWARE.

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.

Ratings Issued October, November & December 2022

H1 1 Jordan Burkett ID Theodore Hurley

H1 1 Judith Eloe ID Charles Trossbach

H1 2 Tylar Banta CA Anthony Tagliaferro

H1 2 Jesse Martin CA George Hamilton

H1 3 Levens De Back CA Bob Steven Bendetson

H1 3 Jesus Patricio Velez CO Josh Patrick Laufer

H1 5 Sonia Alvarez OH William G. Vaughn

H1 5 Gregoire Brougher MA Robert J. Hastings

H1 5 Tyler Andrew Chase ME Robert J. Hastings

H1 5 Jeremy Dosh MI Josh Patrick Laufer

H1 5 Michael M. Nachshen MA Robert J. Hastings

H1 5 Filipp Rodriguez Loginova MD Steve A. Wendt

H2 1 John R. Jelich III OR James W. Tibbs

H2 1 Bruce G. Ruefer MT Paul Roys

H2 3 Adrian Carrara CA Andrew T. Beem

H2 3 Ganpati Goel CA Andrew T. Beem

H2 3 Dylan Hendren CA Andrew T. Beem

H2 3 Garret Houghton CA William C. Dydo

H2 4 Andrew Daniel SC Scott Schneider

H2 4 Joseph Drolshagen SC Scott Schneider

H2 4 Christopher Mattheu Guider TN Gordon Cayce

H2 4 Timothy Kent Gulick FL Gordon Cayce

H2 4 Sherry Hyatt SC Gordon Cayce

H2 4 Susan E. Johnson GA Scott Schneider

H2 4 Arya Mahan DC Robert J. Hastings

H2 4 Nano Ogura VA Steve A. Wendt

H2 4 Subash Penumatsa TX Gordon Cayce

H2 4 Terencio Andres Roberts FL Gordon Cayce

H2 4 Michael Sequerth KY Gordon Cayce

H2 4 Mohammad Shahin TN Scott Schneider

H2 4 Barrett Snow VA Steve A. Wendt

H2 5 Stephane Beriault QC Robert J. Hastings

H2 5 Shawn P. Carmody NH Robert J. Hastings

H2 5 Richard Dery CT Robert J. Hastings

H2 5 Gisele Dierks NH Robert J. Hastings

H2 5 Ilya Druker ON Robert J. Hastings

H2 5 Badger Johnson OH Robert J. Hastings

H2 5 Charles Kearney PA Robert J. Hastings

H2 5 Pierre Laberge QC Scott Schneider

H2 5 Stefan Lucas NY Rick Brown

H2 5 Carolyn Miller NJ Andy Thompson

H2 5 Clifford Silverman IL Daniel Lange

H2 5 Dan Vorreth MA Robert J. Hastings

H2 5 Jacob Yatt NH Robert J. Hastings

H3 1 Joshua Phillips MT Paul Roys

H3 2 Steve Spacek CA Patrick J. Denevan

H3 4 Sean Robert Comer VA Jon C. Thompson

H3 4 Houman Samimi VA Steve A. Wendt

H3 5 Abraham J. Smith MD Steve A. Wendt

H3 5 Joseph Stearn MA Robert J. Hastings

H4 2 Chi Fai Tony Wu CA Eric Hinrichs

H4 3 Peter Craig CO Mel Glantz

H4 4 Carl Jacobsen GA Jordan Stratton

H4 4 Jody Lazaro FL James E. Tindle

H4 4 Nicolas Morillo OK Takeo Eda

H4 4 John F. Shurte VA Steve A. Wendt

H4 5 Aron J. Lantz PA William Perez

P1 1 Anthony Allen OR Kelly A. Kellar

P1 1 Hayley Brown ID Randall Shane

P1 1 Cheyenne Calvert WA Chris W. Santacroce

P1 1 Kea Jolicoeur WA Maren Ludwig

P1 1 Steven Larsen WA Brad Hill

P1 1 Kyle McKean WA Kelly A. Kellar

P1 1 Jonathan sanford OR Kelly A. Kellar

P1 1 Yebin Woo WA Kelly A. Kellar

P1 2 Keith Elkin CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P1 2 Yin Long CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P1 2 Don Moore CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P1 3 David Banks CA William Purden-Jr

P1 3 Kristin Banks CA Jay Brandon Whiteaker

P1 3 Brandon Gibbons CA Jay Brandon Whiteaker

P1 3 Scott Giffin CA Jay Brandon Whiteaker

P1 3 Anish Givi CA Jay Brandon Whiteaker

P1 3 Stephen Ingala CA Jay Brandon Whiteaker

P1 3 Jeff Macklin CO Jeremy Bishop

P1 3 Joel Maguire CA Jay Brandon Whiteaker

P1 3 Jonathan Manley AZ Jordan Neidinger

P1 3 Shahin Najafiaghdam CA William Purden-Jr

P1 3 Ben Rathjen CA William Purden-Jr

P1 3 Danny Curtis Sullivan CA Jay Brandon Whiteaker

P1 3 Sharon Tang CA Grayson Brown

P1 3 Stephen Vollentine CO Jeff Katz

P1 3 Mark Williams AZ Chandler Papas

P1 4 Brittany Abt TN Steven Taylor Couch

P1 4 Trenton McGee FL Christopher J. Pyse

P1 5 Justin Devenger NH Brent McCoy

P1 5 Jonathan Hopps ME Salvatore Scaringe

P1 5 Joel Klinker MA William H. Gottling

P1 5 Adam Malachowski NY Chandler Papas

P1 5 Paul Markey NH William H. Gottling

P1 5 Steph Osborne WI Mariyan Radev Ivanov

P1 5 Jason Perkins NH Salvatore Scaringe

P1 5 Sophia Rau MA Brent McCoy

P1 5 Gregory Senko NH Salvatore Scaringe

P2 1 Leif Albertson AK Rob Sporrer

P2 1 Kate Berni ID Jack Ulrichs

P2 1 JP Bevilaqua OR Kelly A. Kellar

P2 1 Matt Braun OR Maren Ludwig

P2 1 Jonathan Brown WA Marc Chirico

P2 1 Elvie Brown WA Chad Uchino

P2 1 Jacob Calvert WA Kylan Browning

P2 1 Regina Ximena Carrillo Acevedo WA Zion Susanno-Loddby

P2 1 John Cassidy MT Jennifer Bedell

P2 1 Max Chehab OR Kimberly Phinney

P2 1 Michael Cole WA Austin Cox

P2 1 Spencer Cross ID Salvatore Scaringe

P2 1 Patrick Dauenhauer MT Jennifer Bedell

P2 1 Logan Davis WA Marc Chirico

P2 1 Ben Fassnacht MT Jennifer Bedell

P2 1 Matthieu Filliat WA Marc Chirico

P2 1 Amber Fitzgerald WA Denise Reed

P2 1 Anne French AK Stephen J. Mayer

P2 1 Steven Gainer HI Peter Fay

P2 1 Mickey Gainer HI Peter Fay

P2 1 Paul Garrett AK Christopher Grantham

P2 1 Brian Gass WA Marc Chirico

P2 1 Scott Goldman WA Marc Chirico

P2 1 James Gonzales WA Kelly A. Kellar

P2 1 Nyio Gorham OR Brian Kerr

P2 1 Caitlin Grant WA Denise Reed

P2 1 Kaleena Hayashi WA Denise Reed

P2 1 Mitchell Hoehne AK John E. Cady III

P2 1 John hoogenboom MT Brent McCoy

P2 1 Christopher S. Huffine HI Charles Chuck E. Gordon

P2 1 Brittany Jacobs WA Austin Cox

P2 1 Eric Johnson SD Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 1 Grant Johnson WA Chad Uchino

P2 1 Patrick Johnson WA Denise Reed

P2 1 Alexander Jones WA Christopher J. Pyse

P2 1 Logan Kato MT Joshua Phillips

P2 1 Loren Landerholm WA Chad Uchino

P2 1 Jason Larigakis WA Denise Reed

P2 1 Hanwool Lee WA Denise Reed

P2 1 Ran Liu WA Marc Chirico

P2 1 Gage Madrid MT Jennifer Bedell

P2 1 Ian Magruder MT Jennifer Bedell

P2 1 Mark Matheny MT Andy Macrae

P2 1 Christopher Mayers WY Steven Marangi

P2 1 Richard McFarlane WA Denise Reed

P2 1 Patricia Mermel WA Marc Chirico

P2 1 Dylan Mertz ID Steven Marangi

P2 1 Adam Montuoro AK John E. Cady III

P2 1 John Moore WA Austin Cox

P2 1 Jason Motyka AK Rob Sporrer

P2 1 Anna Mounsey WA Christopher J. Pyse

P2 1 Ryan Murray WA Denise Reed

P2 1 Benjamin Norin WA Maren Ludwig

P2 1 Jesse Osborne WY Steven Marangi

P2 1 Jeremy Parke-Hoffman WA Chad Uchino

P2 1 Venky Sangeetha WA Austin Cox

P2 1 Kurtis Schaaf WA Denise Reed

P2 1 Holger Selover-Stephan OR Kelly A. Kellar

P2 1 Tanner Smith WY Steven Marangi

P2 1 Megan Smith MT Jennifer Bedell

P2 1 Kenyon Solecki OR Maren Ludwig

P2 1 Auberin Strickland AK Rob Sporrer

P2 1 Dan Suski WA Jeff Katz

P2 1 Roy Taylor MT Dale Covington

P2 1 Roberto Villanueva WA Rob Sporrer

P2 1 David Villegas OR Peter Fay

P2 1 Abigail Volkmann MT Jonathan Jefferies

P2 1 Zac West WA Austin Cox

P2 2 Younus Aftab CA Robert Black

P2 2 Sean Aidukas CA Robert Black

P2 2 Maxim Alekseyuk CA Jason Shapiro

P2 2 Laura Anderson UT Jonathan Jefferies

P2 2 Dallin Barton UT Harry Sandoval

P2 2 Abhishek Basavanna CA Robert Black

P2 2 John Bianchi CA Jason Shapiro

P2 2 Jeff bixler NV Mitchell B. Neary

P2 2 Scott Browning UT Kylan Browning

P2 2 Pete Campbell CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P2 2 Crista Faith Castro CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Gowtham Chandrasekaran CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Charles Chiau CA Robert Black

P2 2 Lawrence Chow UT Jonathan Jefferies

P2 2 Sara Clark UT Harry Sandoval

P2 2 Arnaud Douceur CA Rob Sporrer

P2 2 Nichole Farley UT Jonathan Jefferies

P2 2 David Galka CA Robert Black

P2 2 Wesley Hsiao CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Alexis Kellogg UT Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 2 Mihir Kurande CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Bridget Mais CA Robert Black

P2 2 Evan Mann CA Johannes Rath

P2 2 Jacob Marquez UT Patrick Kelly

P2 2 Gabriel Marzillier UT Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 2 Nick Mayer CA Robert Black

P2 2 Riley McDonald CA Robert Black

P2 2 Charles McNall UT Dale Covington

P2 2 Eric Mead CA Cynthia Currie

P2 2 Erik Miller UT Dale Covington

P2 2 Tanner Mixon CA Robert Black

P2 2 Michael Murch CA Rob Sporrer

P2 2 Emre Olceroglu CA Robert Black

P2 2 Jingwen ouyang CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Alex Pearson UT Patrick Johnson

P2 2 Lauren Ashley Pedrazzi CA Christopher Grantham

P2 2 TAYLOR PHILLIPS NV Mitchell B. Neary

P2 2 Adam Ploshay UT Ken W. Hudonjorgensen

P2 2 Nathan Quinn CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P2 2 Alex Riehm CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Ratesha Roberts UT Stacy Whitmore

P2 2 Brady Roberts UT Stacy Whitmore

P2 2 Paul Schneider CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Abhishek Sethi CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Andrew Sheets CA Cynthia Currie

P2 2 Danielle Sidi CA Jonathan Jefferies

P2 2 Zachary Smith UT Patrick Kelly

P2 2 Unmil Tambe CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P2 2 Logan Torrence CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 William Walker CA Robert Black

P2 2 Muuo Wambua CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Cheng Wang CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P2 2 Chuchu Zhao CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 3 Mohit Athwani CA William Purden-Jr

P2 3 Ryan Banks CA William Purden-Jr

P2 3 Benjamin Bartelle AZ Chandler Papas

P2 3 Joseph Carrara CO Johannes Rath

P2 3 Mario Castaneda CO Misha Banks

P2 3 A. Jordan Ceresa CO Rob Sporrer

P2 3 Emma Clark CO Misha Banks

P2 3 Aaron Collins CO Misha Banks

P2 3 Karol Czaradzki CA William Purden-Jr

P2 3 Anne Dixon CO Misha Banks

P2 3 John English CA Kent E. Erickson

P2 3 Wren Garrison CO Misha Banks

P2 3 Fabien Goldenberg CA Hadi Golian

P2 3 Kevin Griffis CO Joe Louis Cary

P2 3 Rebekah Griffis CO Joe Louis Cary

P2 3 Leon Hall CA William Purden-Jr

P2 3 Julian Hardaker CO Etienne Pienaar

P2 3 Kate Hardaker CO Etienne Pienaar

P2 3 Scott Hatlen CA William Purden-Jr

P2 3 William Herringer CO Stacy Whitmore

P2 3 Rio Hibarger AZ Rob Sporrer

P2 3 Dylan Hird CO Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 3 Kyle Holfoth CO Misha Banks

P2 3 Liann Kline CA William Purden-Jr

P2 3 Jacob Larcher CO Gregory Kelley

P2 3 Matthew Mallon AZ Chandler Papas

P2 3 Hunter Mayo AZ Charles (Chuck) Woods

P2 3 Brendan McCue CO Gregory Kelley P2 3 Scott McDonnell CA William Purden-Jr

P2 3 Daniel Melnyk CA Marcello M. DeBarros

P2 3 Richard Muhn AZ Patrick Johnson

P2 3 Olivia Myerson CO Misha Banks

P2 3 Cade Nelson CA Hadi Golian

REGION

REGION

Tim Seale CO Misha Banks

P2 3 Jonah sheldon CO Misha Banks

P2 3 Ronald Small CO Gregory Kelley

P2 3 Austin Starbuck AZ Chris W. Santacroce P2 3 Byron Steiner CA Emily Wallace

P2 3 Kevin Sweeney CA William Purden-Jr P2 3 Timothy Taylor CA Jordan Neidinger

P2 3 Samantha-Elise Tennant AZ Emily Wallace

P2 3 Alexandre Teplitxky CA Christopher Garcia

P2 3 John Tolsma CO Johannes Rath P2 3 Indika Young CA Harry Sandoval

P2 3 Chuyang Zhong NM Charles (Chuck) Woods

P2 4 Nicholas Ahlen GA Alejandro Albornoz

P2 4 Monica Ahlen GA Alejandro Albornoz

P2 4 Tina Blair GA Alejandro Albornoz

P2 4 William Byrum NC Chris W. Santacroce

4 Sam Cook TX Rob Sporrer

P2 4 Matthew Doyle OK Rob Sporrer

P2 4 Robert John Fisher TX Chandler Papas

P2 4 Matthew Furkert TX Misha Banks

P2 4 Garrett Gilkey FL Rob Sporrer

P2 4 Jacob Henley TN Steven Taylor Couch

P2 4 Andrew Karnowski KS Rob Sporrer

P2

P2

P2

P2

P2

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 October, November & December 2022 (continued)

P2 5 Greg Ressler PA Patrick Kelly

P2 5 Karlos Seidel MA Davidson Da-Silva

P2 5 Tobia Sestak CT William Purden-Jr

P2 5 Kallie Spidahl MI Grayson Brown

P2 5 Oscar Stranack RI Ciara Kamahele

P2 5 Junjian Tang TongZhou Stephen J. Mayer

P2 5 Paul Thompson IL Jaro Krupa

P2 5 Dariusz Trojanowski CT Salvatore Scaringe

P2 5 Kevin Twitchell MD Grayson Brown

P2 5 Issah Younossi VT Calef Letorney

P3 1 Kevin Brenden ID Christopher Grantham

P3 1 Olivier Deiss WA Zion Susanno-Loddby

P3 1 Michael DeRossett ID Randall Shane

P3 1 William Ford WA Matt Senior

P3 1 Maddey Frey MT Jennifer Bedell

P3 1 Jonathan Michael Gregson OR Chris W. Santacroce

P3 1 Iurii Gribkov WA Marc Chirico

P3 1 Ryan Kent WA Denise Reed

P3 1 Farzad Keshvadian WA Steven R. Wilson

P3 1 Zachary Kiefer WA Roger Brock

P3 1 Ian Kirk WA Marc Chirico

P3 1 Amy Krzyminski WA Marc Chirico

P3 1 Kyle Lemoire WA Marc Chirico

P3 1 Ted M. Lowe MT Paul Roys

P3 1 Tyson McKenzie OR Kimberly Phinney

P3 1 Ryan Pfleger ID Randall Shane

P3 1 Katharine Schwedhelm WA Denise Reed

P3 1 Chris Zanger OR Brian Kerr

P3 2 Consuelo Baca NV Zion Susanno-Loddby

P3 2 Margarita Bob CA Jason Shapiro

P3 2 Christopher Brent CA Robert Black

P3 2 David Fowler CA Robert Black

P3 2 Walter Gutierrez CA Robert Black

P3 2 Avi Ilyaev CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P3 2 Logan Jones UT Chris W. Santacroce

P3 2 Eric Konold UT Nathan Alex Taylor

P3 2 Curtis Moradkhani CA Mitchell B. Neary

P3 2 Richard Schaut CA Jason Shapiro

P3 2 Jim Sharpe UT Chris W. Santacroce

P3 2 Garrett L. Smith CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P3 2 Catie Talbot CA Christopher Garcia

P3 2 Jake Tallman UT Rob Sporrer

P3 2 Leo Toulet CA Robert Black

P3 2 Travis J. Williams CA Christopher Garcia

P3 3 Aenaelle Acres CA Rob Sporrer

P3 3 Brittany Anderson CA Steven Marangi

P3 3 Bozorgmehr Baradar Heristchian CA Jordan Neidinger

P3 3 Dustin Bedard CA Vito Michelangelo

P3 3 Sarah Crosier CO Misha Banks

P3 3 Roy Devilbiss AZ Chandler Papas

P3 3 Scott Dobson CO Misha Banks

P3 3 Oliver Edward CO Johannes Rath

P3 3 Michael Greninger CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Ian Higgins CA Christopher Garcia

P3 3 Adam Jess CO Johannes Rath

P3 3 Ryan Kramer CO Johannes Rath

P3 3 Eli Loper CO Douglas Brown

P3 3 Yuan Ma CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Shelby Madden CA Emily Wallace

P3 3 Devin Joseph Nasby CA Jordan Neidinger

P3 3 Joseph P. Oconnell AZ Aaron Cromer

P3 3 Ala Raddaoui CA Emily Wallace

P3 3 Kristin Russell AZ Chandler Papas

P3 3 Albert Sharp CA Jerome Daoust

P3 3 JP Summers CO Misha Banks

P3 3 Nathaniel Thompson CO Vito Michelangelo

P3 3 Deanna Urnezis CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Thomas Velky CA Jerome Daoust

P3 3 Mark Watts CA William Purden-Jr

P3 4 Yandy Allende nunez FL Davidson Da-Silva

P3 4 Joshua McMillan TX Marcello M. DeBarros

P3 4 Stephen Messinger VA Thomas McCormick

P3 4 Matthew Park TN Cynthia Currie

P3 4 Andy Perez Brito FL Davidson Da-Silva

P3 4 Antonio Sanchez FL Rob Sporrer

P3 4 Bryant Williams FL Zion Susanno-Loddby

P3 5 Lawrence Barber VT Calef Letorney

P3 5 Oleksii Boiarchuk NY William Purden-Jr

P3 5 Tyler Brown VT Calef Letorney

P3 5 Andrew Chapman IL Misha Banks

P3 5 Amanda Charpentier NH Calef Letorney

P3 5 Roberto Carlos Cordero Mena NJ Zion Susanno-Loddby

P3 5 Octavian M. Costache NY Joachim P. Roesler

P3 5 Chris Feineis CT Thomas McCormick

P3 5 Cameron Schultz IL Jaro Krupa

P4 1 Matt Brewer OR Kimberly Phinney

P4 1 Steve Clark MT Andy Macrae

P4 1 Jason Flannery OR Kimberly Phinney

P4 1 Jennifer Geisen OR Kevin R. Lee

P4 1 Valera Kolupaev WA Matt Senior

P4 1 Maxime Lasserre WA Jerome Daoust

P4 1 Aaron Nash WA Nicholas Greece

P4 1 Zachary Richter WA Jesse L. Meyer

P4 1 Abhi Sarkar WA Christopher Garcia

P4 1 Theo Warden HI William Pardis

P4 2 Douglas Anawalt CA Jason Shapiro

P4 2 Julian Belmonte CA Marcello M. DeBarros

P4 2 Lucas Jacisin UT Chris W. Santacroce

P4 2 Jacob Jacisin UT Chris W. Santacroce

P4 2 Kenneth Kim CA Jesse L. Meyer

P4 2 Julian LeMoine CA Juan A. Laos

P4 2 Ezra Manuel NV Kimberly Phinney

P4 2 Janene Montoya CA Brian Kerr

P4 2 Jacob M. Rendina CA Juan A. Laos

P4 2 Dzmitry Vadalazhski CA Jesse L. Meyer

P4 3 Jeff Becker CA Christopher Grantham

P4 3 Doron Ben-Yehezkel CA Jordan Neidinger

P4 3 Mimi BowQuay CA Marcello M. DeBarros

P4 3 Lukas Erik Bradshaw CA Misha Banks

P4 3 Dan Corley CO Misha Banks

P4 3 Stuart Frost AZ Aaron Cromer

P4 3 CJ Jessett CA Christopher Garcia

P4 3 Kerem Kirkpinar CA Max Leonard Marien

P4 3 Daryl Parks CA Jordan Neidinger

P4 3 Tyler Petreshock AZ Aaron Cromer

P4 3 Luke Rome CO Chris W. Santacroce

P4 3 Demet San CA Max Leonard Marien

P4 3 Mohamad Tarakji CA Marcello M. DeBarros

P4 3 Ken Thompson AZ Jonathan Jefferies

P4 3 Jesus Ramon Tuala Veliz CA Hadi Golian

P4 3 Shaun Wallace CA Max Leonard Marien

P4 3 Tal K. Wolf CA Emily Wallace

P4 4 Jeff Butler MO Kari L. Castle

P4 4 Andrew Copeland GA Kelly Myrkle

P4 4 Jorge Granier FL Christopher Garcia

P4 5 Gilberto Carlos Abreu NJ David W. Prentice

P4 5 Brian Engleheart NJ Paco Carr

P4 5 Thomas Peghiny CT Joachim P. Roesler

P4 5 Valdir Santana MA Davidson Da-Silva

P5 1 Peter Fay HI Chair Safety and Training Committee

S1 5 Kyle Haines PA Jeff Katz

S2 1 David Dexter Binder HI Chair Safety and Training Committee

S2 1 Adam Montuoro AK John E. Cady III

S2 1 Brian Olmsted WA John E. Cady III

S2 1 Gabriel Orren AK John E. Cady III

S2 1 Dan Suski WA Jeff Katz

S2 2 Chester DuFour UT Jeff Katz

S2 2 Craig Jackson UT Chair Safety and Training Committee

S2 3 Kerem Kirkpinar CA Chair Safety and Training Committee

S2 3 Eli Loper CO Douglas Brown

S2 3 Jeffrey Packard CA John E. Cady III

S2 3 Christian E. Riley CA John E. Cady III

S2 3 Demet San CA Chair Safety and Training Committee

S2 3 Mohamad Tarakji CA Jeff Katz

S2 3 Stephen Vollentine CO Jeff Katz

S2 4 Trenton McGee FL John E. Cady III

S2 4 Maximo Salinas TX Jeff Katz

S2 5 Nicholas Boccia NH John E. Cady III

S2 5 Max Hitchman CA John E. Cady III

S3 1 John Vaughan AK Jeff Katz

S3 3 Benjamin Peck CA Carl Weiseth

S4 3 Scott Dobson CO Carl Weiseth

P3 1 Andrew Pattison MT Jennifer Bedell

P3 1 Terrell Poole ID Nathan Alex Taylor

P3 1 David Preston WA Marc Chirico

P3 1 James Swanson WA Denise Reed

P3 1 Stephen Teller WA Matt Senior

P3 1 Rebecca Wilson WA Calef Letorney

P3 1 James Winter OR William Purden-Jr

P3 2 Steven Michael Fels CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P3 2 Kelly O. Foreman CA Brian Kerr

P3 2 Casey Gerstle CA Robert Black

P3 2 Luise Gleason CA Rob Sporrer

P3 2 Nicholas Hill CA Jesse L. Meyer

P3 2 Janica Lee UT Dale Covington

P3 2 Alec Page UT Gary Begley

P3 2 Krishna Harsha Reddy Kothapalli CA Jesse L. Meyer

P3 2 Wade Taylor CA Robert Black

P3 2 Juan Vargas CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P3 2 Ethan Veneklasen CA Jesse L. Meyer

P3 2 Carrie Vockrodt NV Mitchell B. Neary

P3 2 Warren Williams UT Jonathan Jefferies

P3 2 Wren Yocom UT Jonathan Jefferies

P3 3 Mariam Ahmed CA Marcello M. DeBarros

P3 3 David Andrade CA Jordan Neidinger

P3 3 Andy Barber CO Kevin McGinley

P3 3 Dylan Beard CA Jordan Neidinger

P3 3 Andrew Bradberry CO Misha Banks

P3 3 Robert Brown CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Richard Browne NM Chris W. Santacroce

P3 3 Rik Bundey CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Terry Camp CO Chris W. Santacroce

P3 3 Ellie Delbridge CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Nathan Duray AZ Chandler Papas

P3 3 William Erkelens CO Johannes Rath

P3 3 Heather Eves CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Alexis Falquier CA Rob Sporrer

P3 3 Peter Foster CO Stacy Whitmore

P3 3 Alex Haberich CO Gregory Kelley

P3 3 Arjun Heimsath AZ Chandler Papas

P3 3 Kenneth Wayne Henderson CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Dana Hunt CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Shervin Khorsand CA Marcello M. DeBarros

P3 3 Alix King CA Cynthia Currie

P3 3 Michael King CA Cynthia Currie

P3 3 Grant Matchett AZ Patrick Johnson

P3 3 Andrew Melville CA Rob Sporrer

P3 3 Joseph Milunas CA Marcello M. DeBarros

P3 3 Aaron Morrissey CO Gregory Kelley

P3 3 Jim Murphy CA Jordan Neidinger

P3 3 John Nagyvary NM T Lee Kortsch

P3 3 Michael Renner CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Dennis Shen CA Max Leonard Marien

P3 3 Julia St Clair CA Emily Wallace

P3 3 Ezra Stallings NM Charles (Chuck) Woods

P3 3 Garrett Stowall CO Misha Banks

P3 3 Bjorn Sumner NM Chris W. Santacroce

P3 3 Zach Vasnick CA Emily Wallace

P3 3 Matthew Walker CA Jonathan Jefferies

P3 4 Dominique Bagnato DC George R. Huffman

P3 4 Harry Barzilay FL Jc Perren

P3 4 James Brindley SC Austin Kasserman

P3 4 Rodrigo Coelho TN Austin Kasserman

P3 4 Zakey Faieq VA Ben White

P3 4 Helene Fiorucci GA Austin Kasserman

P3 4 Peter Horine TN Austin Kasserman

P3 4 George Pitcock GA Kelly Myrkle

P3 5 Daniel Bartus NH John Atwood

P3 5 Nicholas Boccia NH Calef Letorney

P3 5 Moon Choi BC Matt Senior

P3 5 Mike Curran MA Joachim P. Roesler

P3 5 Josh Gleiner NH Calef Letorney

P3 5 Warren Green MI Mitchell B. Neary

P3 5 Daniel Jazwinski MA Calef Letorney

P3 5 Lindsay King MD Rob Sporrer

P3 5 John McCarten Misha Banks

P3 5 Slawomir Pasieczny NY Thomas McCormick

P3 5 Viacheslav Pavlov NH Andrey Kuznetsov

P3 5 Cameron Peters MA John Atwood

P3 5 Marco Puerto NY Zion Susanno-Loddby

P3 5 Kristopher D. Reynolds MA Calef Letorney

P3 5 Mike Sopyla NH Calef Letorney

P3 5 Charles Walsh NY Philippe Renaudin

P4 1 Lynn Bryson OR Kevin R. Lee

P4 1 Adrian Forman OR Kevin R. Lee

P4 1 Peter Forster WA Mitchell Riley

P4 1 Moriah Gottschalk OR Max Leonard Marien

P4 1 Kevin Graupman WA Mike Bomstad

P4 1 A. David Hoffman ID Jeff Shapiro

P4 1 Andy Holmes WA Roger Brock

P4 1 Daniel Jackson WA Marc Chirico

P4 1 Peter Kabai WA Mitchell Riley

P4 1 Chad Uchino WA Denise Reed

P4 1 Alex Williams WA Mitchell Riley

P4 2 Jorge Eduardo Andrade da Silva UT Marcus V. Santos

P4 2 Asher Brown UT Ben White

P4 2 Janaina Franca UT Marcus V. Santos

P4 2 Mitchell Friedeman UT Johannes Rath

P4 2 Dodam Ih CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P4 2 Jonathan Mallory UT Ben White

P4 2 Dale McMahon CA Brian Kerr

P4 2 James Ryan McPherson CA Jason Shapiro

P4 2 Benjamin Moody UT Scott C. Harris

P4 2 Tristan Selva CA Robert Posey

P4 2 Mickey Sensenbach CA Joseph B. Seitz

P4 2 Steve Toney CA Jesse L. Meyer

P4 3 Jonatas Alves Ferreira CA Marcello M. DeBarros

P4 3 Ed Armstrong NM Paul Gurrieri

P4 3 Myles Connolly III CA Rob Sporrer

P4 3 Joel Hanson CO Mauricio Fleitas

P4 3 Don Herres NM Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P4 3 Miles Higgins CO Johannes Rath

P4 3 Martin Johnson CO Kevin McGinley

P4 3 Marshall Maccready CA Josh Waldrop

P4 3 Quint Morrison CA Marcello M. DeBarros

P4 3 Michael Pavlik CO Gregory Kelley

P4 3 Bryan Sillorequez CO Misha Banks

P4 3 Cole Vandenberg CA Rob Sporrer

P4 3 Cameron Weber CO Mauricio Fleitas

P4 3 Alexis Wheeler CA Juan E. Silva

P4 3 Jay Brandon Whiteaker CA William Purden-Jr

P4 4 John F. Lindsay TN Austin Kasserman

P4 5 Davidson RS Alves MA Davidson Da-Silva

P4 5 Nogah Bergman Israel Charles (Chuck) Smith

P4 5 Adam Chappell VT Calef Letorney

P4 5 Quinn Connell NH Calef Letorney

P4 5 Helder De Lucio NY Davidson Da-Silva

P4 5 Karim Hamdi NY Philippe Renaudin

P4 5 Cristian Camilo Martinez Henao NJ Luis Ameglio

P4 5 Ricardo A. Tejada NY Thomas McCormick

P5 1 David Dexter Binder HI Chair Safety and Training Committee

P5 1 Paul Gurrieri HI Chair Safety and Training Committee

P5 1 Paul C. Schaller-Franco HI Chair Safety and Training Committee

S0 2 John Csukran UT Jeff Katz

S1 5 Michael Gross NY Jeff Katz

S2 2 Jake Trevino UT Jeff Katz

S2 3 Wyatt Ebert CO Douglas Brown

S2 3 Rob Eschbach CA Douglas Brown

S2 5 Quinn Connell NH Calef Letorney

S2 5 Peter R. Williams MD Douglas Brown

S3 3 Logan Hulett CO Carl Weiseth

S4 2 Arash Farhang UT Carl Weiseth

S4 3 Dante Wardlaw CO Carl Weiseth

PEDAGOGY OF FLIGHT > Tavis N. Linsin

Translating heaven I slow down and hear the songs of angels once muted by the din of inattention gently weave the sleepy cloths of dream into earthly clothing

Translating earth I feel my body and remember forgotten toil long patience that made the impossible possible and in these sensations I search to find form a message of use to those learning to fly

Noticing the moments in a stream of choice that lift us or bring us down I shape my pedagogy of flight and practice again and again singing the song of love

We’re flight’s apprentices blessing our fleet may all be peaceful and light may all be safe free to step into the sky free to return soundly to earth

Gisele (Gigi) Dierks (Assistant Manager at Morningside Flight Park and current H2 pilot) and instructor Bob Hastings (recipient of the 2019 USHPA Hang Gliding Instructor of the Year Award), discuss a flight plan at the 450-foot launch at Morningside in Charlestown, NH.

Every pilot knows the importance of accurate flight info, weather conditions, and airspace avoidance.

The Oudie N shows you all of that, plus live weather and much more on a bright, high definition, full color display so you can focus on flying higher and farther than ever before.