USHPA Pilot Vol53-Iss3 Summer/Jul-Sep 2023

12 Foundation for Free Flight UPDATES ON PROJECT FUNDING

Fostering Female Flight 16

Finding Camaraderie through women-specific events

by Lisa Verzella

Harness Review 26

Ozone BV1

by Jeff Shapiro

Women of Speedriding 30

Hosting the first annual women's speedriding event

by Julia Lieberman

Weather 40

Clouds dropping out by Honza Rejmanek

42

Radio Interferences and Annoyances

how and why our instruments go haywire

by Josh Cohn

46

Homegrown Innovation

Behind the scenes with fluid wings

by Steve Mammano

52

Flying in Wind

Part III: Crossing winds by Dennis Pagen

56 Accidental Release

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.

A Hang Gliding towing tale by Cory Carlson For change of address or other USHPA business +1 (719) 632-8300 info@ushpa.org

ION 7 – Versatile by design

ION

7 Light – Lightweight versatility

Three-liner | Cells: 51 | Aspect ratio: 5.17 | EN/LTF B

Weight: ION 7 Light – 3.4 kg (XXXS) | ION 7 – 4.2 kg (XXS)

From local flying, cross-country to freestyle fun - everything is possible with the ION 7. The reason for this great versatility, combined with outstanding ION safety, is NOVA’s new design software. Even before the practical tests, top speed and flight manoeuvres such as collapses can be simulated more accurately than ever before.

Comprehensive warranty package »NOVA Protect«

In the boundless realm where dreams take flight, Where earthly ties dissolve, and souls ignite, A symphony of wind and wing unfold, As free flight’s poetry begins to be told.

With wings of fabric and a heart set free, We dance upon the summer breeze. Like birds in harmony, we take our flight, In unity, we conquer earthly plight.

We chase the sun as it paints the sky, With golden hues, a masterpiece on high. To feel the rush of air against our skin, And leave behind the worldly din.

For in those precious moments, we are one, Bound not by limits but by the setting sun. With passion as our fuel and dreams in sight, We shall forever soar in boundless flight.

EDITOR > Liz Dengler

: Lately, I’ve been dabbling in ChatGPT to understand its possible applications. Though it does a pretty good job of mushing words together, I think my job as an editor is safe for now. In my experience, ChatGPT is capable of generating ideas and offering inspiration; however, it can not replace the creativity that you, as contributors, bring to the table. That said, I’ve found it can help to fill in the gaps in our skillsets. For instance, I wouldn’t consider myself a poet, but with the help of AI, I generated the poem on the previous page, which I have edited down. I wouldn’t call the result world-class—it’s cute and fun but seems to lack spirit. Perhaps with a bit more direction and additional prompts, ChatGPT would be able to create something more robust.

ChatGPT will likely not be able to write a story about your trip to Spain or how you felt when you had to throw your reserve. It can try, but AI doesn’t seem to be able to really capture the emotion behind these experiences. The feeling and inspiration each of you brings to your stories is unique thanks to your first-hand experience—in my opinion, AI can’t convey this.

All that to say, we greatly appreciate the time and effort you put into sending in content. So many of you have reached out over the last few months offering stories and pictures! I continue to look forward to hearing tales about your adventures, competitions, learnings, and insights throughout the summer. In the end, the best stories require your breath and experience to give them life.

ERRATA

There was a bit of confusion regarding who won the Hang Gliding Instructor of the Year. Instructor of the Year went to Billy Vaughn (Junior), not, as I alluded to, his father Billy Vaughn (who won the award previously). For clarification, this photo shows Billy giving his Dad (Billy) a hang check. What’s there to be confused about? Congratulations again Billy, and apologies for the error!

Due to some complications, the organizers of the 2023 High Lonesome Fly-In have updated the dates since the article was published. Please visit highlonesomeflyin.com for more information.

Martin Palmaz > Publisher executivedirector@ushpa.org

Liz Dengler > Managing 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 Tristan Shu

Pilot Rachelle McEwen at Casa FLYT in Colombia waiting for a launch cycle.

Pilot Peter Song on his first ever XC flight in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. Photo by Willy Dydo.

ADVANCE DAYPACK From the

outside, the DAYPACK is the little brother of the COMFORTPACK, but the inside is specially designed for leisure and everyday use. A main compartment with intelligent interior layout, and a separate laptop compartment (280 mm width by 430 mm height and 40 mm depth), offer space for all your essentials. It also features elastic drink compartment and comes in Coral Blue and Ruby Red. The bag is 20 L and weighs 610 g. It is available through Super Fly, Inc., www.superflyinc.com, +1 (801) 255-9595, or your local dealer.

NOVA ION 7

The Ion 7 is a 51 cell, 5.17 aspect ratio

EN-B from 4.2 kg (XXS size). NOVA uses an all-new design software that was proven on the successful Xenon and Mentor 7 Light. The Ion 7 is stable with an exceptional high speed. NOVA also made the Ion 7 with freestyle in mind claiming easy wing overs and clean SAT. The pilot profile for the Ion 7 varies from enthusiastic beginner to advanced pilots. It is available with an optional XC riser. There are five sizes from 55-130 kg. The Ion 7 is available from Super Fly, Inc., www.superflyinc.com, +1 (801) 255-9595, or your local dealer and comes with the NOVA Protect 1-year warranty. Once registered, if you damage the glider, NOVA will pay to repair it for $75 and the cost of shipping.

ADVANCE OMEGA ULS

Ultra-light and ultra-competitive, this new racing (EN-D) two-liner was developed for experienced pilots who want to achieve notable cross-country flights, competition rewards, and master new challenges. It has Nitinol wires, Edelrid Pro Dry Lines and Porcher Skytex 27 on top surface with Dominico DOKDO 10 on the bottom surface. The OMEGA ULS impresses the Advance X-Alps Team with its effortless handling, outstanding flight performance, and low weight (starting from 3.05 kg). It’s available in four sizes from 65-108 kg and available through Super Fly, Inc., www.superflyinc. com, +1 (801) 255-9595, or your local dealer.

BGD EPIC FS ["THE SPIN DOCTOR"]

The EPIC FREESTYLE is the wild child of the original Epic. Much loved by acro and SIV instructors as the perfect wing to learn freestyle acro maneuvers as well as fly XC. It's for every pilot looking for a safe, forgiving and energetic wing to cut their freestyle teeth on. The 5.0 aspect ratio hits a sweet spot between safety and performance. The wing is available in five sizes and two colors. Contact Dale at BGD-USA for a demo and to find a dealer near you; www.bgd-usa.com, +1 (801) 699-1462.

FLUID WINGS FREYA

Fluid Wings is excited to introduce the Freya, a new intermediate level/recreational hybrid, miniwing. This wing was designed as the perfect blend between a speedwing and paraglider; a true hybrid. Whether you want to hike-n-fly, soar in stronger wind, or dabble with some speedwing style turns down the mountain, you can achieve this range of options with the Freya. It is constructed of hybrid materials to optimize weight and performance, including soft brake toggles for a comfortable grip and trimmer system to accommodate soaring/gliding or increased speed and those steeper descents. The wing’s overall balance from its ease of inflation, ease of kiting, responsive control in flight, and strong flare make for a super fun experience. You can learn more about the Freya at www.Fluidwings. com, info@fluidwings.com, +1 (888) 24 FLUID.

NOVA MENTOR 7

The well received Mentor 7 Light is now joined by the EN-B Mentor 7 (regular weight) at 5.3 kg (m size ). All of the great Mentor 7 Light characteristics remain including a 5.5 aspect ratio, 66 cells, 2.5-riser, and height adjustable C-handles. The Mentor 7 is available through Super Fly, Inc., www. superflyinc.com, +1 (801) 255-9595, or your local dealer and comes with the NOVA Protect 1-year warranty. Once registered, if you damage the glider, NOVA will pay to repair it for $75 and the cost of shipping.

GIN BONANZA 3

The Bonanza 3 is the new two-liner Sports Class (EN-C) wing for XC pilots. It features Wave Leading Edge Technology, inspired by the tubercles of the humpback whale. The delaying of the separation point at high angles of attack increases aerodynamic efficiency—meaning you climb faster and with more control. This means excellent climbing and glide performance, plus the wing bites into lift and cuts through turbulence and sink while having high pitch stability in strong conditions. It’s very stable, especially on the speed bar, has efficient steering and fast acceleration on bar plus high top speed. Fabric is Myungjin on the top and Porcher on the bottom. Lines by Edelrid. Available in five sizes from 60-123 kg through Super Fly, Inc., www.superflyinc.com, +1 (801) 255-9595, 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

Establishing New Sites

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!

: Site access is our most valuable asset for getting in the air. But what does it take to secure and keep access open? Many of our current sites have been well-established for quite some time, and though creating sites can take years, losing them can take seconds. Over the years, we’ve lost numerous sites across the country for reasons such as land development, a change in ownership, a high visibility accident, and the occasional pilot who may not have followed the rules as agreed on between the chapter and the landowner.

ripple throughout communities. If the pilot community can fill local needs, such as donating to search and rescue or supporting local schools and other community organizations, even better. The Cloudbase Foundation is one excellent non-profit that focuses efforts on local needs by collecting funds from pilots. Nothing speaks louder to a community than pilots willing to donate money for a good cause.

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

As pilot ambassadors within our communities, we should always keep in mind that anything we can do to maintain sites and establish new ones is vital to preserving access to the skies. If the pilots using a piece of property can be seen as a value add by the landowner and local community, it can go a long way when it matters most. Simple things like keeping sites clean and being good area stewards can

New sites are always exciting to establish, and ones in urban areas with drive-up access are highly sought after. In addition, urban sites tend to be highly visible, which is a huge bonus when it comes to attracting new pilots and members. So, how do we gain access to sites like this when permission to fly in these areas can be challenging to obtain? It takes dedication and a point person from the local club or chapter who can regularly engage with the local community, government, property owners, and other stakeholders.

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.

There are two main approaches for attempting to establish access to new sites. The first is contacting the economic development agency in your area, which may be the city, a regional entity, the chamber of commerce, or another organization. New avenues for driving tourism and economic growth can be a strong tool to find support for developing new sites. The second avenue is participating in the master planning process for parks or recreational areas. Sometimes, this requires a long-term strategy so that the groundwork is in place to take advantage of opportunities when they reveal themselves. Although this approach is lengthy and challenging, it can result in protected sites with resources for infrastructure vital to creating vibrant flying communities.

As an example, in Colorado Springs, with consistent effort over the years, USHPA has engaged with the parks department on various projects and successfully integrated flying as part of the master planning for future parks and recreational areas. This was done

to bolster our current hike-uponly flying site list. Those efforts have finally produced some results, and USHPA has been invited as a key stakeholder to help determine opportunities for flying at a new site. A recently retired quarry, which is in the process of being reclaimed, will be donated to the city of Colorado Springs and is adjacent to existing open space already used for recreation. The local pilot community has participated in the master planning process to determine appropriate recreational uses, including free flight and other sports. This is a long process with multiple phases and community feedback for the city to evaluate and develop approved uses. Patience and persistence are the keys to achieving these long-term goals. With some luck, we hope to have a new flying site at this location in the next couple of years

Interested in working with your chapter to establish access for a new site? Let us know how we can assist—we’re always willing to help you create new sites or protect existing ones.

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 office@ushpa.org

Chris Webster Information Services tech@ushpa.org

Anna Mack Programs programs@ushpa.org

Maddie Campbell Membership & Communications 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)

What's your region? See page 63.

FOUNDATION FOR FREE FLIGHT

Updates on project funding

: The Foundation for Free Flight (FFF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity parallel to USHPA that primarily works to preserve free flight in the U.S. through site preservation, education, and competition support. Whereas USHPA is charged with the administration of the sport’s training programs, support of chapters and clubs, and insurance, the FFF is charged with the conservation of the sport’s flying opportunities for future generations. While the original charter was formed to support the U.S. World Hang Gliding team, the FFF’s focus has changed significantly since its creation. Today, the FFF is most active in site preservation, although fos-

tering safety/education and supporting competition remain important functions.

The distribution of FFF grants is determined by the availability of funds and the merits of each project. Because conservation is a never-ending effort, the FFF must balance current needs with long-term sustainability.

This year the FFF moved in a new direction by hiring Nick Greece as the executive director and bringing on several new directors to the board, including Bill Belcourt, Steve Kroop, Bill Bolosky, and Ken Grubbs.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to help guide the FFF in the coming years and to have the op-

portunity to work with amazing individuals and communities that are making their flying world a better place,” said Greece. “We are focusing the grant process to benefit the pilot community as a whole by emphasizing site preservation and supporting events in the coming years.”

With a new group of directors, the FFF is refocusing on site preservation as its primary goal. “The Foundation for Free Flight wants to preserve sites forever. Though safety and training education and competition are important, the reality is, if we don’t have sites, we can’t fly,” stated Randy Legget, co-founder of the FFF. “I’m proud to say that there is somewhere that you can go to that will help you financially. If your site can be saved, we will make certain it is if it’s possible within the realm of our abilities.”

With readily available fundraising platforms that allow more spending flexibility for U.S. competitive teams, the FFF is also gearing up to support competition organizers in the U.S. in the near future through grants focused on supporting mentoring, securing landing fields, and maintaining launches.

The FFF will continue to award grants for education, instructor support, and safety, but the organization’s primary focus will be land use. At the time of publication, the FFF will be in full swing in raising money for a major improvement in landing options in Monroe, Utah, that can be utilized in perpetuity by both hang gliders and paragliders alike. Other recent successful projects include revamping the Missoula, Montana launch to ensure access is maintained for decades to come, supporting instructor clinics in parts of the U.S. that are not populated with free flight instructors, and providing tow fees for five mentors at the Green Swamp Classic.

Typically, there is a wide range of considerations when the FFF compares the merits of qualifying grants. Some common factors include the number of pilots affected, whether a project is bi-wingual in benefit, the total dollar amount of the grant (smaller grants don’t crowd out other viable projects), and simple bang for the buck. Also, to ensure a local commitment to each project, the FFF gives strong preference to

Trail crews happily working with support from the Foundation for Free Flight.

Project improvements supported by the Foundation for Free Flight.

applicants who have raised locally at least 50% of the total funds required. Ultimately, the FFF wants what you want, and we do our best to get the most out of the donations we receive.

This year, the FFF is raising money with the Central Utah Soaring Association to support fundraising efforts for the Monroe site. The fundraising efforts will be highlighted by the numerous events they are hosting at Monroe. The FFF is putting up $16,000 of matching funds for this great site. The first event is a hang gliding race-to-goal USHPA-sanctioned competition. Raised funds will be used to improve the primary landing zone to be ideal for hosting top-notch fly-ins and competitions for hang gliders (and paragliders) in the coming years. The fundraising to support the site will continue through the Red Rocks competitions and Red

Rocks Fly-In, as well as USHPA’s 50th Anniversary celebration this autumn. For more information about this project and to donate to this great cause, visit https://foundationforfreeflight. org/monroe-lz-fund/.

Please reach out if you or your club have a project that would be a good fit for the organization. In the meantime, please take a moment and visit www.foundationforfreeflight.org to learn more about the organization. As Jim Maze, president of the FFF, notes, “It’s through volunteer involvement and financial contributions that our valued supporters are helping to preserve, prolong and advance the opportunity for free flight in the United States.”

Lastly, don’t forget to donate during your USHPA renewal. These donations are typically matched every year up to $20,000!

FEMALE FLIGHT FOSTERING

Finding camaraderie through women-specific events

by LISA VERZELLA

: It’s not easy to find flying programs, tours, or coaching geared specifically for female pilots in the U.S. or abroad. But a few significant options have emerged in recent years, hopefully starting a trend that will increase safety, skills, and participation for decades to come. These top-quality international and U.S. paragliding opportunities are attracting notice, popularity, and rave reviews.

The first program of note is in the beloved wintertime getaway for northern hemisphere pilots—Colombia. Much has been written about the tours, competitions, and gatherings in this verdant, warm mecca, but a newcomer on the block is gaining attention and rave reviews: the FLYT Paragliding Wellness Retreat.

FLYT, meaning “flow” in Norwegian, encompasses the purpose behind all the adventures the organization offers. Headquarters for the events

are located at the mountaintop paradise of Casa FLYT, which provides pilots with fabulous lodging and meals. The week-long program, arranged and guided by U.S. paragliding pilot Rachelle McEwen, incorporates flying with daily breathwork, yoga, and a hearty but healthy menu.

One particular event, now in its second year, is the Ladies Paragliding Fly-In, which I attended this past January. This all-female guided and mentored retreat begins and ends each day at the beautiful, modern lodge situated along a 5,000foot MSL ridgeline on the northeastern side of the Valle de Cauca.

The event’s flying sites are located north of the crowded Roldanillo launch, providing lower stress and a more flexible flying window. Rachelle acts as both guide and mentor, partnering with an additional invited coach to give full attention to each participant.

Lindsy Ripa Burns briefing her fly-in group at Cove Launch, UT. Photo by Matt Swartz.

Lisa Dickinson and Susanna Girolamo Phillips in Ansermanuevo, Colombia. Photo by Rachelle McEwen.

I had a spectacular time at this fly-in. Each day began with bird calls that eased us out of sleep, along with the 6 a.m. light. Shortly after, Rachelle led a breathwork and stretching session, focusing the mind and body for the day’s upcoming adventure. After a hearty breakfast and thorough weather briefing to decide the day’s locale, task, and timing, we would venture out for a full day of exploring the air.

This year’s invited flying coach was X-Alps competitor Eli Egger, who is also the owner of Flugschule Aufwind, where she also serves as a flight instructor. Eli has been consistently crushing comps worldwide. Her knowledge, skill, patience, and respectful attitude were invaluable during our week of cross-country flying.

Flying with an all-female group took my experience a level deeper than my typical involvement in predominantly male gatherings, of which I’ve participated in hundreds over my 35 years of flying. The focus was more on collaboration than competition, and we felt free to express our anxieties, fears, and concerns without being judged or thought weak. The conversations often centered on women-focused topics like diaper use for long XC flights and how to encourage other gals to enter the sport, move up the ranks, and take on leadership.

A growing number of clinics and tours offer similar experiences for female pilots, where the focus is on fun, collaboration, learning, and growth. Egger’s Austrian paragliding school is one such place with over 50% of instructors being women. Other European programs include a German league that dedicates one of its comp-

Pilot Jamie Bishop soars More Mesa, Santa Barbara. Photo by Riley Cristian.

new-comer trainings specifically for women. British-based RISE Paragliding offers a Ladies Week SIV clinic, in Oludeniz, Turkey, for individual/acro training. Before COVID, the Australian program Altitude with Attitude, run by Kirsten Seeto, created events for women focused on owning every aspect of paragliding, from kiting and flying to gear selection, weather, site choice, and logistics.

The Federacion Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) has a Women With Wings (WWW) program, encouraging female participation in non-motorized air sports at all levels. Inclusive of paragliding, hang gliding, sailplane soaring, and hot-air ballooning, this program highlights women’s records, achievements, and champions on a global scale. The website www.fai.org/women-wings also has an events tab, though the only current listing is sailplane comp results. At this point, I see the WWW as an inspirational source

rather than a concrete program. Coaching and educational events for women in the U.S. are primarily offered via fly-ins. California veteran paraglider pilot Milly Wallace is the mastermind behind one of the longest-running female events, the Paragliding Pixies Fly-In. Also a talented seamstress, instructor, tandem and test pilot, Milly began the Pixies gathering in 2017 at the Point of the Mountain in Draper, Utah. In addition to sharing the air with dozens of others, she organized a successful world record attempt for the largest number of female paraglider pilots kiting in unison. The fly-in has since migrated to Torrey Pines, California. Every Pixie gathering includes mentoring, GPS courses, ground handling instruction, mountain flying, thermaling coaching, and one-on-one assistance. Milly also brings in a few volunteer mentors each year. She humbly notes, “The best part is the girls helping each other and sharing

Pilot Amy Le opting for the unofficial Red Hill Hot Springs LZ, Monroe, UT. Photo by Stephanie Linsley.

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

Rachelle McEwen at Casa FLYT, Colombia. Photo by Grant Foad.

their skills.” When not flying, participants can enjoy other fun activities, like yoga and flying-themed rock painting. The 2023 event will be at Torrey Pines Gliderport and the surrounding San Diego mountain flying sites from August 4-6.

An early attendee of the Pixie party, pilot Lindsey Ripa Burns was so inspired that she created her own female-focused event, the Swifts Fly-In. This heavily-attended gathering, which attracted both new and old, male and female pilots from across the country, was initially held in Villa Grove, Colorado. It has since moved, along with Lindsey, to become a Labor Day tradition in Monroe, Utah.

The Swifts Fly-In features group flying at all lev-

els, both local and XC. Past events have offered mentorship connections and Q&A sessions with prominent women pilots. This year’s gathering will additionally offer some low-key, friendly guiding, according to Lindsey.

On the West Coast, California paraglider pilot Sarah Lockwood has organized a ladies fly-in in Santa Barbara, California, and, a first for this year, at Woodrat, Oregon. With significant others/partners welcome to join, event participation is for “female, female-identifying, and non-binary identifying pilots.” Sarah firmly believes in the positive effects of increasing female representation in the flying world and fosters that through mentorship and support.

Both the Woodrat Fly-In, scheduled for July

Sarah Lockwood giving briefing on EJ launch, Santa Barbara, CA. Photo by Riley Cristian.

Lisa Verzella, Rachelle McEwen, and Cheryl Morgan, at cloudbase at Valle de Cauca, Colombia. Photo by Eli Egger.

7-9 this year, and the 2nd annual Santa Barbara Fly-In, November 3-5, offer many opportunities to encourage this growth. The event website states, “Our goal is to create an accepting and encouraging space where women feel empowered to ask questions, push themselves, and unlock the amazing gifts that paragliding has to offer” — with a plan to “send it” if the weather permits, of course.

On a larger local scale, USHPA has formed a new committee, chaired by Violeta Jimenez, to support women in paragliding and hang gliding.

This group will focus on topics such as increasing female membership, highlighting events and opportunities in mentoring and education for women pilots, and encouraging the proliferation of female guides and solo/tandem instructors throughout the U.S. There is strength in numbers. Encouraging these programs and developing more will hopefully be effective in bringing new members to USHPA and improving representation within our organization. Gals, get friends involved and request women-led tours, guides, and tandem flights! Guys, encourage and empower the women around you to begin, continue, or level up! We can all play a role in spreading the word and promoting the gift of flying to everyone.

Pilot Lisa Dickinson flying near Viterbo, Colombia.

Photo by Rachelle McEwen.

Pilot Cheryl Morgan prepares to launch Risaralda, Colombia. Photo by Petar Dopchev.

Rachelle McEwen wraps up an evening at Casa FLYT, Colombia.

Photo by Tristan Shu.

Harness Review: Ozone BV1

: For paraglider pilots, equipment is integral to interacting with our airborne environment. Yes, we feel the relative wind on our faces and airspeed in our ears. And the feeling of gravity loading or unloading its unrelenting grasp communicates whether we should be looking for the cloud forming above our heads or the closest landing zone. But arguably, the information provided by our gear significantly helps with our flying experience on any given day.

For me, I find it easy to tell whether or not I like the equipment I’m flying. Factors like safety and stability or, perhaps on the opposite spectrum, speed and how a wing moves and communicates the airmass, determine what wing and harness combination I fly much more than feel or performance alone. Articles and podcast conversations often focus on wing progression, driven mainly by topics such as passive safety. But I have rarely heard much about harness choice, though I would argue that each harness I’ve flown over the years had as much, if not more, impact on my overall

by Jeff Shapiro

flight experience.

Harness design and features tend to be specific to each pilot’s mission. For example, a competition design will emphasize aerodynamic advantage and perhaps have the option for two parachutes and a large cockpit for multiple instruments, to name a few features. In contrast, a student harness is designed for ease of use. The Ozone BV1 fits squarely within the “hike-and-fly” category. Whether you’re out on a day mission or a multi-week vol-bivouac, you’ll want all the normal harness features but with an additional focus on overall weight, packability, and available storage.

I’ve tried many iterations within this genre of harness over the years—some I’ve liked, others not so much. I empathize with how difficult it is to address high safety standards and performance while keeping a harness light and large enough to provide the most sought-after factor within this category, storage. While trying to cross the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska’s Brooks Range, we had 60+ pounds of food, fuel,

and bivouac gear. Fitting it all into our harnesses to make miles via air instead of soul-crushing hikes across arctic tussock was a make-or-break element to the trip’s success.

: In 2022, I tested and subsequently flew Ozone’s new vol-bivouac harness, the BV1. I now use it for both adventure flying and as my “daily driver.” In this review, I pass along my experience in the hope that it will inform you not only about this harness but also about the elements I value so that you can apply them to your own search for a harness that works for you. For that reason, I will break down my experience with the BV1 into the following categories: longevity, safety, performance, and packability.

When I received my BV1 in the box, I first noticed that the materials used in the harness were not the same as the prototype I’d test-flown. Being a harness designed for vol-biv, I wanted lightweight, which the prototype had indeed been. But I also wanted durability. In my experience, longevity in the field is arguably more important than lightness—the last thing I need in the backcountry is for my harness to fall apart. So, I was thrilled that the textiles Ozone chose for the production BV1 were far more robust than I’d expected. It was still very lightweight (1.9 kg in the MS), but as I inspected the stitching, the structure, and the external materials, I had the distinct impression that the harness would last in the harshest environments. After over 150 hours, it still looks new, which, for me, confirms that assumption.

Next, I looked at the parachute deployment system and the back protection. The BV1 has a front-mounted parachute container that doubles as an instrument platform. At first glance, it seemed on the small side, but because of a well-balanced mix of static and elastic materials, my lightweight parachute fit with no drama. I believe that bigger is better when it comes to a

rescue parachute, and my canopy size is more than adequate for my all-up weight. But for this harness or any other in this category, I recommend using a lightweight version to fit best in the provided compartment. A practice toss revealed the entire system to be easy, smooth, and reliable. I love that the red handle is right in front of my face, making it easy to find in the most chaotic of events, should I find myself in that scenario.

For me, the back protection in the BV1 is one of its best attributes. The EN-certified inflatable airbag is huge and covers from under my thighs to high on my back. With the bellow/stuff sack provided with the harness, I can quickly fill the airbag and be ready to fly within minutes and with far more confidence than with any comparable foam option. A potential downside to an airbag might come from a hard, backcountry landing where something sharp creates the chance for a puncture. In this scenario, the harness would no longer have effective back protection, so carrying some kind of repair tape would be a smart addition to your kit. Luckily, the BV1’s airbag is easy to remove and repair.

As far as performance, I love that the internal structure of the harness is integrated into its split-leg design. I feel as though I’m being cradled in flight. With no webbing structure squeezing around me, I feel none of the small pressure points I’ve noticed in other harnesses. Nitinol rods in the back and under the seat also add a lot to in-flight comfort, especially when standing on my speed bar. Getting the harness on and off is quick, easy, and intuitive, thanks to the color-coded leg loop attachments. Plus, the braided lumbar and shoulder supports reduce weight and bulk and are a breeze to adjust, even while flying.

I also love the weight shift authority in this harness. In most other harnesses with a standard seat, I lose 20 to 30 percent efficiency simply because I slide a little in the seat when I try to engage my

Enjoying the Ozone BV1 at Woodrat, Oregon. Photo by Jeff Shapiro.

weight to one side. By contrast, in the BV1, due to its well-built split leg design, nearly all the weight I put onto my hip directly translates to the affected riser, resulting in more turn or corrective influence. Because of this benefit, I use less effort in flight and stay more relaxed in my core. With these attributes and the overall comfort, I feel perfectly happy to be “in the saddle” all day.

I’ll break packability into two categories, with the first being how the harness fits into a backpack for long hikes. A significant benefit of having an airbag for back protection is that the harness is far more packable when deflated. It’s terrific having a harness that packs to a size barely larger than the reserve parachute in it. And I was again pleasantly surprised that even with more robust materials than the test harness, it didn’t seem any bulkier in my pack. Folding the harness and putting it on my concertina bag before wrapping it up like a burrito resulted in a package so small that even in my smaller backpack, I still had room for my helmet, water, snacks, and extra flying clothes. The second category for packability is storage, and this harness has ample space for your gear. Even with all the standard amenities, such as a hydration sleeve, easy-to-access pockets for snacks

and a camera, and an under-the-cockpit pocket for external battery packs, the storage available behind my back easily fit all gear needed for a 10day adventure.

Yet another advantage to the airbag back protection is that I can easily zip more gear into the space behind my thighs and then inflate the bag around it. If my packing is well thought out, the gear is securely held in place by the air pressure and doesn’t hinder the protection of my spine. On a side note, I was psyched that the BV1 came stock with attachments for my solar panel, which was a feature I’d always had to add on myself to other harnesses before extended trips. In my opinion, it’s the small details like this that show a well-rounded design.

Hopefully, some of the elements of the BV1 that I’ve pointed out will get you thinking more critically about your next adventure harness—or your next harness, in general. For me, the BV1 checks all the boxes. Of course, everyone is different, so if you get a chance to try one or more of the different designs available, do! If you’re anything like me, the obvious choice will come into focus after some air time and allow you to meet your goals using the best gear for the job!

Women of Speedriding

Hosting the first annual women's speedriding event

by Julia Lieberman

: How do you get a bunch of hard-core speedflyers to commit to showing up on time? It turns out the first International Women of Speedflying event can make that happen! This rad event took place in early March 2023 in Chamonix, France, and was a flying success for everyone.

It all started in July of 2022. I was invited to a “float-and-fly” river trip where many people would be speedflying, and I’d get to take a rubber kayak down the Lower Salmon River in Idaho. By the end of the trip, I owned a used 15-meter Mirage and had fallen in love with this

Julia Lieberman and Lehart Erikson flying Vallorcine.

Katie Silva, Julia Lieberman, Anna Kirkwood, and Lesia Witkowsky after a rad flight at Le Tour.

Photo by Robbie Bacastow.

faster genre of flying.

On that trip, I met my friend Carl Weiseth, founder of Speedfly.com. He mentioned a need for more female leadership in the speedflying community, and from there, the idea was born. In a spinoff of the more well-known “Best of Speedflying” Instagram profile, I created a profile called “Women of Speedflying.” The original goal was to figure out how many women in the world speedfly (or ride) and find a way to celebrate them.

As my passion grew for the sport, so did my connection to other female speedflyers world-

wide. I started chatting with women in France, Norway, and South Africa, and the concept of something more official than just an Instagram account started to form. I freehanded a logo based on a photo of Laëtitia Risdon, one of the most inspiring female speedflyers I’ve come to know, and paid a graphic designer to create a print-ready design for it. Laëtitia and I chatted about doing a Women of Speedflying event together in France, and before I knew it, the plans were coming together.

I built a website and started inviting all my new lady friends—soon, we were ready for a

Maud Perrin, Garance Vœgeli, and Laëtitia Risdon kiting their wings before takeoff on the infamous north face of the Aiguille du Midi. Photo by Tom Benitez.

weekend event in Chamonix where all women, and those who support them, would be welcome.

We met at Le Tour at 9:30 on a warm, sunny Saturday morning. Although there was not much snow, the wind forecast looked perfect. Thirteen women plus around 30 men (the usual ratio for women’s events open to everyone) showed up with speedwings in hand and GoPro cameras mounted.

Many people associate large gatherings of pilots, especially speedwing pilots, with injuries and accidents. At the morning briefing, I stressed that this event was about building community—not pushing the limits or trying new things. If we wanted to make this an annual event, we needed to get through the weekend without any incidents. After talking through safety procedures and logistics, we got on the lift to scope out our first flight for the day.

We had both new pilots and veterans, and wings ranging from 13 meters to 6 meters. Level Wings had three representatives there, including the company’s founder and head designer Francois Bon. Women from Norway, France, Switzerland, Canada, the U.S., and Russia all got to speedride this chunky terrain. The winds were perfect, but the lines we were riding were short (no more than 200 meters) and had poor-quality snow, so we headed up to the longer speedflying line, Vallorcine. Here we side-stepped up to the edge where the terrain gave way to at least 1,000 glorious meters of steep relief, free of cables and full of various cracks to explore.

We started lapping this section, flying lines together, with pilots flying the way they personally enjoy. Of course, there was barrel rolling and swooping, but everyone flew within their limits, playing it safe and smart. Smiles were big that

Event co-hosts Julia Lieberman (left) and Laëtitia Risdon (right) meet in-person for the first time in Chamonix. Photo by Katie Silva.

Maud Perrin, Laëtitia Risdon, and Garance Vœgeli descending the ridge of Aiguille du Midi.

Photo by Tom Benitez.

Group photo of some of the ladies who joined. From left to right: Ann Patzelt, Anissa Desuzinge, Laëtitia Risdon, Garance Vœgeli, Julia Lieberman, Thea Kristina Matilde, Hilde Pettersen, Lesia Witkowsky, Katie Silva. Not pictured: Melissa Huckson, Anna Kirkwood, the men.

Garance Vœgeli carving up the air over the glaciers off the north face of Aiguille du Midi. Photo by Tom Benitez.

day as we flew our final line to the parking lot just before beer o’clock. Though our event schedule said showers were mandatory, we agreed that getting in another flight was more important than smelling nice. So with the help of a few wet wipes and deodorant, we raced over to L’Hydromel for our first apres-fly party. More than 50 people showed up! The stickers with our new logo were quickly snapped up. In an attempt to get an all-ladies photo, we got a round of shots for the women.

Though the event was officially over (it was only meant to be a single day), the conditions the next day were perfect for flying the iconic north face of the Aiguille du Midi on Mont Blanc. The north face is a world-class line but not to be attempted by beginners. As such, groups divided up, with some people heading back to Le Tour, others to Flegere, but most doing laps on the Aiguille. With a committing launch and a tight landing, you must be on your A-game and have all factors lined up to send this drool-worthy flight. The day did not disappoint, and dozens of pilots got to soar over intimidating seracs and crevasses and experience the jaw-dropping views of Les Bossons Glacier.

That evening we again met for apres at L’Hydromel for a final hurrah and goodbyes. The event concluded with zero incidents, a whole lot

WHAT THE PILOTS SAY...

“I was curious to meet the rad ladies I’ve been stalking on Instagram, whom I discovered thanks to the “Women of Speedflying” profile. I can now confirm that they are incredible, worthy, and ready to own their seat at the extreme sports table. I’m grateful that I got to share ski-lifts and drinks with them, and two intense days of badasserie!” -

Anissa Desuzinge

“I was very enthusiastic from the beginning of the Women of Speedflying adventure, and when Julia proposed that we organize a meet-up, I found the idea crazy and extraordinary at the same time. At first, I thought it would be a small meeting of ladies who always ride together. But what I really liked was not just the motivation of the women present but also the enthusiasm and beautiful spirit shared with all the men who came to support us by participating in the event. The enthusiasm was contagious!”

- Laëtitia Risdon

“I had so much fun that I’m moving to Chamonix next winter!”

- Lesia Witkowsky

“Julia’s superpower is bringing people together, and this is evidenced by the success of the first Women of Speedflying event. It was a special experience to meet and speedride in Chamonix with many extraordinary ladies I look up to! We are all used to speedflying being a male-dominated sport, and when we got the women together, our shared passion quickly bonded us. We had so much fun. I hope to inspire other women to enter the sport, and I am excited for more events with the speedflying ladies soon.”

- Katie Silva

Julia Lieberman over Mer du Glace on Valle Blanche of Aiguille du Midi.

of smiles, and a new international community of women (and women supporters) who love to speedride.

At the end of the day, we got exactly what we wanted—a fun community-building event that showed this is not just a man’s sport but something that women can excel in without feeling pressured to fit into the bro culture. By hosting an event designed for women, we helped set the stage for a sport that is equally inclusive of all its athletes. There’s so much fun to be had, so let’s make this an annual tradition and show the boys how it’s done!

Thank you to all the women, especially Laëtitia Risdon, Katie Silva, and Lesia Witkowsky, for helping make this event a success!

Thea Kristina Matilde casually speedriding at Le Tour.

Accident Assistance Fund (AAF)

Members helping Members in Times of Need

The AAF is the first initiative launched by the recently created Development Committee. The AAF will help cover medical and other expenses resulting from free flying accidents*. If you’re interested in helping your fellow pilots in times of need, please consider making a taxdeductible gift to the AAF. To kickstart the AAF, two generous members have agreed to donate $5,000 each, for a total of $10,000 in matching funds. This is an incredible opportunity to double the impact of your contribution to the AAF.

Scan QR code for more details on the AAF and how to make a tax-deductible donation.

* The AAF will only have access to funds donated by members and earmarked for the AAF. The AAF is not insurance and is not intended to be a replacement for insurance, but rather to help with insurance deductibles and unforeseen medical and other expenses in times of need. USHPA encourages all pilots to practice safe flying and stay current and maintain proper medical insurance coverage. Details of the AAF are available on USHPA’s website including eligibility requirements, application process, and fund management.

Clouds dropping out [previously published in Cross Country Magazine]

: When cumulus clouds start producing visible precipitation, it is often a sign that the flying might start to shut down in the immediate surroundings. However, precipitation beginning to fall out of a cumulus cloud does not always have to mean that the flying day is over or that it is immediately time to land. Developing a sense of the level of danger, or lack thereof, concerning cumulus clouds starting to drop out is not trivial. Several factors have to be considered when evaluating cumulus clouds that are starting to precipitate. These include the altitude and dimensions of the cumulus cloud, the time of day, the type of precipitation, and the density of the precipitation. It is also important to consider how the rest of the sky looks. Are we witnessing a single cumulus cloud dropping out, or are many others doing the same thing in the vicinity? If airborne, it is important to try and evaluate how far away the cloud is and how fast it is moving. The position and movement of cloud shadows on the ground can aid with this assessment.

Apart from the inconvenience of getting wet, the danger of flying through rain also depends

on our aircraft. Some higher aspect paragliders are known to have a tendency of dropping into constant stall when wet. If you are on this type of glider and get rained on in the air, it might be wise to fly with a bit of bar until you dry out.

In most cases, a rain shaft indicates sinking air. Near cloudbase, the sink rate will usually not be that drastic if we are dealing with a small to medium-sized cumulus. This is because the downward acceleration has just begun. It is possible to be in a thermal going up and still get rained or snowed on because the updraft and the precipitating downdraft can be in close enough proximity that some of the precipitation is swept back up into the thermal. If the sun is off at an angle, and the precipitation is not frozen, it is sometimes possible to see a full-circle primary rainbow and, in rare cases, a full-circle secondary rainbow. These are not the diffuse rainbows of a glory that appear when you cast your shadow on a cloud. These full-circle rainbows are the same rainbows that earth dwellers would see when the sun is low on the horizon. The main difference is that, from the ground, they only see half of the full 360° arc because the rest of

the rainbow is effectively underground. The situation quickly turns far more serious as we move from a benign cumulus to a towering cumulus congestus or, worse, a full-blown cumulonimbus. In such a scenario, the rain and its associated downdraft can be quite strong, even at cloudbase, as there has been a greater vertical distance within the cloud over which to accelerate downward. However, if it is starting to overdevelop anywhere near your immediate vicinity, you should not be flying at cloudbase because you might enter powerful lift and unintentionally white out. Additionally, you should be doing your best to get away from the area of overdevelopment and, in most cases, try to land.

If a large cloud starts dropping out and the rain shaft is wide and dense enough that you cannot see to the other side, then you have to be aware that there is a likelihood of a gust front. If you have lingered in the sky this long, you might have already made several misjudgments regarding how fast the conditions are changing. Without dwelling on the past, you now have to hyper-focus on what might be a game of survival.

Shafts of rain so dense that you cannot see to the other side are indicative of a whole lot of fast-sinking air. Once this air slams the ground, it must go sideways, resulting in a gust front. In mountainous areas, this is best imagined as the avalanche of the sky or a burst dam. The cool, dense air will run fast down the slopes and down the valley. In the process of getting on the ground safely, it might be worth considering landing up high and waiting for the storm to pass. Getting down to a valley will take longer, and it is down

in the valley where a channeled gust front is most likely found. In some cases, it is possible to fly far enough away crosswind and completely escape the area of overdevelopment. Nonetheless, it is most prudent to avoid flirting with overdevelopment in the first place.

In dry areas where cloudbase is high, a dense rain shaft will often evaporate before it reaches the ground. Such virga can produce a microburst. All the sinking air in the evaporating rain shaft is becoming ever denser with respect to its surroundings. It, too, will slam the surface and locally cause very strong surface winds. Given the high cloudbases in dry areas, it might be best to top off and fly well away from any region of pronounced virga. This helps ensure that your landing area will not be affected by a violent microburst.

Lastly, it should be noted that there are times when small cumulus clouds up high appear to have a disproportionally large amount of virga dropping out. If it is early in the day, these cumulus clouds are usually not the tops of thermals. Rather, they are a result of upper-level instability or upper-level convergence. In these cases, the virga is composed of minuscule ice crystals that appear optically dense, but their fall rate is extremely slow. If there is any level of wind shear at their altitude, the virga will take on a curved or comma-shaped appearance. Such clouds do not present any immediate danger. If they do appear in the morning hours, they serve as an indication of a moist air mass aloft. Given enough heating and humidity in the lower layers of the atmosphere, it is good to be vigilant for afternoon thunderstorms.

You might have already made several misjudgments regarding how fast the conditions are changing. Without dwelling on the past, you now have to hyper-focus on what might be a game of survival.

Radio Interferences and Annoyances

How and why our instrumens go haywire

by Josh Cohn

: I took a poll of around 600 San Francisco Bay Area pilots via a Telegram chat and found that 34%, or 13 of 30, who responded had experienced electromagnetic interference between the electronic devices that they carry while flying. We rely on these devices for communication, navigation, vertical speed, and emergency calls, so it’s essential to understand the sources of and mitigations for interference to keep them functional. In my experience, interference issues typically exist between some varios and nearby transmitting radios. Some varios can register a dramatic climb if a radio transmits too close to them (for example, if both are

OTHER SOURCES OF INTERFERENCE

• HAM radio

• Battery pack/charging cable

• Mobile phone

• GPS

• Satellite tracker (InReach, etc.)

• Telecom equipment

• Bluetooth transceiver

• FANET/FLARM transceiver

• Avalanche beacon

• Heated gloves

VICTIMS OF INTERFERENCE

• HAM radio

• Flight instrument/vario

• Mobile phone

• GPS

• Satellite tracker (InReach, etc.)

• FANET/FLARM transceiver

• Avalanche beacon

mounted on the same flight deck). Also, some older models of Oudie have issues with producing noise that can be picked up on a nearby radio. The problem is reported to be worse with cheaper radios and longer antennas. Finally, flying close to telecom antennas can often lead to a reaction from a vario.

Theory

When electric currents flow through conductors, they produce magnetism, and when the current is switched rapidly, electromagnetic waves in the radio frequency range are produced. These waves can, in turn, induce currents in other conductors, thus allowing radio reception, wireless charging, electric motors, transformers, etc.

Some devices are designed to emit radio waves, while others do so incidentally, particularly if they are not adequately shielded. The FCC has testing requirements that attempt to limit RF interference, but your experience may vary.

Interference occurs when the radio emissions from other devices are strong enough to trip the squelch and be heard or when the radio’s signal interacts with the sensitive electronics of other devices, causing them to malfunction. Radio frequency interference (RFI) is a subset of electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the radio frequency spectrum, which occurs when the radio signal overlaps with the frequency range of other electronic devices. RFI can affect various electronics, including mobile phones, variometers, satellite trackers, and Bluetooth devices.

Examples pilots reported:

• A phone connected to an external battery leads to static on the radio.

GLOSSARY

CW: Morse code

EME: Earth–Moon–Earth communication, also known as moon bounce

Linear Translator: an exotic kind of repeater

OSCAR: Orbital Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio

Simplex: Radio stations that are communicating with each other directly, on the same frequency. This is what pilots generally use (when not using a repeater). Probably the best bet for avoiding noise from repeaters, data transmission, etc.

SSB: Single Sideband

• A radio antenna too close to a helmet with a Bluetooth headset (a BT source) causes radio static.

• Varios and radios affected by flying in front of microwave transmission dishes on mountain tops.

• Very cheap (looking at you, Baofeng) radios have been reported to be worse.

Solutions

Fortunately, there are several ways to minimize interference between HAM radios and other devices. The easiest solution is to put the devices farther apart. Since signal strength drops inversely with the square of distance, even a little more separation can have a significant effect when the signals are in close proximity. For example, having a radio on the flight deck next to a vario can cause problems, which are often solved by putting the radio in a radio harness or harness pocket. The most common form of radio-to-vario interference is that when transmitting on the radio, the vario indicates lift. And conversely, RFI from a vario can lead to hearing static on the radio.

The squelch, which causes the radio to be quiet if the signal strength received is below a certain threshold, can be adjusted. However, what works well for a radio on the other side of launch may be too high when you’re trying to talk to your buddy some miles away.

Adding a ferrite bead may help filter out interference on a charging cable. Loop power cables through the donut a few times. Hinged versions are also available that will clamp around a cable.

Aside from the RFI issues, it’s probably good for your health to avoid flying right in the path of powerful microwave transmissions for any length of time. The antennas that look like big bass kick drums are parabolic dish antennas. They are very directional (safer at least 10 degrees off-axis) and used for point-to-point communication, so it’s not so hard to avoid hanging out in their beam for long enough to get cooked. The FCC publishes safe exposure standards, so in theory, if you knew the power output and some other details, you could figure out where it’s safe to be. But it may be easier to not hang out in their vicinity any longer than necessary.

Another DIY solution is to ensure that your non-radio device(s) are sufficiently RF shielded, using a near-field probe and installing extra shielding if needed. There are videos showing how to do this, such as:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAsKROQK5LQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayf3SfyGFzA

Radio mounting

Thanks to Bill Hetzel for contributing the following (and a few other) comments. I prefer to devote as little attention to my radio as possible while flying, so I personally don’t follow these suggestions though they make sense. Then again, maybe if I paid more attention to the radio, I’d find it more useful.

There are numerous advantages to mounting your 2-way radio within reach and full view on your flight deck. For one, it will be easier to make any necessary changes while flying, such as adjusting squelch and volume or changing to a different frequency.

And with an eye on your radio display, it’s possible

BAND PLAN FROM ARRL.ORG 2 METERS (144-148 MHZ)

144.00-144.05

EME (CW)

144.05-144.10

General CW and weak signals

144.10-144.20

EME and weak-signal SSB

144.200

National calling frequency

144.200-144.275

General SSB operation

144.275-144.300

Propagation beacons

144.30-144.50

New OSCAR subband

144.50-144.60

Linear translator inputs

144.60-144.90

FM repeater inputs

144.90-145.10

Weak signal and FM simplex (145.01,03,05,07,09 are widely used for packet)

145.10-145.20

Linear translator outputs

145.20-145.50

FM repeater outputs

145.50-145.80

Misc./experimental modes

145.80-146.00

OSCAR subband

146.01-146.37

Repeater inputs

146.40-146.58

Simplex

146.52

National Simplex Calling Frequency

to check your battery level, see if you are accidentally transmitting, ensure your keypad is properly locked, check your transmit power level, and see if someone else is transmitting but you aren’t hearing them (this could be due to a volume or speaker issue on your end or because they are accidentally transmitting). Having your radio handy lets you unplug the speaker mic and PTT connections to work around in-flight equipment issues, too.

Other (not strictly RFI) sources of radio annoyance

Overly chatty pilots: It’s important to consider what to transmit before putting it out to everyone within range. That generally allows brief and to-the-point transmissions instead of the dreaded stream of consciousness that causes other pilots who are trying to concentrate on flying to turn their radio down or off. An actual transmission I heard at a comp in the remote Australian countryside: “I’m in a field with a windmill and a cloud

146.61-146.97

Repeater outputs

147.00-147.39

Repeater outputs

147.42-147.57

Simplex

147.60-147.99

Repeater inputs

The frequency 146.40 MHz is used in some areas as a repeater input.

This band plan has been proposed by the ARRL VHF-UHF Advisory Committee.

passing over it … NOW.” Talking about what to have for lunch after you’re picked up can wait until you’re in the vehicle. Of course, sustained teasing has sometimes been effective in reforming the worst offenders, but it’s no guarantee.

Chatty ground-based HAM operators: There is little that can be done about this one. You can station identify since you have a HAM license (you do, right?*) and politely ask the ground-based operator to switch to another frequency since your hands are occupied. However, this hardly ever works because they are likely transmitting with hundreds of watts instead of your several watts, and they won’t hear you. Solution? Don’t use that frequency next time. It can also help to consult a band plan, which is a voluntary division of the frequency band to avoid conflicts. Choosing from within the bands marked Simplex would be a good start for finding usable frequencies.

Equipment issues: The internal connections to the antennas or the antennas themselves can be flakey,

particularly with cheaper radios. Problematically, a typical radio check on launch might be loud and clear, but when the radios are a few hundred meters apart, the signals will drop way off due to poor antenna connectivity. It’s good to check this before you’re in the air by testing over a longer distance with a buddy or keying a distant repeater. If you can, get to know your area repeaters—they can sometimes be useful.

Pilots keying microphones: When there are 100+ pilots on one frequency at a competition, it’s almost guaranteed that someone will be keying their mic, making everyone’s radios worse than useless until the offender’s battery dies. A solution to this is to set the Transmit Time Out on the radio to something like 30 seconds. A well-thought-out and concise sentence doesn’t take more time than that. It’s surprising that confirming this setting isn’t generally a required part of registration.

: As with all your pre-flight planning, putting a little time and thought into how you set up your electronic devices (and investing in higher-quality items) can help make your flight more enjoyable, with less interference. I hope you’ve found something useful here and that you fly to places where you need your radio, and that it works well when you do!

*Need to get your HAM technician license? There is online testing available. The pool of questions from which the test is drawn is available at the below link. If you remember some physics and/or are good at memorizing or guessing on multiple-choice tests, it might only take you an hour or two: https://www.arrl.org/getting-your-technician-license

Homegrown Innovation

Behind the scenes with Fluid Wings

by Steve Mammano

: The early days of Fluid Wings are a story of two highly experienced pilots looking to push the limits of the sport. Founders Kevin Hintze and Scott Roberts met in 2008 while both being heavily involved in the industry. Hintze learned to fly in 1996 at the Point of the Mountain in Draper, Utah and worked for SuperFly and Cloud 9 for many years. He is an accomplished aerobatic pilot and had the opportunity to fly various prototype wings over the years. Roberts is a highly experienced competition canopy pilot with countless days at the drop zone and

a master’s degree in engineering. Both have always loved spending time tinkering with the designs of their wings to produce higher performance and modifying current designs.

Soon after meeting, the two began dreaming of a paraglider design that could provide a high starting altitude without towing. Towing came with many logistics and was not always immediately available. The idea was to make a wing that could be jumped from a plane at the drop zone in order to have a long flight and go lap after lap. This had been attempted before by a

flying pioneer named Jimmy Hall. Hall called it “para-diving” and had rigged a system to jump a standard paragliding wing from a plane. Hintze and Roberts wanted to design a wing specific to this application, which had not previously been done. They dubbed this endeavor “Project Mayhem.” After three months of design and sewing, they created the Rubicon, a full-size glider meant for ground launch testing. This was then scaled and redesigned to be deployable, which resulted in the Cloudchaser.

When the day came to jump the Cloudchaser, both were a bit nervous. After some back and forth on who would try it first, they decided to draw straws. Kevin took it up in the plane first. “It was not great. It malfunctioned,” Kevin says, laughing about it now. “I got down safely, we did some modifications on the ground, and then it was Scott’s turn. The jump went great, and it was a success.” Hooked on the excitement of flying something they had made from scratch, they began work on improving the wing. The Cloudchaser 2 was a work in progress that was never completed. Instead, they decided to focus their efforts on higher-performance swoop parachutes.

From there, the two began working on more

skydiving canopies, paragliders, and speedwings. This was purely a hobby to make something enjoyable to use. Kevin was working as an instructor full-time in Utah and commuting to Florida on some weekends to test and design with Scott. Eventually, they decided they had to commit one way or another to formally starting a company. On one trip to Florida, they decided to flip a coin and make a choice. The coin landed, and Fluid Wings was born.

Development

Kevin returned to Utah in his station wagon, fully loaded with sewing machines—so loaded that the rear suspension blew out. Upon returning, he began working on the Sandy, Utah headquarters of Fluid and hired their first Utah employee in 2015. They knew that there had been few innovative products to break onto the skydiving scene in recent years and that an opportunity awaited.

“From the beginning, our goal has been to create a wing that is great to fly. Building Fluid as a company has allowed us to pursue this goal,” says Kevin.

Starting with an entry-level canopy, the Fluid lineup has since grown to its current offering of

eight canopies and become a serious contender in the competition canopy market. While other U.S.-based manufacturers work on skydiving and BASE parachutes, Fluid remains the only U.S.-based glider design and R&D company. With bases in Sandy, Utah and Deland, Florida, and a staff of passionate pilots with a desire to innovate, the company is preparing to impress the airsports industry in the near future. The Fluid factory in Sandy is an efficient, bustling warehouse with many moving parts. Computers with open screens of three-dimensional glider designs show constant work and improvement. Walking through, one can see the rolls of material being hot-knife CNC’d, collected, organized, sewn, and packaged. Once a wing is completed, it is labeled, packaged, and sent to the awaiting pilot. The whole process from idea to reality occurs within a few rooms. Employees can choose their hours, allowing them to coordinate their work day with good flying times. Consumers can rest assured that their Fluid products are designed, tested, and made by fellow pilots.

“The inspiration and design are completely based on the need of the pilots and feedback from them,” Kevin says. Since they are based near the seemingly endless flying opportunities near Salt Lake City, employees can easily and quickly test their wings. “One of our test pilots is out with a prototype right now. He works full time designing and assisting in the factory, and then still has time to go out and test them,” he says. With their ability to design a canopy on the computers and sew it all in-house, it is reasonable to go from an idea for a wing to flying a prototype within a few short days. Modifications and improvements, however, are never done.

Testing the Rubicon.

For example, the Loki, Fluid’s first speedwing, served as a launching point for new products in this category. An updated version, the Loki 2, was recently released. Although it is possible to launch into the market with a high-performance model, Fluid found it is easier to bring a low-performance design to the market first. Based on this experience, it is now easier for them to work on higher performance speedand miniwings. Fluid is currently working on exciting projects that will join the Loki 2 in their wing lineup in the near future.

Future of the Company

Having always been a paraglider pilot at heart, Kevin is looking forward to expanding into the

glider market within the next year and beyond. Due to high production and labor costs in the U.S., paraglider production is not possible on home soil. The company began researching expanding to foreign production in 2019 and has since formed working relationships with factories in Europe and Asia. Tracking down manufacturers willing and able to create the desired product for Fluid proved difficult.

“The wing manufacturing business is pretty hush-hush,” Kevin says, “Other companies are

New Online training!

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

Designing a 3D airfoil, a stepstone in wing design.

not very interested in discussing their production with you.” Although this search proved difficult, they are satisfied and excited to work with their new foreign counterparts. All design and testing will still occur at the two U.S. bases, which have no plans to move.

Being based in Utah has given Fluid unique advantages in its testing and design capabilities. Nearly all wings have been tested at the South Side Point of the Mountain—even some skydiving canopies are taken to the South Side and kited in high winds. Within a week, the design and test team can have an idea, create a computer model of a glider, cut the material, sew

it, take it to a local site, and then return and have feedback for the next version. This process repeated over and over again is what makes this local company so special to our U.S.-based flying scene.

With their new manufacturing opportunities, Fluid is working towards entering the paragliding world. As of spring 2023, full-size gliders, miniwings, and more are being designed and tested. Within the next year, the company plans to attend upcoming shows, such as Coupe I’care 2023, and unveil its new wings that are sure to impress and intrigue a wide range of pilots.

Kevin kiting the Loki prototype.

Scott testing out the Loki prototype.

Flying in Wind

Part III: Crossing Winds

by Dennis Pagen

: We conclude our mini-series on flying in wind with crosswind flying. We started with downwind flying, followed by upwind flight, and will now complete the picture with trying to cut across the wind. We left the crosswind track to last because it is a bit more complicated than flying with the wind directly on our tail or our nose. Because of this complication, we will divide the discussion into a part for beginners, one for intermediates, and one for sky heroes. Readers can decide which part(s) best suits their needs. We’ll add that the considerations and practices apply to both paragliding and hang gliding.

CROSSWIND FLYING FOR NEWBIES

In almost all cases, our early flying involves heading straight into the wind on a training hill and then perhaps flying higher with a landing field directly in front of us. In fact, you may only experience crosswind flying once you have a good number of high flights, especially if your early high flights are limited to morning or evening light-winders. But eventually, you will need to fly across the wind, both on landing setup and possibly when heading to a field that is not directly upwind of takeoff.

So here’s how you do it: imagine you wish to fly from point A to B in Figure 1. If you had enough height, you could certainly go all over the map before arriving at point B. Still, we’ll assume we must make our little transit as short as possible, or more usual to our situation, with as little altitude loss as possible. We can also call this flying as efficiently as possible or getting to our destination as high as possible. All these descriptions mean the same thing.

mined by how fast we are flying compared to how strong the wind flow is. The stronger the wind, the more we have to aim into it. If a paraglider flies at a slower airspeed than a hang glider, the pilot of the paraglider must turn into the wind more in order to create the direct ground path shown.

The combination of our forward airspeed and the wind produces a ground path that appears to be moving sideways to our heading. Flying in this manner is often called “crabbing” because we mimic the motion of a crab scuttling sideways. In addition, the angle we make with our ground path is called the “crab angle.” The stronger the crosswind, the higher our crab angle must be to describe a perfectly straight path from A to B.

In both figures, we have drawn a boat crossing a flowing river to help you visualize the motion in a flowing stream of air or water. In the case of the boat, the same paths result—curving and inefficient if the nose is constantly pointed at the target and direct with an applied crab angle a bit upstream. As mentioned, a glider can run out of altitude when following an inefficient path. A boat doesn’t have altitude to lose, but it can run out of fuel, which is a similar disaster.

Here is how to fly the most efficient path: the minute you expect or detect a crosswind in your flight, angle a bit into the wind and look at your target. If you aren’t moving directly at it, make a little turn control to head more or less into the wind so your path is direct to the goal. We recommend drawing an imaginary line along the ground from where you are to your goal. Locate a few points along this path on the ground, like a tree, building, or field corner, to guide you, then try to pass above each point as you progress. This technique is especially useful on higher flights where the ground barely seems to move under you. Note that the crosswind factor can change along the course of your flight, especially if the

goal is far away; perhaps you are passing different hills diverting the flow, or you descend into lighter winds. Expect to make adjustments along the way. Eventually, you will develop the skill and judgment to automatically set and adjust your crab angle by simply looking at your target and flying along. That’s part of moving up in skill level.

INTERMEDIATE CROSSWIND MATTERS

As we gain abilities in the air, we may fly higher and with more wind. Crosswind flying becomes common as we set up landings, attempt early cross-countries, or simply fly around in different directions looking for thermals or lift sources. But the most common crosswind flying occurs when we are ridge soaring. In many places, especially with lower hills or fewer thermals (the green East Coast, for example), a pilot’s first soaring often takes place in ridge lift with substantial wind.

Hopefully, at this point the pilot is familiar with the principles of crosswind flying, if not practiced. Still, most pilots on their first ridge soaring attempts need guidance to help keep them safely away from the hill and in the most effective lift area. Figure 3, on the following page, shows a top view of a pilot’s soaring flight path from takeoff. We can see that a pilot must turn soon after launch to remain in the lift band. Typically, a very new pilot turns too late and misses the lift or is in light lift that doesn’t sustain them, so they sink and have to move away from the hill, which results in an extended sled ride. This path is also labeled in the figure.

However, turning too soon can result in getting too close to the hill, presenting the danger of a crash. It may take a pilot several attempts at ridge soaring to get the initial turn correct. Ideally, this first turn sets the pilot up in the meat of the lifting area while setting the perfect crab angle for the current wind strength (as shown in the figure). An

experienced pilot will do the launch, turn, and make adjustments automatically. This perfection should be the goal of all advancing pilots.

Note that once our crab angle is set, we can’t assume our job is done for the flight. As we climb higher, we may wish to move downwind to be a bit over the ridge for better lift, or to move out to intercept a thermal. As we climb higher, we may enter stronger wind, which requires pointing more into it (many of us have climbed into stronger winds to the height where we are pointing directly into the wind and can no longer make headway left or right along the ridge).

In other situations, we may alter our crab angle to follow a ridge that drops back or juts forward. In addition, we may cross a gap that allows the wind to flow faster through it, so we may have to angle more into the wind to combat this effect or even fly a bit upwind of the gap to avoid its effects. Accumulated flight experience, awareness, and practice will lead to all these adjustments being performed automatically with very little input from your cerebral cortex required.

ADVANCED CROSSWINDS

Of course, all the preceding applies to advanced pilots and learners. We may think that advanced pilots fly in stronger winds, requiring even more crab angle, but in practice, really advanced pilots tend to fly in lesser winds because strong winds blow apart thermals and raise the risk level. The real advanced crosswind skill comes into play when a pilot constantly alters their path to take advantage of lift lines, potential thermal sources, or horizontal jets, as well as cross to a better cloud street while avoiding blue holes and treacherous areas. For the most part, we are describing flights that take place in competitions, but personal cross-country flights also involve the course alteration and decision-making we allude to. These

constant course alterations, when done well, are what distinguishes a great pilot from the rest of us.

But there is one other important crosswind skill: speed-to-fly. We don’t have space to fully explain all speed-to-fly concepts, but suffice it to say that for best efficiency or minimum altitude loss for distance traveled, there is an ideal speed to fly for every different combination of lift, sink, headwind, tailwind, or crosswind. We often leave out the crosswind factor because it is so complex.

But imagine this: you are flying along in a 90-degree crosswind and wish to go as far as possible, losing as little altitude as possible. If you speed up, you will sink faster but have to apply less crab angle to proceed along your desired ground path. At what point does your airspeed stop paying dividends, and your altitude loss becomes greater than your gains from crabbing less? If you hit sudden sink or lift, you would speed up or slow down respectively, but speeding up requires less crab angle, while slowing down requires more. So we must constantly make angle (turn or heading) adjustments along with our normal pitch or speed adjustments to fly most efficiently. Most XC pilots know that the air constantly varies in lift and sink, so the problem becomes wearisome and complex. If we add to the situation a wind varying in strength or exact direction of crossing, we have an almost insurmountable problem.

Sailplane pilots have tried to solve this three-dimensional dynamic problem by taking computers onboard and running programs. But it is almost

impossible to keep everything sorted out with changing altitudes, wind velocity, lift, and sink. To be sure, some of our modern instruments can give us our glide-over-the-ground (a true measure of efficiency), but in my experience, there is too much lag in their input and output (and too much lag in a glider’s response) to be really effective. In fact, we may suffer more losses trying to chase the airspeed will-o’-the-wisp than sticking to an airspeed that only changes gradually.

With all this in mind, I’ll present my policy/ technique when flying in crosswinds with a goal and efficiency in mind (as in competition). I set my airspeed at the correct value for headwind, tailwind, lift, or sink (usually given by a well-setup instrument). Then, if a crosswind is present, I add a little more airspeed. A little means about ten percent: so if you’re flying at 20 mph (a paraglider), add 2 mph. If you are flying 30 mph (a hanger), add 3 mph. I up this a bit in a stronger crosswind.

This is seat-of-the-pants flying, but after oodles of airtime, you can get quite adept at making the right decision.

How do you know your decision is good? That comes with flying in comps when gliding with a few to fifty other pilots. You can observe relative airspeeds and who is maintaining the best glide over the ground. These are the types of judgments you learn in competition, and if you choose to compete, the speed-to-fly and crosswind factors are what you should focus on from the beginning once your thermal skills are honed.

In summary, we’ll simply say that wind complicates all flying, but it also presents us with soaring opportunities and chances to test our skills. I, for one, would be quickly bored if the air never moved, even if it produced thermals. No challenge, no reward. Wind is part of our milieu; learn to fly in it, in all its guises. Enjoy the journey and our restless atmosphere.

A hang gliding towing tale

by Cory Carlson

: I arrived in Cosmos, Minnesota, at the east-facing tow road, excited to fly. This would be the first time I would make a solo flight not under the direct supervision of my instructor, Doyle Johnson. Minnesota has few training hills, and most foot-launch sites require advanced skills to fly safely. As such, training begins with towing. Given that weather in Minnesota can be fickle, patience during the training period is essential—it took me about two and a half years from my first flight to get my H2 rating.

On this mid-September day, my main goal was to get two or three tows and maybe even enjoy some gentle end-of-summer soaring (without doing anything stupid in the process, of course).

Neil Sirrine of SDI Paragliding typically pulls paragliding students but is happy to tow anyone who wants to come out on a good day. On this day, he was towing both paragliders and hang gliders, using the platform launch method for the latter.

For the uninitiated, a platform launch on a truck consists of putting the glider on the truck (or trailer). The base tube of the glider sits loosely in a cradle, and the nose is connected to a release on

the truck with a short section of rope and held at a low angle of attack. The truck drives, and once at a safe launch speed, the pilot pulls a lever that releases this nose connection allowing the glider to fly up off the truck (see sequence below). The glider pitches up and flies away from the truck rapidly. The tow rope is connected to the pilot (similar to a ground tow) with the rope under the base tube. The tow rope pays out at about 70 to 100 pounds of tension, which generally results in climb rates between 300 and 600 feet per minute under normal conditions.

This particular day was my first tow on the east-facing tow road, and I only got up to about 1,200 feet on my first tow. As Sirrine pulled me down the road, I saw the truck was approaching what I thought (erroneously, as it turned out) to be power line poles crossing the road, so I released early. The thermals were weak, and I still had much to learn about soaring, so I had a relatively short first flight.

I landed at the launch site and waited while two other pilots towed up. With experienced pilots, a typical launch cycle takes a little over 15 minutes,

and, for me, the wait is usually very educational—I still learn a lot watching others.

When my turn came around again, I loaded my glider onto the truck and began following the checklist for setting up the tow and preparing for flight. Sirrine hopped in the truck, did the usual radio checks, and off we went. The truck, glider, and I all accelerated to 30 mph as normal.

Typically I release around 32 mph. That tow, however, I was a bit slow and released closer to 35 mph. Tension had built up on the release lever, and I had to pull it a bit harder than expected, but the nose freed, and my glider climbed off the back of the truck with its normal “homesick angel” rapid initial climb.

At that point, things became atypical. The first thing I noticed was that the glider was pitching down fast, even though I only had moderate force on the base tube and the base tube was in the correct position. The next thing I noticed was that the drogue chute was inflated and still in the back of the truck. At that point, I put all the pieces together and realized that I was not on tow; I was merely flying in formation with a pickup going down a gravel road at about 35 mph!

The first thing I did was pull in to get my airspeed up—stalling from a nose-high attitude while only 20 or 30 feet above the ground is low on the list of things I want to do. However, this brought me perilously close to the ground (within

two or three feet), so I brought the glider back up a few feet. At that point, the glider was down to trim speed, and I elected to land on my stomach instead of trying to get upright and get my feet out of the harness. I touched down gently in my cocoon harness, with the glider rolling onto its wheels a second later.

By the time I was standing up, Sirrine had backed the truck up to me. It was merely a matter of stepping up, putting the glider back on the truck, and hooking up all the ropes. While hooking back up, we went over every release carefully and could not find the reason for the accidental release. The setup looked good, so we took off again. This time everything went as expected— the release, the tow, and getting off the tow all went normally. As for what happened on the prior flight, we still don’t know for sure. My best guess is that I accidentally bumped the tow rope release on my harder-than-normal nose-release pull.

The flight was not very long—for the most part, it was an extended sled run. The landing zone at that time of year is nerve-racking for a novice hang glider pilot. The narrow road leaves little room for error—honestly, it felt like I was at the edge of my skill set. But the landing practice was the real reason for making the flight. My landing was not perfect, but I landed on my feet, didn’t hit anything, and kept my glider airworthy, so I called it acceptable.

After landing and prepping for my next flight, a more experienced pilot walked up, slapped me on the back, and said, “That was scary to watch but you did a good job.” I was a bit confused, and my first response was to apologize for my landing delaying other tows. (The best stretch of road for landing is right in front of where the tows start. The SDI team is aware of this and keeps an eye out for incoming traffic. They left this nice area open for me when they saw me coming in and communicated they were holding for me to get down so there would not be any ambiguity.)

The pilot laughed and said, “No, I was referring to the accidental release!” It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment how badly that situation could have gone. Stalling from 30 feet would have, at best, resulted in me diving into a gravel road. At worst, I could have dropped a wingtip and cartwheeled myself into the ditch. If the tow operator had hit his brakes too early when the rope was released, I would have either flown into the back of the truck or had to dive into the ditch.

Quite a few correct split-second decisions had to be made for the situation to have a happy

outcome. I wish I could say that superior piloting skills saved me, but I was still relatively new. The truth is I’d had a lot of recent and thorough training in towing, and Sirrine is a very experienced tow operator. My training involved a lot of scooter towing, including some simulated rope breaks in that training. It is easier to deal with an emergency when you know it’s coming. After practicing a few times, it is no longer an emergency; just a nuisance event where you know how to react without having to stop and think.

The takeaway for me was the importance of practicing emergency procedures. I plan to perform a self-audit to examine other emergency procedures where my skills may be lax. I have added throwing my reserve to the items I need to practice.

Packing up at the end of that flying day, I called Doyle Johnson to say thanks for the training and the attention to detail. A few minutes of training took a potential disaster and turned it into another log book entry and an amusing phone call with my instructor.

Have fun, and stay safe.

Matt Pruett on tow in Cosmos, Minnesota. Photo by Cory Carlson.

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.

PHOTO BY ALEX CUDDY

DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS

Directors are the cornerstone of USHPA. They develop policy to support USHPA's mission while representing our members in the sports of hang gliding and paragliding. We’re seeking individuals who can see the big picture, are willing to try new things, and have the ability to understand and work for all our pilots, regardless of any individual affiliations.

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE who is motivated to help with the protection and growth of free flight? Someone who can create and communicate goals and then follow through? Please nominate them for the BOARD of DIRECTORS of USHPA. You may also nominate yourself! (Sitting directors needn't be re-nominated).

Director requirements include:

• Participate in bi-monthly board meetings via teleconference.

• Actively collaborate with committees.

• Represent USHPA members, both regionally and nationally.

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

Find information about incumbent candidates and submit your nomination BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1st at ushpa.org/page/call-for-nominations

happening in conjunction

USHPA directors will then be in attendance for the fly-in to help answer questions about USHPA and listen to member concerns. www.ushpa.org/boardmeeting

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.

JUL 18-22 > USHPA ITS INSTRUCTOR TRAINING > Salt Lake City, UT. This five day workshop for basic and advance USHPA instructor ratings will be combination of classroom and practical field experience. Anyone is welcome to join. For basic instructor rating, candidates must have P4, current first aid certification, pass all practical and classroom tests and complete a 40-hour (minimum) apprenticeship with a qualified instructor. AHA CPR certifications are offered as part of this ITS. We can help candidates missing some prerequisites. Hosted by Greg Kelley and Dale Covington. +1 (801) 699-1462,  bigskypara@gmail. com

JUL 25 > USHPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING > Virtual. Registration for online attendance closes at 5:00 p.m. MT on Monday, July 24. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. MT on Tuesday, July 25. 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_M-KhDN2WSIuOOav5BhikFg

SEP 9-16 > RED ROCKS WIDE OPEN > Monroe, UT. Reliable weather. Big Air. Bigger vistas. Some of the most incredible and stunning flying in the Intermountain West if not the world! Four launches that take different wind directions. Huge XC potential through some of Utah’s most incredible natural wonders. Welcome to the Red Rocks Wide Open! This is a USHPA National Championship series event that promises strong conditions and long tasks that take advantage of remote, tall mountain ranges and high-desert flatlands. Participants should be very comfortable with flying in strong thermals at high altitudes (most take-offs are over 11,000 feet). Oxygen is highly recommended (tank refills will be available for $10 each during the comp and practice day, and a discount will be available to purchase your own O2 kit). https://airtribune. com/red-rocks-wide-open/

SEP 25-30 > RED ROCKS FALL FLY-IN & USHPA 50TH ANNIVERSARY > Monroe, UT. The famous Red Rocks Fall Fly-In will be held September 25 – September 30! We welcome all current USHPA members from P2/H2 to P5/H5, and we will have a 350 limit on participation. 80 spots are reserved for XRedRocks participants. Come on out to the wild west to experience big flying potential with that small town feel! Please try to arrive for official registration on September 24 if possible! We will be hosting a locals-led clinic on how to fly our mountains that will be very valuable to those not used to our area. Clinic and registration will be moved to the Red Barn across from the LZ this year and serve as HQ. Light food and beverages provided. https://www.cuasa.com/ product/red-rocks-2023/

SEP 23-24 > USHPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING > Red Rocks Fall Fly-In, Richfield, UT. USHPA’s in-person Board of Directors Meeting is

with the 2023 Red Rocks Fall Fly-In. The meeting itself will take place on the Saturday and Sunday before the fly-in kicks off. Many

You can now opt to receive the magazine in digital format only!

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

WILLSWING U2 144 $2,400 Well-maintained, great shape with 45 hours. Flown for 3 years. White LE, purple, red. Original owner. Comes with wheels, downtubes, waterproof bag. Upon request—harness, vario, 2 radios, pt, full face helmet. Can deliver, Located in Breckenridge, CO. Call Brian +1 (719) 8391750

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. View 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 January, February & March 2023

H0 4 Lynn Jayroe TX Rich R. Reinauer

H1 1 John Spillman OR William C. Dydo

H1 3 Matthew Boyles CO William C. Dydo

H1 3 Randy Johnson CA John Heiney

H1 3 Robin Powell CA Josh Patrick Laufer

H1 4 Nick mullen VA Nic Baack

H1 5 Margo Larkin MI Josh Patrick Laufer

H1 5 Craig rezek NY Daniel C. Guido

H2 2 Blake Glazebrook CA Lj Omara

H2 3 Levens De Back CA Andrew T. Beem

H2 4 Francois Duong GA Scott Schneider

H2 4 Paul Gallati GA Malcolm A. Jones

H2 4 Sveinung Roesok DC Steve A. Wendt

H2 4 Russell Spurlock FL James E. Tindle

H2 5 Pooja Shah NY Jordan Stratton

H3 1 Nicholas Moser IA Scott Schneider

H3 2 Moises Romero UT Lj Omara

H3 3 David McGee NM Mel Glantz

H3 3 Joshua Meyer AZ Dan DeWeese

H3 4 Michelle Bergemann GA Jordan Stratton

H3 4 Clifford Frank Whelchel Jr AR Malcolm A. Jones

H4 1 Frank White AK John Heiney

H4 4 Mirza Abrar Un Nabi Baig VA Steve A. Wendt

P1 1 Dayna Rumfelt AK William Pardis

P1 1 Kai Todsen MN Steve Sirrine

P1 2 Doug Wasmuth CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P1 3 Dwight Brown AZ Chandler Papas

P1 3 Cully Brown CO Giovanni Boyd-Bonanno

P1 3 Daniel Cash AZ Charles (Chuck) Woods

P1 3 Qiaoyu Chen AZ Chandler Papas

P1 3 Carly Dorminy CA Jordan Neidinger

P1 3 Alexander Garnett CA Jay Whiteaker

P1 3 Yash Suneel Gilda CA Jay Whiteaker

P1 3 Nicole Husted AZ Charles (Chuck) Woods

P1 3 John Lizardi CA Jordan Neidinger

P1 3 Andrew Mariano CA Jordan Neidinger

P1 3 Sean Mathis AZ Charles (Chuck) Woods

P1 3 Salina Mcelreath CA Jay Whiteaker

P1 3 William Sullivan AZ Charles (Chuck) Woods

P1 3 Dzung Vo CA Jay Whiteaker

P1 4 Gladys Manzur GA Jay Whiteaker

P2 1 Anthony Allen OR Kelly A. Kellar

P2 1 Sheldon Brummel NE Jonathan Jefferies

P2 1 Courtney Brummel NE Jonathan Jefferies

P2 1 John Wesley Cairl ID Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 1 Cheyenne Calvert WA Kelly A. Kellar

P2 1 John dennis MN Alex Peterson

P2 1 Stephen Elliott HI Peter Fay

P2 1 Hannah French AK Chris Reynolds

P2 1 C Brons Gerrish AK Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 1 Noah Jaussi HI Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 1 Barry Jespersen WA Marc Chirico

P2 1 Kea Jolicoeur WA Maren Ludwig

P2 1 Hillary Kingsley MN Alex Peterson

P2 1 James Kirven WA Austin Cox

P2 1 Steven Larsen WA Brad Hill

P2 1 David Michalek OR Kelly A. Kellar

P2 1 Adrian Neacsu AK Chris Reynolds

P2 1 Conrad Peterson WA Marc Chirico

P2 1 Joanna Shell OR Kelly A. Kellar

P2 1 Karston Skaar WA William Pardis

P2 1 Jami Stone AK Evan Mathers

P2 1 Dunedin Strickland AK Jeremy Bishop

P2 1 Roy Taylor HI Paul Gurrieri

P2 1 Jimmy Vaughn OR Brad Hill

P2 2 Klaus Ashorn CA Robert Black

P2 2 Brian Cloutier CA Robert Black

P2 2 Kenya Coburn UT Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 2 Sean Corbin CA Robert Black

P2 2 Denney Domnik UT Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 2 Anna Durrans UT Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 2 Aviv Elbag CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Kay Eun Yu CA Wallace K. Anderson

P2 2 Craig Evans CA Robert Black

P2 2 Rulon Jessop UT Patrick Kelly

P2 2 Malik Karim CA Jesse L. Meyer

P2 2 Patrick Mutuku CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

P2 2 Pat Oungpasuk CA Robert Black

P2 2 Kevin Pabinquit CA Christopher Grantham

P2 2 Daniel Edward Phelps-Hocker UT Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 2 Jeff Richards UT Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 2 Tharun Sankar CA Robert Black

P2 2 Daniel Schmelter CA Zion Susanno-Loddby

P2 3 Norman Bloom NM Charles (Chuck) Woods

P2 3 Ian Burke CA Marcello M. DeBarros

P2 3 Michael Chezem CA Rob Sporrer

P2 3 Andrew Corum CO Joe D. Hutton

P2 3 Ramiro del Corro CA Jordan Neidinger

P2 3 Natalie Rae Flores CA Emily Wallace

P2 3 Max Gallay CA Jordan Neidinger

P2 3 Ben Handy CA Stephen Nowak

P2 3 Monty Killough CO Johannes Rath

P2 3 Curtis Knapp CA Rob Sporrer

P2 3 Kristina Kuhlken CA William Purden-Jr

P2 3 Allie Mac CO Chandler Papas

P2 3 Joseph Menard AZ Chandler Papas

P2 3 Emma Merritt AZ Zion Susanno-Loddby

P2 3 Robert Moran CA Christopher Grantham

P2 3 Taylor Riviello CA John E. Cady III

P2 3 Seth Romanenko CA Emily Wallace

P2 3 Kirby Ryan CA Kari L. Castle

P2 3 Aric Stewart AZ Chandler Papas

P2 3 William Stoney CA John E. Cady III

P2 3 Xiaoyang Yuan AZ Chandler Papas

P2 4 Zachary Brogie GA Alejandro Albornoz

P2 4 Michael Burkhart TN Harry Sandoval

P2 4 Tyler Caldwell NC Alejandro Albornoz

P2 4 Bradley Dyer TN Joe D. Hutton

P2 4 Jason Hunt LA Zion Susanno-Loddby

P2 4 Philip Magistro FL William Pardis

P2 4 Darrell Malick FL Randolph Ruffin

P2 4 Justin Mallory NC Jay Whiteaker

P2 4 Alexander Ogden TX Patrick Kelly

P2 4 Bonnie Parker LA Zion Susanno-Loddby

P2 4 Jeffrey Tan TN Joe D. Hutton

P2 5 Kyric Avery MA William Pardis

P2 5 Adam dobson MA William Pardis

P2 5 Jason Forster OH Charles (Chuck) Woods

P2 5 Paul Gerz OH Zion Susanno-Loddby

P2 5 Andrew Kalinen VT Nathan Alex Taylor

P2 5 Elaine Koh NY Alejandro Albornoz

P2 5 Curtis Notz PA Thomas McCormick

P2 5 Zachary Osgood ME John E. Cady III

P2 5 Mario Prevost AE John E. Cady III

P2 5 Jose Luis Ribeiro PA Thomas McCormick

P2 5 Paul A. Sharon ME William Pardis

P2 5 Jonathan Skeen OH Maren Ludwig

P2 5 Neal Tilson WI Mariyan Radev Ivanov

P2 5 Gary A. Venning Christopher Grantham

P2 5 Jacob Weier WI Mariyan Radev Ivanov

P2 5 Zhaobang Wu PA Rob Sporrer

P3 1 Rose Brenner OR Kelly A. Kellar

P3 1 Jack Cano AK Christopher Grantham

P3 1 Nathaniel Geary AK Christopher Garcia

P3 1 Rachel Huettinger WA Kelly A. Kellar

P3 1 Daniel Kirkpatrick WA Rob Sporrer

P3 1 Oleg Kuybeda OR Max Leonard Marien

P3 1 Taylor Mellon WA Chris W. Santacroce

P3 1 Joe Meschke OR Kelly A. Kellar

P3 1 Tyler Sell WA Matt Senior

P3 1 Mason Smith WA Misha Banks

P3 1 Benjamin Smith AK Rob Sporrer

P3 1 Frank White AK Jerome Daoust

P3 1 Trent Whitney ID Stephen J. Mayer

P3 2 Doug DeGeorge CA Cynthia Currie

P3 2 Alexander Dmitriev CA Andrey Kuznetsov

P3 2 Franco Filice CA Jesse L. Meyer

P3 2 Christopher Wood Koppl NV Robert Black

P3 2 Arpan Rau CA Jesse L. Meyer

P3 2 Rick Smith CA Cynthia Currie

P3 2 Jason Smith CA Robert Black

P3 2 Drew Wadsworth CA Robert Black

P3 3 Atakan Aynaci NM Charles (Chuck) Woods

P3 3 Kevin Barry CA Emily Wallace

P3 3 Daniel Bayon CA William Purden-Jr

P3 3 Gregory Blanc CA Rob Sporrer

P3 3 Charles Bolstrom CA Christopher Garcia

P3 3 Raquel Bonilla CA Mitchell B. Neary

P3 3 Robert Duvoisin CA Jordan Neidinger

P3 3 David Harrington NM T Lee Kortsch

P3 3 Benjamin Huntley CA Emily Wallace

P3 3 Neil Karstetter CA Jerome Daoust

P3 3 Tammie Kim CA Christopher Grantham

P3 3 Marc Leatham AZ Chandler Papas

P3 3 Dale Marsden CA Jordan Neidinger

P3 3 Matthew Matera CA Mike Fifield

P3 3 Matthew Rabasco CA Emily Wallace

P3 3 Sean Ryan CO Andy Macrae

P3 3 Jeffrey Williams CO Misha Banks

P3 3 Paul Yunker AZ Chandler Papas

P3 4 John Paul Arenas SC Alejandro Albornoz

P3 4 David Carroll TX Stephen J. Mayer

P3 4 Kevin Heinrich FL Christopher Garcia

P3 4 Stephen Manston AL Austin Kasserman

P3 4 Diego Patino GA Alejandro Albornoz

P3 4 Susan Penning GA Austin Kasserman

P3 4 David Prentice SC Lisa Davis

P3 5 Romano Almonte NJ Thomas McCormick

P3 5 Judson Graham NJ Chris W. Santacroce

P3 5 Arjan Kars Jerome Daoust

P3 5 Jessica Sacks NY Rob Sporrer

P3 5 David Schardt WI Jaro Krupa

P3 5 Annie Shoup CT Rob Sporrer

P3 5 Carl Sourdiff VT John Atwood

P3 5 Tatiana Steiler Rob Sporrer

P3 5 Nathaniel Vance MA Misha Banks

P3 5 Eric David Wickstrom WI Chris W. Santacroce

P4 1 Lincoln DiLorenzo MT Andy Macrae

P4 1 Jeffery Hart WA Roger Brock

P4 1 Matthew Hoffman WA Rob Sporrer

P4 1 Jared Kellerer WA Roger Brock

P4 1 David Mellon WA Chris W. Santacroce

P4 1 Ryan Mullen WA Roger Brock

P4 1 Mason Ulrichs MT Andy Macrae

P4 2 Julie Blacklock CA Jesse L. Meyer

P4 2 Brian Cooper CA Robert Black

P4 2 Jochen Frey CA Christopher Garcia

P4 2 Joseph Hastings UT Ben White

P4 2 Zachary Koppe CA Juan A. Laos

P4 2 Boris Shvidchenko CA Robert Black

P4 3 Aenaelle Acres CA Christopher Garcia

P4 3 James Acres CA Rob Sporrer

P4 3 Richard Browne NM Chris W. Santacroce

P4 3 William Trent Buckner CO Kristen Zuraski

P4 3 Patrick Cannon CO Misha Banks

P4 3 Casey Evanoff CO Misha Banks

P4 3 Rob Goldin CA Rob Sporrer

P4 3 Patrick Mattes CA Stephen Nowak

P4 3 Jerome Mertens CA Juan E. Silva

P4 3 Charles Pearson CO Rob Sporrer

P4 3 Angelo Sta Catalina CA Jordan Neidinger

P4 3 David Webb CA Jerome Daoust

P4 5 Jeff Adamiak NJ David W. Prentice

P4 5 Oleksii Boiarchuk NY Jaro Krupa

P4 5 Tony Davis NJ Thomas McCormick

P4 5 Jochen Rau MA Peter Williams

S2 3 Taylor Riviello CA John E. Cady III

S2 5 Zachary Plunkett PA John E. Cady III

S4 1 E. Scott Edwards ID Carl Weiseth

S4 1 Todd Higley WA Carl Weiseth

S4 3 Duane Hall CA Carl Weiseth

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

Kevin Griffis

Rebekah Griffis

Leon Hall

Julian Hardaker

Kate Hardaker

Scott Hatlen

William Herringer

Banks

P2 3 Cade Nelson CA Hadi Golian

P2 3 Quoc Huy Nguyen CA William Purden-Jr P2 3 Mark O'Guinn CA Rob Sporrer P2 3 Jeffrey Packard CA Nate Scott P2 3 Juan Pelanda CA John E. Cady III P2 3 Jared Petty CO Misha Banks

P2 3 Matthew Rabasco CA William Purden-Jr

P2 3 James Ritter CO Mauricio Fleitas

P2 3 Enno Roellgen CA Hadi Golian

3 Alex Rose CO Misha Banks

P2 3 John Sandberg CO Mauricio Fleitas

P2 3 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

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

4 William Byrum NC Chris W. Santacroce

4 Sam Cook TX Rob Sporrer

4 Matthew Doyle OK Rob Sporrer

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

Ratings Issued January, February & March 2023 (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

In honor of USHPA's 50th Anniversary, we are hosting a sweepstakes with some amazing prizes! The sweepstakes will end on December 18, 2023 and winners will be announced by December 22.

USHPA 50th ANNIVERSARY SWEEPSTAKES

WHAT CAN I WIN?

(1) Paragliding Harness from Super Fly (ARV $1000)

(1) Ozone Solos Lite Paragliding Harness (ARV $1230)

(1) Flytec Oudie N (ARV $1099)

(1) Flytec USA Softshell Jacket (ARV $99)

(1) Skylark Paragliding Gear Sack Set (ARV $110)

(1) Blue Sky Hang Gliding Flywheels Set (ARV $125)

(3) USHPA Kavu Split Shot Hooded Softshell Jacket (ARV $120)

(3) USHPA Pilot Magazine Cover Poster 27x34” (ARV $55)

(1) Classic Routes from Cross Country Magazine edited by Bob Drury (ARV $36)

(1) Best Flying Sites of the Alps by Oliver Guenay (ARV $38)

(1) Condor Trail: Paragliding the Central Andes by Dylan Neyme (ARV $25)

(1) Thermal Flying for Paraglider and Hang Glider Pilots by Burkhard Martens (ARV $53)

(1) SpeckedOut GoPro Follow Cam Mount (ARV $84)

HOW DO I ENTER?

USHPA members who join or renew their membership by December 18, 2023 will automatically receive an entry. Additional ways to enter can be found by scanning the QR Code. Must be 18 or older to enter.

Crystal clear and sunlight readable hi-resolution display

Exceptional battery life at full brightness

Easy to use SeeYou Navigator software with seamless SeeYou Cloud integration

Fanet+ and OGN for online and offline hybrid tracking and buddy flying Wifi, Bluetooth and 4G/LTE connectivity