Hang Gliding & Paragliding Vol38/Iss03 Mar 2008

MARCH 2008Volume 38 Issue 3

$4.95

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The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc.

USHPA, Publisher: [email protected] Nick Greece, Editor: [email protected]

Greg Gillam, Art Director: [email protected] Palmaz, Advertising: [email protected]

Staff writers: Alex Colby, Steve Messman, Dennis Pagen,Mark “Forger” Stucky, Tom Webster

Staff artist: Jim Tibbs Staff photographers: Josh Morell, Jeff O’Brien

OFFICE STAFFPaul Montville, Executive Director: [email protected]

Rick Butler, Information Services Director: [email protected] Palmaz, Business Manager: [email protected]

Erin Russell, Office Manager: [email protected] Burtis, Member/Instructor Services Administrator:

[email protected]

USHPA OFFICERS and EXECUTIVE COMMITTEELisa Tate, President: [email protected] Riss Estes, Vice President: [email protected]

Rich Hass, Secretary: [email protected] Mark Forbes, Treasurer: [email protected]

REGION 1: Rich Hass, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Dave Wills, Urs Kellenberger, Paul Gazis. REGION 3: David Jebb, Rob Sporrer, Brad Hall. REGION 4: Steve Mayer, Jim Zeiset. REGION 5: Lisa Tate. REGION 6: Gregg Ludwig. REGION 7: Tracy Tillman. REGION 8: Gary Trudeau. REGION 9: Felipe Amunategui, L.E. Herrick. REGION 10: Dick Heckman, Steve Kroop, Matt Taber. REGION 11: Gregg Ludwig. REGION 12: Paul Voight. REGION 13: Dick Heckman. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Leo Bynum, Riss Estes, Mike Haley, Jon James, Dennis Pagen. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR: Art Greenfield (NAA).

The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Inc. 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.

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine is published for foot-launched air-sports enthusiasts to create further interest in the sports of hang gliding and paragliding and to provide an educational forum to advance hang gliding and paragliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING editorial offices email: [email protected]. ALL ADVERTISING AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MUST BE SENT TO USHPA HEADQUARTERS IN COLORADO SPRINGS.

The USHPA is a member-controlled sport organization dedicated to the exploration and promotion of all facets of unpowered ultralight flight, and to the education, training and safety of its membership. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for Rogallo membership are $270. Pilot memberships are $75 ($90 non-U.S.). Dues for Contributing membership and for subscription-only are $52 ($63 non-U.S.). $15 of annual membership dues goes to the publication of Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHPA number, previous and new address, and a mailing label from a recent issue. You may also email your request with your member number to: [email protected].

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1543-5989) (USPS 17970) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc., 1685 W. Uintah St., Colorado Springs, CO 80904, (719) 632-8300, FAX (719) 632-6417. PERIODICAL postage is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, P.O. BOX 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330.Canadian Post Publications Mail Agreement #40065056. Canadian Return Address: DP Global Mail, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, ON N9A 6J3

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES IN PUBLICATIONS: The material presented here is published as part of an information dissemination service for USHPA members. The USHPA makes no warranties or representations and assumes no liability concerning the validity of any advice, opinion or recommendation expressed in the material. All individuals relying upon the material do so at their own risk. Copyright © 2008 Hang

Gliding & Paragliding magazine. Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine welcomes editorial submissions from our members and readers. We are always looking for well written articles and quality artwork.

Feature stories generally run anywhere from 1500 to 3000 words. If your topic demands more or less than this, you should discuss options with the editor. News releases are welcomed, but please do not send brochures, dealer newsletters or other extremely lengthy items. Please edit news releases with our readership in mind, and keep them reasonably short without excessive sales hype. You are welcome to submit photo attachments, preferably jpeg files smaller than a megabyte. Calendar of events items may be sent via email to [email protected], as may letters to the editor. Please be concise and try to address a single topic in your letter. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. If you have an idea for an article you may discuss your topic with the editor either by email or telephone. Contact: Editor, Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, [email protected], (516) 816-1333.

For change of address or other USHPA business, call (719) 632-8300, or email [email protected].

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.

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March 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA.aero4

THE HIDDEN HazaRD Of aEROBaTIc HaNg gLIDINgExplore some of the dangers of flying a hang glider up-side down.

cLOUD cONScIOUS PaRT 4 THUNDERSTORM VaRIaTIONS Thunderstorms take center stage in this educational series on clouds.

RE-ENTRyEnter the “wing mines” of California and discover the intricacies of custom inlayed hang glider design.

NOw wHaT?What do you do if you’re in the air but wishing you were on the ground?

X-aLPS fROM THE MIDDLE Of THE PackNate relates what it’s like to take the family on a summer flying vacation that just happens to cross the Alps.

by John Heiney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

by Dennis Pagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

by Chris Santacroce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

by Rich Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

by Nate Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

DEPTSH FEATURES

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Jeff O’Brien snags another cover flying his Wills Wing Sport 2 over

Marshall Peak, California.

ON THE COVER



HaNg IN THERE PaRT 2 | SOcaL LESSONS LEaRNEDLooking back at lessons learned after traveling to the 1974 hang gliding nationals.

TRaVEL | BRazILExplore parts of Brazil with Jamie and the infamous Jonny Durand Jr. and Chris Smith.

TRaVEL | NEw zEaLaNDA team from Jackson Hole heads for a winter escape down under.

gaLLERyA summer semester competing in the Alps inspires photographer Greg Babush.

wELcOME TO THE THIRD DIMENSIONRaise your airborne awareness to the dimensions that surround us.

by Mark “Forger” Stucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

by Jamie Sheldon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

by Scott Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

by Tom Webster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62


A s I sit indoors hiding from the single digit temperatures

wreaking havoc on snow laden launches, thoughts of the coming flying season arise--checking winds aloft, perform-ing line and hang checks and covering terrain under wing.

The rebirthing of flight rituals--dusting off equipment, completing per-functory after-winter safety inspection and dialing up flying friends from the old directory to see who’s in and when and where we’re meeting-- will be most welcome. We’ll gather at the usual spots and listen to favorite tunes as we race to launch in a pre-flight inebriation, happily caught in the moment. As we wait for cycles to build, conversations will revolve around pivotal issues of the day--which direction looks best, what the winds aloft are like, and did Bill Murray have the greatest comedic role of all time in Caddyshack, or did Chevy Chase edge him out in Fletch?

Whether supine or prone, we have many things in common: the friends we meet, the sites we see from above or on retrieve when we sink out, and the adventures we have on our journeys. Hopefully this magazine will act as a time capsule for these moments and provide a place where communities na-tionwide will share stories and experi-ences that keep the flying glow ablaze.

We have an amazing flying com-munity in the States, steeped in a his-tory of accomplishment, camaraderie, uniqueness, and fun. As we launch the March issue of the USHPA magazine, our goal is to provide a link to wonder-ful sites and individuals who reflect the DNA of the USHPA family. I encour-age all of you to contribute thoughts and experiences to inspire your fellow pilots on their missions under wing and hope that this issue helps sustain everyone until the warmer, friendlier skies are upon us!

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R[right] Jon Hunt launches a speed wing at Shadow Mountain, Wyoming. Photo by Nick Greece


SUP-AIR kUIck HaRNESSInitially developed for speed-riding,

with its small, removable seat plate and its removable 12 cm Mousse-Bag, this harness lends itself to all forms of free flight that don’t require a reserve para-chute: ground handling, waggas and lightweight flying as well as for tandem passengers.

Light ( 1.4 kg. basic and 2.3 kg. full options) and close fitting, you will forget it is there! Its two quick release buckles make it easy to put it on in any circum-stances (even during winter when geared with skis and gloves : no leg loops to step into). Accelerator pulleys. An original and eye-catching design. Two “V” de-signed buckles with an integrated safety clip-in system. Removable seat plate for more precise weight shifting.

When the mousse-bag is removed, its pocket can be zipped flat to reduce the

harness’s volume to a minimum. An easily accessible stuff sack is integrated into the harness’s back to allow the wing to be carried on the pilot’s lap without remov-ing the harness (for use on chairlifts and such). Easily on and off via two quick releases buckles. A re-

serve parachute can be attached to the main maillons. 12 cm Mousse-bag under the seat and the lower back.

The KUICK is delivered with a stuff-bag, seat plate,

mousse-bag, and quick links. Sizes: Small/Medium and Medium/Large. 1,80 meter is the transition point from S/M to M/L. More information: www.supair-usa.com.

Submitted by Sup’Air-USA

NIVIUK SkaTENiviuk has a new Speed-Riding wing

named the SKATE. Comes in four sizes - 8, 10, 12 and 14 m2. Easy to handle in all situations, highly resistant to roll, a wide speed range and a unique profile provides the ability to glide par-allel with the ground in all relief. With three risers and a trim system, which allows easy and effective adjustments to

the angle of attack, the SKATE can be securely set to follow the inclination of the slope while preventing any unwant-ed take off. It comes with a stuff-sac and inner bag. It is also available as package which includes the SKATE, split-leg reversible harness/backpack, stuff-sac, 2 self-locking biners and inner bag. More information at www.niviuk-usa.com.

Submitted by Sup’Air-USA

SPOT SaTELLITE MESSENgERAn exciting new communication ca-

pability is now available for pilots. It’s called SPOT (Satellite Personal Tracker), and what makes this product unique is that it uses satellites, so its coverage area includes most of the world (coverage

map at www.findmespot.com).SPOT can call for help, even if you’re

in a remote area hundreds of miles from the nearest cell phone tower. And be-cause it uses GPS to locate and track your position, they’ll know exactly where you are.

Unlike satellite phones, the price is right. The SPOT unit costs around $150, and basic service is only $99 / year.

SPOT can send a check-in message to your family and friends. This means that it can also be used for casual com-munications, just to let someone know where you are. It’s designed to work with Google Maps, so the message your friends receive as an email includes a hy-perlink that instantly displays your posi-tion on a map or aerial view. The email also includes a text message that you can customize from a website.

SPOT only has four buttons. Before a flight, you set up a list of email address-es or cell-phone text numbers that you want to receive your “check-in” button messages. You then set up another list of contacts that you want to receive a “help” message; most likely this would be your ground crew. A separate “911” emer-gency button contacts local emergency personnel.

Submitted by David Guidos

AIRWAVE SPORT 4Using new technology fed down from

our World Champion winning compe-tition wings we managed to create an intermediate glider with significantly higher performance. Improved pitch and roll stability make this extra perfor-mance easy to use – it literally floats to the top of the stack with minimal inputs and glides away from the pack. Certified to the new European Standard EN 926

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as well as to the German LTZ it passed with an amazing test result of 21 A and only 3 B (Size M) which equals a very safe, medium skill 1-2 glider. Visit www.paragliding.com for more information.

Submitted by Eagle Paragliding EAGLE LaUNcHES NEw SITEEagle Paragliding launched their new

web site just before the first of the year. The new web site has lots of great videos and stories. There is a great account of the paragliding competitions which took place in Valle De Bravo in January. Check the eagle calendar for this years events. Visit the website at www.para-gliding.com.

Submitted by Eagle Paragliding

UP SUMMIT Xc DHV-2The time has come to replace the

Summit 3, and its successor is already certified in all sizes - welcome to the new Summit XC! This new wing is intended for frequent fliers with a passion for XC adventures. It has the performance to do the job, and the docile behavior to do it in relaxed style. Our designers consider it the ideal wing to make the move from DHV 1-2 into the DHV 2 class, whilst

people who have test flown it report per-formance that will satisfy pilots coming off a higher-rated wing. When you look at this wing it is fairly obvious that it is closely related to the Trango 3 - tested by Gleitschirm Magazine to be the highest performing Serial Class wing on the market. Visit www.paragliding.com for more information.

Submitted by Eagle Paragliding

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Five years after the Canadian pilot Will Gadd set the record for the longest distance flown by a paraglider after a tow-launch from Zapata, Texas—263 miles (423.4km)-- three Brazilian pilots finally broke his record with a flight of 286.7 miles (461,5 km)! Frank Brown, Rafael Saladini and Marcelo “Ceceu” Prieto took off on Wednesday, the 14th of November, from Quixada, Ceara, Brazil, at 7:20 in the morning and flew together for 10 hours, landing in the vicinity of Luzilandia with the world record in their hands--if they can pass the demanding Federation Aeronatique International (FAI) ratification process.

The day started with clouds and the entrance of a front that left some rain in the area. About seven pilots took off that morning, while others chose not to fly after considering the relatively poor conditions. The first part of the flight was difficult, causing some pilots to land early. But the three members of the record-hunting expedition XC Nordeste, organized by the Brazilian paraglider manufacturer Sol for the fourth consec-utive year, continued flying in better and better conditions. At 1:00 pm they were already at 173.9 miles (280 km). By 4:45 pm Frank Brown reported to Sol that the trio was at 5900 feet (1800m) and pass-ing the 263 mile (423 km) mark of Will Gadd with one hour of flying ahead. The group decided to land together at 5:45 pm and to share the world record. They had covered 286.7 miles (461.5 km) on their Sol Tracers!

Will Gadd’s record was the only one the XC Nordeste hadn’t broken yet. Since their first expedition in 2003, they had set world records of open distance and declared goal on tandem paraglid-er, declared distance on solo paraglider and the South American record for dis-tance. As a matter of fact, this year the XC Nordeste applied a new format and started the flights from the best pos-sible takeoff in the area based on the conditions for the day, so that the pilots

moved to where they would have the best chance to fly far. According to this format, Quixada appeared as the best starting site; on the first week of the expedition Rafael Saladini and Marcelo Prieto had already gotten close to Will Gadd’s mark, setting continental re-cords with flights of 257 miles (414 km) and 247 miles (397.7 km).

The distance world record has been chased by numerous teams all over the world. Last year, the brothers Aljaz and Urban Valic flew 264 miles (426 km) in South Africa, but as they went back a few miles to land on safe terrain, the FAI only counted the distance from takeoff to landing, meaning their record was not certified. Now, the brothers’ goal is to break the 300 mile (500 km) barrier. And they are not the only ones. However, this will not be the year for South Africa, or the brothers’ Valic, to hold the paragliding open distance title. The record chasing concluded with Ewa Wisnierska setting the female German

open distance record at 186 miles (300 km). Rest assured, the Swiss, Germans, Slovenians, South Africans, and others will return next year for a shot at the title. Until then the Brazilian paraglid-ing triumphant reigns supreme.

Submitted by Ojovolador.com

“Really big flights like this ignite my imagi-nation and make our

horizons as pilots and humans larger. We’re lucky little humans to be alive in an era when things like this

are possible, fantastic. I’m sure we’ll all be looking at the possi-

bilities from our home sites with bigger

minds, as well as the 500 km (300 mile)

mark! I’ve seen Frank and Marcelo chase the record over the years, they have re-

ally put the time and energy into the goal. A huge “Hell yeah!!” from me to all three

pilots. Good luck with

the paperwork.”

- Will Gadd

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[near left] The record breakers celebrate. From left to right: Marcelo Prieto, Frank Brown and Raphael Saladini. All photos courtesy of SOL Paragliders.


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Al Roker, the Today Show weath-erman and all around good sport, took part in a special Today Show sequence of on-air personalities attempting “ex-treme” sports. Matt Lauer tried his hand at kite surfing. Al, the Today Show’s resident teller of tales of the sky, appro-priately determined that he would hang glide.

After checking the sites and several hang gliding facilities, Roker decided to go to Wallaby Ranch. To the uninitiated, the name “Wallaby Ranch” might sug-gest that Al was going to Australia. Not so. Wallaby is located outside Orlando, Florida. The Today Show crew, along with junior birdman, Al Roker, boarded a southbound plane, headed for what many consider to be the ultimate hang gliding park. For frequent visitors, Wallaby delivers time and again.

Wallaby’s aeropark is easy to miss. The entrance, located on a country road, is hidden by a thick border of pines. The drive to the facility meanders through the pines to reveal a large grassy field, the landing zone.

The buildings are a collection of shelters or wooden structures called

“hooches,” some built by Malcolm Jones, Wallaby’s owner. The hooches are clus-

tered around an area towards one end of the landing field where the trees have been given dispensation to grow. The area resembles a small island village, complete with tree houses and crude habitats reminiscent of communal living. Some say it looks like structures put up by “guys with tools and some boards.”

The large dining hooch that’s avail-able to all offers a big screen TV, DVD player, and space to access the free wireless internet. It’s also a good spot to sip sodas, drink brews, and relax in the shade, bug free. Breakfast is served around 10a.m., cafeteria style, with a menu determined by the cooks. The menu for the 3p.m. afternoon meal is also determined by the cooks. The food is wholesome and delicious—just like any home-cooked meal.

Wallaby’s clientele is international and interesting, with diverse levels of wealth and education, but all are drawn to their love of hang glider flight. The atmosphere is akin to a great summer camp.

Instructional flights start at 8:00 a.m. A band of golf carts and similar vehicles buzz about taking folks to the appropri-ate launch area, determined by the pre-vailing wind. Gliders and tugs appear together, and the training flights get underway in an exhilarating whirlwind of early morning activity. The students are all on adrenaline highs. Each take-off, flight and landing is watched for technique.

If conditions are right, more ad-vanced pilots gather around noon to get towed up into the thermals. Once ther-mic activity begins, the topless dream machines, whose pilots invariably sport aerodynamic bug-like helmets, flock to the skies. The real flying starts as they

are pulled by the dragonflies into the sky. Once released, they keep going up, col-ored specks against the white clouds.

Wallaby is Malcolm Jones’ kingdom. He is a kid at heart in love with things that fly. During his tandem with Al on the Today Show, Malcolm remarked that the sky is his office. It’s clear that Malcolm loves what he’s doing, and the 30,000 safe and successful tandem flights under Malcolm’s belt prove that he is very good at it.

Al Roker emerged from his first tandem flight an unabashedly thrilled initiate. He wanted to head right back up. Al later told Malcolm he planned to return to Wallaby with his family. Al’s enthusiasm brought Matt Lauer and his wife to Wallaby to take lessons while they were vacationing in Florida. Matt also loved it. Obviously, the Today Show folks “get” Wallaby Ranch.

For those who haven’t visited,it’s time to meet the kin. For those who have,it’s about time to return. And, by the way, Al and Matt… Welcome to the family!

Submitted by Curt OttoPhotos courtesy of wallaby Ranch

AL ROKER

SPECKS


MESSMAN RESPONDSI recently wrote an article titled “The

Wrong Color of Wing.” In that ar-ticle, I made reference to an experi-ence from my youth, one that left a very lasting impression on me. I gave examples of a couple of en-counters that I experienced with both hang glider pilots and para-glider pilots that reminded me of those old and horrid feelings from long ago. Some wrote to lodge complaints. I would like to apologize to all those who were offended or angered by that article. It was not my intent to call anyone names, either in-tentionally or accidentally.

I used an encounter from my child-hood to describe a message. That message was that we are all pilots of foot-launch aircraft, that we should recognize our similarities, grow strong together, and fly together. Perhaps this pilot who wrote to USHPA said it best.

“I also am a new pilot, flying hang gliders at a site that is the epitome of good relations between hang glider pilots and paraglider pilots. Please learn from the

Crestline Soaring Society (CSS) about how to foster unity among different

types of pilots. Following are con-crete reasons why we are

so happy to-gether. I will correlate them

directly to sug-gestions for you,

the leadership of the USHPA.”

1 . Much of the

leadership and many of the senior members of the CSS are biwingwal . I encourage every paid staff member of the USHPA to learn to fly each type of wing and do so regularly .

2 . Said leadership never badmouths any type of wing and likely would not toler-ate it . They are not divisive in any way . I have sensed no favoritism for one type of flying over another . Your article reflects the antithesis of this maturity . Please refrain from similar articles in the future .

3 . The members of the CSS enjoy plenty

of space to fly, minimizing conflict . Increase your efforts to expand our flying sites in quantity and quality .

4 . Club members work on the site to-gether, drive to launch together, drink beer together, cheer each other on, etc . Sponsor more dual-wing events .”

I hope that we will all learn from your flying community. I’m sorry you were offended by my article, but I am happy that you support the message. You are not the only club who believes in these values of strength and unity. There are many excellent examples around the world. I believe that those are the words and the values that we should all be fo-cusing on.

That was, and remains my message. “It’s high time for us to work together, to grow strong together, and to fly to-gether.”

- Steve Messman

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Is progress still possible?Is progress still possible?Is progress still possible?Is progress still possible?

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Nova team pilot Ingo Kallmayer during test � ights in autumn over the achensee (Tyrol).

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The new Instructor Liability Insurance program has been in place since August 1 of last year and it’s great to see how well it’s been received by our instructors. Insurance is one of those benefits that you don’t really think about too much until you need it. Of course, if you need it, it’s too late to be just starting to think about it!

Our group policy for instructors covers every USHPA instructor for $500,000 for any claims related to in-struction in hang gliding or paraglid-ing. In addition, it pays all costs of legal defense at 100%, no deductible. As an instructor, there are two key things you have to do in order for the insurance to be valid:

1 . You must be a current USHPA in-structor with a Rogallo membership .

2 . You must have every student sign at least a 30-day membership and the accom-panying waiver . A full membership would be great, but a 30-day plus the waiver is the minimum requirement .

As long as these conditions are sat-isfied, the insurance is in force, for all aspects of your teaching of hang glid-ing or paragliding. That includes ground school, preflight, pre-launch (kiting, holding the glider and running, etc.) launching, flying and landing (including crashing) and post-flying activities like packing up or debriefing. It only applies to unpowered flying; no powered har-nesses are covered, nor are ultralights or sailplanes or balloons or anything else that’s not hang gliding or paragliding. This is individual coverage that applies to each USHPA instructor. Schools still need to purchase their own separate business liability insurance, but they’ll benefit from having fully-insured in-structors working for them.

With this new member benefit, the cost of a USHPA membership went up. We negotiated a very good deal with our insurers on the price, but there’s no way around the fact that insurance is a big ex-pense. We reached a final price of $310 per instructor, which was a lot better than the early estimates of nearly $1000

each! With a mix of Pilot and Rogallo membership dues paying the bill, dues went up last fall to $75 for Pilots and $270 for Rogallo memberships.

We tried to keep the cost as low as possible so that instructors wouldn’t find it an unbearable financial burden, and I think we succeeded. At present we’re about half way through our re-newal cycle for instructors, and of those who had expiration dates after August 1, about 75% have renewed at the new Rogallo membership rate. Another 15% have chosen to renew as Pilot members and drop their instructor status, and the remainder have not renewed. While we hate to see anybody drop out of the in-structor ranks, this renewal rate is about what we’d hoped for when we set up the program.

Part of those non-renewals are the normal pattern; some of our members delay their renewals over the winter months, picking up again in the spring when flying season gets going or they start teaching. Some have moved on to other interests, or have simply quit.

I’ve talked with some of the instruc-tors who’ve switched to a Pilot mem-bership, to find out why they made that decision. For the most part, it’s not the added cost. Some have moved on to sail-planes or powered flying and aren’t really teaching HG/PG any more. Several are raising new families and don’t have the time to teach at present, but expect to get back into it in a few years. Others just weren’t actively teaching and didn’t need to hold an instructor rating. And a handful were philosophically opposed to having insurance to cover their poten-tial liability.

We were able to get the cost of the insurance down to an affordable level because of two things. First, it’s group coverage that insures everybody. This also means that a landowner doesn’t have to wonder if a particular instruc-tor is insured or not; if they’re a USHPA instructor, they’re covered. The other reason is that the insurance is valid only with a signed waiver. Realistically, we expect any claims to be minimal, be-cause the waiver provides a strong de-fense against big claims for damages. Just as with our pilot liability insurance,

the bulk of the annual expense goes to legal defense to handle any claims that might come up.

Of course, there are the occasional minor claims that come up; pilots run-ning into parked cars, storage sheds and so on. Those are the sorts of claims that don’t cost a lot of money, relative-ly speaking. Still, if you’re looking at $3500 to fix somebody’s car because you just caved in the doors on one side, it’s nice to know that you have that USHPA insurance policy to pay most of the bill. You’re only on the hook for the $1000 deductible. And it could be worse! If you were to snag a power line on final and start a grass fire that burns up some farmer’s wheat field, you could be look-ing at a big chunk of money. We hope it never happens, but it’s good to have insurance just in case.

Insurance benefits all of us because it means we’re each financially able to pay if we damage something. Without it, we’d be fighting a constant battle to convince landowners that we’re “safe enough” to have around. As an owner of an expensive asset like a piece of land, I wouldn’t want to risk losing my property to a lawsuit, just because I’d been nice enough to allow someone else to use the place for flying. Our insurance is an important key to our ability get access to flying sites, whether on public or pri-vate land. The days when you could “ just fly” are gone. Land managers today are much more aware of their risk exposure, and it shows all over. Gated roads, no trespassing signs, restricted access…it’s sad, but it’s reality. Insurance is one tool we can use to demonstrate that we’re responsible, and can be trusted to treat private or public lands with respect and care.

If you have questions about insur-ance generally, or legal exposure to risk, feel free to drop me an email. I’m not an insurance agent or a lawyer, but I can put you in touch with the folks who can answer your questions if I don’t know the answers myself. Fly safe!

Submitted by Mark G. ForbesUSHPA Insurance Committee Chairman

[email protected]

US

HPa INSTRUCTOR LIABILITY

INSURANCE


Shortly after learning to fly in 1974, I began scouting around my local area for other pilots. In order to establish a flying community, I started a club and served as its president for a few years, until the other local pilots moved away. At that time, I was able to become a member of a club (MCHGA) that was only an hour away, eventually serving as its president for two years. Since then, I’ve been a loyal member of Sonoma Wings, acting as its president for the last four years. Over the years I’ve served in numerous club leadership positions and, also, as an USHPA Observer.

Throughout its 30-year existence, Sonoma Wings has had to confront the same issues that other USHPA Chapters regularly encounter. We manage four sites, host three fly-ins a year, make annual pilgrimages to the Owens Valley and King Mt., and try to mentor new pilots, from newbies to experienced XC pilots. In the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, there are at least seven clubs; so working with other groups of pilots has become a way of life. I’ve worked at the frustrating tasks of acquiring new sites, placating irate landowners, maintaining good relationships with friendly land-

owners, putting on fly-ins and competi-tions, and trying to help this sport I love and those who want to fly in any way I can.

I’m hoping that the Chapter Support Committee will be able to work with the other committees, especially Site and Mentoring, to provide other chap-ters the tools they need to grow and stay strong. I’m looking forward to work-ing with all USHPA chapters, USHPA leadership, and pilots everywhere. If you have any ideas as to how we can help our chapters, I’m all ears!

The USHPA Mentor Program is a developing project intended to advance pilots in their flying by pairing them with more experienced pilots. The men-tors can help introduce new sites, help evaluate weather and other local con-ditions, develop flight plans, and help younger pilots have safe and successful flights. USHPA recognizes that a vast number of pilots quit flying, and leave the sport, after achieving their Novice or Intermediate ratings because of loss of interest. The Mentor program is de-signed to create a proactive approach by helping lesser experienced pilots stay engaged and further their skills. It’s not at all designed to take the place of regu-lar instruction, but is designed to build community through knowledge sharing.

“I was introduced to the sport of Hang Gliding in May of 1999,” notes Michelsen. “On return from that very first lesson, I went to the local shop, pulled out my checkbook, and simply said, ‘Set me up.’

“My initial flying centered around fixed sites in California like Dunlap, Slide, and Hull with long days in the air and longer nights around the campfire chatting, and learning from all the ex-perienced pilots. I discovered the chal-lenge of XC in the summer of 2001, and have been chasing the miles ever since. Finally, I found the camaraderie of com-

petition in the form of local club comps and the King Mountain Meet. I now look forward to more such XC meets and improving my skills against the best pilots we have.”

With the help of USHPA Chapters, Examiners, and the USHPA Office, Mr. Michelsen will have the task of working directly with the Office and Chapters to match Mentors with pilots, as the pilots request a mentor. He will also work with the Board and the Office on improving the program in terms of accessibility and efficiency.

A USHPA Mentor is an appoint-ment, made by a USHPA Examiner and conferred upon an Intermediate or Advanced pilot who can judge skills and make sure that their mentored pilot stays within safe boundaries for flying sites. They can also help judge weather conditions. Many of the skills and men-talities required are the same types re-quired for rating officials, but one does not have to be a rating official to be a USHPA Mentor.

US

HPa

SUPPORT COMMITTEE

MENTORING PROGRAM

ERNIE CAMACHO

WAYNE MICHELSEN

LEADS CHAPTER

HEADS UP THE


Beginning in the fall of 2002, the Vermont Hang Gliding Association (VHGA) embarked on a project to guar-antee ongoing access and protection of what is arguably the best Hang II, SW facing, hang gliding and paragliding site in the Northeastern United States.

The preservation of this site really began in 1989 when the property was acquired by Jake Schwaiger, a local hang glider pilot and long time member of the VHGA. As time went by the question became: how could the site be preserved in perpetuity, so that future generations of pilots might continue to enjoy West Rutland’s wonder winds?

Long term preservation of the site started with John Arrison,VHGA presi-dent, who approached Jake about the sale of this parcel of land to the VHGA in September of 2002. He proposed that VHGA purchase the 10 acre launch site at the top of Mt. Hanley in West Rutland,Vermont, for $1,000 per acre. The purchase and sale agreement was signed in February of 2005, and the title search on the property was completed in March, 2005. Early that year the VHGA raised $8,000 toward the initia-tive. In May of 2005 the United States Hang Gliding Foundation, which is now known as The Foundation for Free Flight, put in a matching grant of $10,000. At that time, the VHGA estimated that the final cost of the project would be ap-proximately $25,000. After many hours

of negotiation between the land owner and the VHGA, the deal was finalized late in 2006 for a total price of $17,000, including property costs, surveys, taxes, and Jake’s attorney’s fees. The VHGA saved $4,000 in attorney fees by having Rick Sharp, a local pilot, paragliding in-structor and Vermont attorney, execute the club’s legal work. The remaining unused funds were placed in a special

“West Rutland fund” to be used for the purchase of a permanent LZ in the valley below.

Other VHGA pilots also contrib-uted to the project. Some of the most prominent were: John Arrison as the president of VHGA at the start of the project; Gary Trudeau as USHPA Region 8 Director; Peter Kelley as the main contact in Rutland who handled communications with Jake, and super-vised the survey and permit work with the town of West Rutland; and Rick Sharp, the aforementioned attorney who provided all VGHA legal services free of charge. In addition, many pilots in the Northeastern U.S. were solic-ited by the VHGA and gave generously. These generous contributions resulted in Foundation For Free Flight being given a matching grant based on the funds that were collected. As Gary Trudeau remarked, “The project was a lot more involved than anyone thought it would be, and it took longer than we originally thought it would.” VHGA’s purchase turned out to be well worth the effort, patience, and money expended. The flying community now has permanent access to a Hang II site for the VHGA and free flight pilots from all over New England and New York!

[from top right] West Rutland launch ramp. Paraglider setup

area. Hang glider setup area. All photos by Mike Holmes.

PROTECTSKEY HANG 2 SITE

VERMONT ASSOCIATION

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The project originally involved a 10 acre mountain top parcel. But as Rick Sharp points out, “there were extensive negotiations as to acreage to be acquired and quite a bit of wrangling as to the actual boundary lines, but the VHGA finally settled on a mutually agreed boundary for the parcel. The final so-lution allowed Jake to retain a cabin on the property while ensuring the that the VHGA got title to the main SW launch site, a SE launch site, a possible NE launch site, the top parking area and a deeded right-of-way across the acreage Jake retained to access the mountain top.”

Looking back on this project, it’s critical to see it as a multi-year, multi-person, labor of love that could not have come about without the hard work and effort of many individuals. It demon-strates how site preservation can be accomplished with persistence and com-mitment. Gary Trudeau, the USHPA Region 8 Director, says: “Without the foundation we might never have been able to save this site for current and future pilots.”

The Foundation For Free Flight was a vital participant in this project because it not only acted as a catalyst organiza-tion that helped put together necessary funding, but also enabled the VHGA to

build the commitment and energy nec-essary to succeed in their preservation project. The Foundation, its trustees, volunteers and friends are committed to working with USHPA clubs in the mission of long term flying-site preser-vation.

Although this effort was a key component in being able to preserve free flight in the Northeast, even more

progress is underway towards preserv-ing other parts of West Rutland. The VHGA is currently working on the purchase and preservation of a perma-nent landing zone in the valley below. Preservation is an evolving and ongo-ing task of stewardship on many levels. As Rick Sharp indicates, “It is critical that the VHGA now goes on to ac-quire a permanent landing zone in the West Rutland Valley.” This project is likely to unfold in a manner similar to the Launch Preservation Project. Mike Holmes, the current VHGA president, is in the process of working with land owners on securing a permanent LZ. The Club’s Treasurer, Don Massoni, as well as other members of the VHGA”s Board of Directors, also have put in a lot of leg work on this LZ project. They hope to get this project underway in the spring.

Mike can be reached at [email protected].

Submitted by Douglas SharpeTrustee for the Foundation for Free Flight

“Without the foun-dation we might never have been able to save this

site for current and future pilots.”


In aviation, takeoff and landing are known as the two most dangerous phases of flight. This is never more true than when the airframe involved is a hang glider type. The narrow range of conditions appropriate to this type of wing, coupled with the no-two-are-alike nature of foot launch sites that we fly,

put an extreme premium on pilot skill, judgment, and most importantly–local knowledge and experience with the site. What follows is a story many of us have gotten arbitrarily close to experiencing, from a pilot with the bonafides to say:

“There I was, thought I was gonna…”There I was--inverted… A great way

to start a story if you just stepped out of an F-14 and “Maverick” is standing next to you at the bar. Unfortunately, my pre-dicament involved a cliff launch, mul-tiple trees and a severely damaged Wills Wing Talon. What started as a day with lots of possibilities ended in a way that had not been foreseen. That leads us deeper into the story…

I was a Hang-3, flying in a new top-less super-ship with all the confidence in the world. As a former military avia-tor, I prided myself on rapidly moving up through the ratings. I had been our chapter’s Flight Director for two terms, preaching safety and knowing your limitations ad nauseum. During my short hang gliding training, I began my flying experience in a Pulse, quickly

moved up to an Ultrasport, and finally transitioned to the wing of my dreams-

-a Talon. I had read all the books and articles I could find, purchased all the bells & whistles, and collected lots of flying t-shirts. What more could a pilot need?

That late summer morning began with lots of excitement, as it was one of our annual Fly-Ins. I packed the Jeep, loaded up my glider and headed to our flying site in the mountains of Maryland.

The day was beautiful but a little on the breezy side. As I drove the 90-minute stretch to launch, blue skies were preva-lent with white clouds dotting the hori-zon. I arrived and immediately started setting up, taking very little time to assess the local conditions. I had only flown this cliff launch site a handful of times, yet my primary focus was getting all my toys set up so I could throw myself into the sky to look upon the mere mor-tals below. Once set up, I impatiently watched two Falcon pilots launch suc-cessfully. I noticed a slight right cross in wind direction, but clearly nothing to be concerned about. I suited up and moved into launch position with assistance on both wings and my keel. Feeling more forward pressure than I was used to, I raised the nose slightly and felt the pres-sure decrease. Feeling confident, I yelled,

“Clear!” and took my first step… then ev-erything fell apart. The crosswind that I had casually observed earlier increased as I began my launch. The gust inadver-tently raised my right wing as it cleared the cliff edge and put me into a sharp

HANG GLIDINGACCIDENT REPORT

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You hold the history of our sport, from the earliest days of bamboo and plastic to the pres-ent. Within these pages you’ll nd the evolution of foot-launched ight from the rst days of bamboo dune-skimmers to the modern variety of hang gliders, paragliders and rigid wings.

Each PDF le is one complete magazine, just as originally published. Pages with color have produced as color scans, the rest scanned as black and white images. Blemishes or imperfec-tions are present in the original source maga-zines, some of which were the only known copies remaining.

Future issues will be available on an update disk.

Compilation copyright. 1974-2004, US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association. All rights reserved. Other material republished by permis-sion of copyright holders. Please don’t duplicate or reproduce this work without permission. For limited reprint permission (club newsletters, etc.) contact the USHPA of ce at 1-800-616-6888 or E-mail: [email protected]

Pages scanned and indexed by Scandoc, Inc. of Aracata, CA. www.scandoc.com

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left turn. Fighting with all my strength, I threw my body against the right downtube and begged my new wing to respond. Unfortunately, once it did, I suddenly realized that I was headed di-rectly into the trees left of launch with no recourse except hitting them dead on. Reverting back to my formal train-ing, I knew that my only option was to pull in for speed and hit the tree dead center while trying to grab something to retard my fall. As I impacted the tree, I tumbled through the foliage and came to a stop, suspended between two large trees approximately 65 feet above the ground … inverted. They accurately say that flying is hours of boredom, punctu-ated by moments of stark terror. I spent about five hours in that tree, so there was lots of time to reflect on the process that got me into such an unnatural position. The lessons learned that day have helped refine how I prepare for any attempt to throw myself off terra firma. Experience is a hard teacher. First comes the test, then the lesson.

As I stated earlier, the day began with

lots of excitement. I knew the psycholog-ical aspects of how to deal with a flying demonstration from my military days. Extra time was put into prepping our flight gear and preflighting the aircraft. Adrenalin flows on those days so extra time was built in to make sure nothing was missed or overlooked. Unfortunately, I didn’t follow those rules when I transi-tioned to hang gliding. The only mental activity in which I invested that morn-ing was how cool I would look hovering over the spectators. I hadn’t even left my house and I already had set myself up for failure. Once I arrived at the launch site, my systematic failures continued. I hur-ried to set up my glider before really as-sessing the flying conditions. Observing the pilots who were launching before me would have clued me in to the cross wind that would be my demise. As I continued down the path of destruction, I let my inexperience with this type of launch, combined with a new glider, compound my problem. Although I had flown from this site before, this was the first time in my new topless. That feel-

ing of extra “suck” on launch was due to flying a much higher performance glider than I was used to. My decision to raise the nose until things felt “normal” put me in a high angle of attack and caused me to launch in a stall configuration. As I stepped into my launch, my angle-of-attack made me much more susceptible to a wing being lifted, and as my glider stalled once I cleared the cliff, I had no airspeed for control to turn the glider away from the trees. The final nail in the coffin was not asking my support crew for any local advice. After the accident, a few people who had been on launch asked why I had begun my launch from the backside of the ramp. Under the conditions observed, local technique dictated launching much lower on the ramp. I had made an incorrect assump-tion based upon my limited flying ex-perience from this type of launch. My preflight brief to my wing-walkers was purely based on giving me a hang check and making sure that I didn’t do some-thing stupid. I assumed I knew what I was doing, and,therefore, they assumed


the same thing. All of us knew I was wrong as soon as I cleared the edge.

I have tried to keep with me, and remember every time I fly, the lessons I learned that day. And, I hope that I can transmit these lessons to other pilots with this article. I preached about knowing your limitations, yet I exceeded mine in many capacities. Now, as I pack my Jeep, I begin a mental checklist that I review repeatedly as the day takes shape. I note weather conditions at home and watch for changing conditions in the clouds or winds as I drive to our local flying sites. I try to relax my expectations of the day to allow for more introspective calmness, which tends to reduce adrenalin flow. Once I arrive, I leave my equipment in the Jeep and head to launch to see what the current conditions are so I can com-pare them with the conditions when I’m ready to launch. If pilots are launching, I sit through a couple of cycles to see if they’re experiencing anything different than I am. Once I have a mental picture of the conditions around me, I unload the equipment and preflight the glider.

I’ve also expanded my crew brief to let everyone know what my mindset is. After my hang check, but before I move my glider to launch position, I let my crew know how many times I’ve flown the particular site, what my currency is in relationship to the glider I’m flying, what I’ve seen from my assessment of

the conditions, what I’m feeling, and what my expectations of my crew are. If I haven’t flown a site repeatedly, I ask for local techniques. I also request that if anyone sees anything differently than the information I’ve briefed, they let me know immediately. I go through all of these steps before ever moving to take-off, so my flight bubble is much more complete prior to yelling “Clear!”

A pilot’s limitations change on a daily basis and knowing how to assess them can mean the difference between a successful flight and an inverted one. Factors such as mental state, fatigue, currency at a site, or familiarity with a weather condition are all combined into a risk multiplier. Knowing your limita-tions begins long before you ever launch and gives you an awareness that will help prevent you from putting yourself in harm’s way. Truly superior pilots are those who use their superior judgment to avoid those situations where they might have to use their superior skills.

Submitted by Joe Gregor

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Photo by Mitch Mcaleer


Last fall, when USHPA accepted my resignation as editor, USHPA formed a committee made up of members who’ve been closely associated with the maga-zine for many years to select the new editor. Not surprisingly, perhaps, most of the top qualified candidates for the position are about half my age – a new generation of pilots stepping forward to take your publication into the 21st cen-tury.

The committee’s choice, Nick Greece, is originally from the East Coast (Glen Cove, New York) but currently makes his home in Jackson, Wyoming. Just before Christmas Nick flew to Seattle to spend a couple of days with me, transferring material from my computer – and my brain! I thoroughly enjoyed Nick’s energy and enthusiasm, his professional and “can-do” approach to the challenges inherent in our pub-lication, and his lighthearted, upbeat attitude towards life in general. Nick gained his editorial experience with Cross Country magazine, as well as with Paraglider magazine before it merged

with Cross Country. Nick found time within his

suddenly very busy schedule to answer some questions and introduce himself to us all.

C.J.: What strengths and/or talents do you bring to this position?

NICK: A passion for free flight, a solid network of contributors, and a firm understanding of the common-alities within our diverse community. Moreover, I am very excited to help the members showcase the amazing ac-tivities we participate in. My focus will not only be on presenting hang gliding and paragliding to USHPA members,

but also to showcase our sports to the outside world. Oh, I can also hold my breath under water for over 30 seconds. That could come in handy…

C.J.: Where do you think Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine should be headed, and to that end, what changes or additions do you intend to make?

NICK: I would like to see our maga-zine show off the solid contributions it receives with better paper and a higher quality binding. It would be great to have a glossy magazine so the beautiful photos we receive can “pop” with clar-ity and inspiration. The magazine will, as always, provide USHPA news, educa-tion, and entertainment. I hope to con-tinue to attract talented contributors and support the dedicated existing cadre.

C.J.: You’re not a hang glider pilot – how are you going to make sure that hang gliding is adequately and accurately includ-ed in the magazine?

PILOT PROfILE | NIck gREEcE

“I guess I’ll have to learn to hang glide... sweet!”

by C.J. SturtevantPhoto courtesy of Ojovolador.com


NICK: I guess I’ll have to learn to hang glide… sweet! I’ll have to work harder for the hang gliding material until I get up to speed, but hopefully the ease with which I can secure paraglid-ing material will free up time to focus on the hang gliding content. I hope the hang gliding community will realize that I think hang gliding is amazing and the magazine will reflect the fascination I have with watching them dice through the air and cover ground with relative ease. Moreover, a large goal of mine is to focus on our commonalities. There are so few of us in the States who un-derstand each other – we are essentially striving for the same thing and living very similar existences during the flying season.

C.J.: What are you most looking for-ward to as editor?

NICK: The groupies and the helicop-ter! I’ve heard the USHPA editor gets to use the association’s helicopter for re-trieve…

C.J.: What’s your flying background?

NICK: I learned to paraglide at Torrey Pines in 2001. I took a year off, worked in New York City, then returned to work at the Torrey Pines Gliderport for two years. After accumulating a good amount of airtime in Southern California I headed, with my glider, to Morocco and traveled from there up through the Alps. Traveling with a glider is an amazing way to see the world! I’ve been ranked among the top 10 U.S. pilots in cross-country competi-tions for the last several years, and now am obsessed with speed flying. I have held several paraglider site records; my longest duration flight is just over seven hours, my longest flight is 82 miles, and my maximum altitude reached was over 21,000 feet in the Andes while compet-ing in Peru. I’m rated P-4 and hold ad-vanced instructor and tandem ratings.

C.J.: What’s the best flying adventure you’ve ever been on?

NICK: I would say hitchhiking through parts of Morocco with my glider, trying desperately to find great flying sites in the Anti-Atlas Mountains. Eventually, I ended up with a guide who only spoke a dialect of Berber, but who also had a great Range Rover to tool around in. We did a lot of pointing, nod-ding, and smiling!

C.J.: What gets you really excited about flying?

NICK: The fluidity of it. It’s science and art. The constant change and wonder encountered during every flight keeps me coming back for more. I also like covering unknown terrain with a great view from the comfort of a recliner.

C.J.: What are your strengths as a pilot? What do you need to work on/pay at-tention to?

NICK: Picking a good line and vi-sualizing airflow are strengths of mine. I could work on patience. I usually get into acro until the cross-country really heats up in late June.

C.J.: What other toys are in your garage?

NICK: Skis, speed wings, mountain bike, four-square ball, and a assortment of other toys that I used to play with before flying took over.

You’ll receive regular updates on Nick’s development as a hang glider pilot, and all of his travels and exploits, in each month’s Editor column. Enjoy the adventure!

Photo by greg gillam

Photo by Josh cohn



HIDDEN HazaRD

Words and Images by John Heiney

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T here are obvious hazards in flying a hang glider up-side-down: If you misjudge your speed or pitch-rate

you might over-stress the wing structure on the pull-up, possi-bly causing catastrophic failure. If you mismanage your energy you might come to a stop, going straight up or upside-down, tail-slide and tumble. If you lose control close to terrain you might hit the ground. If you do not manage your practice space wisely you might collide with another pilot.

There is another hazard which I experienced myself in 1988, and have seen and heard reports of lately. The scenario: You are inverted, at or somewhat past the apex of your maneuver. It does not matter if you have plenty of energy as you are pulling in for speed for your next maneuver, or you are slow, or you have stopped completely.

You “ball-up” (move your body’s mass maximum forward) asking the glider for its max speed. Within a few seconds you are going essentially straight downward at a speed that the designers never intended the glider to achieve. Depending on the design of the glider, you might reach a speed at which the drag-induced deflection of the airframe causes the aft area of the sail to lose tension. This can cause important parts of the stability system that depend on sail tension (such as reflex bridle or sprogs) to malfunction. I believe this can happen to any flex-wing glider.

The result of this can be a loss of positive pitch pressure on the control bar. As most will agree, that is a disconcert-ing feeling, especially at 90 plus mph heading straight for the ground. Hang glider pilots like to, and should feel some posi-tive pitch pressure any time we are going faster than trim. It reminds us that our stability system is working. To find, un-expectedly, no pressure in this unusual situation that obviously requires quick response will cause most of us to push out too abruptly and too far.

While teaching aerobatics in Norway recently, I observed an incident that alerted me to the possibility that this potential danger might be getting worse as advancing glider designs get slipperier (go faster easier). One of my pupils, on a popular modern topless wing, towed

up and did his first two loops individually (he performed one loop, leveled out to normal flight, and then dove and did an-other). On his next flight he was doing his third-ever loop, and sometime after apex, but before his post-dive became vertical he pulled in all the way for another loop.

Later, when he was safely on the ground he reported that he had felt no pitch pressure when he went to let the bar out for the pull-up. He pushed the bar out and the glider pitched up abruptly pulling many Gs. On the ground he heard a clunk. The sound was possibly created by his basetube hit-ting his full faced helmet and chin when the excessive G-force pushed his head downward as the basetube went by, and/or by most of the batten toggles breaking on the right side, releasing the rib tension and/or the breaking of his harness backplate. He went into a nice-looking 180 degree right rolling maneuver and pulled out into normal flight.

He landed safely but his glider had to be taken apart for a complete inspection. His keel was dented under the hang-point perch. His vario mount was broken and his chin was sore. One could speculate that the helmet’s chin guard prevented

in-flight loss of consciousness which likely would have resulted in tragedy. He might have pulled 6 or 7 Gs or more? That the airframe did not fail is testament to the strength of the glider; however, the pilot’s weight was less than average.

I believe that in this situation the glider is essentially in free-fall and is not really behaving like a wing. It’s falling vertically and not generating lift because its angle of attack is zero. If the pilot is able to push

“The glider is essentially in

free-fall and is not behaving like a wing.”

HIDDEN HazaRD


out on the bar, against his own mass and raise the angle of attack (AOA); now the wing is generating lift instantaneously but at an AOA that is too high for the extreme speed. This results in positive pitch pressure that’s beyond the ability of normal humans to resist. The bastube moves forward violently despite the pilot’s best efforts to hold it in, and the glider pitch-es up uncontrollably.

On a good day the glider survives the G-loading, climbs out nearly vertically and the pilot recovers to normal flight as speed decays. That is what happened to me in 1988 on the Mystic Special. I was lucky since I was flying at Torrey Pines and had very little beach clearance on the pull-up. The Norwegian pilot represents a middle scenario in which the glider sustains some airframe damage, but the pilot lands safely. The Norwegians told me of yet another pilot who had survived this series of events.

The worst case is that the pilot gets knocked unconscious by the basetube, and/or the glider fails catastrophically from the excessive G-loading. An unconscious pilot is unable to deploy the reserve. Perhaps there have been some unexplained inci-dents in the past that were caused by this phenomenon.

I don’t know if pushing out more slowly will change the outcome. It’s possible that once you’ve accelerated enough to lose pitch pressure, there is no good way back to normal flight.

No hang glider testing authority requires pitching moment tests at the extreme speeds seen in aerobatic flying. It would be difficult, expensive and dangerous to the occupants of the test vehicle. To pass the tests the gliders would end up heavier, more expensive and less fun to fly. There is a reason the gliders are marked with a velocity to never exceed (VNE).

It’s important to understand that you do not need to go fast enough to lose pitch pressure in order to have a life-threaten-ing event on the pull-up. Any time you are in a “warp-speed” dive and you let the bar out too quickly, the pitch pressure can spike resulting in an uncontrollable and abrupt pull-up. This has been referred to as “positive pitch divergence”.

So, even in this more “normal” scenario, all the afore men-tioned perils are possible: the basetube hitting you in the chin or face, the rapid energy bleed-off causing a stall going straight up, and damage to, or failure of the airframe.

In the early days of looping flex-wing hang gliders one had to go to extraordinary means to gain the speed necessary to go over the top with a little extra energy. This involved pushing out to mush, then quickly hauling the bar all the way back while scrunching up into a “ball” to get as much mass as pos-sible as far forward as possible. In modern aerobatic hang gliding it appears that a new skill is required. This would be: knowing how to avoid going too fast.

I wrote the preceding as a supplement to my article “The Ups and Downs of freestyle Hang gliding” first published

in the July 1994 issue of Hang gliding Magazine, and viewable at johnheiney.com.


T hunderstorms are the bugaboos of aviation and we can’t ignore

their threats. So this month we return to the subject with some additional dra-matic photos. We aren’t covering the details of flying with thunderstorms in the area—we leave that to a future series—but providing some visual clues as to their behavior and nature. The more we know, the more we understand. The aphorism says: knowledge dispels fear, but in this case, we hope to gain enough knowledge to have a healthy fear of thunderstorms in order to avoid their awesome awful dangers.

HIDDEN DRAGONSThink back to when you were a child

lying in bed on a dark, creepy night, imagining the boogieman stirring under your bed. You didn’t have the guts to look down there, ’cause who wants to be grabbed by the face and devoured with an agonizing crunch? If you could have shone a spotlight beneath the bed you would have seen nothing but dust bun-nies and dirty socks. But you didn’t have a spot, or the understanding to logically eliminate boogiemen from the realm of possibilities. We are in an even worse situation with thunderstorms, because in this case we know they exist, and we know they can hide. Here I am alluding

to embedded thunderstorms.Imbedded thunderstorms are those

that are hidden from a ground observ-er’s view by cloud cover. Look at photo 1. This photo is another one of Jeff Goin’s dramatic shots from his 737’s left seat (I owe that guy a beer!). Look at the nearly solid deck (cloud cover) below. Such a solid sheet of cloud masks the tower-ing clouds building up above it. These clouds are probably not yet what we would classify as thunderstorms because they don’t appear to be vigorous as told by the rather smooth tops and sides. We don’t see many individual towers or tur-rets that indicate powerful lift as shown in photo 2. In this second photo there are multiple powerful turrets, and al-though the whole cloud isn’t very high in vertical development, the storm is mature and dropping tons of rain (photo 1 is in temperate climes, and photo 2 in the tropics where more humidity allows a more rapid thunderstorm evolution).

But I could be wrong—possibly the clouds in photo 1 have dark undersides and are producing rain. One bit of evi-dence for the possibility of the cloud on the right being mature is the lower cu-mulus pushing up on its left side. This effect looks suspiciously like the result of lift caused by a gust front moving toward the left of the photo as a result of down-

drafts from the main cloud. I believe that the wind is blowing from right to left as indicated by the cloud tilt. Thus, we would expect most of the gust front probing to be on the downwind side, or left of the main clouds.

Looking closer at photo 1 we can see other towering clouds in the background and perhaps some clear area in the oth-erwise solid deck. A pilot in the distance may see the tower on the horizon and not be aware of the huge imbedded clouds closer in our view. The two close clouds appear to be only about 5 miles apart (assuming the airplane is 20 to 30 thousand feet up. We would not like to be flying below the cloud deck some-where between the two large clouds.

Next, observe the hazy layer cloud spreading out near the top of the right cumulus massif. A similar cloud also exists around the left cumulus at the same level. These layer clouds are a result of the cumulus mass pushing up through a moist upper layer of air. They have no real significance other than the moist layer may be a stable layer and could slow the updrafts in the potential thunderstorm, thus limiting its power or even preventing it from becoming mature (raining with downdrafts, thun-der and lightening). In the photo, we can see a shadow produced by the cumu-

CLOUD CONSCIOUSPart 4 | Thunderstorm Variations

by Dennis Pagen

1


lus and stratus layer of the right cloud. Such a shadow can suppress lift beneath it. So the consequence of a layer cloud around a building thunderstorm can greatly alter its strength and the position where it builds up. Of course, none of these matters can be discerned from the ground in an imbedded thunderstorm, and even if it’s not imbedded it is hard to have as much perspective as this aerial shot provides.

Finally, let us note that the lower layer (stratus) cloud that obscures the towering cumulus is not a local effect, but due to widespread lifting of the air mass. Most likely it’s a result of a warm front having moved through the area. Judging from the shadow, the sun is quite high in the sky to the right of the photo, so we are looking easterly and the wind is from the south. That fits with a post-warm front assumption. Clearly the ground where the potential thunderstorms are building is in shadow. So how can there be such an abundance of updrafts to create towering cumulus? The answer is that moist, unstable air is moving over ground that is warm, so it auto-convects. With good magnifica-tion, much smaller cumulus clouds can be seen floating in the stratus layer. We cannot see the terrain, but a general rise as the airmass progresses can also pro-duce the layer cloud and help promote a cumulus build-up at local “hot spots”—heated areas or hills. (Note that a simi-lar effect is what causes thunderstorms to develop at night, but we’ll leave that discussion to our thunderstorm series.)

For some additional shots of imbed-ded thunderstorms, look at photos 3, 4 and 5. In Photo 3 (which we showed before in our second part of this series) there appear to be thunderstorms build-ing in the background. Many layer clouds exist back there and anyone flying in that area may not be able to see the embedded towers. Looking at photo 4, we see quite a few cumulus blobs build-ing above a solid stratus deck. None of them look like thunderstorms—yet. A slight change, such as more warming of the ground as the stratus layer thins, may create imbedded storms since the air is obviously unstable. Finally, in photo 5, which appeared last month, we

see potential thunderstorms that are not imbedded since they aren’t obscured by a surrounding stratus layer. However, the extensive small cumulus spread ev-erywhere will block the view of some of the building towers. This photo points out the necessity to be vigilant even with regular widespread cumulus clouds studding the sky.

MAMMATTA Our final shots illustrate a particular

and peculiar thunderstorm effect. Look at photo 6. Here you see festoons of cloud hanging down from the projecting bench of a thunderstorm. These forma-tions are called mammata clouds, and you can figure out the Latin inference for yourself. Mammata clouds are formed by a downdraft in a thunderstorm meet-ing a powerful updraft from the ground. The cooler air spreads out along the top of the thunderstorm bench, and then little clumps of it penetrate the warmer air below, dragging cloud droplets with them. They are, in effect negative ther-mals which drop into the lower warmer air because they are heavier blobs pulled downward, just as a thermal is a lighter blob buoyed upward. As the heavy mam-mata blobs moves downward, the warm-ing by compression and mixing with the warmer air dries out and evaporates the cloud it contains.

The main thing for us to learn from mammata is that they indicate a very mature and strong thunderstorm. They only exist when the storm is advanced and has already dropped a load of rain with the accompanying downdraft. Only large thunderstorms with very strong updrafts can cause such a spread-ing out of the downdraft. So the words of wisdom when you see mammata are: if you’re on the ground, head for cover; if you’re in the air, bend over as far as you can and kiss your tush goodbye.

Keep those photos coming. Additional thunderstorm shots from all perspec-tives would be welcomed for use with our upcoming thunderstorm series.

[1] Imbedded cumulus masses thrust up from a stratus deck. Photo by Jeff Goin

[2] Thunderstorm with vigorous towers. Photo by Bruce Goldsmith. [3] Possible

imbedded thunderstorms. Photo by Jeff Goin. [4-left] Cumulus imbedded in a solid

stratus layer. Photo by Kevin Dawkins. [5] Cumulus towers may be hard to see even when not imbedded. Photo by Jeff Goin.

[6] Mammata under a storm near St. Andre, France. Photo by Greg Babush.

3

2

4

5

6



adventure into powerless flight began in 1980 as a frustrated auto mechanic. I was taking com-

puter drafting classes at night when I learned that a hang gliding manufacturer in Santa Ana, California, was looking for design help. The company, Wills Wing, told me I didn’t have enough design experience but offered me a job in the sail loft, cutting patches. Curiosity compelled me to capitu-late, and my adventures in the wing mines began.

I started out cutting leading edge pockets. Wills Wing had switched from a chord-wise layout (SST’s, and Raven sail panels were cut parallel to the keel) to a span-wise layout for the Harrier and the Duck. This meant they could put the patterns on huge tables that allowed us to walk around the sails instead of crawl. This dramatically increased the speed at which sails could be cut. I quickly learned that a slight distraction with a smokin’ pair of scissors created a lot of wind sock material. And be careful with that hot knife!

For those who don’t know, if you look closely at your seams (as all pilots should), the exposed edges of the cloth appear to be melted. This insures that the cloth won’t fray. When the cloth is cut in an area that will be exposed to the wind, it must be heat-sealed. It takes a steady hand to keep the hot knife from melting the cloth too much.

As one might expect, many of the employees in this place were a bit eccentric. Most were pilots-- so if the condi-tions were killer-- production might suffer. Many lived in their cars behind the shop. I spent some time back there myself. Hard work and hilarity strangely co-existed down in the mines. One minute Rob Kells would cruise by the sewing machines singing a merry tune and the next, Mitch McAleer might cut into a sail, scream an expletive, and

by Rich Collins


chuck his scissors across the loft. And, of course, there were occasional arguments over what radio station to play. In spite of all the personalities involved, Steve Pearson was able to maintain some basic level of order.

But the perks were obvious if you wanted to fly. Like Mike Meier walking up to you in the alley behind the shop, giving you his old harness, and saying the company will pay for half of your lessons! Plus, Hang Flight systems was located across the parking lot! After Dan Skadal hucked me off of Crestline’s 5000 foot peak, I was hooked for life. I also had the honor of hanging out with not just the factory skygods, but many of the then hang gliding illuminati. National champs, world champs, and record breakers were steady drop-ins at the Wills Wing mine.

Through it all, what I liked best about working in the wing

[above] “Dangerous Dave” Gibson looping at Elsinore. Photo by

“Dangerous Dave”.


mines was getting to see the occasional custom sail inlay. Any change from the standard blue and white was a welcome sight for all lofties. One year we got to make five custom red, white and blue bottoms for the world team. The bottom surface has always been the artist’s canvas. Moreover, from Annie Greensprings wine to Red Bull energy drink, the bottom is also a good place to advertise. I remember seeing one glider that had a custom inlay of a teddy bear and balloons. And it’s always nice when you get to see your work in the magazine. Just ask Juan Corral, he does John Heiney’s gliders.

“Dangerous” Dave Gibson joined the Wills crew around this time. He was a champion aerobatic pilot and a legend-ary loftie with a history of cutting Comets like a machine in the UP wing mines (as well as doing loops down to final ap-proach). He cut the custom of all customs. Using a hot knife

like a paint brush and a layout of an HP bottom surface, he created a Mona Lisa called “The Cosmic Messenger.” It had two big white W’s that changed into a rainbow as it went across the center and finished in a swirl with colored gliders on the other side. The rest of the sail was covered with stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies. I have seen a few custom bottoms during my years as a loftie, but Dave’s glider was, and still is, far beyond. It’s a timeless masterpiece!

After five years in the Wills Wing mines, the canary stopped singing so I decided to seek employment elsewhere. But friends who were still at Wills Wing reported that Mitch McAleer had made a custom bottom with all camouflage cloth, R. C. Dave created an HP with giant triangles called

“Jaws” and Jamie Lasser, along with loftie Martin Maldinado, built the “Dead Face Diver”--an HP with the logo from the


Grateful Dead’s “Steal Your Face” album, including wings that went red, orange, yellow. Years later I bought the glider just for the inlay and hoped to do the first ever glider-to-glider transplant by stitching it onto my Sport, but someone tossed it out and it now sits at the bottom of a landfill.

A few years after I left Wills Wing, Mitch walked up to me in the Elsinore landing zone and offered me a job cutting glid-ers for Ultra Light Products (UP). UP had just opened a shop in Lake Elsinore, managed by Bob Shutte, and was looking for some experienced help to build their new glider called the Axis. So, I put on my tool belt and went back down into the wing mines. Mitch and I put together some real nuggets. For instance, we made two “arrow” gliders. UP was in the habit of putting their initials on all of their gliders. Mitch replaced the initials with an outlined arrow symbol and splattered them all

[above] RC Dave flying the “Pizza” glider while John Heiney flies

Dave’s magenta and blue “Arrow” wing. [right] John Heiney on one

of many Juan Corral “Butterfly” Dreams. Brad Kushner flies

another in close formation. Torrey Pines, California. Both photos by

John Heiney.


over the bottoms. One glider had them all going in the same direction, and another in all different directions.

A couple of years ago, I returned to Wills Wing. This time I realized that it might be my last opportunity to make my masterpiece glider and get it at an employee price.

Wills Wing has changed dramatically over the last twenty years. In the early years the sail panels were stuck together and then drawn and cut. Now, their sails are designed on com-puters; they are machine drawn and cut on a 40 foot long air hockey table that sucks the cloth down and holds it in place. The sail assembly process today is more like putting together a giant puzzle.

After building so many sails for others, I finally had a chance to build my own work of art, titled “Re-entry.” I wanted hot-rod flames with the classic tear drop shape. The high aspect

ratio of the wing meant they had to be short and fat, and I tried to slip them between the ribs. I used the same flame shape and reduced each one 20 percent as they progressed towards the crossbar junction. One of the benefits of repeating the same shape is that I can make many smaller ones of different colors out of sticky backed dacron and spatter them wherever I want, and I can change it over and over. I had asked Wills Wing for a red leading edge to match the bottom and was cautioned against it. Nine ounce dacron isn’t as durable as mylar cloth, but I insisted. This glider is mainly about looks; I even went so far as to use a red or black felt pen to color the white stitch-ing on the bottom. I created my masterpiece on a Wills Wing Talon, because if you’re going to have flames, they should be on the fastest ship up there.

Unfortunately, Paul Diehl and I were pressed for time


while we were making “Re-entry.” We well knew that build-ing a glider should never be rushed. The layout of the right wing went more smoothly than the left, resulting in a slight difference in the seams. I was out of practice and, because of time constraints, I just had to hope for the best. When I went to pick up my finished glider, I peaked at the test flight tag and saw a slight turn noted. If a glider has a turn it’s usually caused by the sail, and corrected for in the frame adjustments.

The rest of the build went as it should thanks to my fellow miners, some of whom have been there for decades. I also offer my sincere thanks to my friend Bob Trampenau of Seedwings for his help on this project. I already have some interesting ideas for my next custom bottom.

I believe most, if not all, hang glider manufacturers are willing to do custom sail inlays for a price. So, the next time you plunk down the big bucks for your new glider, don’t build something ordinary; consider a custom design. You are spend-ing your hard earned money; go ahead, express yourself!

[above] John Heiney looping the “Pyramid” Axis 15 at Torrey Pines

(sail designed and sewn by the late Roger Hyde). [below] John

Heiney approaching the old LZ at Elsinore (circa 1985) on one of Juan Corral’s many custom 220 Dream

designs. Photos by John Heiney.

W hether you’re flying a small ridge soaring site or thermall-

ing deep in the mountains, there may come a point in time when you decide that you NEED to get down. Sometimes it’s because the clouds are too big, the wind is too strong or the lift is too pow-erful. Either way, you wish you were on the ground.

Many pilots use incorrect techniques to deal with these situations increasing risks and the possibility for uncontrolled, forced landings.

Why are we SO prone to using the wrong descent techniques? The intuitive responses to many things in paragliding are often completely wrong. Beginning drivers often swerve the wrong way when they slide on ice, and skiers natu-rally lean back before they realize that control comes from putting their center of gravity further forward than seems normal. Students of many sports must re-learn behaviors, that are intrinsically un-natural, in order to perfect the nec-essary techniques for mastering a disci-pline. A few examples to illustrate the point:

Nothing feels better than pulling big ears when we start to get blown back. It’s quick, it’s easy and most of us know how to do it. Since little technique is involved, there isn’t much chance of not getting the manuever correct. Here’s the problem: if you are parked (no forward speed) and you pull big ears, you will start going backwards (negative ground speed). Don’t believe it? Wouldn’t man-ufacturers test high-end speed using big ears if they made the glider go faster? They don’t. Admittedly, big ears some-times work to solve penetration prob-

lems because you can descend into lesser wind at a lower altitude. However, when the wind is really strong, big ears can easily work against you.

Pushing the speed bar when coming in to land in strong wind seems to be ef-fective. But is it? Let’s just say that you are in a strong headwind and you have one mile an hour negative ground speed pointed into the wind. Pushing the bar will make your ground speed-zero, then positive. Why wouldn’t we just push full bar and get some nice forward ground speed going? Any guesses? It’s because the glider COULD deflate and COULD rotate as much as 180 degrees and you

COULD end up pointing downwind with half the glider open and meeting the ground going 50 mph.

Wouldn’t it be better to touch down going backward, do your best to manage the glider and then do a cartwheel or a nice long drag across the field at the very worst?

Assuming that you are now interest-ed in the subject, here’s a comprehensive look at the techniques that are available and how and when to use them.

Disclaimer: no single person’s advice in this sport should be treated as gospel.

Stay open-minded, listen to all of the available opinions and continually update your picture of how things work. If you are new to the sport, defer to your instructor’s advice. He/ she is in charge of making you into a well-educated and well-rounded pilot.

BIG EARSBig ears are great especially if you

need to make a steep descent into a re-stricted landing area or if you want to get down and have ample forward speed. Pushing speed bar with the big ears pulled in feels more stable then without them and can often get you down in a nice comfortable manner. Get your in-structor to coach you through big ears and speed bar and how to use them to-gether (hint: big ears first, then speed bar, in that order). If you are a rank be-ginner and you get into some air that is too strong for you, the big ears will make you feel better. However, don’t overuse the big ears. If the air is really bad, “flying the glider” by adding and subtracting brake, as needed, will pre-vent big deflations better than big ears. People DO take big deflations with big ears pulled in. Finally, if you have nega-tive air speed, use speed bar as appropri-ate and then start using larger big ears as the wind abates and your forward speed gets better.

SPEED BARSpeed bar is increasingly useful, as

the gliders get more stable and efficient. Hook it up every time you fly and use it even when you don’t need it. This way, you will have it adjusted perfectly and will know how much speed bar you can

NOW WHAT?NOW WHAT?

37

by Chris Santacroce?“The intuitive

responses to many things in paragliding are often completely

WRONG.”


? reasonably push in time of need. Avoid using speed bar when

close to the ground. The odds that you will have an asymmetric deflation or a full frontal deflation increase

as you push the bar further and further. My experience, as a maneuvers coach, has taught me that roughly half of the people will release the speed bar once the glider deflates while the other half will lock their knees straight engaging full speed bar in response to a deflation. Sometimes, pilots will carve several circles as they recover from a deflation before realizing that they are still push-ing full speed. Train yourself to let off the bar when the air is turbulent. When you really need the speed bar, you may need to push it continually for ten or twenty minutes. During that time you will also need to be diligent about main-taining your course directly into the wind via weight shift. Have faith: when flying the world’s slowest aircraft you may need to be patient.

B-LINE STALLSome manufacturers discourage the

use of B-line stalls entirely because of the forces on the equipment. Consult your owner’s manual on the subject. IF you want to be able to use the B-line stall in time of need, try to log at least 15 repetitions “over the water” with the help of a qualified instructor. The B-line stall can go bad in a number of ways. Pull too much or pull too little and you could have a really complicated outcome. When you pull the B-line stall you lose your forward speed, so don’t do it when you are close to a hill. Don’t do any B-line stalls at low altitude. Its ad-vantage is that you can achieve a good decent rate and stay pointing one direc-tion (into the wind).

CIRCLESMany people under-estimate the ef-

fectiveness of searching for descending air and making average circles in that area. Aggressive circles with big ears of any kind should be totally avoided. You can only use circles when you have good separation from the hill. You will want

to be very proficient at making circles already before using them as a decent technique in an emergency. You ought to be able to exit your circles into the wind so that you can get back to the speed bar if you need to quickly return to focusing on your forward penetration.

IN GENERAL…Don’t hurry! A big gust front is

coming, the wind just picked up… Many,

many pilots have hastily used all of their available maneuvers to get down in a big hurry only to land in the strongest part of the gust front. Often, a hurried descent can result in mismanaged ma-neuvers.

In some cases it may be better to wait and plan your descent after considering all of your options. When it comes to aviation, most tasks have to be done cor-rectly the first time. This is the case in general aviation, skydiving, paragliding, and BASE jumping. When you need to make an emergency descent, do it right, the first time.

The best place to work out your emergency procedures is over the water at a maneuvers course. Enroll in one and spend some time practicing all of these maneuvers each year.

?

“Many, many pilots have hastily used

all of their available maneuvers to get

down in a big hurry only to land in the strongest part of the gust front.”

March 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA.aero

Santa CruzFlats Race

casa grande, arizona

DATESapril 20 - april 26

TYPEHg

REGISTRATION$495 before March 15

$545 after

INCLUDESTowing

MORE INFODustin Martin at

[email protected]

East CoastHG ChampionshipsRidgely, Maryland

DATESJune 1 - June 7

REGISTRATIONfOR cLaSS 1 & 5:

$225 before april 15$275 after

fOR SPORT cLaSS:$175 before april 15

$225 after

MORE INFOaerosports.net

West CoastPG Championships

woodrat Mt., Ruch, Oregon

DATESJune 8 - June 14

REGISTRATION$325 before april 15

$395 aftercloses June 8

INCLUDESLand use fees, snack at launch, retrieval, T-shirt, sign-in and awards par-ties, great atmosphere.

MORE INFOmphsports.com

Chelan XC Classic

chelan, washington

DATESJune 29 - July 4

TYPEHg&Pg | Best 4 of 6 days


$100 afteror $25/day

INCLUDEST-shirt and barbecue

MORE INFOwww.cloudbase.org

ParaglidingRat Race

woodrat Mt., Ruch, Oregon

DATESJuly 6 - July 12


$450 after

INCLUDESLand use fees, daily

lunches, retrieval, T-shirt, sign-in and awards par-ties, mentoring program.


Chelan Pre-PWC& XC Open

chelan, washington

DATESJuly 28 - aug 2

TYPEPg Xc, race to goal.

REGISTRATIONOpens March 15

$285 before June 26$325 after

MORE INFOchelanXcopen.com

Hang-OnHG Nationals

Lakeview, Oregon

DATESaugust 17 - august 23

REGISTRATIONOpens March 15

$295 postmarked by May 15$350 May 16 - July 31

$425 after

INCLUDESBreakfast smoothie, sign-

in & awards parties.


Owens ValleyUS PG NationalsBishop, california

DATESSept 14 - Sept 20

TYPEPg Xc, race to goal.

REGISTRATIONOpens april 1

MORE [email protected]

[email protected]

USHPA SANCTIONED COMPETITION

39Photo courtesy of aerial Paragliding


March 2008: Hang Gliding & Paragliding – www.USHPA.aero41P

ho

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F o r the third

time in one day I was trying to get out of the Chamonix Valley. I had tried to fly out in the late af-ternoon glass off, but the restricted airspace on Mt. Blanc forced me out of the lift and into the valley. After landing, I regrouped with my support team; we studied the map and agreed that I needed to continue on foot— on a road leading through the town and over the mountain.

When I got to the edge of town, the road was posted with a sign showing a pedestrian inside a circle with a slash. Although I don’t speak French, there was no pretending I didn’t know what the sign meant. By this time the sun was going down and no other path close to the course line was visible. As I was standing there looking at my swollen feet, up came a local resident, Guillame, pushing his motorcycle. He claimed he knew of a path over the mountain that would lead to the route. But after following the path for a mile, we discovered that it was a dead end. By now it was 9:30p.m., and we were engulfed in darkness. Guillame apologized profusely and renewed his search. As we walked back down the lane, he spotted a drive-way that he swore would lead to the trail. After that piece of advice, he wished me luck and bid me adieu.

This lead was promising. At the end of the driveway I spot-ted an old rope attached to an increasingly steep hillside that was completely overgrown with thorn bushes. I realized I was in for pain, either from plowing through the thorns or tortur-ing myself by going backwards. Since time was of the es-sence, I “bit the bullet” and trudged through the bushes into the forest and over the mountain, wondering the entire time where and if I was ever going to come out of the woods. At the break of dawn I finally emerged at a clearing where, to my utter amazement and delight, I found my support team peace-fully asleep in the motor home.

Four months have passed since I completed the X-Alps adventure race across Europe. My body is healed, the feeling has returned to my feet, and my toenails are starting to grow back. I can now exercise free from pain. I think about the event every day; it’s my theory that this race is the closest to childbirth that a man will ever experience.

The event was hard--brutally hard. The X-Alps was the first time I ever have felt so frustrated that I sat down in a field and sobbed uncontrollably while hitting myself over the head with my walking sticks. My feet developed so many blisters and sores that I didn’t know where to stick the tape. When I went flying, I was so exhausted that the minute I sat down my body


(or, How I Spent My Summer Vacation)by Nate Scales

FROM THE

THE

OF THEMIDDLE

PACK42

Photo © Olivier Laugero / Red Bull Photofiles


automat i-cally tried to fall asleep. I hoped and prayed for turbulence that would jack my adrenaline to keep me awake. If the flight were smooth, I filled my mouth with water from the Camelback and sprayed myself in the face to keep awake.

Parts of the race and the maneuvers that were required to continue the competition were especially memorable to me. For example, on the afternoon of the 4th day I was trying to get around the Marmolada turn point in the Dolomites, an area that consists of nothing but cliffs, canyons and forests. The evening lapse was keeping me up, but it was not going to be possible to make it around the turn point before the day was over. Since the terrain is so steep and extreme, I thought it would be better to land up high, instead of walking through the night. As I was setting up my approach above a small alpine saddle, I noticed another glider coming in to the same notch. Much to my surprise, it was Vincent Sprungli, the French legend. After the two of us folded our gliders and radi-oed directions to our support crews, we built a campfire, swapped stories, and watched the sun disappear behind the inspiring landscape.

The next morning Vincent and I had an easy walk out a ridge to a perfect grassy takeoff 4000 feet above the valley floor; we took off easily and quickly went to base at 9000 feet. The course led us around the south side of the Marmolada, which is a massive cliff plunging down into a canyon and back up on the other side to about 8500 feet. The canyon runs up to a pass in the middle and then drops off again on the west side. When I got to the entrance, the clouds were building quickly and had already en-gulfed the peak and spread across the canyon--a two mile long tunnel with cliffs on both sides, cloud above and canyon below. My moment was now or never. I climbed up to base, stuck my right wing tip on the cliff face and headed in, thinking light thoughts. Because cloud had completely shaded the entire canyon, there was no lift. I

was glid-ing towards the saddle, sinking the whole way. I cleared the pass by less than 40 feet and shouted for joy as I flew out of the shade on the other side.

The next turn point was the Eiger in Switzerland. The conditions were not great for flying; there was high pressure and no thermic activity to speak of. I tried to walk up a moun-tain and glide, hoping and praying for any bit of lift. My wife (who was my team mate) was great; she kept saying,“This is your chance; don’t hold anything back; give it all you’ve got!” Because the weather wasn’t always cooperative, I had to walk a lot. I got up at 5:00a.m., was out the door by 6:00a.m., and kept moving down the course until about 2:00a.m. the next morning. The night that I walked into Grindewald (the town at the base of the Eiger) was Swiss Independence Day. (I didn’t know the Swiss ever had been repressed by anyone!) The Eiger was outlined by the light of a full moon, and the face of the mountain was completely illuminated by the massive fireworks display being launched from the town below. Although it was

a bit of a “bummer” to be on foot in such awesome flying country, it sure was a cool walk!

The race ended 48 hours after the first pilot landed on the raft in Monaco, 16 days after it began. Only five pilots (out of 30 who started) completed the course. The end may be the most painful part of the entire event for those of us who didn’t finish. For the entire time my complete focus had been on getting to Monaco. I hadn’t had to deal with anything in life except walking and flying; my team pro-vided me with food, clothing, and shelter when I needed it. Life was simple and or-ganized around one goal. Then the game was over, and I was forced to come back to reality.

Although the X-Alps presented the greatest mental and physical challenges I’ve ever faced, it was also the coolest event I’ve been a part of. I see the X-Alps as being more than a race. It’s an opportunity to travel through magnificent mountains, meet amazing people, and push yourself to limits you never thought possible.

“It’s my theory that this race is the closest to childbirth that a man will ever

experience.”

(or, How I Spent My Summer Vacation)

Photo © Ulrichgrill.com / Red Bull Photofiles

Photo © Olivier Laugero / Red Bull Photofiles


I can honestly say I gave it everything. I didn’t make it to Monaco, but that doesn’t tarnish my ex-perience of the race. I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to try. In 16 days I covered 685 miles (385 walking and 300 flying). It would not have been possible without the help of many people: my teammate wife, my dad, who was baby sitting our 1 year old daughter, Super Fly and Advance for the glider, and all of my friends who gave me financial and moral support. Thank you.

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A fter only a few months of flying from the Kansas foothills, Gary

Osoba, the president of the Pliable Moose glider company invited me to be a part of their team for the 1974 U.S. Nationals at Escape Country, California! I was a neophyte pilot so competing was out of the question. If my Dad was will-ing to let me go then I sure wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

We arrived at Escape Country, a couple of days prior to the start of the competition. Escape Country was Utopia to me, a private park dedicated to motocross and hang gliding with ev-erything from a smooth training hill to a 1,500 ft AGL launch! It was late in the day so we only had time for a quick trip to the top of the intermediate 500-foot launch. I did my typical new site stall on launch and as Gary helped carry the glider the 50 feet back up to launch he emphatically growled that next time I would take off, “pull the bar into your stomach and keep it there until the landing flare – understand?” I under-stood. He forgave me for breaking that promise when it became apparent to me that I was going to impact behind the training hill if I didn’t slow down. Later, I watched plenty of launches and learned that it was perfectly OK to start the launch run with slack harness lines and allow the glider to rise during the acceleration. My launches instantly im-proved.

One day we were flying at the Palos Verdes “Domes” site and an impromptu spot-landing contest began. The com-petitors put their ante in a pile under a Frisbee and the pot was split between

whoever landed on it. I wasn’t compet-ing but decided to zero in on the spot myself. I had a nice bead on the target as I lined up for final. I fixated on the spot and completely failed to notice a large bush just to my left. My wingtip hit it and I immediately cart wheeled.

In the years since, I know of numer-ous landing approach accidents in all types of aircraft that could have been avoided had the pilot done a better job scanning for obstacles. This is especially important when you are setting up your landing approach at an unfamiliar field. It is imperative to not just clear your ap-proach path for hard to see power lines and fences, you should also clear alterna-tive paths in case you suddenly discover something wrong with your intended approach avenue.

My last major lesson learned came with my first truly high flight. The

“Lookout” launch at Lake Elsinore was 1200 feet above the valley floor and conveniently located at a gap in the guardrail that lined the parking lot of the Lookout Restaurant. The wind was blowing straight in nicely and I launched smoothly.

I had read about the tendency for pilots on their initial high flights to mis-takenly confuse the apparent decrease in ground speed as an impending stall due to being so removed from the terrain. Many pilots overcompensated by the ap-parent lack of movement over the ground by diving all the way to their LZ.

I had a nice launch and headed straight out towards the LZ in accor-dance with the plan laid out by Gary. Within seconds I was hundreds of feet

HANG IN THEREPaRT 2 | Socal Lessons Learned

by Mark “Forger” Stucky

HANG IN THERE


high, enjoying a gentle warm breeze and totally enveloped in the beauty and serenity of the freedom of a high flight. Finally, this was what I dreamt hang gliding to be. But after what seemed like only a minute, I suddenly noticed that the LZ was very close to the hori-zon. I was going to be hard pressed just to make it out of the small housing sub-division I was flying over.

I made a hard turn for the closest field and tried to stretch my glide. I came up tantalizingly close, settling into the back yard of the final home on the street, the nose plate of my glider rest-ing neatly on top of their fence, the rear keel nestled nicely in a small tree, and my feet suspended several feet above the open mouth of a wildly yapping dog.

The new and improved seat I was in came with the added security of two non-releasable leg loops and a fixed back strap, making it seemingly impossible for me to unstrap while suspended. For some reason the thought of climbing into the control bar escaped me and I eventu-ally freed myself by doing a forward half summersault and slithering out onto my head. The drop, tuck, and roll must have impressed the dog because it shut up and

kept its distance. In short order Gary arrived and hast-

ily helped extract the glider. His critique was a curt, “if you are in sink…speed up!” I had never considered that scenario and the concept made absolutely no sense to me. Up until that time I only knew that you maximized your time aloft by minimizing your rate of descent (flying at minimum sink speed) and if you were more concerned with covering the great-est distance through the air then you should fly slightly faster, at the speed that gives you your maximum glide angle, or best lift-to-drag ratio(L/D)..

For a very clear explanation and discussion of glider polar theory, Jim Burch’s webpage “Glider Performance for Dummies” is hard to beat. Check out: http://home.att.net/~jdburch/polar.htm. The examples are all based on sailplanes, but the theory applies to all soaring air-craft. The greater the airspeed range of your glider then the greater will be the

range of speeds to fly, hence paragliders will not change their speeds as much as hang gliders.

If you are obsessed with XC flying then it will be worth your while to pur-chase a modern integrated flight deck that can automatically compute the proper speed to fly for the current con-ditions. But don’t despair if you cannot afford a flight computer, I’ve flown over 100 miles in a paraglider with a mini vario and some rules-of-thumb: in-crease/decrease your L/D airspeed by 30% of any head/tail wind value (don’t slow below min sink speed!). If you are in sinking air then increase your best L/D glide speed by 10% for every 200 fpm of sink. For maximum efficiency in lift, do not slow down to min sink speed until the amount of lift is equal to your minimum sink rate (i.e. your vario indi-cates zero rate of climb).

Armed with a little skill and knowl-edge you may be able to enjoy your first high flights and XCs without any forced backyard landings!

[left] Launching from the Lookout restaurant parking lot above Lake Elsinore. Photo by Dan Poynter, courtesy of ParaPublishing.


W henever my father has an au-dience, he likes to talk about

my eagerness to be on the go. He says, “When Jamie was a kid, I’d say “Jamie, do you want to go?” and I always said,

“Sure,” without knowing where we were headed until we were in the car and on our way. Thirty years later, nothing has changed. Two of my best flying buddies, Jonny Durand, the young Australian legend, and Chris Smith, our up-and-coming great American hope, planned a relaxing diversion in Brazil after the stress of the world competition in Texas and invited me to join. Besides, they would need a driver for the adventure as well as for the Brazilian nationals in Brasilia. With any luck, I figured I would be able to borrow a glider and steal a flight somewhere along the way.

The three of us met up in Miami for the eight-hour flight to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where we would join our host, Konrado Heilman. Konrado is a typi-

cal Brazilian--a “go to the ends of the earth” to help out a fellow pilot kind of guy. Because of work commitments, he couldn’t pick us up at the airport, but sent a friend with a truck to handle all of our gear plus the six paragliders we had smuggled in for another friend. We passed the first few days in Rio with Guga and Simone Saldahna at their apartment with a superb view of both Copacabana Beach and the famous Christ the Redeemer statue up the hill. Although the wind/weather didn’t coop-erate with our plan to fly the site in Rio that allows for thermaling up over the famous Christo statue, the boys were content to sip Caipirinhas on the beach and play tourist in this Marvelous City. As spectacular as the flying in Rio must be (and I truly hope to experience it next time), the guys weren’t disappointed by having to hang out in such a tantalizing city.

The plan was to weave our way by car

from Rio to Brasilia, the nation’s capitol, via a few favorite flying sites. Jonny has traveled to Brazil nearly a dozen times, so none of this was new to him. I had come down for the Red Bull Giants of Rio race a few years ago. Chris was the only Brazilian virgin; this was obvious because every time we got out of the car, he clutched his laptop bag, fearing it would be stolen. We laughed at him most of the time, but it’s true that gear is not as secure in Brazil as it is in Europe

BRAZIL

“In Brazil, let me tell you, they worship hang

glider pilots like nowhere else on

the planet.”

by Jamie Sheldon

50

BRAZIL

[clockwise from top left] Welcoming skies over Brazil. Photo by Jamie Sheldon. Urban geometry. Photo by Jonny Durand, Jr. Launching in ideal conditions. Stopping for gas. Photos by Jamie Sheldon.


and Australia. Konrado did a great job of regaling us with stories of car-jackings along the unlit roads outside of Rio…his way of teasing the paranoid American tourists.

Itamonte--a quiet site about halfway between Rio and Sao Paulo--was our first stop. We left Rio on Brazilian time just after dark…a nice early start! You quickly learn when travel-ing in Brazil that no one is in a hurry. Since we were going towards the town of Andrades (where Konrado has his cars repaired), we volunteered to bring one of his old cars with us to be repaired there. Needless to say, the car wasn’t running so well. While we were getting out of Rio, it wouldn’t go much faster than 25 mph (which I decided was not such a terrible thing given the bathtub sized potholes and wild drivers). We decided it was best to tow it with the good 4x4 that was carry-ing our gear and gliders. Hilarity ensued…kind of like towing a hang glider with a clothes line tied around the base tube…no release, no weak-link, no safety margin, just a short rope about four feet from one bumper to another. While I thought that was going well enough, Konrado and Chris, who were in the car being towed, disagreed. Thinking it might take us another three weeks to get to Itamonte, we opted to dump the car at a truck stop and drive on to Konrado’s family farm without it.

The Heilman mountain spread has a great old house that could easily be a hang gliding lodge with rooms and beds enough for 20 or so pilots, and a launch just 15 minutes up the hill. Unfortunately, when we reached Itamonte launch the next afternoon, we found there would be no launching for anyone in a rush. The prevailing wind was blowing down on launch and great patience was the only hope of getting off the hill. Everyone suited up and lined up, but in the end only Konrado had what it took to get airborne that day. He must have waited nearly an hour at the ramp for a decent puff to come up the hill and make launching reasonably doable. The boys de-rigged and whined all the way down the hill. Always positive and, like all Brazilians, never in a hurry, Konrado dis-agreed. We found him a few hours later in a warm brown field down below, watching the setting sun, with a big smile on his face

While we slept in the next morning, Konrado retrieved his old car from the truck stop. He still needed to get it to Andrade, our next flying stop, where he knew someone who would do the repairs. Now we had to haul the car the rest of the way before we could fly in Andrades. Unfortunately, a bit too much imbibing of boot-leg sugarcane alcohol by some of our group meant that Chris and I would drive it this time. Surprisingly, aside from the seats not actually being attached to the frame, it gave us little trouble as long as we kept it under 30 mph. We managed to crawl into the little town of Andrades late that night.

The launch at Andrades has hosted many big competitions and it showed (in a good way, of course). The plush grass set-up area had room for dozens of gliders along with picnic tables, a small clubhouse/kitchen, and, yes, to my delight, wireless internet! Hard to imagine finding such an oasis atop this hill overlooking the little town. This would be my first time driv-ing the Brazilian countryside without a navigator, so I was

BRAZIL


a bit nervous fumbling my way around one lane dirt roads with my communica-tion skills in Portuguese limited to one hopefully useful phrase--”Can I have a little kiss?” Even so, I don’t believe I was as nervous as Chris, who would be having his first flight since a broken foot forced him to pull out of the world meet just a few weeks earlier. Thankfully, the launch at Andrades is beautifully steep with moderate and consistent winds. Chris let out a hoot as he launched and took off after Jonny and Konrado. My task turned out to be as easy as his, and I reached the boys’ landing field in time to radio information up to them about the wind in the LZ. We were all happy to have Chris back in the air and feel-ing good for the next stop, the Brazilian nationals.

I’m guessing after another night of many caipirinhas in Andrades that I’m not the only one who doesn’t remem-ber much about the drive to Brasilia. I recall waking up once or twice during the eight or so hour drive to see Chris working on his laptop while riding shot-gun and Jonny sprawled on the back seat,

trying to get a few hours sleep before the big competition. Oh, it must be good to be young!

People have described Brasilia and, in particular, the Promenade goal field, as a spectacular place for a competition. But honestly, you can’t possibly appre-ciate it without seeing it for yourself. I imagined that it would be pretty cool to come in and land in the middle of a major capital city, but the Promenade is so much grander than I ever expect-ed. Brasilia is a well-designed city laid out in the shape of an airplane. The Promenade landing field sits right in the center of the fuselage between two four lane highways. Landing here is truly a unique experience. Imagine flying over Washington, D.C., in your hang glider and landing on the lawn in front of the Washington Monument. Of course, that would never happen here. But in Brazil, let me tell you, they worship hang glider pilots like nowhere else on the planet. Each day, the goal field was full of gor-geous Brazilian women, throngs of food and drink vendors, television crews and spectators galore.

Not getting to fly in Brasilia and land at the Promenade would have broken my heart if not for the fact that this year’s meet was plagued with very rough and windy conditions. I counted my bless-ings that I wasn’t in the air when an unfortunate Brazilian pilot tumbled. Either way, there is no way I’ll go back to Brasilia without a glider again. I’m dying to cruise around the high-rise apartments and government ministry buildings myself, and land between eight lanes of traffic.

There just isn’t enough time to see all that Brazil has to offer. Without a doubt, the next time the boys invite me along, there will be no questions asked; I’ll be thrilled to return to any part of this beautiful and warm country!

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P eering out the window on the flight from Auckland to

Queenstown, New Zealand, I’m in awe of the incredible scenery of the Southern Alps: white capped mountains and gla-ciers towering over deep green valleys and raging rivers. As we start our de-scent, Lake Wanaka bordered by the town of Wanaka on its southern shore reveals itself. This is to be our home base for two weeks of flying adventures. The pilot buzzes low through the Cardrona Valley, and I note the steep switch-backs and twisting roads that approach the base of the Cardrona and Coronet ski resorts. Soon the landing strip at Queenstown comes into view, and we’re on the ground breathing the warm air of summer.

My traveling companions are Mike Crothers, and Blythe and Colby Cox, who are novice rated pilots from the Jackson Hole Paragliding class of 2006. My wife of eleven years, Lauri, is also with us and will be helping with photos and shuttles.

We met up with Richard Van Nieuwkoop of Wanaka Paragliding and

headed to the Treble Cone Launch site. After watching the tandems launch, we set up for our first flights “down under.” When Mike pulls out his harness, he discovers his reserve is out of its con-tainer, courtesy of airport security. This is a minor setback, and soon all three of us are in the air after clean launches. Just two days ago I was in the freezing cold, short days of winter, and today we’re flying amidst the warm breezes and lush greenery of this amazing landscape! At first I fly with a gaggle; then head south to town, get low over Glendu Bluff, make a save, and eventu-ally sink out and land at Glendu Bay.

My good friend from Jackson, Smiley, who winters in Wanaka, is there to re-trieve; he informs me that I have just completed the local milk run. As I fold up, we watch four pilots fly overhead and scratch around the corner to make the final leg of the flight landing in a huge grass field in town.

The activities available in, and around, Wanaka are endless with great cafes, stores, restaurants, and galleries all within a short walk. As I stroll through

ZEANEWLAND

Words by Scott Harris Photos by Lauri Harris


the town, an ad for a local helicopter op-eration, Aspiring Helicopters, catches my eye. I call them and learn they’re lo-cated near the base of Treble Cone and provide helicopter accessed paragliding adventures. Alex, the pilot, agrees to

meet us in the morning. That morning a low cloud base ob-

scures the summits in Mt. Aspiring National Park so Alex suggests we go to a flank on the ridge of Black Peak. We load our gear into the storage container on the strut and up we go to cloud base. We land on a pyramid high above the Matukituki River Valley. The roar of the helicopter fades as it dives out of sight. Giving high fives all around, we prepare for our first helicopter assisted paraglid-ing flights. Colby opens the window from the top of the pyramid while Mike and Blythe walk slightly downhill to a slope near a col. I lay out my Ozone Magnum tandem on top of the pyramid with just enough room for the glider and lines. Lauri knows the drill from our many flights together, and soon we’re airborne. The air is smooth and the views are awesome.

We manage to bag six peaks by heli-copter and enjoy numerous good flights at Treble Cone. We also fly at Mt. Iron and Coronet Peak. The highlight of the trip is Fog Peak, which is 6,000 ft above

the valley looking straight across to Mt. Aspiring and the Rob Roy Glacier. This launch, the most intimidating of the entire trip, is on a snowfield that has sharp, steep ridges on all sides descend-ing to the valley below. Moreover, a crosswind that gets stronger as the sun rises adds to the difficulty. Nevertheless, Mike, Blythe, and Colby launch cleanly. Lauri and I are last, and we breathe easily once we are off the steep mountain and into the light thermals where we revel in some of the most breathtaking scenery anywhere in the world.

NzHgPawww.nzhgpa.org.nz/

wanaka Paragliding0800 359 754

www.wanakaparagliding.co.nz

aspiring Helicopters027 437 3571

www.aspiringhelicopters.co.nz



GALLERY | GREG BABUSH

57

[above] Griefenburg, Austria. [right] The glacier at fiesch,

Switzerland.

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[this page, clockwise from left] Che Golus flying in Griefenburg, Austria.

Zell am See, Austria. Black and white view of the Dolomites, south from

Austria. On course at the Czech Open, Pieve ‘D Alpago, Italy. Che Golus flying

in Anzere, Switzerland. Another shot from the Czech Open.


[top of page] Waiting for base to rise above launch at the Swiss

Championships, Anzere, Switzerland. [clockwise from above] Greg Knudson flying at St. Vincente Les Forts, France.

Pilots gather for the task meeting at Schmitten Pocal, Zell am See, Austria.

Launch at the pre-PWC, Poggio Bustone, Italy. Launch at the Czech Open, Pieve ‘D Alpago, Italy. [middle] Thomas Brauner

explaining the task, Czech Open.


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[left] On Course at the pre-PWC in Poggio Buston, Italy. [below] St. Vincente Les Forts, France.

All images © www.gregbabush.com Email [email protected] or phone 650.644.8008 with questions


S o c r a t e s once said,

“Man must rise above the earth, to the top of the atmosphere and beyond, for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.” That’s a very perceptive comment for someone who never flew any higher than he could jump, and it means even more to us now that we can literally rise above the earth.

Maybe his intent was metaphorical, and he would consider our flying exploits to be a trivial exercise. But he was on to something: for those of us who make a habit of rising above the earth, Socrates’ words have a practical meaning as well as a personal one.

When we are flying, our perspective is different than when we are surveying the earth by foot. More complex infor-mation is required for us to make a shift in thinking that will drag us into a new dimension.

So, what does it mean to rise above the earth? Since we are generally stuck to the surface, we are only used to moving around in two dimensions. Altitude is a novelty in normal life-- just a curiosity compared to the practical concerns of navigating through a subway system or even sail-ing on the ocean. When we rise above the earth, we are suddenly free to move in any direction. That requires a differ-ent way of navigating, one that involves angles and shapes.

Entering the third dimension like this can be frightening. The new rules of navigation feel strange at first, and threatening, since there’s also the pros-pect of getting hurt if you don’t “get it.” Luckily, high school geometry comes to the rescue.

CONES OF OPPORTUNITYIf life is like a box of chocolates, then

gliding is like an inverted ice cream cone. The cone we’re interested in is flat-ter than an ice cream cone and prone to change its shape with every twitch and gust of wind, but it is just as delicious.

Let’s start with a simple scenario: you are flying high above the flatlands. The air is perfectly still. Look in any direc-tion and estimate how far you could glide from that height. It’s the same dis-tance in all directions so the set of all points you could reach creates a circle, and a point (that’s you) sitting above a circle defines a cone. The cone, therefore, encompasses every point in space you could possibly reach.

The cone model becomes useful when you consider what happens to the cone

Welcometo the

RD3DIMENSIONby Tom Webster

Love Canopy Flight?Come Play with Us!

How big was it?


and, thus, your options, when the air starts moving around. Did the wind pick up a little? The base of your cone is still a circle, but it shifted downwind a little. Did it pick up a lot? Watch out-- your cone, and all your landing options, might be behind you. Going up in a thermal? Your cone is still the same shape, but it’s getting bigger. Stuck in widespread sinking air? Your cone is getting narrower and smaller--look out below. Terminal cloud suck? Whoops, your cone has turned upside down!

Thinking in terms of cones gives you a handy mental picture of how your glider moves through the air. Everything that glides, from squirrels to sailplanes, moves through its local air-mass at an angle. Envisioning a shape-shifting cone can help bridge the conceptual gap between the act of gliding and the act of getting somewhere.

ANGLES AND THE PARALLAX EFFECTAn altimeter is a highly prized pos-

session to a soaring pilot. It can help us find sneaky thermals, it can corroborate

our fantastic tales of adventure, and it looks almost as impressive as an iPhone. But all too often, an altimeter or vari-ometer can make us focus too much on a number and not enough on what’s really

happening. The problem with altimeters is that they let you separate your situ-ational awareness into two pieces: a geo-graphical position and an altitude. This is usually useful, but in some situations your angular relationship to something is more important than your height above the ground.

Soaring the edge of a mountain range is a good example. One of the

most common ways for mountain pilots to stay aloft is to float above a ridgeline, or a row of peaks, with the wind blow-ing perpendicular to the ridge. There is an open landing area upwind, and dan-gerous terrain downwind. The trick is to keep position above the lift-producing peaks while staying within an easy glide of the valley.

As you climb higher above the ridge, your options expand. You are free to drift deeper into the mountain range to look for thermals, but if you go back too far, it will be hard to beat against the headwind and make it over the ridge crest to safety. This is where your three-dimensional sense becomes more im-portant than your instruments: rather than focusing on your altitude, monitor the angle at which you’re drifting back in order to see if it’s getting steeper or flatter. Determining the minimum safe angle is a matter of judgment and de-pends on the performance of your wing, but monitoring the actual angle gives you a good sense of “I’m feeling safer” or

“I’m feeling less safe.”

“An altimeter or variometer can make

us focus too much on a number and not

enough on what’s really happening.”

64

The method for monitoring your angle is called the parallax effect, and it can be very precise. Here’s how it works:

Line up a closer point, like a cliff edge, with a more distant point, like a road or a distinctive bush down in the valley. A tree top, flag pole, power line or antenna might also work if you have sharp eyes.

Watch the relationship between these two points. If the far point starts to float above the near point, your angle is get-ting higher, and you can feel good about yourself. Go ahead, catch a thermal and drift with it.

If real estate starts to disappear behind your near point, you should have a curious sinking feeling, even if you are climbing. Your angle is getting flatter, and your chances of clearing the ridge are diminishing. It might be time to head straight toward the valley.

If you’re soaring in a conservative way and not drifting so far back that your landing area is obscured, you can use a similar trick. Keep track of the steepest part of the ridge below you, and it will be easy to see a “foreshortening” effect if your angle is getting flatter.

And here are a few details: First, as

you get higher, the wind is likely to be stronger, so using a steeper minimum safe angle as you go up makes good sense. Second, it’s hard to find steep enough terrain at some sites to make this work. Look for antennas on the ridge top to use as a near point. And third, what the heck are you doing flying so far back behind the ridge? There’s plenty of lift out front.

Another good use of parallax is avoiding mid-air collisions. When an airplane is approaching, don’t panic right away. Take 5 or 10 seconds to watch the plane, and see if it’s moving

Your options in no wind Your options in a light wind from the left

Your options in wide-spread sinking air

The Cone Model

The Parallax Idea

x x

Lower pilot can’t see the X Slightly higher pilot can see the X


relative to the distant background. If it looks as if it is moving sideways and is maintaining that course, it will keep moving sideways until it has missed you. If it appears solid and stationary against the background, however, go ahead and panic. It’s going to hit you.

Parallax is also handy for checking your climb rate without instruments, and it works great in a mountainous area with jumbled terrain. Focus on the high points of ground that are closer to you, and if you see mountains rising behind that point, you’re going up. That’s basi-cally it.

The problem with using parallax in-stead of a variometer is that you need a lot of surface relief to make it work. Flatlanders are out of luck. They can get a clue by watching the changing shape of distant rectangular fields as they climb and sink, but that’s not really accurate enough to do much good in weak lift.

These are just a few examples of the three-dimensional thought process, and they might or might not be useful to you. They do, however, show that moving around in three dimensions is funda-mentally different than moving around in two. When Einstein introduced the

idea of space-time, he got people to think in terms of four dimensions rather than three and vastly expanded our un-derstanding of the universe. Learning to visualize yourself in three dimensions rather than two won’t make you as smart as Einstein, but it’s bound to make you twice as cool.

DON’T MISS OUT ON HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING!

If your USHPA membership expires on 3/31we must receive your renewal BY March 15th

or you will miss the April magazine.If your USHPA membership expires on 4/30we must receive your renewal BY April 15th

or you will miss the May magazine.

Renew On Time!

Interested in joining USHPA? Download an application at www.ushpa.aero/forms,

or call 800-616-6888 and we’ll mail one to you!

Your options in no wind Your options in a light wind from the left

Your options in wide-spread sinking air

The Cone Model

The Parallax Idea

x x

Lower pilot can’t see the X Slightly higher pilot can see the X

Photo courtesy of Ojovolador.com


Calendar items will not be listed if only tentative. Please include exact infor-mation (event, date, contact name and phone number). Items should be re-ceived no later than six weeks prior to the event. We request two months lead time for regional and national meets. For more complete information on the events listed, see our Calendar of Events at: www.USHPA.Aero

SANCTIONED COMPETITION

HG April 20-26 • Casa Grande, Arizona. Santa Cruz Flats Race. Regis-tration opens February 1, $495 until March 15, $545 after. Includes towing. More information contact Dustin Martin at [email protected].

HG June 1-7 • Ridgely, Maryland. 2008 East Coast Hang Gliding Cham-pionships. Registration opens March 1, $225 before April 15, 275 after for Class 1 & 5. $175 before April 15, $225 after for Sport Class. More informa-tion: aerosports.net.

PG June 8-14 • Woodrat Mt., Ruch, Oregon. West Coast Paragliding Cham-pionships. Registration opens February 15, $325 until April 15, $395 after. More information: mphsports.com.

HG PG June 29-July 4 • Chelan, Washington. Chelan XC Classic, cross-country flying for hang gliders and paragliders. Score is best 4 out of 6 days. Registration $80 until April 30, $100 after, or come for part of the week and pay $25/day. Includes T-shirt and barbecue. Best 4 out of 6 days. More infor-mation: cloudbase.org.

PG July 6-12 • Woodrat Mt., Ruch, Oregon. Paragliding Rat Race. Regis-tration opens February 15, $395 before April 15, $450 after. Introduction to competition with education and training in GPS use and competition strate-gies, mentoring program, evening classroom discussions, much more. Ad-ditional information: mphsports.com.

PG July 27-August 1 • Chelan, Washington. Chelan Paragliding XC Open. Registration opens March 15, $285 by June 26, $325 after. More infor-mation: chelanXCopen.com.

HG August 17-23 • Lakeview, Oregon. Hang-on Hang Gliding Nationals. Registration opens March 15, $295 postmarked by May 15, $350 postmarked May 16-July 31, $425 after. More information: mphsports.com.

PG september 14-20 • Bishop, California. Owens Valley US Paragliding Nationals. Registration opens April 1. Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]. More information: www.2008USParaglidingNationals.com.

COMPETITION

PG mArch 11-22 • Corrego do Ubá, Castelo ES Brazil. First FAI Pan-American Paragliding Championships. Entry fee $430US by entry deadline of February 12; entries received after that date will be charged an additional 10%, or may be refused. Rules and more information at http://www.hipoxia.com.br/evento _ pan/index.php.

PG MArcH 29-30, APril 12-13, MAy 17-18, JUne 21-22, JUly 19-20, August 9-10, september 6-7, OctOber 4-6 • Dunlap, Po-tato Hill and Owens Valley, California. 2008 Northern California XC League. $10/task for pre-registered pilots. Prizes awarded on Saturday nights. For more information email Jug at [email protected], or go to www.santacru-zparagliding.com.

HG July 14-19 • King Mt., Idaho. 2008 King Mountain Hang Gliding Cham-pionships, in Idaho’s Lost River Range, near Arco and Moore. Open, recre-ation, and team classes, driver awards, raffle, trophies and more! Collectors-edition shirts designed by Dan Gravage! Free camping, BBQ’s, prizes, and tons o’ fun...PLUS some of the best XC flying the sport has to offer! For more information and registration forms, go to www.flykingmountain.com or con-tact Lisa Tate, (208) 376-7914, [email protected].

HG september 28 - OctOber 4 • Dunlap, Tennessee. The 2008 Ten-nessee Tree Toppers Team Challenge. Pilot check-in and registration starts Saturday September 27. Competition strategies with a focus on mentoring, and fun. More information: treetoppers.net.

FLY-INS

HG PG April 19-20 • Oceanside, Oregon. Oregon Hang Gliding Associa-tion and Cascade Paragliding Club invite you to the annual Oceanside Fly-In. Fly coastal and inland sites along the beautiful Oregon coast, with a dinner and party at the Oceanside community center on Saturday night. Pilot meet-ings 9am Saturday/Sunday at the center, fun competitions, raffle prizes and more. Lots of adventures for non-flying family while you’re getting your share of airtime. More information: www.ohga.org.

HG mAy 2-4 • Glassy Mountain near Greer, South Carolina. South Caroli-na Springtime Fly-In! Come and enjoy flying and competing in spot landing, duration, X-C, and balloon toss events at this beautiful south-facing moun-tain. Plaques awarded to all 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in all competi-tions (except balloon toss). $20 entry fee for competition flying, and $10 for fun flying. Fly-In T-shirts available. Contact: Paul Peeples, (828) 553-3777, or [email protected]. Paragliders cannot be flown at this site due to tree restrictions at launch.

HG PG mAy 24-26 • King Mt., near Moore, Idaho. 2008 Spring Fling at King. Welcome the mountain XC season with this fun-filled event. Open XC with 1st place cash prizes for hang gliding and paragliding. All-you-can-eat outdoor buffet, with dessert. More information from www.kingmountainglid-ers.com or (208) 0390-0205.

PG June 21-29 • Girdwood, Alaska. Come fly under the Midnight Sun! Peak to Peak Paragliding Kay Taushcher will lead a trip (experienced P-2s and up) for some amazing flying during the Arctic Airwalkers’ annual fly-in. For details see www.peaktopeakparagliding.com or contact Kay at (303) 817-0803 or [email protected].

HG July 3-6 • Lakeview, Oregon. Umpteenth Annual Festival of Free Flight. Hang glider and paraglider pilots will compete for cash prizes and a chance to catch the thermals that rise over the high desert. This year’s festival includes a flour bomb drop, as well as a pig roast for pilots and their families. Cash prizes for the hang glider trophy dash from Sugar Hill to Lakeview, and spot landing for both hang gliders and paragliders. Paraglider pilots compete to accumulate the most air miles during the contest. More information at www.lakecountychamber.org.

CLINICS, MEETINGS, TOURS

FebruAry 29-mArch 3 • Santa Barbara, California. Instructor Certifica-tion Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding. This three day clinic is open to basic and advanced Paragliding instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. More information: www.paragliding.com.

CALENDAR


mArch • Governador Valadares, Brazil. Leave the cold northern hemi-sphere and enjoy the beauty and warmth of Brazil. February and March are the best months for soaring and consistently good thermalling with flying vir-tually every day. With 10 years of flying in GV we can offer bilingual guide ser-vice, USHPA hang gliding and paragliding instructor, transportation, retrieval, hotel accommodations and a warm welcome at the GV airport. Limited to 4 - 6 pilots at a time to insure personal attention and service. Every level of pi-lot skill welcome. 10 days: paragliding $1500; hang gliding $2000 with your glider, or with our equipment $2500 single surface, $3000 double surface. Special airfares available plus assistance with all your travel plans. Adventure Sports Tours, (775) 883-7070, email [email protected], more info at http://www.pyramid.net/advspts.

mArch 14-16 • Colorado Springs, Colorado. USHPA spring BOD meeting at the Doubletree Inn, COS. Annual awards banquet Saturday evening, March 15. More information: [email protected].

mArch 14-19 • California. Over the water maneuvers clinics in southern California with Eagle Paragliding. Top all around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. More information: www.paragliding.com.

mArch 29-30 • Santa Barbara, California. Thermal and XC Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding. This two day clinic is open to pilots of all levels. The clinic includes ground school, and air to ground radio coaching in our lo-cal mountains. More information: www.paragliding.com.

mArch-April • Various sites in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico & Arizona. Three-day over-the-water paraglider courses with Peak-to-Peak Paragliding. More information: www.peaktopeakparagliding.com, email [email protected], phone (303) 817-0803.

April 4-5 • Santa Barbara, California. Tandem Paragliding Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding. Classroom and practical training at our world-class training hill in Santa Barbara. More information: www.paragliding.com.

April 12 • Salt Lake City, Utah. Tandem 1 Class with Ken Hudonjorgens-en. Thorough preparation for your tandem clinic with all of the study materials you will need. Contact information: (801) 572-3414, or [email protected]. More information: www.twocanfly.com.

April 12-19 • Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Join Matt Combs, Rob Sporrer, Nick Greece, and local flying guide Christian Behrenz for a flying adventure in Guatemala. Based in Pana we will explore the Volcano dotted lake for great flying as well as one day of SIV training under the expert tutelage of Jackson Hole’s maneuvers coach—Matt Combs. We’ll journey across the lake to San Marcos, by boat, to sample thermal flying under the watchful gaze of 13,000 foot volcanoes. Contact: [email protected], or [email protected].

April 13, 14 • Utah. Ridge soaring, side hill & top landings and high wind kiting with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Special emphasis on the asymmetric infla-tion technique. Contact: Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More information www.twocanfly.com.

April 19-21 • Salt Lake City, Utah. Instructor Training with Ken Hudonjor-gensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More infor-mation: www.twocanfly.com.

April 20-21 • Salt Lake City, Utah. Instructor re-certification with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More information: www.twocanfly.com.

April 25-30 • California. Over the water maneuvers clinics in southern California with Eagle Paragliding. Top all around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. More information: www.paragliding.com.

April 26-27 • Salt Lake City, Utah. Tandem (T2 & T3) with Ken Hudonjor-gensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More infor-mation: www.twocanfly.com.

mAy 1-22 • Jackson, Wyoming. Maneuvers training courses. Come tow at the beautiful Palisades Reservoir with the Jackson Hole Paragliding Team. Contact Scott Harris, (307) 690-8726, www.jhparagliding.com.

mAy 3-4 • Santa Barbara, California. Competition Flying Clinic with US Champion Dean Stratton and Eagle Paragliding. Review strategy and tactics for competition flying, and participate in task meetings before we fly the task together. More information: www.paragliding.com.

mAy 9-19 • European Alps. The first annual Nova XC Flying Camp organized by Nova team pilot Kay Tauscher and Peak-to-Peak Paragliding. Join Kay and some of her fellow Nova team pilots to learn XC flying skills or become a bet-ter cross-country pilot in places with amazingly consistent XC conditions. For P-2 through P-4 pilots. Space is limited and the trip is already filling quickly. More information: www.peaktopeakparagliding.com, email [email protected], phone (303) 817-0803.

mAy 15-18 • Tow XC Clinic. This is the easiest way to get high and go far. With our payout winch expect to get 3000’ high and just start turning in lift. Parasoft has offered these clinics since 1999 and seen pilots rated P-2 and higher fly many miles XC. See details at http://www.parasoftparagliding.com/lessons/xc _ clinic.php.

mAy 15-25 • France, Switzerland, Italy. Experience the Alps where it all began! Join Luis Rosenkjer and Todd Weigand to fly world-famous sites ev-ery day: St. Hilaire, Annecy, Chamonix, Mieussy, Verbier, La Madeleine, Les Saissis and more. Luis has been guiding international pilots to France for the last six years – last year one group was able to fly from the Aiguille du Midi on Mont Blanc, launching at 12,000 feet and landing in Chamonix, 9000 feet be-low! More information: www.atlantaparagliding.com, [email protected], or Todd at [email protected], www.paraglidefrance.blogspot.com.

mAy 24-26 • Owens Valley, California. Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding joins American free flying icon Kari Castle for a three-day clinic. Clinic in-cludes site introductions, and thermal and cross-country flying with Kari in her own backyard. More information: www.paragliding.com.

mAy 28-June 2 • California. Over the water maneuvers clinics in southern California with Eagle Paragliding. Top all around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. More information: www.paragliding.com.

mAy 30-June 1 • Jackson, Wyoming. Tandem clinic. Presented by Scott Harris at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. (307) 690-8726, www.jhpara-gliding.com.

June 5-8 • Utah. Cross-country competition clinic; a friendly introduction to cross-country flying with instruction from US and North American XC re-cord setter, and 2005 US XC Competition Champion Bill Belcourt, and Ken Hudonjorgensen. All aspects of XC & Competitions will be covered. Utah XC sites. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More infor-mation: www.twocanfly.com.


June 6-8 • Jackson. Wyoming. Instructor clinic. Contact Scott Harris, (307) 690-8726, www.jhparagliding.com.

June 21-22 • Utah. Mountain Flying and learning how to pioneer new sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More information: www.twocanfly.com.

June 27-July2 • California. Over the water maneuvers clinics in southern California with Eagle Paragliding. Top all around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. More informa-tion: www.paragliding.com.

July 18-19 • Utah. Central Utah Mountain flying and site pioneering with Stacy Whitmore and Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More information: www.twocanfly.com.

August 9-21 • French and Swiss Alps. Join Rob Sporrer, Jamie Messenger, Bob Drury, Nick Greece, and our local guide and weather guru for amazing fly-ing during what is typically the most consistent part of the Alpine summer. This annual tour to the Haute Alps, will be based in Grand Bornand, at our own flying lodge, we will work on cross-country flying strategies and tactics in the finest ter-rain imaginable. Every night eat five star meals after our debriefs. Plan on flying at least six different sites ranging from Grand Bornand to Interlaken depending on the weather. More information: http://eagleparagliding.com/?q=node/27#30.

August 28-30 • Utah. Central Utah Thermal Clinic with Stacy Whitmore, Ken Hudonjorgensen & Bill Belcourt. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More information: www.twocanfly.com.

september 6-8 • Utah. Thermal Clinic at Utah flying sites with Ken Hudon-jorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More infor-mation: www.twocanfly.com.

september 13-16 • Ridge Soaring Clinic, near Grand Junction, Colorado. Otto's Ridge is an undiscovered ridge-soaring paradise. We soar above our tents in the morning, midday we tow up in building thermals, and in the evenings we enjoy glass-off flights. P-2 pilots will learn to ridge soar and tow up into ther-mals. Details at http://www.parasoftparagliding.com/lessons/ridge _ soaring _clinic.php.

september 23-28 • Santa Barbara, California. Instructor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding. This three day clinic is open to basic and advanced Paragliding instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. More information: www.paragliding.com.

september 27-28 • Utah. Mountain Flying and learning how to pioneer new sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More information: www.twocanfly.com.

OctOber 3-5 • Santa Barbara, California. Instructor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding. This three day clinic is open to basic and ad-vanced Paragliding instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. More information: www.paragliding.com.

nOvember 1-5 And 5-9 • Phoenix, Arizona. Come to warm Phoenix for some last flights before winter. Parasoft offers pilots rated P-2 and higher a chance to improve your skills in warm thermals. Fly into Sky Harbor on these dates and we will take you flying nearby. We have hotel, transport and guiding all arranged. De-tails at http://www.parasoftparagliding.com/travel/phoenix.php.

nOv 8-15 &/Or nOv 15-22 • Iquique, Chile. Flying sites w/Ken Hudonjor-gensen , Bill Belcourt and local guides. A great trip to what many pilots consider to be the best place to fly in the world. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More information: www.twocanfly.com.

CALENDAR


www.northwing.com509.886.4605

Use yourGlider,or ourSTRATUSGlider!

North WingA.T.F.

Soaring Trike

ULTRALIGHT TRIKESHANG GLIDERS

MARKETPLACE


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES - The rate for classified advertising is $10.00 for 25 words and $1.00 per word after 25. MINIMUM AD CHARGE $10.00. AD DEADLINES: All ad copy, instructions, changes, ad-ditions & cancellations must be received in writing 2 months preceding the cover date, i.e. September 15th is the deadline for the November issue. ALL CLASSI-FIEDS ARE PREPAID. If paying by check, please in-clude the following with your payment: name, address, phone, category, how many months you want the ad to run and the classified ad. Please make checks pay-able to USHPA, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. If paying with credit card, you may email the previous information and classified to [email protected]. For security reasons, please call your Visa/MC or Amex info to the office. No refunds will be given on ads cancelled that are scheduled to run multiple months. (719) 632-8300. Fax (719) 632-6417

HANG GLIDING ADVISORY: Used hang gliders should always be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigued, bent or dented downtubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (espe-cially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thim-bles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with non-circular holes, and on flex wings, sails badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading edges.

PARAGLIDING ADVISORY: Used paragliders should always be thoroughly inspected before flying for the first time. Annual inspections on paragliders should include sailcloth strength tests. Simply performing a porosity check isn’t sufficient. Some gliders pass porosity yet have very weak sailcloth.

If in doubt, many hang gliding and paragliding business-es will be happy to give an objective opinion on the con-dition of equipment you bring them to inspect. BUy-erS SHoUlD SelecT eQUiPMenT THAT iS APProPriATe For THeir SKill leVel or rATinG. new PiloTS SHoUlD SeeK Pro-FeSSionAl inSTrUcTion FroM A USHPA cerTiFieD inSTrUcTor.

FLEX WINGS

EVEN-UP TRADES - Looking to move up from your beginner or novice glider, but can’t put up cash? (262)-473-8800, [email protected], www.hang-gliding.com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

FALCON 140 - 10 hours on this hot pink and purple beginner glider. Parachute, training wheels, helmet, cacoon harness, and vario come with it. $2500 OBO. (316)-772-9147.

FALCONS CLEARANCE SALE - School use, one season. Falcon 1s and 2s. All sizes $1,250-$2,500. (262)-473-8800, [email protected], www.hang-gliding.com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

MOYES LITESPORT - Like new, only three flights. Blue/White. Harness, helmet, radios, oxygen, var-io, windsocks. Paid over $6,500. Everything goes for $3500 OBO. Contact Mike at (949)-375-6493.

WILLS WING TALON 150 T1 - excellent condition, carbon fiber leading edge inserts, many options, low hours, priced to sell $3700, (908)-693-5238

PARACHUTES

INSPECTED RESERVES - For HG or PG $199+up. Used Quantum, all sizes $475+up. Some trades ac-cepted. (262)-473-8800, [email protected], www.hanggliding.com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT

NORTH WING DESIGN - is accepting applications for metal shop/wing and trike airframe mechanic. Also ac-cepting applications for sail maker and sewing machine operator. Send App. To: 3904 airport way, E. Wenatchee, Wa. 98802 or Fax 509-886-3435 (www.northwing.com)

HARNESSES

HARNESSES - 5’0”-6’5”. Cocoons $125+up. High Energy Cocoons $200+up, Pods $200+up. Inventory, selection changes constantly. Some trades accepted. (262) 473-8800, [email protected], www.hangg-liding.com, http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

SCHOOLS & DEALERS

ALABAMA

ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 20 years of experience, top instructors, top pilots and very consistent weath-er conditions all year around, make us your best choice on the east coast. www.atlantaparagliding.com (404)-931-3793

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - The best fa-cilities, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volley-ball, more. Wide range of accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877)-426-4543, hanglide.com.

ARIZONA

FLY HIGH PARAGLIDING.COM - over 10 years of ex-perience, offers P-2 certification, tandem flights, tow-ing, new and used equipment, the best weather to fly in USA. (480)-266-6969.

CALIFORNIA

AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING - Year-round excel-lent instruction, Southern California & Baja. Powered paragliding, clinics, tours, tandem, towing. Ken Baier (760)-753-2664, ` airjunkies.com.

DREAM WEAVER HANG GLIDING - Competitive prices, state-of-the-art equipment. Complete les-son programs. Northern California Mosquito harness dealer. Ideal training hill. tandem instruction. USHPA Advanced Instructor Doug Prather (209)-556-0469, Modesto, California. [email protected].

EAGLE PARAGLIDING - SANTA BARBARA offers the best year round flying in the nation. Award-winning in-struction, excellent mountain and ridge sites. www.Fly-SantaBarbara.com, (805)-968-0980

FLY ABOVE ALL - Year-round instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara! USHPA Novice through Advanced certi-fication. Thermaling to competition training. Visit www.flyaboveall.com (805)-965-3733.

THE HANG GLIDING CENTER - PO Box 151542, San Diego CA 92175, (619)-265-5320.

MIKE BUTLER HANG GLIDING SCHOOL - Train-ing hill just 30 minutes west of Yosemite National Park.Wills Wing and Flytec dealer. [email protected] (209)-742-8540

MISSION SOARING CENTER - Largest hang gliding center in the West! Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment: Wills Wing, Moyes, AIR, High En-ergy, Flytec, Icaro. West Coast distributor for A.I.R. Atos rigid wings including the all-new VX Tandem Atos. Parts in stock. We stock new and used equipment. Trade-ins welcome. Complete lesson program. Best training park in the West, located just south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Pitman Hydraulic Winch System for Hang 1s and above. Launch and landing clinics for Hang 3s and Hang 4s. Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and cus-tom training harnesses. 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035. (408)-262-1055, Fax (408)-262-1388, [email protected], www.hang-gliding.com, Mis-sion Soaring Center, leading the way since 1973.

TORREY PINES GLIDERPORT - Come soar in San Di-ego! This family-owned and operated flying site offers USHPA certified instruction, advanced training, equip-ment sales, tandem flight instruction, motorized pg/hg instruction and site tours. We also have an extensive pg/hg outfitting shop offering parachute repacks and full-service repairs. Bring your family for our amazing sunsets and dining at the Cliffhanger Cafe. Importers for Paratech and Independence gliders. We also carry AustriAlpin, Center of Gravity, Crispi and Sup’Air. Check us out online for sales and questions at: www.flytorrey.com, or call toll-free at 1-877-FLY-TEAM (359-8326). Also, tune in to the Internet Paragliding Talk Show at www.worldtalkradio.com every Tuesday 9-11:00 a.m. (PST).

WINDSPORTS - Don’t risk bad weather, bad instruc-tion or dangerous training hills. 350 flyable days each year. Learn foot-launch flying skills safely and quickly. Train with professional CFI’s at world-famous Dockweil-er Beach training slopes (5 minutes from LA airport.) Fly winter or summer in gentle coastal winds, soft sand and in a thorough program with one of America’s most prestigious schools for over 25 years. (818)-367-2430, www.windsports.com.

COLORADO

AIRTIME ABOVE HANG GLIDING - Full time lessons sales and service Colorado’s most experienced! Offer-ing foot launch, tow and scooter tow instruction. Wills Wing, Moyes, North Wing, AIR, Altair, Aeros, High En-ergy, Finsterwalder, Flytec, MotoComm, and more sold and serviced. Call for more info (303)-674-2451, Ever-green Colorado, [email protected]

GUNNISON GLIDERS - Serving the western slope. In-struction, sales, service, sewing, accessories. Site in-formation, ratings. 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230. (970)-641-9315, 1-(866)-238-2305.

CLASSIFIEDS


PEAK TO PEAK PARAGLIDING LLC - THE Front Range paragliding school, located in Boulder, Colorado. Offering excellent state-of-the-art instruction. Special-izing in over the water & safety training. Equipment & tandems. Phone 303.817.0803 [email protected] www.peaktopeakparagliding.com.

FLORIDA


FLORIDA RIDGE AEROTOW PARK - 18265 E State Road 80, Clewiston, Florida (863)-805-0440, www.thefloridaridge.com.

GRAYBIRD AIRSPORTS — Paraglider & hang glid-er towing & training, Dragonfly aerotow training, XC, thermaling, instruction, equipment. Dunnellon Airport (352)-245-8263, email [email protected], www.graybirdairsports.com.

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Nearest mountain training center to Orlando. Two training hills, novice mountain launch, aerotowing, great accommo-dations. hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877)-426-4543.

MIAMI HANG GLIDING - For year-round training fun in the sun. (305)-285-8978, 2550 S Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133, www.miamihangglid-ing.com.

QUEST AIR - #1 site for US competition & the big-gest flights on the East coast. No-wait, 1-on–1 lessons from first tandem to advanced XC training. Towing 8am-sunset everyday. All amenities including on-site ac-commodations, time-honored clubhouse, pool, hot tub and private lake. Demos, rentals, sales, storage & re-pairs. Minutes from Orlando in Groveland, FL. Phone (352)-429-0213, fax (352) 429-4846, www.questair-force.com, [email protected]. 1-877-FLY-QUEST

WALLABY AEROTOW FLIGHT PARK - Satisfaction Guaranteed. Just 8 miles from Disney World. Year-round soaring, open 7 days a week, six tugs, no wait-ing, every direction. 50+ nice demos to fly, topless to trainer gliders: Laminar, Moyes, Wills, Airborne, Air-wave, Exxtacy, La Mouette, Sensor; also harnesses, varios, etc. Ages 13 to 73 have learned to fly here. No one comes close to our level of experience and success with tandem aerotow instruction. A great scene for fam-ily and friends. 10 motels & restaurants within 5 min-utes. Camping, hot showers, shade trees, sales, stor-age, ratings, XC retrievals, great weather, climbing wall, trampoline, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic tables, swim-ming pool, etc. Flights of over 200 miles and more than 7 hours. Articles in Hang Gliding, Kitplanes, Skywings, Cross Country and others. Featured on numerous TV shows, including Dateline NBC, The Discovery Channel & ESPN. Visit us on the Web: http://www.wallaby.com. Please call us for references and video. 1805 Dean Still Road, Disney Area, FL 33837 (863)-424-0070, phone & fax, [email protected], 1-(800)-WALLABY. Conserva-tive, reliable, state-of-the-art. F.H.G. INC., flying Florida since 1974

GEORGIA


LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Discover why 5 times as many pilots earn their wings at LMFP. En-joy our 110 acre mountain resort. www.hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877)-426-4543.

HAWAII

FLY HAWAII - Hawaii’s hang gliding, paragliding/paramotoring school. Mauna Kea guide service. Most experience, best safety record. Big Island of Hawaii, Achim Hagemann (808)-895-9772, www.aircotec.net/flyhawaii.htm, [email protected].

ALOHA! ISLAND POWERED PARAGLIDERS/THER-MALUP PARAGLIDING - The Big Islands only choice for USHPA certified instruction. Both free flight and pow-ered tandems year round. Dvd of your flight included. One on one lessons from our private oceanside launch-es and training facilities. Contact Yeti, (808)-987-0773, www.ThermalUp.com or www.IslandPPG.com. Aloha

PROFLYGHT PARAGLIDING - Call Dexter for friendly information about flying on Maui. Full-service school offering beginner to advanced instruction every day, year round. (808)-874-5433, paraglidehawaii.com.

INDIANA

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - See Cloud 9 in Michigan

MAINE

DOWNEAST AIRSPORTS - paragliding & hang glid-ing instruction using tandems & scooter towing for easy safe learning. Quality equipment sales. www.downeas-tairsports.com, in _ a _ [email protected], Marc (207)-244-9107.

MARYLAND

HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS - Baltimore and DC’s full-time flight park: tandem instruction, solo aerotows and equipment sales and service. We carry Aeros, Air-wave, Flight Design, Moyes, Wills Wing, High Energy Sports, Flytec and more. Two 115-HP Dragonfly tugs. Open fields as far as you can see. Only 1 to 1.5 hours from Rehoboth Beach, Baltimore, Washington DC, Phil-adelphia. Come Fly with US! (410)-634-2700, Fax (410)-634-2775, 24038 Race Track Rd, Ridgely, MD 21660, www.aerosports.net, [email protected].

MARYLAND SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING - Sales, service, instruction since 1976. Specializing in Foot Launch. www.mshg.com (410)-527-0975 Proudly rep-resenting Wills Wing & Moyes

MICHIGAN

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - Aerotow specialists. We carry all major brand hang gliders and accessories. Cloud 9 Field, 11088 Coon Lake Road West, Webber-ville MI 48892. [email protected], http://members.aol.com/cloud9sa. Call for summer tandem lessons and flying appointments with the DraachenFliegen Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field. (517)-223-8683, [email protected], http://members.aol.com/dfscinc.

TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLIDERS Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450’ sand dunes. Full-time shop. Certified instruction, beginner to advanced. Sales, service, accessories for ALL ma-jor brands. Visa/MasterCard. 1509 E 8th, Traverse City MI 49684. Offering powered paragliding. Call Bill at (231)-922-2844, [email protected]. Your USA & Canada Mosquito distributor. www.mosqui-toamerica.com.

NEW YORK

AAA MOUNTAIN WINGS INC. - New location at 77 Hang Glider Road in Ellenville next to the LZ. We service all brands featuring AEROS and North Wing. Email [email protected] www.mtnwings.com, (845)-647-3377

FLY HIGH, INC. - Serving New York, Jersey, and Con-necticut areas. Area’s exclusive Wills Wing dealer. Also all other brands, accessories. Area’s most INEXPEN-SIVE prices! Certified instruction/service since 1979. Excellent secondary instruction! Taken some les-sons? Advance to mountain flying! www.flyhighhg.com, (845)-744-3317.

SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK COOPERSTOWN NY - 40 acre flight park. 160’ training hill with rides up. 600’ ridge-large LZ. Specializing in first mountain flights.Dan Guido mailing address 293 Shoemaker Rd Mohawk Ny 13407 Home (315)-866-6153 cell (315)-867-8011 [email protected]

NORTH CAROLINA


KITTY HAWK KITES - FREE Hang 1 training with pur-chase of equipment! The largest hang gliding school in the world. Teaching since 1974. Learn to fly over the East coast’s largest sand dune. Year round instruc-tion, foot launch and tandem aerotow. Dealer for all major manufacturers. Ultralight instruction and tours. (252)-441-2426, 1-877-FLY-THIS, www.kittyhawk.com

OHIO

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - See Cloud 9 in Michigan

PUERTO RICO

FLY PUERTO RICO WITH TEAM SPIRIT HG! - Flying tours, rentals, tandems, HG and PG classes, H-2 and P-2 intensive Novice courses, full sales. (787)-850-0508, [email protected].


SOUTH CAROLINA


TENNESSEE


LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Just outside Chattanooga. Become a complete pilot -foot launch, aerotow, mountain launch, ridge soar, thermal soar. hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877)-426-4543.

TENNESSEE TREE TOPPERS - #1 Club in America. Home of the world famous Radial Ramp, great XC, easy launch, huge LZ. Just North of Chattanooga. www.tree-toppers.org

TEXAS

AUSTIN AIR SPORTS - Hang gliding and ultra-light sales, service and instruction. Steve Burns (512)-236-0031, [email protected]. Fred Burns (281)-471-1488, [email protected], WWW.AUSTINAIRSPORTS.COM.

GO...HANG GLIDING!!! — Jeff Hunt. Austin ph/fax (512)-467-2529, [email protected], www.flytexas.com.

UTAH

AIR REVOLUTION FLIGHT SCHOOL – WITH BILL HEANER AND THE REVOLUTION INSTRUC-TOR TEAM - Learn true wing mastery from some of the greatest instructors in the world. We offer P1-P4, T1-T3, tandem flights, USHPG Instructor Certifica-tion and paramotor training. Camping and hotels with-in walking distance from our shop. Contact Bill Hean-er (801)-541-8341, [email protected], www.rpmppg.com/school/facility/.

CLOUD 9 PARAGLIDING - Come visit us and check out our huge selection of paragliding gear, traction kites, extreme toys, and any other fun things you can think of. If you aren’t near the Point of the Mountain, then head to http://www.paragliders.com for a full list of products and services. We are Utah’s only full time shop and re-pair facility, Give us a ring at (801)-576-6460 if you have any questions.

VIRGINIA

BLUE SKY - Full-time instruction at Blue Sky Flight Park near Richmond. Scooter, platform and aerotow-ing available. All major brands of equipment, with Mosquitos and Doodlebugs in stock. Steve Wendt, (804)-241-4324, www.blueskyhg.com.

WASHINGTON

AERIAL PARAGLIDING SCHOOL AND FLIGHT PARK - Award winning instructors at a world class training fa-cility. Contact Doug Stroop at (509)-782-5543 or visit www.paragliding.us

WISCONSIN

FREEFLIGHT AVIATIONS – The Midwest’s largest hang gliding school. Using both aertow tandem and on-site training hill, 7 days a week, April through November. For the traveling hang glider pilot, rental equipment is available. (920)-728-2231, [email protected], FreeflightAviations.com.

WYOMING

JACKSON HOLE PARAGLIDING - Come to Para-gliding Paradise and enjoy alpine flying at its absolute best. Ten sites in a ten-mile radius including the Jack-son Hole Mountain Resort. Lessons and Guide Service Daily. Maneuvers Training at the Palisades Reservoir on Tow Tuesdays. www.jhparagliding.com [email protected] (307)-690-8726 (TRAM).

INTERNATIONAL

COSTA RICA - Grampa Ninja’s Paragliders’ B&C (bed and coffee) We offer rooms and/or transportation and guide service. Lessons available from USHPA certified instructors. Open January through April. United States: 908.454.3242. In Costa Rica: 506.877.5604 (January through April) www.paraglidecostarica.com

BAJA MEXICO - La Salina: PG, HG, PPG www.FLYLA-SALINA.com. by www.BAJABRENT.com, He’ll hook you up! site intros, tours, & rooms [email protected], (760)-203-2658

MEXICO - VALLE DE BRAVO and beyond for hang gliding and paragliding. Year round availability and spe-cial tours. Gear, guiding, instruction, transportation, lodging - all varieties for your needs. www.flymexico.com 1-(800)-861-7198 USA

PARTS & ACCESSORIES

ALL HG GLIDERBAGS, harness packs, harness zip-pers and zipper stocks. Instrument mounts and replace-ment bands. Mitts, straps, fabric parts, windsocks, ra-dios. Gunnison Gliders. 1-(866)-238-2305

BIG EARS PTT - $99.95. Includes speaker and micro-phone, radio connection, sealed finger switch. Choose the full-face or the open-face model. www.bigearsptt.com (805)-965-3733.

CRITTERMOUNTAINWEAR.COM is your one stop website for paraglider equipment and accessories. You can find a full line of backpacks, stuff tarps, flight suits, clothing, GPS and vario holders, flight decks, bal-last containers, radio holders, tow bridles, windsocks, boots, helmets, hook knives, varios, wind speed me-ters and much, much more. Everything you need to have the ultimate day flying your paraglider. Critter Moun-tain Wear also imports and distributes lightweight wings and harnesses from Nervures. 1-(800)-686-9327

FLIGHT SUITS, FLIGHT SUITS, FLIGHT SUITS, Warm Flight suits, Efficient Flight suits, Light weight Flight suits, Flight suits in twelve sizes. Stylish Flight suits www.mphsports.com (503)-657-8911

FOR ALL YOUR FLYING NEEDS - Check out the Avia-tion Depot at www.mojosgear.com featuring over 1000 items for foot-launched and powered paragliding, hang gliding, stunt and power kiting, and powered parachutes. 24/7 secure online shopping. Books, videos, KITES, gifts, engine parts, harness accessories, electronics, clothing, safety equipment, complete powered para-gliding units with training from Hill Country Paragliding Inc. www.hillcountryparagliding.com 1-800-664-1160 for orders only. Office (325)-379-1567.

GLIDERBAGS - XC $75! Heavy waterproof $125. Ac-cessories, low prices, fast delivery! Gunnison Glid-ers, 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230. (970) 641-9315, orders 1-866-238-2305.

HALL WIND METER - Simple. Reliable. Accu-rate. Mounting brackets, and control-bar wheels. Hall Brothers, PO Box 1010, Morgan, Utah 84050. (801)-829-3232, www.hallwindmeter.com.

MINI VARIO - World’s smallest, simplest vario! Clips to helmet or chinstrap. 200 hours on batteries, 0-18,000 ft., fast response and 2-year warranty. ONLY $169. Mallettec, PO Box 15756, Santa Ana CA 92735. (949)-795-0421, MC/Visa accepted, www.mallettec.com.

OXYGEN SYSTEMS - THE WORLD CLASS XCR-180 operates up to 3 hours @ 18,000 ft. and weighs only 4 lbs. Complete kit with cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula, and remote on/off flowmeter, only $450.00. 1-(800)-468-8185

RISING AIR GLIDER REPAIR SERVICES - A full-service shop, specializing in all types of paragliding repairs, annual inspections, reserve repacks, harness repairs. Hang gliding reserve repacks and repair. For in-formation or repair estimate, call (208)-554-2243, pric-ing and service request form available at www.risingair.biz, [email protected].

TANDEM LANDING GEAR - Rascal™ brand by Raven, Simply the best. New & used. (262)-473-8800, www.hanggliding.com, [email protected], http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

WHEELS FOR AIRFOIL BASETUBES - WHOOSH! Wheels™ (Patent Pending), Moyes/Airborne & Wills Wing compatible. Dealer inquiries invited. (262)-473-8800, www.hanggliding.com, [email protected], http://stores.ebay.com/raven-sports.

WINDSOKS FROM HAWK AIRSPORTS INC - 1673 Corbin Lake Rd, Rutledge, TN 37861, 1-800-826-2719. World-famous Windsoks, as seen at the Oshkosh & Sun-N-Fun EAA Fly-Ins. [email protected], www.windsok.com.

CLASSIFIEDS


PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

BIRDFLIGHT - Otto Lilienthal’s genius in scientific ob-servations and analysis, documented in this work, be-came the basis for the experimentation of the early pio-neers in aviation. The “hero” of the Wright brothers, Otto is considered to be “The Father of Gliding Flight.” Lil-ienthal’s definitive book has been out of print for almost a century, but is now available to everyone. 176 pag-es, 16 photographs, 89 drawings and 14 graphs. $19.95 (+$5 s/h) Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* CLOUDSUCK : The Life and Death Struggle for the Hang Gliding World Record. Davis Straub tells the story of the dramatic 10-year race to fly “farther than anyone has ever gone in a hang glider.” From the historic 1990 flight that first broke the 300-mile barrier, through ten years of adventure and challenge, this is a first-hand account of the driven individuals who struggled against each other and against nature to set the next hang glid-ing world distance record. PRICE: $17.95 Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* CONDOR TRAIL, Paragliding the Central An-des - the guidebook to paragliding and traveling in the Central Andes. It’s packed with 256 pages of maps, site descriptions, local lore, free-flight contacts and photos, all the information you need to plan your own Andean paragliding adventure. Most of the launch and landing access throughout the Andes is done with cheap pub-lic transportation. Condor Trail gives you bus routes to catch, areas to avoid, traveler tips, and contacts for the local flying communities throughout Ecuador, Peru, Bo-livia, Northern Argentina, and Northern Chile. Call USH-PA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ush-pa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

FLY THE WING! Hooking Into Hang Gliding - By Len Holms. This is the perfect book for those curious about the sport of hang gliding. Written at a level which will not swamp the reader with a daunting amount of tech-nical details, you will learn about hang glider wings and the skills needed to fly them. 84 pages with pho-tos and illustrations. $12.95(+$5 s&h). Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

SOARING - Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $64. SSA, PO Box 2100, Hobbs NM 88241. (505)-392-1177, ssa.org.

REAL ESTATE

10 ACRES IN THE BEAUTIFUL LOST RIVER VAL-LEY, close to King Mt HG/PG site. Super glass-offs! Fenced. Partial payment toward well/septic. Don @ 208-554-2405.

OWN 10 OR 20 ACRES next to paragliding/hang glid-ing site in Beautiful Flagstaff AZ. Pristine property with wide open views. To view go to www.northernarizonamls.com. Enter listing #s 123164, 123165, or 125465. Call Debra White, Dallas Real Estate 928-853-0761.

GORGEOUS 2.5 ACRES IN FLAGSTAFF. Surround-ed by beautiful homes with access to National For-est. Close to town yet only minutes to paragliding and hang gliding. Call Debra White at Dallas Real Estate 928-853-0761.

CUTE 3 BEDROOM 2 BATH with 2 car garage on 1 acre horse property in Flagstaff. Has been rented for $1450 mth. Only 279,900. Call Debra White at Dallas Real Estate 928-853-0761.

VIDEOS & DVDS

AWARD WINNING VIDEO - “1976 Dog Mountain U.S. National Championships” 150 Vintage Hang Gliders. All types of weather, some “white knuckle” take offs and landings. A must have for your video collection and love of flying. Send $34.00 includes S&H. Check or money order to Orca BC address: ORCA BC, PO Box B, Onalaska, WA 98570 [email protected] 877-454-8862.

VIDEOS FROM USHPA – www.ushpa.aero

*NEW* BROKEN TOE ACRO Broken Toe Acro is a full instructional-encyclopedia for Paragliding SIV and Acro maneuvers. Each chapter is approximately 6-14 min-utes and contains descriptions of the maneuver, expla-nation on how to (and how not to!) perform it, as well as in-flight examples from many simultaneous camera angles. All instruction and narration is by Enleau and Ann O’Connor, leading experts in Safety-in-Flight train-ing. 2 hours and 40 minutes running time! Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* DARE DEVIL FLYERS - The ninety four min-ute digital video docupicture covers all thirty years of hang gliding and all seventeen years of paragliding. The docupic features competition in the extreme sports of Aerobatics Hang Gliding, Speed Hang Gliding an high altitude Cross Country Paragliding. Wing mounted POV cameras provide the docupic with an in the air thrill ride from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast. Narra-tor Bobby Carradine threads us thru the three decades. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* FLYING OVER EVEREST - Follow the antics and adventures of the late Angelo D’Arrigo and his ef-forts to fly a hang glider over the summit of Mt Ever-est. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* FLYING WITH EAGLES - In 2005, Twice world champion Louise Crandal had enjoyed her fill of com-petitions and now wanted to move onto new challeng-es. After visiting Scott Mason in Nepal, she became en-thralled with the possibility of training and flying with an eagle at home in Europe. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* FRESH AIR RIDERS - The Fresh Air Crew have won awards at the Banff Mountain Film Festival for their ability to convey the spirit of the adventure sports they document. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* INSTABILITY 2 DVD Bruce Goldsmith’s new film is set to become the new benchmark in SIV instruc-tion. In 1992, the Airwave designer co-presented ‘In-stability’, a film which helped thousands of pilots gain insight into tips and tricks learnt by the professional test pilots. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* Never Ending Thermal - Never Ending Ther-mal is an ‘Endless Summer’ for the free flying genera-tion. The action-packed documentary features the ad-ventures of Venezuelan pilots Herminio Cordido and Jorge Atramiz as they embark on an around-the-world flying odyssey. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colo-rado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* PARAGLIDING: GROUND HANDLING TECH-NIQUES - From the team that brought ‘Paragliding: Learning to Fly’, arguably the best tuitional flying DVD for new pilots currently available, comes an in-depth and up-to-date study of the black art of ground handling. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* PARAGLIDING: LEARN TO FLY DVD - This DVD brings to life many of the hard-to-visualise con-cepts which are so important for us to understand, like airflow around hills and mountains, turbulence and con-vergence, dynamic and thermic lift, plus aerodynamics like lift and drag, speed to fly and so on. The production team have spent months on the 3D animation and video sequencing. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* PARAHAWKING - Nestled in the heart of Ne-pal’s foothills, and set against the backdrop of the ma-jestic Himalayas, the city of Pokhara has played host to a remarkable story. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* PERFORMANCE FLYING DVD - When it comes to making paragliding films, Jocky Sanderson doesn’t pull any punches. Jocky’s latest film, produced with Ozone’s test team, hones in on the finer piloting skills of flying XC, Acro and SIV. $42.95 Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

*NEW* RED BULL X-ALPS DVD - Red Bull X-Alps 2005 finishes in Monaco!This stunning DVD features over 70 minutes of footage, including pilot interviews and wild POV camera angles. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.


RISK & REWARD - By JEFF GOIN. This 70 min DVD exposes the causes and cures in a fun, action-packed adventure. You owe yourself this inside look that could easily save your life. Three years in the making Risk & Reward gathers wisdom from a long list of instructors. Spectacular video from around the world sheds light on essential concepts with clarity and realism. $29.95. Or-der yours at www.ushpa.aero/store

*NEW* SPEED/SECURITY DVD - Speed to Fly and Se-curity in Flight are two great films designed to help you progress in flying, packed with stunning air-to-air foot-age. $48.95 Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

MISCELLANEOUS

“AEROBATICS” POSTER — Full color 23”x 31” post-er featuring John Heiney doing what he does best-LOOPING! See www.ushpa.aero under store/misc for example. Available through USHPA HQ for just $6.95 (+$5.00 s/h). USHPA, PO Box 1300, Colorado Springs CO 80933. (USA & Canada only. Sorry, posters are NOT AVAILABLE on international orders.)

*NEW* APPAREL - NOW AVAILABLE - T-shirts, Fleece Vests, Fleece Jackets, Denim Shirts, Polos, Baseball Caps, Fleece Hats & Fleece Blankets. Call USHPA 1-800-616-6888 or order off our Web site www.ushpa.aero. PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

DVDS-VIDEOS-BOOKS-POSTERS — Check out our Web store at www.ushpa.aero.

WORLDWIDE INTERNET PARAGLIDING TALK SHOW — WWW.WORLDTALKRADIO.COM. Listen live or to the archives! Live Tuesday 9-11:00 a.m. (PST). Call toll-free, 1-888-514-2100 or internationally at (001) 858-268-3068. Paraglider pilots and radio hosts David and Gabriel Jebb want to hear about your stories, promotions/events or insight; they also take questions!

STOLEN WINGS AND THINGS

STOLEN WINGS are listed as a service to USH-PA members. Newest entries are in bold. There is no charge for this service and lost-and-found wings or equipment may be called in to (719)-632-8300, faxed to (719)-632-6417, or emailed to [email protected] for inclusion in Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. Please call to cancel the listing when gliders are recov-ered. Periodically, this listing will be purged.

GPS GARMIN 76 CSX. The last day of the Rat Race, after the track log information was downloaded, some-one picked up my GPS from the table. It had white tape in the upper left corner with my pilot number 326 written on it. If you discover that this GPS in your possession, please contact me at USHPA. Martin 800-616-6888. This GPS was borrowed from a friend, so it would be an enormous relief to have it returned.

GRADIENT ASPEN - My paraglider equipment was stolen from my vehicle on November 7th in San Diego, California. The wing was a red, gradient Aspen 26m, SOL Large CX harness, SOL 33 CELL reserve, Ozone red and gray backpack. REWARD no questions asked $250 or please contact me with any information regard-ing the equipment. David Thulin 307-690-5792 or [email protected] Thank you.

STOLEN FROM THE ANDY JACKSON AIRPARK CALIFORNIA, MAY 14TH 2007. FALCON 195 #25038. Silver leading edge, red bottom surface white trailing edge. If found please contact Rob or Dianne through www.flytandem.com or (909)-883-8488.

GEAR STOLEN FROM MEXICAN PILOT IN MEXICO - NIVIUK HOOK XXS (45-65Kg) wing, in orange and white, s/n C20664, and an Ava Sport XS harnes, in blue and black. The reserve is a Firebird R5 S; I don’t have the se-rial number of these last two. If this equipment is found, contact me [email protected] or her directly: Vin-da Levy, [email protected] +52(312)3097665

WE NEED YOUR PHOTOS!Please send us your best-composed, most colorful horizontal-format 35mm slides or digital photos as candidates for the 2009 calendar project. Launching, landing, soaring, setting up, breaking down – if your photo represents the thrill and beauty of why we y, send it in. Don’t delay! Take advantage of winter’s down time and dig out those outstanding photos that you’ve been wanting to show off. Since our calendars are printed large format, we prefer digital submissions at the preferred resolution (3900x3000) or slides for the best reproduction possible. Please read the photo submission guidelines carefully.

Contact Martin with questions at 1-800-616-6888 / [email protected].

PHOTO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Horizontal photos in slide or digital format with a MINIMUM of 3120 W x 2400 H pixels (7.5 megapixels), although 3900 W x 3000 H pixels (11.7 megapixels) is preferred. Please submit unaltered at the preferred resolution, if possible. Only submit photos taken after January 2006.

Each submission MUST INCLUDE: Signed contributor agreement (1 per photographer) photographers name, mailing address, phone, email address AND a photo caption, location, site name, pilot name, wing type, month & year of photo.

Submission info & forms are found at: www.ushpa.aero/calendarproject.asp

Please submit digital photos on CD or DVD if possible, but FTP is also available at the link above.

Submissions deadline is May 31st. Send your photos to: USHPA Calendar, Attn: Martin Palmaz, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330.

All contributors will receive con rmation of receipt and photos will be returned upon completion of the project.

CALL FOR ENTRIES!2009 Calendar Photos

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING PHOTOS NEEDED

CLASSIFIEDS


RATINGS | NOV 07

RTNG REGN NAME CITY STATE RATING OFFICIAL

H-1 2 Vann Pelham San Francisco CA Patrick DenevanH-1 2 Jon Shoop Truckee CA Ray LeonardH-1 2 Aaron Schneider Sunnyvale CA Patrick DenevanH-1 2 Charles Fiebig Palo Alto CA Patrick DenevanH-1 2 Jonathan Kaplan Incline Village NV Kurtis CarterH-1 2 Wyatt Lienhard Berkeley CA Justine YangH-1 2 Aleksandr Simma El Cerrito CA Justine YangH-1 2 Matt Gordon Palo Alto CA Patrick DenevanH-1 2 Matthew Hendershot San Francisco CA Patrick DenevanH-1 2 Samuel Grello Oakland CA Justine YangH-1 3 Kenzan Boo Simi Valley CA Justine YangH-1 3 Nathan Goshgarian Redondo Beach CA Lynden VazquezH-1 3 Adam Newman Lancaster CA Lynden VazquezH-1 4 Rafae Ramirez Tucson AZ Eric SmithH-1 4 Preston Wood Scottsdale AZ Eric SmithH-1 4 Rick Venglarcik Tucson AZ Eric SmithH-1 8 Scott Tait Wakefield RI Malcolm JonesH-1 9 Anthony Dilisio Stephens City VA Steve WendtH-1 9 Charles Okeeffe III Winchester VA Steve WendtH-1 9 Leland Brummett Tappahannock VA Gordon CayceH-1 10 Mario Luppa Tampa FL Malcolm JonesH-1 10 Dan Towne Wildwood GA Gordon CayceH-1 10 Trevor Knight Atlanta GA Gordon CayceH-1 11 Cakra Wicaksono Denton TX David BroylesH-2 2 Chris Hardin Folsom CA George HamiltonH-2 2 Steve Clapper Vacaville CA Patrick DenevanH-2 2 Jon Shoop Truckee CA Ray LeonardH-2 2 Marcelo Luz San Francisco CA Patrick DenevanH-2 3 Erick Idy Beverly Hills CA Andrew BeemH-2 6 Mitchell Sorby Wichita KS Andrew BeemH-2 6 Kelley Brow Ozark MO Chris PriceH-2 7 Dell Cross Menasha WI Tommy Thompson, SrH-2 8 Scott Tait Wakefield RI Malcolm JonesH-2 9 Justyn Brown Madison VA Jon ThompsonH-2 9 Leland Brummett Tappahannock VA Gordon CayceH-2 10 Mario Luppa Tampa FL Malcolm JonesH-2 10 Dan Towne Wildwood GA Gordon CayceH-2 10 Trevor Knight Atlanta GA Gordon CayceH-2 11 David Dodd Ennis TX David BroylesH-2 12 Gideon Grady-patinkin High Falls NY Greg BlackH-3 2 Al Norman Alamo CA Mike ButlerH-3 2 Larry Howe Grass Valley CA George HamiltonH-3 2 David Suits Santa Cruz CA Patrick DenevanH-3 2 Jason Mansfield Forest Ranch CA John RyanH-3 2 James Bowe Morgan Hill CA Jim WoodwardH-3 3 Shane Gorman Captain Cook HI Bill SoderquistH-3 8 Jean-joseph Cote Lunenburg MA Jeffrey NicolayH-3 10 Frederick Pishotta St Augustine FL James PrahlH-3 12 Gary Mau West Orange NJ James TindleH-3 12 Jade Gianforte Chattenango NY Daniel GuidoH-4 2 Monte Cole Vacaville CA Brian FosterH-4 12 Manuk Kerovpyan Ellenville NY Greg Black

HANG GLIDING PARAGLIDINGRTNG REGN NAME CITY STATE RATING OFFICIAL

P-1 1 Christina Ammon Ashland OR Jonathan JefferiesP-1 2 De-hwei Oshaughnessy Fremont CA Wallace AndersonP-1 2 Norbert Borschel Palo Alto CA Wallace AndersonP-1 2 Grover Knight Las Vegas NV Ron PeckP-1 2 Nick Nayfack Oakland CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Mandi Nayfack Oakland CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Chadwick Spencer Reno NV Dale CovingtonP-1 3 Tracey Harrap Paia HI David BinderP-1 4 Myron Cook Salt Lake City UT Dale CovingtonP-1 4 Billy Carpenter Clearfield UT Jonathan JefferiesP-1 9 Mark Garber Dayton OH Kenneth MunnP-1 10 Ariel Diep Alpharetta GA Luis RosenkjerP-1 13 Jill O`reilly Oxford Chad BastianP-2 1 Steven Acord Issaquah WA Bob HannahP-2 1 Leif Short Forrer Juneau AK Carson KleinP-2 1 Suzie Teerlink Juneau AK Carson KleinP-2 1 Christina Ammon Ashland OR Jonathan JefferiesP-2 1 Ben Mcewen Portland OR Kelly KellarP-2 2 De-hwei Oshaughnessy Fremont CA Wallace AndersonP-2 2 Chadwick Spencer Reno NV Dale CovingtonP-2 3 Nickole Sciortino Honolulu HI Pete MichelmoreP-2 3 Bahman Rad Sante Fe Springs CA David JebbP-2 3 Colleen Krause San Diego CA Gabriel JebbP-2 3 Tracey Harrap Paia HI David BinderP-2 4 Shiraz Contractor Phoenix AZ Carlos MadureiraP-2 4 Doug Whitmore Richfield UT Stacy WhitmoreP-2 4 Lisa Dickinson Murray UT Kevin McginleyP-2 4 Myron Cook Salt Lake City UT Dale CovingtonP-2 4 Billy Carpenter Clearfield UT Jonathan JefferiesP-2 7 Joshua Sonner Marion IN Robert ChevalierP-2 9 Mark Garber Dayton OH Kenneth MunnP-2 10 Ariel Diep Alpharetta GA Luis RosenkjerP-2 12 Jef Field Albany NY Ciaran EganP-2 13 Jill O`reilly Oxford Chad BastianP-3 1 Doug Marshburn Bellingham WA Delvin CrabtreeP-3 1 Donald Comstock Medford OR Rick RayP-3 1 J. Kirk Linton Lynden WA Delvin CrabtreeP-3 1 Scott Harding Ashland OR Kevin LeeP-3 3 Traig Trumbo Malibu CA Rob SporrerP-3 3 Vic Enright Thousand Oaks CA Rob SporrerP-3 3 David Baldwin Jr Santa Barbara CA Irene RevenkoP-3 3 Heidi Chu Thousand Oaks CA Rob SporrerP-3 3 Ron Schooler San Diego CA Gabriel JebbP-3 4 Scott Towne Colorado Springs CO Stephen MayerP-3 4 Joe Lambrecht Salt Lake City UT Etienne PienaarP-3 4 James Strickland Colorado Springs CO Stephen MayerP-3 4 Nicolas Saldarriaga Boulder CO Granger BanksP-3 13 Petr Hala Czech Republic Luis RosenkjerP-3 13 Carlos Olivera Ontario Gabriel JebbP-4 3 Antonio Cardenas Santa Barbara CA Rob SporrerP-4 4 Chris Jacobsen Murray UT Jonathan JefferiesP-4 4 Dan Roland Aspen CO Royal OwensP-4 13 Adrian Austin West Bay, Doha Kim GalvinP-4 13 Fiona Austin Doha Kim Galvin

75Nick greece surfs a gust. Photo by Jon Hunt.


Dead Horse Point, Utah. Photo by Leroy grannis


Launching.


T he southwestern slope of the mountain was just beginning

to work, the much-desired result of the heating mid-afternoon sun. Slowly at first, the air began to flow past my ears so that I could hear its gentle rush. I was well above the tree line, but began to smell evergreens, their relaxing scent lifted on columns of air that rolled up the stone face of the mountain. As well, I could see the white, cottony seeds of the fireweed plants traveling straight up. Indeed, these were good signs. I sat for another 30 minutes. The movement of the air became quite consistent. I watched for clouds. The only ones vis-ible to me were building toward the west. Those were huge, tall, but miles from my location. Above, I found only wisps that formed quickly and dissipated. It was beginning. Warm air continued to flow upward, now so consistently that I could time its cyclical movement. Each cycle of lifting air lasted at least 60 seconds. Each was approximately five minutes after the one preceding. It was time.

I prepared my wing and myself. In minutes, I was ready to launch into what definitely looked like great pre-frontal conditions. Today promised to be one of those that would deserve special note in

my logbook. I waited for the next cycle. With one word, “Clear!” followed by a single step, I launched effortlessly into air that beckoned with open arms.

The resultant marriage of wing and wind was extraordinary. In minutes, I was a thousand feet over the top of the mountain and going up. I looked ahead. The formation of wonderful cumies was now at full strength. I had never seen such beautiful flat-bottomed clouds with such perfectly formed fluffy tops. I headed downwind, toward the closest and most perfect cloud. My cross-coun-try adventure had begun, and the fifty mile mark was easily within reach.

The cloud cover grew thicker. I could see street after street in any direction I chose. Every thermal I hit offered noth-ing less than 600fpm up and topped out at seven grand, at least. Often, I was at eight grand when I decided to leave de-clining lift. I maintained my downwind course to maximize speed, glide, and of course, distance.

As devastating as a doctor’s diagno-sis of stage-four prostate cancer, I heard it. Tat tat tat tat tat. The sounds over-whelmed me, faster, louder, increasingly intense. Huge drops of rain bounced off my helmet and off my eyewear. Wetter.

Larger. Colder. The lift that had been everywhere at 600 up was now sink. Lots of it! Everywhere! At least 1200 down! Worse, my wet face began to be pelted by ice. Chunks of it battered my helmet and tore at my wing’s surface. It was the worst sound I had ever heard. Rat tat tat tat tat Machine-gun fast, the ice bounded off my wing and my body faster than Keith Richards could pick a guitar. Tat tat tat tat.

I looked up at my wing. It began to evaporate in front of my eyes. I could see clouds through windows that shouldn’t have been there. I stopped flying, and began to fall–fast. I grabbed at the air hoping for something to hold on to. My hands found nothing; everything around me gone with the wing. I grabbed for something, frantically, again and again! Finally, contact! I opened one eye, then the other. One hand held a fistful of blanket; the other, a hunk of pillow. I looked up, and saw only the rain that pelted my bedroom skylight.

I wanted to fly so badly. But, it’s winter in Washington. What did I expect, except to fly in my dreams?

IN yOUR DREaMSby Steve Messman

Hang Gliding & Paragliding Vol38/Iss03 Mar 2008

Documents

sports of hang gliding

paragliding association

related hang gliding

paragliding activities

paragliding methods

executive director

art director

ushpa headquarters