hang gliding & paragliding vol41/iss07 jul 2011
DESCRIPTION
Official USHPA MagazineTRANSCRIPT
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero
www.USHPA.aero
JULY 2011Volume 41 Issue 7
$6.95
MAGAZINE STAFFMartin Palmaz, Publisher: [email protected]
Nick Greece, Editor: [email protected] Greg Gillam, Art Director: [email protected]
Martin Palmaz, Advertising: [email protected] Staff writers: Steve Messman, Dennis Pagen,
Christina Ammon, Ryan Voight, Tom Webster, CJ Sturtevant | Staff artist: Jim Tibbs
Staff photographers: John Heiney, Jeff Shapiro
OFFICE STAFFMartin Palmaz, Executive Director : [email protected]
Robin Jones, Communications Manager : [email protected] Mead, System Administrator: [email protected] Hollendorfer, Membeship Services Coordinator:
[email protected] Rank, Office Coordinator : [email protected]
USHPA OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEERich Hass, President: [email protected]
Dave Wills, Vice President: [email protected] Bill Bolosky, Secretary: [email protected] Forbes, Treasurer: [email protected]
REGION 1: Rich Hass, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Dave Wills, Urs Kellenberger, Bill Cuddy. REGION 3: Bill Helliwell, Rob Sporrer, Brad Hall. REGION 4: Ryan Voight, Ken Grubbs. REGION 5: Donald Lepinsky. REGION 6: David Glover. REGION 7: Tracy Tillman. REGION 8: Michael Holmes. REGION 9: Felipe Amunategui, Hugh McElrath. REGION 10: Bruce Weaver, Steve Kroop, Matt Taber. REGION 11: David Glover. REGION 12: Paul Voight. REGION 13: Tracy Tillman. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Dave Broyles, Bill Bolosky, Mike Haley, Dennis Pagen. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR: Art Greenfield (NAA).
The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Inc. (USHPA) is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), which is the official representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the United States at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHPA supervision of FAI-related hang gliding and paragliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions.
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.
SUBMISSIONS HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine welcomes editorial submissions from our members and readers. All submissions of articles, artwork, photographs and or ideas for articles, artwork and photographs are made pursuant to and are subject to the USHPA Contributor's Agreement, a copy of which can be obtained from the USHPA by emailing the editor at [email protected] or online at www.ushpa.aero. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit all contributions. We are always looking for well written articles and quality artwork. Feature stories generally run anywhere from 1500 to 3000 words. News releases are welcomed, but please do not send brochures, dealer newsletters or other extremely lengthy items. Please edit news releases with our readership in mind, and keep them reasonably short without excessive sales hype. Calendar of events items may be sent via email to [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.
ADVERTISING ALL ADVERTISING AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MUST BE SENT TO USHPA HEADQUARTERS IN COLORADO SPRINGS. All advertising is subject to the USHPA Advertising Policy a copy of which may be obtained from the USHPA by emailing the Publisher at [email protected].
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 The publication of any submissions, articles or advertising in HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine does not constitute an endorsement of the authors, advertisers, products, services, apparatus, processes, theories, ideologies, opinions, advice and/or recommendations presented, nor does it constitute an endorsement of the authors or companies involved. The statements of fact and opinions as well as any product claims in the submissions, articles, advertisments, artwork and photographs appearing in HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine are those of their respective authors, contributors and advertisers and not of the USHPA. The USHPA makes no representation, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, advice, opinion, recommendation, apparatus, product, product claims or process disclosed, in such submissions, articles, advertising, artwork or photographs. All individuals relying upon any materials published herein do so at their own risk. The USHPA is not responsible for any claims made in any submission, article, or advertisement. Advertisers may not, without USHPA's prior written consent, incorporate in subsequent advertising that a product or service has been advertised in a USHPA publication.
COPYRIGHT Copyright (c) 2011 United States Hang Gliding And Paragliding Association, Inc., All Rights Reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the United States Hang Gliding And Paragliding Association, Inc.
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.
On the cover, Ryan Voight gets a little loopy in his custom T2C after a good day of flying Inspiration Point, Utah. Meanwhile, Kraig Koomber turns it up on his Moyes at the Torrey Pines Gliderport | photo by Nick Greece.
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
EDITOR
PILOT BRIEFINGS
ASSOCIATION
SAFETY
MASTER CLASS
HIGHER EDUCATION
CENTERFOLD
TANGENT
DISPATCH
RATINGS
USHPA STORE
PAGE 78
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2011JULY
by Ryan Voight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
WINGSMITHAn interview with an inlay extraordinaire—Dave Gibson
GALLERY
58
by Tom Webster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
by Kris Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
by Honza Rejmanek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
by David Lindemuhe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
by Christina Ammon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
FROM NOVICE TO CONFIDENT & COMPETENT
RED BULL X-ALPS
THE ROYAL FLUSH
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A Practical Guide to Participating
What to do when it's raining "you"
As in "Alaska"
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Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 7
Hang gliding and paragliding are sports that are many things to many people. Although solitary endeavors, they are surrounded by a rich community in which all of us should take great pride.
This year, my season began with two reminders of the joy that comes from sharing our culture with others and realizing how much we have to give.
I recently returned from the sixth annual paragliding festival in Ghana where a group of pilots from all over the world, but primarily from the USHPA roster, raised 10,000 dollars to donate to several chari-table organizations around the village where we fly. For example, the group partnered with a non-profit, the Village of Hope, near the launch to build a classroom for a thriving school. Fred Asare, Executive Director of Village of Hope, sent this note of gratitude: “We will begin construc-tion immediately, and be assured that I will send you update reports and pictures. When you come back to Ghana next year for the paragliding festival, you will be pleased with what you see. We will have a short commissioning ceremony that you and all the other pilots can attend. The classroom will be long completed and already in use by then, but this short ceremony will be our way of saying ‘thank you’ to all of you for your sacrifices and gift to the children of Kwahu-Nkwatia.”
Recognizing need and providing resources in a community we visit to play makes the journey exponentially more interesting and fulfilling and results in the connection between pilots and the village where we fly to become understandably deeper. Sometimes we are so high in the sky that we fail to connect with life as lived on the ground, unless it is within our own group after the flight at a barbeque or social gathering. Reaching outside of ourselves on this trip dramatically illustrated how much our vibrant community has to offer.
Another example of a project where our community shares its resourc-es on a number of levels is AblePilot, USHPA’s 2010 Chapter of the Year. The AblePilot Chapter is helping create a sophisticated flying harness that will enable persons in a wheelchair to fly. They will be working with the Paralyzed Veterans of America to teach five participants to fly at a camp this summer. These participants will be able to experience our culture as well as fly with us on a level playing field, since this new harness func-tions exactly like a factory built paragliding harness, except for having a significantly more plush landing apparatus, including four Fox shocks. The primary goal of this project is to include a group whose access to adventure sport cultures has been restricted and invite them into one that is welcoming and active. But, to me, the most important goal is to give a group of folks who may not be able to walk the ability to fly.
These are just two examples of groups within our organization who have worked to share the spirit of free flight with populations and areas that will benefit. The reward to a great flight is deeply personal; the reward to helping out in your community is equally gratifying on a number of levels: it is the right thing to do, it creates personal connections with ground-bound people, it is good for the sport, and it feels good.
What’s really great— you can do both! As the flying season continues in full swing, what project could your group of flying friends develop?
7
[left] Towing off the coast of Florida is good times squared. Photo by Scot Trueblood
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero8
AUSTRALIA TO HOST WORLDSThe Sydney Hang Gliding
Club, the Organizing Team
of the Forbes Flatlands Hang
Gliding Championships, the
Hang Gliding Federation
of Australia and the Forbes
Shire Council are thrilled
to announce that Australia
has won the bid to host the
19th FAI World Hang Gliding
Championships in Forbes in
2013.
Bill and Molly Moyes
travelled to the CIVL meeting
in Lausanne, Switzerland, on
behalf of Australia, to pres-
ent the bid to host the 19th
World Championships. And
this time they were victori-
ous! "We are looking forward
to the challenge of hosting
a World Championships at
Forbes," reported Bill Moyes.
Full details will be up on
the web site in due course;
go to www.forbesflatlands.
com for more information.
The competition will be held
from January 4th to January
19th, 2013. The bid brochure
can be seen at www.forbes-
flatlands.com, and the bid
DVD presentation is available
at: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=NO0FUDF2cYk
APCO's RITMA HARNESSApco announced the release
of the RITMA, a harness that
has been designed to fill the
gap between Chairbag and
the Spark. They claim their
goal is to offer a lightweight
harness which is clean and
simple, yet cutting-edge in
its concept and design—with
no compromise of comfort,
security or protection.
Apco further states that
the RITMA is stable through
rough air, yet sends small
well-dosed vibes straight to
your body to indicate any
signs of lift, maximizing your
thermalling ability.
Apco’s design team reports
that a high priority was
given to the need to reduce
harness drag, while keeping
the harness profile as slim as
possible, with clean lines and
an advanced aerodynamic
teardrop shape. Apco
purports that the RITMA will
attract pilots who will not
compromise on comfort,
safety or performance of the
harness, and will require it to
be light with cutting-edge
features.
NEW NOVEL BY CLARK McCANNBlack Air is an exotic, violent
thriller set in Mexico against
the backdrop of the drug
wars, the Tarahumara Indians
of the Sierra Madre, and
the sport of cross country
paragliding. When combat
veteran Tom Shepard travels
to Mexico to compete in the
world paragliding champi-
onships, he finds more than
danger in the sky. After
crossing a local drug dealer,
he is charged with the brutal
murder of his girlfriend and
embarks on a journey of
revenge and redemption
that leads him into the wilds
of the Sierra Madre. There,
among the Tarahumara, he
finds passion in the arms of
anthropologist Sara Halpern
and learns the secret that
put them both on a collision
course with a savage drug
lord on the Texas border.
The author is an avid
paraglider pilot and USHPA
member who lives in
Washington state. Black
Air is available online from
Amazon and Barnes and
Noble.
SPOT FOR WINDOWS PHONE 7Spot Locator allows you
to view the locations and
messages sent by a SPOT
device on your Windows
Phone through Spot shared
pages. It works best with
the latest Windows Phone 7
Update, which allows you to
simply copy and paste the
Spot Shared Page link into
the app. Spot shared pages
is a service provided by
SPOT LLC that allows users
of the device to share their
location information through
a web page with anyone
they choose. Pages can be
shared publicly or privately.
Through this service, you
can track the location of the
device in near real-time. You
don’t need to own a Spot
device to track its location.
Spot Locator enables you
to follow the progress of
Spot users directly on a map
and provides a rich user
experience for Windows
Phone users.
Features include:
• Display of SPOT locations
that are interconnected on
map
• Ability to get turn-by-turn
locations to any location,
which is great for retrieve
• Highlighted Start and End
locations for each day
• Provision of track, help and
custom message details for
each location
• Data filtered by day, date
and number of locations
• Distance shown between
each point in miles or km
• Supports public and private
shared pages
Get the Spot Locator
App though the Windows
Phone 7 Marketplace on your
phone under the Navigation
category. More information
PilotBRIEFINGSNew | Improved | Buzzworthy
a novel
ClaRK McCann
Mc
Ca
nn
B
la
ck
air
Black airClaRK McCann
An erotic, blood-soaked thrill ride into Mexico’s heart of darkness…
When combat veteran Tom Shepard travels to Mexico to compete in the world
paragliding championships, he finds more than danger in the turbulent skies.
After crossing a local drug dealer, he is charged with the brutal murder of
his girlfriend and embarks on a journey of revenge and redemption that leads
him into the wilds of the Sierra Madre. There, among the exotic Tarahumara
Indians, he finds passion in the arms of anthropologist Sara Halpern and
learns the secret that puts them both on a collision course with a savage drug
lord on the Texas border.
clark Mccann is a poet, journalist and screenwriter who lives in the foothills of the Cascades east of Seattle. He is an avid skier, mountaineer and paraglider pilot. Black Air is his first novel.
Cover design: a.k.a. design, Seattle
about it at http://spotlocator.
blogspot.com
NEW STEINMETZ IPAD APPFor the past 14 years, George
Steinmetz has photographed
the world from the seat
of a motorized paraglider,
uncovering natural beauty
invisible from the ground.
A regular contributor to
National Geographic and
GEO magazines, he has
explored subjects ranging
from the remotest stretches
of Arabia’s Empty Quarter to
the unknown tree people of
Irian Jaya. “Above & Beyond:
George Steinmetz,” a
multimedia experience
designed exclusively for
iPad, allows users to interact
with photography like never
before.
Features:
• Hear directly from George
how each photograph came
to be, as well as the police
chases, windstorms, equip-
ment malfunctions and rocky
landings that nearly got in
the way.
• Explore satellite imagery
and maps of each location
to discover exotic places
throughout the world where
George has taken his pictures.
• Learn about George’s
motorized paraglider and
what makes it fly, through
interactive graphics and an
exclusive video that puts you
in the harness.
• Analyze the details of each
picture — George’s camera
settings, caption informa-
tion, and high-resolution
enlargements that provide an
up-close look.
• Share your favorite pho-
tographs through e-mail at
the tap of a button. (Internet
connection required.)
Go to http://www.above-
beyondgeorgesteinmetz.
com/ for more info or look it
up in the App store.
USHPA RELEASES HANG GLIDING APP
The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) recently
announced the development of a mobile hang gliding safety iPad app available
worldwide through Apple’s App store. The new safety app focuses on pre-flight
safety through good judgement for all levels of hang gliding pilots.
USHPA’s Art Director, Greg Gillam, created the app with Paul Voight, a Master
rated hang gliding pilot, to provide broad access to the wide body of knowledge
that has been collected over the last 30 years around the increasingly popular
sport. The first ever hang gliding app is an expanded mobile version of the USHPA
film of the same name and will deliver rich, interactive content in a highly useable
format.
The new platform’s content and strong visual cues easily guide pilots through
the very critical learning process surrounding pre-flight safety. The app includes
lectures with full visual support tools, including videos, an interactive glossary of
terms, engaging photography and insights from some of the world’s best pilots.
Martin Palmaz, USHPA’s executive director, commented on the organization’s
desire to enter into the mobile arena: “The iPad’s incredible growth in tablet
computing has created a new channel to provide information for those interested
in learning more about hang gliding and paragliding, whether they are existing or
aspiring pilots.”
“With the role of mobile and tablet computing shaping how we access informa-
tion, this new platform provides the ability to obtain information in the field,” he
added.
USHPA’s first mobile app on hang gliding pre-flight safety can be purchased at
the itunes store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hang-gliding/id437293681?mt=8.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero10
ROBIN JONES, USHPA's COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER A few days after she’d filed an application for an office position with USHPA, and before she’d been called in for an inter-view, Robin Jones took a short flight in a Cessna with a friend who gave her a bird’s-eye view of the mountains near Colorado Springs. Robin was amazed and thrilled. She left the hangar after her flight with a huge smile on her face. “And when I got the call back from USHPA to set up an interview,” she recalls, “I thought it was one of those crazy coincidences. Two years ago, I never imagined I would be working in aviation action sports. But here I am, loving the challenge to learn and get others excited about free flight. It’s such an amazing activity to market!”
Before coming to USHPA in October 2009, Robin was a multi-faceted consul-tant for IT and business/non-profit media development. Her skill-and-interest set included marketing, communications, business development and multi-media production, so when she saw the USHPA job announcement calling for some-one with a marketing background, she knew—even before her flying epiphany—that this position could be a perfect fit for her.
Not long after Robin joined the USHPA staff, things got pretty crazy at headquarters, with no executive director for several months and all the office folks
trying to cover the tasks the ED would ordinarily handle. “It can get tense at the office,” Robin points out, “so I try to be the ‘fun police’ throughout the day. We get a lot done, but we usually laugh a lot too.”
As I write this, the office staff is still short-handed, after Martin Palmaz’s pro-motion to executive director and no one yet hired to fill his former position. This has provided a perfect opportunity for the office to re-examine the job descrip-tions of all its employees and do some reshuffling to make the best use of each person’s skills. Currently, Robin says,
“Depending on the project, I deal with both IT considerations (updates, backups, computers in the office, the server which is run on-site, email, three websites, and the daily upkeep of the information in the office) and communications elements (internal communications, external com-munications, e-blasts, website content up-dates, addressing concerns and needs of the membership, and trying to keep the processes of the office in line with those needs).” Her role is changing from “infor-mation” to “communications” manager, and she seems to be enjoying the shift in focus.
Robin finds a lot of satisfaction in communicating with members, and she’s excited about some of the projects she’s spearheaded, including the e-newsletter The Landing Zone and the more recent
RIO movie project with Nick Greece. She thoroughly enjoys asking members for stories for the newsletter; determining pilot interest levels in USHPA’s projects and finding out what makes the mem-bers tick helps her understand what her next moves need to be to help nurture those expectations. “Everyone from the top down—the small team in the office, the board members and the pilot com-munity—is very supportive in making me feel my work is valued,” she says, and adds, “It’s easy to come to work and work hard when you know what you do makes a difference to the people invested in it the most.”
Robin’s strengths and skills are in tech-nology and communication, but finding ways to make technology support the communications between members and the office has been a challenge “because we’re charting new territory,” she explains.
“We’re attempting things that we’ve never done before—and technical things that members are taking a while to warm up to. Once USHPA is again full-staffed, we’re hoping that the solutions will be easier to execute. It takes a lot of find-ing out from the potential users (YOU!) what we should spend time on—we can’t just get one suggestion that sounds really
Membership | Policy | Involvement
TheASSOCIATION by C.J. Sturtevant
“I felt safe and calm in
the air, and I experi-
enced such a wave of
happiness after that
flight that I’ve been
wanting to hang glide
again ever since!”
[below] Robin Jones with Zac Majors for her first tandem at the Point of the Mountain, Utah. [immediate right]
Robin in front of Cardiff Castle in Wales. [far right] Robin snaps a shot during her first flight in a Cessna above
Colorado Springs, CO.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 11
good and act on it.” Although this cau-tious approach slows down the wheels of the organization, getting enough input before proceeding means that there’s not a lot of wasted time and effort in the development phase. “It’s been getting easier as I learn more from the members,” Robin points out. “Our members are a wealth of information on how to improve things, and many of our board members are pushing for some significant changes in the upcoming years— we’re listening!”
Robin’s flight in that Cessna two years ago opened her eyes to the pleasures of
recreational flying. “Before working for USHPA, my understanding of aviation was not very extensive—just a limited historical knowledge of powered avia-tion,” she muses, “although I can remem-ber having flying dreams back when I was five years old. I went from flying around the room to flying outdoors and, as a teenager, into the skies.” Her interactions with members and instructors have great-ly widened her knowledge base, “and now I’m really comfortable encouraging others to try out hang gliding or paraglid-ing, hoping they’ll sense the excitement
that I have for free flight.”But for Robin no knowledge is com-
plete without some hands-on experience. Hang glider pilot Zac “Zippy” Majors of-fered Robin her first free-flight experience at the Point of the Mountain in Draper, Utah, on an overcast and cold afternoon after the spring 2010 USHPA board meet-ing. Not surprisingly, she loved it! “We had a great launch, flight, and landing. I felt safe and calm in the air, and I experi-enced such a wave of happiness after that flight that I’ve been wanting to hang glide again ever since!” Sound familiar?
“My fellow H2 Freedom pilots just love them and find them so easy to fly. We all feel that we will be flying Freedoms from our early days as H2s through to gaining advanced skills. My Freedom 150 has been a true miracle and I wish I had a Freedom 150 from my first flight off the mountain! I can't imagine ever outgrowing this glider. Thank you for making the Freedom 150.” - Cathleen, hang 2 pilot
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Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero12
Continuing her quest for understand-ing of both sports she’s representing, Robin hooked up with paraglider pilot Bill Lhotta. He took her up to Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado, where they waited for hours, hoping the clouds would clear so they could launch. Finally their patience was rewarded, and Robin is now a biwingual wannabe! “Both experi-ences have really helped me understand the feeling of pride I sense in so many pilots, and I know why everyone who flies thinks free flight is so amazing. When my feet first left the ground, I almost shouted, ‘Wow, I get it!’ Some people call that feel-ing ‘freedom’ but for me it’s ‘indescrib-able.’ I have so much respect for the pilots who took me on those tandem flights and for all of you who fly. The dedication and time required to become comfortable and competent with personal flight is admi-rable.” Robin is currently researching the timing and instructor options to learn to fly. She’s totally serious about becom-ing a pilot. “Maybe at the Soaring 100 Celebration in October [at Kitty Hawk],” she hints, “I can convince someone to
give me lessons!”We pilots tend to be single-mindedly
passionate about our flying, and while Robin now shares that passion to a signifi-cant degree, she’s also into an eclectic mix of outdoor and indoor activities. She grew up behind John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, Kentucky, and as a young-ster she was forever outdoors playing in a stream or hiking in the woods. She’s re-tained that love of outdoor activities as an adult, and these days tends to participate in just about anything that’s relatively low impact on the environment, including mountain biking, kayaking, hiking and snowboarding. She’s also, since child-hood, enjoyed film and multi-media de-velopment, starting with illustration (art), evolving into producing and editing as an adult. She’s produced over a dozen short films, including a comedy show that was slated for PBS in the Midwest, as well as several films in the Colorado Springs area for arts, environmental, and humanitar-ian projects. She runs the international Indie Spirit Film Festival with, as she puts it, “a team of amazing cinephiles,” and
heads the monthly screening series for the Independent Film Society of Colorado.
If you get Robin talking about her family, it’s easy to see where she gets her interests, skills and values: “My mother’s father is an engineer who worked with the space program and NASA in the ‘60s and practices as a general engineer in the Midwest. My father’s parents were a spunky pair who settled in Kentucky—most of my family still live there— where my grandfather worked in steel mills and finally in construction, after retiring. My grandmothers are strong and fearless role models in my life but are also humorous and light-hearted. Both of my parents are hard working and creative and enjoy interacting with people. They brought an entrepreneurial influence into my life early on: I’ve run and owned my own businesses and have worked for small and medium-sized companies since I was young. My sister, brother and I are a mix of analytical and creative people with very different personalities, but those dif-ferences coupled with the family sense of humor—very dry!—just make our adult family dinner conversations that much more interesting.”
In closing, I asked Robin what we USHPA members could do to make her day-to-day tasks at the office easier. She immediately focused on the communica-tion link. “I hope it’s clear that when we’re asking questions and sending out sur-veys, we’re looking for genuine answers to help make proposed solutions work. We depend on communication from members to get our tasks done efficiently. Without your input, the Board and office staff are left guessing what direction to go in. We’re continually tweaking the Association’s technological offerings to make that flow of communication easier.” And, she added, “Just a simple, ‘Hey, thanks for what you’re doing, but I would consider doing this instead because it makes more sense,’ or letting us know when something we’re doing works well for you, helps us measure a project’s effec-tiveness and keep things off the chopping block.” With a grin she adds, “If you hear a little high-pitched voice on your voice-mail, or get an ALL CAPS hand-written note in your mailbox, I hope you’ll re-spond!”
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Traverse City Hang Gliders/ParaglidersBill Fifer • Traverse City, MI
231-922-2844 phone/fax • [email protected]
Introducing the new USHPA custom Visa Platinum Rewards Card.
The card with Flare.Submit your own image or
choose one of these custom USHPA Platinum
Rewards Cards.
• Noannualfee.
• $50donationbythebank,toUSHPA,whenyoufirstusethecard.*
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Apply today at: http://www.cardpartner.com/app/ushpaTheUSHPAVisacardprogramisoperatedbyUMBBank,N.A.AllapplicationsforUSHPAVisacardaccountswillbesubjecttoUMBBankN.A.'sapproval,atitsabsolutediscretion.Pleasevisitwww.cardpartner.comforfutherdetailsoftermsandconditionswhichapplytotheUSHPAVisacardprogram.Donationmadewhencardisusedoncewithin90daysofissuance.AfterthisperiodalowvariableAPRwillapply.
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Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero14
ACROSS
1 Position of the hang strap on the keel (2 words)
6 Harness webbing (goes with 10 across)
8 One in a million
9 Early 90s WW high performance glider HP___
10 See 6 across
14 ____-graphical, relating to the physical terrain
15 Former
16 Discover
18 Lift, the ___ stuff
20 After regulation play, abbr.
22 Make a mistake
23 Losing lift (2 words)
25 A four corners state
27 The moving sky
30 Lubricate
31 Eastern Seaboard state
32 ____ -angular, sail shape
33 Military installations
35 ____ line
38 Flexible type of wing
39 Ridge ___, up air along a mountain
DOwN
1 Pilot pod
2 Proposed new rules from the FAA, abbr.
3 Computer
4 Between
5 Lean
6 Over the top maneuver
7 Location device
11 Wow!
12 Come down hard, like rain
13 Highest point
17 Twelve
19 The first word in safety, ____ inspection
21 Pitchovers
24 Coming closer
26 Heavy mist
27 Air immediately above it can be very sinky
28 Musical scale note
29 Fall back
34 Hoo-ha
36 Aluminum for short
37 Hello!
CROSSWORD by Myles Mellor
Answers on page 73
Crossword by Myles Mellor
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12
13 14
15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28 29 30
31
32 33 34 35
36 37
38 39
MYLES MELLOR is one of the top crossword writers in
the world publishing over 100 crosswords and puzzles per
month. He has published over 6000 crosswords in news-
papers, magazines, electronic devices and websites in the
US and internationally. He has numerous crossword books
in Barnes and Noble and Books a Million stores nationwide,
distributed by Simon and Schuster.
ERIC MEAD Colorado Springs native, Eric Mead, joined the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association’s staff in the position of System Administrator in June.With more than six years of experience in information technology (IT), Eric has a broad range of experience in desk-top support, server administration and web development. Mead has worked in IT roles for several Fortune 500 compa-nies, including AT&T, Wells Fargo, and Xerox.Mead looks forward to ensuring that USHPA’s systems run smoothly for both the local office staff and the organiza-tion’s members. He is currently collabo-
rating with longtime USHPA member Steve Roti to make improvements to the Association’s websites.Aside from computers, Eric enjoys com-posing and performing music. He’s been playing the guitar and keyboard for years and has gigged in clubs in Colorado Springs and Denver. Also a fan of hockey, he’s hoping for a more successful 2011-2012 season for the Colorado Avalanche.Mead went on his first hang gliding tandem flight in 2006 while vacation-ing in Lake Tahoe, NV. He expects his involvement in the USHPA will lead to future experiences in both hang gliding and paragliding.
RATING REVOCATIONS Effective February 1st, 2011, USHPA revoked the following rat-ings and appointments from Michael Jefferson (#76175): Basic Instructor, Advanced Instructor, Tandem 2 and Tandem Instructor. After six months, committee review and approval, Mr. Jefferson will be eligible to reapply for Basic Instructor and Tandem 2 on August 1, 2011.
Effective March 5th, 2011, USHPA revoked the following ratings and appoint-ments from Claude Fiset (#70196): Basic Instructor, Advanced Instructor, Tandem 2, Tandem Instructor and P-4. After one year, committee review and approval, Mr. Fiset will be eligible to reapply for Basic Instructor, Tandem 2 and P-4 on March 5, 2012.
SANTA CRUZ FLATS DATE CHANGE The USHPA sanctioned Santa Cruz Flats has changed the dates of the race-to-goal contest. The new dates are September 18-24th. For more information visit santacruzflatsrace.blogspot.com, or e-mail Jamie Shelden at [email protected].
THIS JUST IN.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero16 Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero16
The Technique is simple:Accordion fold the wing then drop it at the edge of a tight area. Stand so all the lines are tight. Tell trusted friend to feed the wing into the smooth rising air. Brake a little (without stalling the wing) and allow it to pull you off.
Everything else that could go wrong is
not so simple:Weather and winds are essential. The
dynamic air blowing up the face of the glider should be as smooth as butter and at the top of your high wind kiting range (32-36 km/per hour for me @ 16 meters, 63 kilo). The sun is your enemy. Cold, wet water is your friend. A deflation just
before take-off could be uncomfortable.Preparing the wing saves your trust-
ed friend from pulling the wing back down after realizing that you’re hooked in wrong or there’s a line-over. The wing faces foreword just like the pilot: every-thing is flying in the same direction.
The wing should be placed as close to the rising air as possible and free from anything that might want to jump out and grab the wing. Keep your friend safe too.
At first the feeling is fairly awkward, as the wing is fed into the air. Since the air rises almost vertically, the wing has to be slightly facing down and out over the cliff to keep flying. It may take a few tries for your friend to get your tip inflated and flying out over the cliff. If he cannot get a good inflation going, the conditions may be too light.
Do not let the wing pull you off until you are ready. If you feel too much force after 25% of the wing is inflated, obvi-ously abort. If you are getting pulled to-wards the wing and it deflates, the wind is too strong or you are not leaning far enough away. Keep a wide stance.
Control the wing while staying in one position. Your local kiting grounds are great places to practice kiting the wing up from one side. Stalling or deflating the wing due to poor piloting simply re-quires restarting.
Once the wing is fully inflated, stable, and you’re ready to go, tell your friend to let go of the stabilo (tip of the wing), brake gently on the higher side and follow the wing into the air.
Disclaimer: This manuever requires a great deal of skill and training and should be learned under the tutelage of a certified instructor.
[1] The layout. [2] The initial tip inflation, by the helper. [3] Feeding into the air and starting to lean away. [4] Feeding and leaning more with slight brake input.[5] Let go, slight right brake and walk under it.[6] Let it pull you under and up, helper gives a little push.[7] Hands up and fly. Make sure you are flying forward.
Jersey, Channel Islands, UK. Photos by Anthony Green.
MasterCLASS by Anthony Green
A COBRA LAUNCH
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 17
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero18
Cobra launch from a castle in
Segura de la Sierra, Spain.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 19
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero20
HOW TO GET THE USHPA AEROTOW RATING It is our understanding that the title of our previous article struck a chord with the mag-azine’s editorial staff—thus, the name of our monthly column is changing from “Towline” to “Higher Education .” That’s just fine with us . Although we sometimes discuss some issues not directly associated with towing, we will still have an emphasis on towing . This month, our discussion is on how to get the USHPA Aerotow (AT) rating, along with a mention of some recent towing-related changes to USHPA’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) . An example syllabus and curriculum for AT instruction is presented .
Tracy: About a year ago, I was look-ing through the USHPA SOPs and other official USHPA aerotowing documents and found the Aerotow (AT) credential referenced in different places as a rating, a special skill, an appointment, and even a certification. What is it, really?
lisa: It is a rating. The USHPA SOPs [ref 1] have recently been cleaned-up to clarify that, and the revision of other offi-cial USHPA aerotowing documents is cur-rently in-process.
Tracy: Why is it considered to be a rating rather than a special skill?
lisa: Aerotowing is one of the most advanced and difficult skills in which to become proficient in hang gliding, and, like being a tug pilot or a tandem instruc-tor, the AT pilot bears some responsibility for the safety of another person (the tug pilot) while being towed. As such, aerotow-
ing is something that needs to be learned from a good aerotow instructor or ad-ministrator, rather than being self-taught. Therefore, it is considered a rating, which is awarded by an instructor or administrator, rather than a special skill [SOP 12-02.11] that is just observed and received from an observer [SOP 12-05.04].
Tracy: Why is it not considered an ap-pointment or certification?
lisa: Ratings are permanent, like the H0-H5 hang ratings, whereas appoint-ments and certifications are only good for three years. For example, the Instructor credential is a certification [SOP 12-07.02]. (B) Instructors must seek re-certification from an Instructor Administrator every three years, and to get re-certified they must provide evidence of current first aid training and use of an instructional curric-ulum, along with other specifics related to the type of Instructor Certification [SOP 12-05.05].
Tracy: There have been some other recent clarifications and changes to the SOPs that affect towing.
lisa: Right, these include the follow-ing:
1. The Aerotow Pilot (ATP) is a rating, thus is permanent (as long as the pilot holds USHPA membership) [SOP 12-07.02(A)].
2. The Paragliding Tow Tech Operator (TECH) is a rating for paragliding tow op-erations, not hang gliding tow operations, and is permanent (as long as the pilot holds USHPA membership) [SOP 12-02.21].
3. A surface or aerotow administrator
is an appointment, thus requiring a re-quest for reappointment from a surface or aerotow supervisor every three years [SOP 12-07.02(B) and 12-10.03(E)].
4. A surface or aerotow supervisor is an appointment, thus requiring a request for reappointment from the Tow Committee chair every three years [SOP 12-07.02(B) and 12-10.03(D)].
5. Observers cannot grant AT, ATP, or TECH ratings, as these three credentials are not special skills [SOP 12-05.04(C.1)]
6. The AT rating may be issued by AT Supervisors, AT Administrators and Basic and
Advanced Instructors who possess the AT rating [SOP 12-02.12(F.3)].
Tracy: So, the AT, ATP, and TECH credentials are ratings, the Supervisor and Administrator are appointments, and Instructors are certified.
lisa: That is correct. And pilots can get ratings at levels 0-5 and various special skills, per SOP 12-02.
Tracy: You mentioned that the AT rating is one of the most advanced and difficult skills to achieve in hang gliding. Why is that?
lisa: Unlike surface towing skills, which are classified as special skills, much more is happening with aerotowing. First, compared to stationary or winch towing, the tow line is quite short, meaning that getting out of the “cone of safety” and locking out can happen much quicker with aerotowing. Getting out of position on tow is most likely to happen at launch, due to prop wash and mechanical wind turbulence, and is most dangerous because of being near the ground. Getting out of position can also cause the tug pilot to lose control, which, likewise, is most dan-gerous for the tug pilot near the ground. Second, ground-based tow systems are either not in-motion, or travel in a straight line at a relatively consistent speed. With aerotowing, the tug usually does not fly in a straight line for the entire tow—rather, the tug must often do at least a 180-degree turn to keep a novice hang glider pilot within gliding distance of the airfield after release and will often do 360’s in thermals with more advanced pilots. Third, the tug has variations in airspeed, horizon-tal position, and vertical position, along with additional twisting motions in pitch, roll, and yaw. Because the various axes of
HigherEDUCATION by Drs. Lisa Coletti & Tracy Tillman
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 21
motion of the tug are combined with the axes of motion of the hang glider, much more is going on for the AT hang glider pilot relative to free flight or other types of towing. To deal with all of this, an AT pilot must learn to have very quick, proper, and precise skills—but those help to make their free-flight skills better and more pre-cise, too.
Tracy: Aerotowing is a high-level skill that is also very popular with recreational pilots in the flatlands of our country as well as a popular launch method for major competitions across the world. What does a hang glider pilot need to learn in order to get the USHPA AT rating?
lisa: Technically, the pilot needs to learn the skills required to perform at a minimum level of competence per what is spelled out in USHPA SOP 12-02.12. Basically, this includes passing the AT written exam and an oral quiz [SOP 12-02.12(A.1-4)] on:
1. Demonstration of proper set-up, in-spection, and use of aerotow equipment.
2. Demonstration and use of aerotow signals and emergency procedures.
3. Discussion of dangers to hang glider pilot and tug pilot of getting out of the cone of safety in straight and turning flight.
4. Discussion of the effects of wind and turbulence during and after tow.
Tracy: What about practical aerotow flight skills?
lisa: This requires a minimum of two tandem aerotow flights in smooth air [SOP 12-02.12(A.5)], with:
1. Demonstration of successful, confi-
dent, controlled launches and flight under tow to release at altitude with a tandem pilot, with a smooth release and turn to the right when transitioning to free flight.
2. Demonstration of proper direction-al and pitch control, resulting in proper tracking of the aerotow vehicle in both straight and turning flight and appropri-ate maintenance of proper tow line tension and airspeed.
3. Demonstration of proper technique for at least one normal and one cross-wind takeoff (actual or simulated) with a tandem pilot.
4. Demonstration of ability to control the glider position within the “cone of safety” behind the aerotow vehicle by per-forming “cross” and “diamond” maneuvers during tow at altitude with a tandem rated pilot who is experienced and proficient at performing those maneuvers. (Note: This checks for positive control and lock-out prevention skills, somewhat like the
“boxing the wake” maneuver used for sail-plane aerotow check flights, but “boxing the wake” must not be performed by hang gliders on tow due to lack of 3-axis con-trol.)
5. Demonstration of ability to recov-er from roll oscillations induced by the tandem pilot.
6. Demonstration of proper reaction to a weak link/tow rope break simulation with a tandem rated pilot, initiated by the tandem pilot at altitude, but at a lower than normal release altitude.
This is then followed by a minimum of at least three solo aerotow flights in
smooth or mildly turbulent air [SOP 12-02.12(A.6)] to:
1. Demonstrate successful, confident, controlled launches and flight under tow to release at altitude as a solo pilot, with a smooth release and turn to the right when transitioning to free flight.
2. Demonstrate proper directional and pitch control, resulting in proper tracking of the aerotow vehicle in both straight and turning flight and appropriate mainte-nance of proper tow line tension and air-speed. Such demonstrations may be made in smooth or mildly turbulent air.
Tracy: These requirements set a base-line/minimum level of competence for get-ting the AT rating. Does it really provide assurance that a new AT-rated pilot can fly in tough conditions?
lisa: Absolutely not. SOP 12-02.12(A.6) states: “Additional instruction or mentorship should be provided to help the newly rated aerotow pilot gradually transition to towing in mid-day thermal/turbulent conditions.” In our experience, it can take 10 to 20, or even more, men-tored solo flights for a new AT H-2 pilot to transition to mid-day soaring and reason-ably windy conditions.
Tracy: Then, AT pilots need contin-ued mentorship as they transition to new equipment. For example, entry-level glid-ers are very forgiving of poor weight-shift technique that can cause roll oscillations to be induced on tow. After solo, the weight shift technique of some students will dete-riorate over time due to the stability and forgiving nature of their entry-level glider.
“Because the various
axes of motion of the
tug are combined with
the axes of motion of
the hang glider, much
more is going on for
the AT hang glider pilot
relative to free flight or
other types of towing.”
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero22
That puts them at great risk of inducing roll oscillations when they transition to flying a higher performance glider, and even greater risk if towing it. That is why anyone transitioning to a higher perfor-mance glider should fly first with a fin and in smooth air. Actually, most AT pilots here at our club keep a fin on their glider permanently, because it makes their glider behave so much better on tow—and, if it's the right size, does not adversely affect free flight handling or performance.
lisa: Yeah, just like all the school kids in Lake Woebegone and at the University of Michigan, our club’s pilots are smarter and above average.
Tracy: So, how does a pilot learn the AT skills prescribed by SOP 12-02.12?
lisa: Hopefully, from a good, well-qualified instructor who has a good cur-riculum.
Tracy: In our previous “Higher Education” article [ref 2] we built a cur-riculum for a tandem aerotow discovery flight lesson as a set-by-step example of how quick and easy it is to do. For this ar-ticle, let’s present a curriculum for an AT lesson program.
lisa: OK. Since getting an AT rating involves a lot more than just a tandem aerotow discovery flight lesson, we should present the curriculum as part of a more inclusive syllabus.
Tracy: That makes sense. To start, the instructional objectives for our syllabus can simply be the AT written and oral knowledge requirements and the AT flight skill requirements that are listed in SOP 12-02.12, which you just covered.
lisa: Then our curriculum can be set so as to teach those skills in a logical, set-by-step manner. Let’s start with the ground school portion:
Ground work:1. Introduction to instructor(s) and
other student(s).2. Orientation to flying site and facili-
ties, completion of paperwork as needed.3. Check USHPA card for current
membership, ratings, and special skills.4. Check pilot’s log book, discuss
recent and past flying experience and other towing background, if any.
5. Conduct ground training, covering aerotow techniques, signals, and technol-ogy.
6. Take AT written exam
7. Post-exam review of AT exam ques-tions/answers to fill knowledge gaps and improve understanding.
Tracy: What’s the next part of the cur-riculum?
lisa: The tandem and solo AT flight training portion:
Air work:1. Pre-launch check list. (Example:
HIERTow.)2. Take-off technique and correct posi-
tion relative to tug during take-off.3. Correct position (in the “sweet spot”)
for straight flight on tow.4. Practice slow, controlled movements
from the “sweet spot” to high and low tow positions.
5. Practice slow, controlled movements from the “sweet spot” to left and right tow positions.
6. Follow hand signals given by tug pilot to direct a change of tow position (up/down/hold).
7. Release at signal from tug pilot and turn to right (conserving speed, avoiding nose pop-up).
8. Correct timing and position for moderate, wide, and tight turns on tow.
9. 90, 180, 360 degree turns on tow.10. 90, 180, 360 reversing turns on tow
(a turn in one direction immediately fol-lowed by a turn in the other direction).
11. Correct position for changes in radius of turns during same turn (wide to tight/tight to wide).
12. Towing in turbulence (correct posi-tion for changes in airspeed and position
of tug during straight and turning flight).13. Cross-wind takeoff technique.14. Simulated weak link/line break (re-
lease initiated by surprise by instructor).15. Oscillation recovery (oscillations
initiated by instructor with recovery by student).
16. Lockout recognition and recovery (instructor is safety pilot for student as student experiences and recovers from the beginning stage of lockout at the edge of the cone of safety).
17. Cross the plane, center/up/down/center, then center/left/right/center (in-structor is safety pilot for student as stu-dent flies to high/low and left/right edges of the cone of safety).
18. Diamond the plane, up/right/down/left/up/center (instructor is safety pilot for student as student flies to edges of the cone of safety in a diamond pattern).
19. Final follow-the-tug skill confirma-tion check-out (preferably in mild turbu-lence) before first solo aerotow.
20. Three solo aerotow flights.21. Additional solo aerotow training/
mentoring for gradual transition to towing in mid-day turbulence.
Tracy: How about including what to do to get the rating after training is com-pleted?
lisa: That would include the oral quiz and flight skills demonstration, which can be fulfilled concurrently with train-ing, since the instructor is usually also the rating official:
AT Rating Oral Quiz and Flight Skills
Test1. Oral quiz. The oral quiz portion can
be done after flight training is complete, or can be done concurrently with the ground school and flight training portion of the program.
2. Two tandem flights. The student can demonstrate their proficiency at perform-ing the skills prescribed by SOP 12.02-12 with a tandem pilot after completion of training or the skills may be demonstrat-ed concurrently during the tandem flight training portion of their program. Thus, two additional tandem flights after com-pletion of AT training may not be required.
3. Three solo flights. The student can demonstrate their proficiency at perform-ing the skills prescribed by SOP 12.02-12 as a solo pilot after completion of tandem training, but still as part of their AT train-ing program.
Tracy: Well, that is pretty straight-for-ward. Anything else?
lisa: Along with having instructional objectives, ground work curriculum, air work curriculum (the fun part), and the rating skills test as part of our syllabus, we should also include a skills check-off list in our syllabus, so that we and our students can keep track of their progress through the program.
Tracy: It should be stated that this is not an official USHPA AT curriculum. Rather, it is an example of a curriculum that can be followed to teach students the skills they need to meet USHPA’s AT rating requirements.
lisa: This particular curriculum is sim-ilar to what we experienced many years ago as sailplane student pilots. Following this approach to learning what is necessary to tow is thorough and very effective.
Tracy: The science, technique, and technology for aerotowing and teaching of aerotowing for hang gliding has gradu-ally evolved and improved over the years and has gotten closer and closer to the ap-proach used and approved by the FAA over many decades of towing of sailplanes.
lisa: And, aerotowing of hang gliders is now covered by the same FARs [refs 3,4] for towing of sailplanes.
Tracy: Right. Politically (our relation-ship with the FAA) and practically (our producing competent aerotow pilots) the techniques and requirements we follow for aerotowing of hang gliders have become
more closely aligned with aerotowing of sailplanes. This happened concurrently with the FAA establishing common FARs for aerotowing of hang gliders and sail-planes. That is why the tandem “cross” and
“diamond” out-of-position maneuvers are now a required part for hang glider aerotow instruction. These out-of-position training and skill demonstration maneuvers replace the tried-and-true “box the wake” maneu-ver that has been used for sailplane aerotow instruction for many decades, because the “boxing the wake” maneuver requires 3-axis aerodynamic control, rather than weight-shift control. Becoming proficient at these maneuvers produces a competent tow pilot who can safely handle out-of-position situations.
Below is a drawing of a hang glider student learning to do the cross maneuver with her instructor. It shows them half-way through the maneuver, at the low 6 o’clock position of the diamond (shown in red), which is at the low edge of the cone of safety (shown in yellow). The normal
“sweet spot” for towing is when the hang glider is at the very center of the cone of safety, which in this case would be when the wheels of the tug (and the horizontal centerline of the cone of safety) are on the horizon.
lisa: About a year ago, Dean Funk pro-duced a great simulation of the “cross” and
“diamond” maneuvers used for tandem hang gliding aerotow instruction [ref 5]. They can be seen at: http://ihanglide.com/aerotow/
Thanks, Dean! We also have some air-to-air photos posted on Bob Grant’s Skydog website [ref 6] that illustrate the boundary of the cone of safety while per-forming the “cross” maneuver. It should be noted that the normal “sweet spot” tow po-sition behind the high-powered tugs we fly here at Cloud 9 is lower than that for tugs with less power, due to our very high climb rate, climb angle, and deck angle. Thus, our normal tow position has the wheels of the tug above the horizon.
Tracy: The requirement for including these maneuvers as part of tandem aerotow instruction for the AT rating came out of the Hang Glider Instruction Symposium, which occurred in Salt Lake City in early 2010. At this meeting, some of the best and most experienced instructors gathered from all across the US to share ideas and
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero24
improve best practices in hang gliding in-struction.
lisa: It is my understanding that these changes cause a problem for some aerotow operations.
Tracy: Right, although the changes were meant to set a standard of best prac-tice, it does cause an unintended problem for some aerotow operators who are unable to provide tandem aerotow instruction. To accommodate these operations, the SOPs still include an option for solo-only aerotow instruction [SOP 12-02(A.7)].
lisa: Our experience and approach to teaching and learning to aerotow is with tandem aerotow instruction. We just don’t have the personal experience or expertise to explain how to teach it via solo-only aerotow instruction, so we won’t try to ad-dress it in this article.
Tracy: One other thing, what is the HIERTow pre-launch checklist?
lisa: It is a pre-launch checklist for aerotowing, which pilots go through just prior to launch. A pre-flight check of equipment is different, and should be done earlier, after initial set-up and prior to going out to the flight line. Pilots in all forms of aviation use checklists prior to flight, during flight, prior to landing, and after landing. The more complex the air-
craft and modes of flight, the more check-lists they will use. It is easier to remember what is in a checklist--and not miss some-thing--when an acronym is used. In this case, the acronym HIERTow covers five general areas. The first four, HIER should be checked while “on deck” waiting for the tug to land and prior to being attached to the tow rope, so as not to slow down launch operations. The last item, Tow, should be completed after being attached to the tow rope, just prior to launch. This is the HIERTow pre-launch checklist:
1. Hang check: Carabiner in primary and secondary hang loops, carabiner closed and locked, in leg loops, harness closed and secured (leg doors open), hang height verified, parachute and helmet se-cured, no loose lines or cords.
2. Instrument check: Instruments se-cured, turned on, and set/zeroed. No loose lines or cords.
3. Equipment check: Overview scan of glider (this does NOT replace a careful preflight!!). Overview scan of launch cart, verify correct angle of attack, check that wheels are straight.
4. Release check: Check weak link, primary release routing, primary release position and function, secondary release security, bridle line routing (over the base
tube and not twisted), location of hook knife.
5. Tow check: Verify in leg loops, bridle over the base tube, no loose parachute pins, no loose lines or cords (especially VG lines or harness cords) that could get caught on the launch cart. Note wind speed and di-rection, scan for traffic in pattern, mentally prepare for tow and emergency actions. Close visor. Launch command is “Go, Go, Go.”
Tracy: Well, that’s it for this month’s edition of Higher Education. The soaring forecast is great—let’s go, go, go fly!
Lisa is the Associate Dean and Professor of Surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School, and is currently Chair of the USHPA Towing Committee . Tracy is a retired university professor, a past Chair of the Towing Committee, and is currently Regional Director for Regions 7 & 13 . He is also a FAAst Team Safety Counselor for the FAA Detroit FSDO area . They are both very active multi-engine commercial airplane and glider pilots, tug pilots, and tandem hang gliding instructors for the Dragon Fly Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field (46MI), Michigan . Please feel free to con-tact them about towing related issues at cloud9sa@aol .com .
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 25
REFERENCES1. “Standard Operating Procedures of the USHPA”: https://www.ushpa.aero/documents/SOP/ushpa_sop_book.pdf
2. “Towline/Higher Education: How to Teach Better, Higher, Faster.” by Lisa Colletti and Tracy Tillman, Hang Gliding and
Paragliding magazine, June 2011: https://www.ushpa.aero/member_magazine_current.asp or http://issuu.com/us_
hang_gliding_paragliding/docs/1106_web?mode=embed&viewMode=presentation&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.
com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true
3. “Glider and Unpowered Ultralight Vehicle Towing: Experience and Training Requirements.” Title 14 CFR Part 61.69:
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=ea83fd8f5a4822b85363941f6820a009&rgn=div8&view=text&n
ode=14:2.0.1.1.2.2.1.7&idno=14
4. “Towing: Gliders and Unpowered Ultralight Vehicles.” Title 14 CFR Part 91.309: http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/
text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=1ec36648b040f89b54835e5b488b758b&rgn=div8&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.3.10.4.7.5&idno=14
5. “IHangglide’s Aerotow Maneuver Simulation.” by Dean Funk, 2010: http://ihanglide.com/aerotow/
6. “SkydogSports.com web site: Tandem Aerotowing Photo Page.” by Bob Grant: http://www.skydogsports.com/dfsc/
tandem.htm
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero26
PASSION POWERED I count Ricker Goldsborough among my favorite people I’ve never met . Although he lives in Louisiana—nearly 2,000 miles from my Oregon home-town—he often shows up in my inbox as he carries out his duties as Executive Director of the pilot-inspired Cloudbase Foundation . Ricker comes across as creative, passionate and dedicated, as he coordinates the philan-thropic efforts of the organization .
Now in its second year, The Cloudbase Foundation is well-known among the pilot community for providing assistance to chil-dren in places around the world where we love to fly: to orphanages in Ghana, to medi-cal clinics in Ecuador, and schools in Valle de Bravo . The organization, set up so anyone can carry out a project under its nonprofit status, owes its success to a diverse gaggle of motivated pilots .
I wrote about the CBF a while back, but wanted to catch up with Ricker for an update, now that the organization is more established . At the time of this interview, he was in the midst of fundraising for the Ghana Paragliding Festival . Along with event organizer, Sabrina Krewin, the CBF had just tasked the 15-plus pilots headed to Ghana to raise $200 each . Ricker was feeling optimistic that the pilots would “push well past that amount .”
The CBF has been active for over a year now. Are you seeing any differences in the communities where we fly?
One huge success story stands out in my mind right now: our first project in Canoa. I raised over $4,000.00, other pilots pur-chased school supplies, and we all went to visit a school on one of our no-fly days.
ALL of us went to the school. To see every pilot playing ball in the playground with the children was something that I will not soon forget. We really made a difference in their lives that day, and the community got to see a side of hang glider and para-glider pilots that they did not know. We are passionate and compassionate people.
Sometimes it takes a while to see the results; we may not see them all in our life-time. However, I am a firm believer that every thing you do comes back to you three-fold. Most all of our completed proj-ects have had proven positive effects. How big? Big enough that the Foundation re-ceives emails, letters, children’s thank you cards and more on a regular basis, after completing a project.
What has been the biggest challenge for CBF?
It can be difficult to discern which projects will have the biggest impact on children and ensuring that CBF donations actually go to the approved project. But the CBF now has an approval process to keep track of this.
Why should pilots get involved with philanthropic efforts?
Why not? Do you honestly think that we can just take and not give back? CBF is an easy way to give back and make a difference for children and our sport. The sport gains a positive image by helping children where we fly, and it’s an opportu-nity to do something rewarding and real.
It definitely feels great to help other people. But do you think pilots have an obligation to give back to the places where they travel and fly?
Obligation? NO. Responsibility? Maybe. Opportunity? Most definitely. The value of this opportunity varies from person to person. Any support is ap-preciated and it does make a difference. Sometimes that difference is on a much higher plane and not seen or felt for a long
PilotPROJECTSMaking a Difference
[left] Ricker Goldsborough soaring above Crestline, California. His passion for flying has led him to help children through The Cloudbase Foundation. [right] Ricker and his service dog Sasha visit the Dunlap Special Education School in Tennessee. While there, he delivered two overhead projectors purchased for the school by CBF. He describes the opportunity as “priceless.” [below] Ricker presenting a donation to the school in Canoa, Ecuador. This marked the beginning of the Cloudbase Foundation.
by Christina Ammon
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 27
time, but it does matter.
The Cloudbase Foundation has made it easy for pilots with a project idea to get involved. Can you tell people where to begin?
All pilots are already a part of CBF. By default, you are what makes this work. Get involved, share your ideas, contact a board member, and ask how to help. You can also submit project proposals by call-ing me or by accessing our website.
When coming up with a proposal, put your heart into it and don’t be shy. Think outside the box and be creative. Let no dollar amount be too small or large. First, come up with an idea of who needs help. Look at what the children need and define what you want to do the best you can. There is NO limit on what we can accom-plish. Build a classroom at a school? We did it. Build a water tank for an orphan-age? We did it. Provide medicine for an orphanage in South America every month? We are doing it. Pay for a wheelchair for a pilot’s handicapped child? We helped out. The sky is the limit.
You can fill out a project submission form on our website. We’ll check it out to
make sure it fits our by-laws and mission and then pass it along to our eight board members who are required to vote on it. Once approved, the fundraising begins.
Not everyone has the time to oversee a project. What are other ways to help CBF?
More corporate sponsorships and dona-tions would be great. And 32 hours in a day would help!
Wills Wing and Moyes have been very supportive in our fundraising efforts—even to the point of allowing us to put a link to CBF on their websites. However, we need everyone who has anything to do with our sport to do the same. Media at-tention, magazine articles, photos, and all types of communication about what CBF is doing and wants to do will help us in raising awareness. These types of market-ing efforts would generate the much-need-ed funds to help more children.
What do you do for work other than CBF?
As little as possible. Or at least that is my standard answer when asked this ques-tion. Why do I answer it that way? For
the most part, people ask this question so they can categorize you and place you on some sort of social and income level. This is a sure way to minimize the value of the individual and cloud your ability to recog-nize who they truly are. Let’s just say that I have been through a lot over the years and learned my lessons the hard way. I am self-employed and pride myself in doing whatever I do in an efficient, effective and professional manner.
How have things changed for you since starting CBF?
My quality of life is better. I get sat-isfaction from seeing children receive a chance. I’m seeing the growth of our sport and feeling a sense of accomplish-ment.
Pilot Projects is a regular feature of USHPA magazine . You can help with this column by sharing your ideas . Have you come across pilots who are up to great things during your travels? Do you have a project, or ideas for traveling more ethically? Don’t be shy . Time to throw down some good deeds . Send them to Christina Ammon at: flyinghobogirl@gmail .com
HAVE AN IDEA? If your project helps children in
the communities where we fly, The
Cloudbase Foundation may be able
to assist you.
Call: 985-845-7901
Email: [email protected]
Or: Visit www.thecloudbasefounda-
tion.org and click: Submit a Project
Idea link.
How to make a donation to CBF:
The Cloudbase Foundation accepts
donations via Paypal. Go to www.
thecloudbasefoundation.org and
click: Donate
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero28
by DavidLINDEMUHE
From Novice toConfident, Competent Flying
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 29
Like me, you probably got attracted to paragliding by taking a tandem flight. The feeling you get, like
being a bird in the open air, is exhilarat-ing and peaceful at the same time—that is, when a highly skilled tandem instruc-tor manages the wing.
At first, strapping that wing to my own waist, trying to kite, feeling tons of force throwing me around, softened my resolve. I trained at Torrey Pines. When I felt that wing force, I envisioned the at-mosphere hauling me aloft involuntarily and sweeping me off the cliff to plunge to my death. Of course, the cliff was upwind and that couldn’t happen, but being dragged downwind does happen.
Gradually, a measure of ability to kite and control the wing emerged. Next thing I knew, I was flying. I found myself in the sky—a place where it was suddenly clear that I really didn’t belong! Every small bobble in the air was terrify-ing. I wanted to be back on the ground. That’s when I discovered that I didn’t know how to land. But I really wanted back on the ground. So a hard, uncon-trolled landing was better than staying in the sky.
In May, I went back to the training hill with the sole intent of becoming a competent, confident pilot and getting my P3 rating. In conversation I discov-ered that most of the pilots at the P2 level had concerns and challenges simi-lar to mine. We could get that wing up and kite and get into the sky. Most of us experienced the same fears and dif-ficulties on take-off, flight, and landing. During a month of daily flying and pilot conversations, I began to transcend each problem and see clearly how to become a better pilot.
It occurred to me that sharing those insights might help other pilots in their transition from P2 ability, where I was flying with fear, to the P3 rating, where my competence and confidence increased dramatically. This is not new informa-tion, but I want to try to transfer that
“aha” phenomenon that turned what I’d been hearing into practical ability.
Something that became obvious was that if I had a scary take-off, the fear lin-gered in flight and got worse upon land-ing. The first step to enjoyable flight is a well controlled take-off. For example,
flying at Horse Canyon, we encountered gusts that plucked pilots involuntarily. Experienced pilots regained control quickly, and some insight came to me: go into the sky on my own terms. That means don’t take-off if I’m not ready to take off. From then on, I started prac-ticing take-offs in a new way. I willed myself to front-kite with greater preci-sion so I could stand motionless and keep the wing up. I realized I’d been over-controlling – when control inputs are too large or too frequent, the wing flies off course, and it became a constant battle to “correct my corrections.”
I realized that the wing goes wher-ever I tell it to go. If I make small, calm, control inputs, the wing stays in a more stable position. A small twitch of the finger is often all that’s needed. Learning to make smaller corrections made it easier to make larger corrections when necessary, still without over-reacting.
Once I could keep that wing where I wanted it, I could start my take-off run and stop it at will, without collapsing the wing. I could keep my head up and look around. I could run up to the edge of the cliff and stop, aborting the take-off without collapsing the wing. Then, I could stand at the edge of the cliff and wait for a wind cycle to gently pick me up. No more fear of “jumping-off-the-cliff” and falling to my doom. AND, I could prevent the wind from picking me up involuntarily if I didn’t want to go. I also realized that I had to gently rise into
the air and develop forward speed to a safe altitude BEFORE rolling back into my harness. That way, if the wind lets me back down, I’m prepared for an immedi-ate controlled landing.
These are not sexy, advanced, aero-batic flying techniques. These are tech-niques for establishing solid control, so I can keep flying toward more advanced techniques. This gives me complete situ-ational awareness and control upon take-off. That takes the fear and stress out of that crucial first phase of flight, which was critical for my getting to the next level of ability.
For the second phase of flight—
[opposite] Brian Peterson getting last minute kiting practice on the South Side at sunset | photo by Loren Cox. Photo by Loren Cox. [below] Jon Hunt shows solid launch form in front of the Tetons | photo by Nick Greece.
“I realized that the wing
goes wherever I tell it to
go. If I make small, calm,
control inputs, the wing
stays in a more stable
position. A small twitch
of the finger is often all
that’s needed.”
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero30
actual flying—I have a strong recom-mendation: take an SIV/Maneuvers clinic. By practicing in a more controlled environment, you learn to trust the wing in the sky. After doing frontal collapses and full stalls on purpose, you trust the
wing to recover. This dramatically re-duces the anxiety experienced in turbu-lence. Don’t wait years. As soon as you have a P2 rating, sign up for an SIV. It really helps you to relax more in the sky. Combined with controlled take-off skills,
this sets up much more enjoyable flying. In the sky, the same skills that give you a controlled take-off give you a smoother flight. Small, calm, accurate control inputs manage surge. But I want to re-emphasize— SIV helps you ride out the turbulence that can’t be controlled.
Landing is probably the most crucial skill to get right. You can choose NOT to take off. Once you’re in the sky, no matter how rough or scary the air, alti-tude is your friend. That wing will fly. It will recover from collapses as long as you’re high enough. But once you’re in the sky, you have to land eventually.
What can go wrong on landing? Calm sky, no-wind, no turbulence means a docile flight, but a fast landing. Turbulent sky with heavy thermals can cause wing collapse close to the ground with a hard landing. Steady wind, 8-12
[top] A launch cue forms at Eilings Park, Santa Barbara | photo by Nick Greece [left] Cade Palmer and Brian Peterson kite when they can't fly, South Side, Point of the Mountain | photo by Loren Cox. [opposite top] Kiting up the South Side, Point of the Mountain | photo by Loren Cox.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 31
mph with no turbulence, may seem ideal, unless you misjudge wind direction. Downwind landing can be fast and hard.
How would I handle each type of landing condition? No wind is easy. Though you may have a faster approach, let the wing fly until time to flare, and flaring hard takes care of that.
TURBULENCE/HEAVY THERMALSRemember the primary rule: go into the sky on your own terms! There’s no reason to fly in conditions you can’t handle. Practice flying dull and boring, as techni-cally and precisely as you can. Your skills will come up and you’ll naturally be able to handle more and more. Flying in the desert, thermals at ground level go off like bombs. You cannot safely land in these conditions. Experienced flyers will stay up until evening, so the thermals can dissi-pate before landing. They spend the day on a roller coaster ride to the stratosphere, and they ride the wing collapses. If you didn’t go up intending to take such a ride, you’re not in the sky on your own terms. Match your risk level to your ability, and
your ability will grow.A relatively steady wind is the most
common landing condition you’ll en-counter as a novice, because it’s probably the condition you took-off in. That’s the ideal condition for refining landings. A controlled landing finishes the day on a positive note and makes you want to fly again. A scary or painful landing makes you fear the next flight.
Just as you go into the sky on your own terms, come to the ground on your own terms. First, if the sky isn’t holding you up, you’re going to land whether or not you are prepared. So be prepared. Always be aware of your altitude in rela-tion to safe landing sites. Always reserve enough altitude to make an approach, assess the landing zone, wind direction, potential obstacles and turbulence/rotor areas. I’m not talking about fast, high energy, aerobatic approaches that some advanced pilots use to overcome difficult landing conditions. I’m talking about conservative flying that lets you live to practice and one day reach those higher levels of skill. Assess the LZ from too
high rather than too low. There are five things that helped me
learn to make controlled landings:1) On every approach, my instruc-
tor, Brad Geary, kept telling me to “let it fly.” I finally figured out that the stress of landing had me doing all sorts of unnecessary control inputs. Slowing down, small and large turns that weren’t planned and served no purpose were causing me to approach the ground in an unstable fashion. Also, my inputs caused my flight to be so sporadic that I wasn’t accurately determining wind direction. So I was landing hard. I even
“If the sky isn’t holding
you up, you’re going
to land whether or not
you are prepared. So
be prepared.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero32
Matt Dadam landing in Provo, Utah after
a nice flight from Mt. Olympus. Quite exciting
for the kids at their soccer games | photo
by Nick Greece.
stalled and spun one landing—fortu-nately, only two feet off the ground, or it would’ve been bad. What I learned: let it fly. Approach the LZ with hands up, flying smooth and straight. The mind is calm, the eyes alert, look for wind sock or streamer to determine wind direction. Also, this smooth straight flight exposes wind direction because you can observe your wind-drift from a stable configura-tion. This is another reason to approach high, giving yourself time to assess and plan the landing without being rushed.
2) After I made a few high speed landings, another instructor, called out:
“turn into the wind.” Duh! I was land-ing without clearly accounting for wind direction, mostly due to approaching too low, without a plan, and with too much control input. When I calmed down on approach and accurately determined wind direction, it was like slowing down the world. Turning into the wind imme-diately slows ground speed and increases lift. It’s as if a calm hush comes over you, and you have all the time in the world.
3) Make every landing a spot landing. Remember this: your wing’s forward ground speed is the result of how the wing’s airspeed is offset by wind speed. To make a spot landing , you have to pen-etrate the wind at a rate that is coordi-nated with your descent rate. Your glide distance is offset by the wind. Choose a landing spot that is safe and has a buffer of space in all directions around it. Focus on that point and determine to land on it. If you are high, directly above or upwind of your target, the wind will
always aid you in getting downwind (so you can land in an upwind direction to reduce ground speed). If you are exactly the right distance downwind, just glide to the target. If your glide path is right, it looks like the target is coming right at you. If you are going to land short, it looks like the target is rising up ahead of you. Keep the brakes at best glide to gain maximum distance. You’ll probably land short, and there’s nothing you can do, but it will be a straight, stable, by-the-book, clean, easy landing. If you’re going to land long, the target looks as if it’s running toward your feet. This means your forward wing speed is greater than the wind speed. This is where you use gentle S turns or figure 8’s to drift back, until the target visually starts coming toward you; then you stop making ad-justment turns and glide into the wind, into the target for a clean landing.
4) Get out of the harness HIGH. Get it off your checklist early so you can con-centrate on spot landing and not have to do it close to the ground.
5) Fly like a beginner. Don’t try to emulate the high energy, near-ground turns that advanced pilots use to com-pensate for strong flying conditions. Stay in your ability range and land with high, long approaches into the wind, clean and easy until you master it. Then, move up to advanced skills.
I hope this helps other novices to ad-vance to the next level more easily and safely. This is what I did to gain confi-dence, competence, and stability in three short weeks.
“If you are exactly the right distance
downwind, just glide to the target. If
your glide path is right, it looks like the
target is coming right at you. If you
are going to land short, it looks like
the target is rising up ahead of you.
Keep the brakes at best glide to gain
maximum distance.”
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero34
A Practical Guide to
X - ALPS
Participating in the
RED BULL
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 35
In the early 2000’s, a phenomenal new game—the Red Bull X-Alps— was conceived by Hannes Arch. Hannes described the game as “……much more than just an Alpine crossing; it’s
an adventure, an expedition and, at the same time, a competition. “ A biennial event, the X-Alps first took place in 2003. Rules, route and overall pace of the game continue to evolve. The basic concept is simple and best summarized by Nate Scales of Idaho who participated in the 2007 X-Alps: “Either I am carrying my paraglider, or it is car-rying me. Together we are trying to get to Monaco.” Monaco has always been the goal. The 500+mile route always starts in Austria and includes the famous Mt.Blanc.
The 2011 X-Alps route will include some novel turn points as well as a new rule that imposes a mandatory rest period from 11PM-4AM. As always, the game will end forty-eight hours after the first competi-tor gets to Monaco.
GeTTInG InTo The X-AlpS FAmIly
Approximately a year in advance of each running of the X-Alps, en-trants must complete an application process that requires two partici-pants—the athlete and the supporter. Supporters follow the athlete with a van and hike with him to launch. They also prepare meals and provide weather and map information; in short, they are the athlete’s lifeline. Therefore, the choice of a supporter is critical. It has to be someone who is able to put up with you, a very exhausted you, for two weeks!
A selection committee has the difficult job of reducing the stack of applications down to approximately thirty teams of competitors. An individual’s best chance of being selected is his having played the game in the past and played it well. About twenty participants are usu-ally X-Alps veterans. The remaining ten are fresh to the X-Alps but are rarely complete unknowns on the world paragliding scene. Your odds of being selected increase if you happen to be one of only a few quali-
[images] Honza Rejmanek training in Salt Lake City | all photos © Michael Clark/Red Bull Content Pool.
X - ALPSby HonzaREJMANEK
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero36
fied applicants from an entire continent. The selec-tion committee strikes a balance between having the highest caliber, along with the most diverse, group of thirty competitors.
prepArATIon And FundrAISInG
Upon being selected, you have to decide how to best divide your free time between fundraising and train-
ing. There is no entry fee, but the event can easily cost a non-European team US $10,000 or more. Unless you are independently wealthy, you need to make sure you return from the X-Alps no poorer than when you left. This means giving lots of talks at flying clubs and other venues. Though in the Alps you are only a team of two, back in your home country you want to have hundreds of people join your team. Your job is to share your passion and tell them all about the X-Alps game. Red-Bull invests vast resources into a phenomenal live online tracking experience, so all who join your team can virtually be there with you 24/7. They can feel your triumph and pain from the comfort of their armchairs a continent away. Their notes of support will keep you hiking down an end-less road on a rainy night at 4:30AM.
TrAInInG
Two principal strategies seem to be used in the X-Alps— the ultra-marathoner approach and the PWC champion approach. What if you are selected but are not like either of these? You have to be honest with yourself and decide how to make the best use of your training time. Given the relatively short time of eight months, from the time you are selected to the time the game begins, it is unlikely that your overall flying abilities will radically improve. That said, it is
[below] Dave Hanning, Honza's team mate/
supporter, is an integral part of Team USA during the 2011
Red Bull X-Alps.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 37
advisable that precarious landing practice becomes a part of your flight training time. You need to be able to side-hill land just about anywhere. You also want to be able to land in windy places, in small places, and in places you would usually not choose to land. Sinking out to the bottom of the valley mid-day on a good day is an absolute no-no, because landing and relaunching is perfectly legitimate in this game. Launches tend to give more opportunity for reflection than landings, but, nonetheless, you should feel con-fident launching in strange locations and situations.
To have even considered applying for the X-Alps, you are either fit or delusional. Whether you are fit, or just believe you are, physical training is a must. The key is to tailor the training to resemble what you will actually be putting yourself through in the X-Alps. You need to wake up early in the morning, grab your glider, and say to yourself: “Today I will walk thirty miles to those mountains I see on the horizon, hike up them, and do my best to fly home. If I cannot fly home, I will walk home.” If this routine becomes too simple, try repeating it several days in a row.
equIpmenT
The mandatory kit that you will need to carry or fly with at all times consists of: a glider, a harness, a re-serve, a helmet and tracking equipment. It is in your
best interest to get this down to 20-25 pounds. When you are not with your supporter, you will need to add clothes, water and food, maps and instruments. This can add 10-15 more pounds to your basic kit, which is why it is important to train with 40+ pounds. You also must consider all the equipment you and your supporter will need in the van, including camp-ing and cooking gear, lots of extra socks and shoes, clothes for all types of weather, detailed maps of all of
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero38
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 39
the places you might find yourselves in the Alps and appropriate food and drinks. Despite what the name of the game might imply, you will need more than Red Bull to cross the Alps!
pre-GAme BrIeFInGS
Four days before the game begins, you must arrive and be ready to pay attention. Many briefings will be given on what is allowed and what is expected. Plenty of Red Bull is provided, so you won’t doze off during these classroom multi-hour sessions. It is in your best interest to pay close attention to the discussions of airspace restrictions and is made clear that you are not just a competitor but also an entertainer. You will be photographed, videoed, and interviewed, both before and during the game.
FInAlly: GeTTInG To plAy
Everyone gathers anxiously as the minutes to the start gun tick away. There is respect and camaraderie. What is surprisingly absent is ego and attitude. It is as if all the competitors, both veteran and novice, are aware of the intense and emotionally overwhelming adventure they are about to embark upon. There is so much that can go wrong over the next two weeks, so many ways your body or mind can fail you. It is a great moment, nonetheless. The countless hours of preparation are behind you. You’ve put so much into it, and the game can finally begin. The next two weeks you only have to hike, fly, eat, and sleep a bit. No emails, no normal life distractions or obligations. You get to play the most perfect of games for about two weeks! Enjoy, play well and you can come back in two years and play again.
Honza Rejmánek and Dave Hanning will be represent-ing the US for the third time in the Red Bull X-Alps . They placed 9th in 2007 and 3rd in 2009 . To join the 2011 US Red Bull X-Alps team please visit www .hon-zair .com . To follow the game live, log on to www .red-bullxalps .com . The game begins on July 17th .
“It is in your best interest to
pay close attention to the
discussions of airspace
restrictions and is made
clear that you are not just
a competitor but also an
entertainer. ”
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero40
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 41Matt Dadam on an after work run from Mt Olympus to Point of the Mountain | photo by Nick Greece
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero42
The Royal FlushWhat to do when it's raining "you"
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 43
by Tom Webster
One of the hazards every novice paraglider pilot will need to face sooner or later is the dreaded
flush cycle. This is what happens when a gaggle of pilots are happily flying back and forth, held aloft by steady ridge lift or a pumping house thermal and, suddenly, the sustaining lift is gone and everyone’s going down at once. If the landing zone is huge, this is not a problem. In populat-ed areas, however, landing zones are usu-ally just as big as they need to be under normal circumstances, but not quite big enough for an airborne game of musical chairs.
It can happen anywhere, anytime. It can happen at your home site above the regular LZ or over a competition turn-point, halfway to goal. A flush can cause pilots to feel frantic, but there are a few guidelines you can follow to help reduce the level of panic.
1: recoGnIze whAT’S GoInG on
The sooner you see what’s going on, the easier all the other steps will be. If you notice you’re starting to sink out but other pilots are staying up in thermals, it’s not a flush cycle–it’s just you, sink-ing out. If you start to steadily descend while the vertical separation between you and the highest pilots stays the same, it’s a flush cycle.
Flush cycles can happen any time of day and in any type of lift. Often, a slight change in wind direction or a sudden in-crease in cloud cover on a ridge will cause them.
2. IncreASe verTIcAl SepArATIon
As soon as you sense a flush cycle, you and the other pilots must try to sepa-rate vertically. This separation is critical; it takes some time to accomplish, and, if done rapidly, will allow everyone to breathe a lot easier.
Communicating your intent is the first challenge. With a good radio setup, you can say, “I’ll get down quickly, you try to stay up.” However, this is unlikely to work in a large group. Without radios, the best thing to do is act in a way that can’t be misinterpreted by the other pilots. Here are some options:
If you are a little lower than your neighbors, try to act like a person who wants to come down. Fly at trim or with a little speedbar, use big ears, get up in your harness in a high-drag posture, turn a little more steeply than usual, and, if possible, spend more time in sink than in lift.
If you’re higher than your neighbors, stay in a soaring posture, fly slowly, and try to climb in any lift or at least hang out in the least-sinking areas.
If there are paragliders above and below you, you’ll need to be ready for anything. Following the lower pilot might work if they are using a predictable approach and you take every opportunity to add horizontal space between the two of you.
3. IncreASe horIzonTAl SepArATIon
If it isn’t possible to separate vertically and everyone’s still coming down like a ton of bricks, things get tricky, and you will have to adjust your priorities.
The Royal FlushWhat to do when it's raining "you"
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero44
Unless you are landing next to ocean surf, a mine field, or an alligator farm, your first priority is to avoid a mid-air collision. Your next priority should be to avoid obstacles on the ground, though landing in a friendly bush is not always bad. The last priority is to land directly into the wind, in a convenient spot.
If you’re approaching the field with several other pilots at the same altitude, it’s important to act predictably, yet be creative:
The other pilots will expect you to
follow a standard approach, typically downwind-base-final or figure-eight. If you have room to do the normal ap-proach without interfering with other pilots, do it.
If there is any significant wind, tight figure-eights are a good way for paraglid-ers to burn off altitude in a confined area, as long as they don’t get in the way of an-other pilot’s approach.
If you find yourself following another pilot through an approach, it’s critical to maintain horizontal separation. Try flying a little slower and making wider turns than the other pilot. Or, try a quick zig to the outside, followed by an equal and opposite zag back to the inside, and repeat as necessary.
If there are hang gliders in the mix, re-member that they like to land with very high airspeed—they have more control that way. They also tend to make wider approaches than paragliders do. So, be aware that a hang glider might fly out of your pattern and then back into it unexpectedly. If you don’t stay alert, you might fall victim to the dreaded “king-post surprise.”
4. don’T Be A TArGeT In The lz
This is critical, especially if there are hang gliders also trying to land. If there’s any-thing hang gliders hate more than ob-stacles in the LZ, it is moving obstacles in the LZ. So, if one is coming toward you, don’t try to get out of the way just yet. Secure your wing, get as low as pos-sible, and look at the pilot so they know you are aware of them and don’t intend to move. This will make their approach much safer.
Once the coast is clear, get your stuff together and get to the edge of the field quickly. If people are still landing after you have stashed your gear, you can help them out by kicking dust (to show wind direction) or making sure the windsock is not tangled.
“If there’s anything hang
gliders hate more than
obstacles in the lz, it is
moving obstacles in the lz.
So, if one is coming toward
you, don’t try to get out of
the way just yet.”
[top] A busy day, replete with several flush cycles, at the Point of the Mountain flight park. [right] Traffic jam.
Photos by Tom Webster.
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by RyanVOIGHT
Return of the
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero48 Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero48 Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero48
When did you start flying hang gliders?Right out of high school, summer of ’75. I was
18.
What about hang gliding attracted you?I wanted to hang glide from seeing photos in an
article in Popular Mechanics. I knew immediately it was something I wanted to do.
Do you remember your first experience hang gliding?
We were self-taught back then. I went out to some grassy hills in Sparta, Kentucky, where there were older, much more sophisticated (sarcastic) 22-and 24- year-olds who were crashing worse than I was! They were trying to fly 21-and 22-ft kites in gusty winds. I remember one guy getting picked up and blown over when he was trying to carry the glider. We could hear the tubes go “crack, crack!” He came crawling out from under it! It was pretty cuckoo!
Eventually, I got to the point where I could launch and land. I remember a contest called Raven Rock in Kentucky in the summer of ’76. I was so excited, but my mom wouldn’t let me go!
What was the first hang glider you owned?I never actually owned a proper hang glider
until '77. I kept borrowing gliders that were all JUNK! Eventually, I worked enough odd jobs to get a Dragonfly 2B-I think it was a 170. It was a perfect 6061 copy of the UP Dragonfly, if I re-member correctly. I bought it used, and it had the coolest custom inlaid sail. It was a black LE and black trunk pocket. The right side was white with a huge lightning bolt that went about a ¾ span. The other side was a complete inverse, black with a white lightning bolt. I wish I had a picture; it was so cool!
When did you start doing aerobatics in hang gliders?
Fall of ‘77, in a Cirrus 3 that belonged to Ben DeGarris. I didn’t have any money, and Ben was keeping his glider out at the bunkhouse. He said I could fly it as much as I wanted… so I did! I prob-ably was flying it more than he was! The Dragonfly was the first glider on which I was doing wingovers and spins WAY past vertical! I was getting maybe 110-to 115-degree maneuvers. I would occasionally go past 120 and get a little too light.When did you do your first loops?
Flying with Eric Raymond, summer of ‘80. I was on one of the first chord wise cut Comets. It didn’t work very well. I made it, and Eric thought
an inTerview wiTh DaviD Gibson, sail-inlay-exTraorDinaire
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[opposite] Dave carefully hot-knifing a crescent moon on his Wills Wing T2 | photo by Ryan Voight. [above] An American-themed custom Wills Wing Sport 2. [below] Dave prepping the “Cosmic Messenger” at one of the Telluride aerobatic meets. Photos by Paul Voight.
they looked just fine, but I thought the loops were too tight and too light. The Comets have such a strong positive pitching moment that it was almost impossible to hold them into a dive. You had to hold them until what felt like forever, and even then you were maybe doing mid-80’s. I learned quite a bit watching Eric, but he was doing them in a Fledge or a Sunseed. I probably did about 20 loops and stopped and thought about it. Did a few more and stopped and thought about it again. By the summer of 1980, I was doing it almost every day, and by then we had the Comet OVR’s with Mylar sails. They actually looped pretty well, compared to what we were used to.
Were there any major turning points in your flying career?
I was flying an Owl B 160, which was basically an ASG 21 C 180, with the leading edge chopped off and curved trunk tubes. It looked like a higher aspect ratio version of the ASG 21. But it really wasn’t any better. The ASG might have actually been a little faster. I saw Rac (Dan Racanelli) flying a UP mosquito 166 at the Greatest Race. He had come out with Larry Tudor. Rac’s glider was dark blue LE, with trunk pockets and tip winglets. On one side it had the beautiful quarter-split chord panels streaming back from the LE. The other side
was white with big blue UP inlays. Larry Tudor had the same glider: white with red LE and winglets and red UP’s. Larry and Rac were doing 120’s to 140’s. Eric Raymond was looping. I saw those guys and said, “Yeah, I want to fly like that.” There were a few epiphany moments where I realized I didn’t know how to hang glide yet, and that was one of them.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero50
What made you want to work in the “wing mines?”I was just interested in the development and the
fabrication of the equipment. I wanted to be a wing-smith and a test pilot, and I figured that learning the technology behind the wings would make me a better pilot.
When did you start working in hang gliding manufacturing?
I first worked for Pete Brock and Roy Haggard (we knew him better as “boy hazard”) at UP about Jan or Feb of ’80. Around the end of ’84 I started working at Wills Wing and worked there off-and-on pretty much through ’88.
What was the first WW you owned?The 12-less. It was the 4th prototype made and
was originally Steve Pearson’s personal glider. It was a red LE with red bottom and a white top. He had placed 2nd in the ‘84 Pinecrest Nationals. It had a HUGE #12 on it that was a BITCH to remove. I started flying it more and more, and eventually Rob made me pay for it. Rob sold me Steve’s personal glider— talk about the ultimate “Kells Deal!”
I looped the SNOT out of that glider— the first one that looped really easily. Mine was the only one with swivel tips, which I later removed and put on the “cosmic messenger.”
When did you make the “Cosmic Messenger?”August ’86. I’d had it in my head for about five
years. When I first started flying, listening to music helped me get over my fear of doing things that had never been done before. There were no role models then; we were making it up as we went. Fusion jazz was very popular, and JonLuc Ponty had an album called Comsic Messenger—both the music and the graphics on that album inspired the name. I had that idea for 5-7 years but there wasn’t a glider that I thought would be around long enough to be worth the work. When the HP came out, I could see that the industry had hit a plateau and that the glider would be current for quite a while. I was right. I wound up flying 620-640 hours on that glider! I had done inlays before, so this felt like a pretty natu-ral progression. It wasn’t even that difficult.
How long did it take?The bottom surface-working cutting/drafting/hot knifing/sewing alone took about 18 hrs in one night, taking only two breaks. Barely, barely finished in time to do Telluride, but it wasn’t flying right yet, and I didn’t have the money to do the contest anyway. The inlay was PERFECT, but the sail cut needed to be tweaked four times. I changed the tip cut, changed the nose, keel pocket, and the hole for kingpost in order to get it to trim the way I wanted
[above] Craig Chamberlain in his custom flame Wills Wing
U2 | photo by Paul Voight
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it and to accommodate some of the modifications I made to it. I completely and drastically changed the tip rib camber until I had a curve that helped it stabilize in a 20-30 bank with very little high siding. And it spun better that way too. I wound up having different ribs for light conditions up at the E, and for when we were going to be doing rip-roaring flying the whole time. One set was much softer, the other much stiffer.
Was the Messenger the last inlay you did?For myself, yes, but I probably did 15-20 more
for other people after that. We used to do stuff like that all the time back then.
The other night was probably the first time I had picked up a hot knife since ‘79. It came right back! I was discouraged for about the first six hours, but all of a sudden I noticed I was going faster. The biggest pain was during the first four hours when I could only work with my left hand. Working in a sail loft is kind of like playing the piano; you need to be able to play with both hands. When it all came back, I started drawing and cutting with the right hand, too. Once you can draw and handle a hot knife at the same time, it goes 3x as fast!
What got me back into this was watching the artists on those chopper and hotrod shows; I could understand and get into what they were doing. I
thought, “I used to be into wing-smithing like that.”
Where did the inspiration for this new one, “Clothos,” come from?
Edith Hamilton’s book of mythology: Greco-Roman polytheistic mythology. I was bored at work on a layover, came across the book, and read about the three goddesses of fate. I was reminded of another of my favorite albums, Emerson Lake, and
[above] Chris Valley launching from McClure, CA in his custom flamed Wills Wing T2 | photo by Will Brown. [below] Paul Voight’s custom “Beach Ball” Wills Wing U2 | photo by Ryan Voight.
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Palmer’s album had a song named The Three Fates. The first goddess is Clothos, Latin for cloth. Clothos is the god of unchangeable fate. One of them spins the thread, the second weaves, and the third is the snipper and trimmer of threads. Together they make up the fabric of life… fate. That’s why I’m calling this glider “clothos.”
Is it fate that you have this creativity, are ambidextrous, and work in a sail loft?
Na, just 14,000 hours of being in sail lofts. Most ambidextrous people can’t do all things with either hand; they just do some things with one hand, and some things with the other. Shooting pool, I’m right-handed and can’t picture doing it any other way. Some things, like bowling, I’m equally bad with both hands!
Would you like to see more custom sails out there today?
As long as I don’t have to be the one doing all that cutting and sewing! (laughs)
It’s nice to see the resurgence in custom sails that Wills Wing is doing lately with the cutting machin-ery they have now. Custom sail work seems to be primarily an American pastime; it doesn’t seem to happen much elsewhere. With this new glider, with
the colors and the stars, it’s going to be very clear where it came from.
They’re capable of a lot more now, using a lot less manpower. The cutting machine isn’t practical for some of the small details that I did on this wing, but I have seen some recent sails that look great and were pretty simple to make using the new machin-ery.
Every piece of inlay artwork I’ve made has been made from scraps and remnants exclusively! It really doesn’t take that much time to scavenge for pieces that would otherwise cost me a fortune. As long as the fibers and yarns line up.
Ultimately the coolest looking sail in the world is no substitute for winning. The new glider is going to Chelan and King for sure! I’d like to do Santa Cruz and Texas too. But we’ll see.
If someone called you and wanted to pay you to make them a custom sail, what would you say?
I’d offer to sell them mine and make myself a new one! It’s not that hard; almost anyone could learn to do it if they wanted it bad enough. It might just take them longer. (Author’s note: Wills Wing can make almost anything you want . They charge by the hour for custom sail work)
[opposite] Jeff Shapiro’s custom “skull” Wills Wing Sport 2. [above] Ryan Voight’s custom Wills Wing T2C, the “Sundancer”
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by Kris Miller
This year, the winter in Southeast Alaska has been challenging. As is to be expected in the coastal
southeast section of the state, freeze and thaw cycles move through weekly. Beautiful accumulations of dry, light snow are turned to slush by warm rains
from the south, then frozen solid when winds come from the north. This winter has gifted us with too much wind and no running surface for snow-kites. My paraglider looks dejected, collecting dust in the corner while awaiting the return of fair and stable weather win-dows.
As I sit at my desk watching another
wet southerly system destroy sixteen inches of beautiful powder, I daydream about my first independent flight last fall. I rose early on a beautiful fall day of clear skies and calm winds. The sea outside my door was as smooth as glass. I gathered my wing and a bite to eat and quickly made for the trailhead.
For as long as I can remember, I have
AKAL
ASKA
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dreamed of flying. I recall a childhood conversation with my mother during which I tried to convince her that if I could concentrate and hold the thought clearly enough in my mind, I KNEW I could fly. I was four years old and was dissuaded from testing my conviction at that time. But my wish for flight never left me, and, in fact, my lust for adven-ture continued to grow.
An urban upbringing resulted in my craving wild, open spaces, so in my twenty’s I found my way to the town of Haines in Southeast Alaska. While paddling sea kayaks in the whale-infest-ed fjords and climbing among the windy peaks, I finally found myself. Alaska is a fantastically rugged and unforgiving land. The mile-high mountains that erupt out of the sea offer a dramatic landscape for artists and outdoor enthu-siasts alike.
During my years in Alaska, I have had many adrenaline-filled adven-
[left] Mt Rapinski calling the author from his desk to summit and fly. [below] Alaskan pilot gets up in the big AK mountains. Photos by Kris Miller.
ALAS
KA
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tures—from rock and ice climbing, to mountain biking, to class V kayak de-scents on northwest rivers in the lower 48 states. I am no longer as young or bold as I once was, but the incessant craving for the skies has never left me.
I’ve known many pilots throughout the years—brave adventurers who took to the sky in hang gliders and early gen-eration paragliders. I’ve heard their har-rowing tales about the school of hard knocks and understand the inherent dangers of their sport. I love my body because it has served me well and afford-ed me the freedom to chase adventure. I loathe the idea of disabling it. In the early days of free flight, the risk / benefit analysis and tales of orthopedic night-mares grounded me. Still, the dream of dance in the airy blue above pulled me more forcefully than gravity. I played with kayaks, skis, and two-wheeled toys for two decades.
Three years ago, I found a way to interface with the sky: kites! A friend introduced me to snow-kiting, and I was instantly hooked! Before I knew it, I had a quiver full of nylon power houses. As my skills progressed, my
kites became larger and more powerful. The flat terrain gave way to hills and, ul-timately, mountains. The topographical contour changed everything, and my skis spent less and less time on the snow. I could FLY!
Once I tapped into that vein of flight, I wanted more. Again, I searched far and wide for a reputable paragliding school that could teach me the skills re-quired to assess the sky and fly safely. I met with several instructors and found myself scared-off time and again. Plenty of them could have helped me get certi-fied, but Kevin Lee at Thermal Tracker Paragliding was different. I noticed that as I interviewed him, he interviewed
me, much to my surprise. Also, he was patient and thorough in his approach to paragliding. I knew I had found my teacher. Through Kevin and his stead-fast, thoughtful instruction, I learned to assess flight conditions and safely pilot a paraglider.
Mount Rapinski looms over Haines, making a stunning backdrop in every season. A favored site for hiking, the trail is a staggeringly steep series of switchbacks that lead to a spectacular alpine ridge rising just above 3500 ft. The climb starts near sea level in the dense, temperate rain forest composed
[above] The author on launch.
“I feel absolutely
focused and confident.
This is it—the dream
realized! I take the
wing overhead, make
the turn and in one
step, I am off! ”
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primarily of Sitka spruce and Western hemlock, with interesting forest under-growth of rusty menziesia or skunk-brush among the Alaskan blueberries and spiny Devil’s club. High bush cran-berry also can be found there.
As the trail gains elevation, the char-acter of the forest dramatically changes. The giant spruce give way to the shorter, wind-battered mountain hemlock and, ultimately, wide open treeless spaces of alpine tundra. At that point the ground is carpeted with tasty alpine blueberry, mountain heather, and several variet-ies of Cassiopeia, now painted in their autumn splendor.
I make the summit with my para-glider in just under two hours, the lure of flight an inspiration! In the valley far below, the inside passage stretches out before me. The fair weather has held. In the distance, where the glacial allu-vial fans narrow the fjord, I see small wavelets on the otherwise flat, calm sea. The light breeze is compressed and amplified at the narrowing of the fjord. At the top of this great wind tunnel sits Mt. Rapinski. The air mass, advancing slowly northward, is further amplified and gains a highly desired vertical com-ponent.
Over the years, I have inspected this ridge and dreamed what it would be like to step off of this rocky outcrop or run down that slope with a wing overhead, flying out and away from the mountain into airy spaces high above the valley to join the eagles in their graceful circles, thermalling to the infinite blue above.
Despite my speedy efforts to get to the summit, the local pilots beat me here and are already making fun of the amplified winds off the summit. I am awestruck by the grouped acro maneu-vers, as the playful ravens call and give chase to one another. I observe master-ful soaring, followed by swooping in-verted dives that turn into hammerhead stalls. I lie on my back and marvel at their skill and grace—if only I could join them! Several eagles rise easily on the upward-moving currents, and the raucous ravens widen their play to dive at me. These acro pilots are beyond me. I am intimidated and move on to find a launch a bit more at my skill level.
The summit has a smooth, steady 13 mph wind and a perfect alpine launch field—a steep grade that drops off straight into the wind with lots of open space. The rowdy acro stars on the summit have humbled me, so I make my way out to the scattered benched ledges that face into the wind well below the summit. I spot a mountain goat, its brilliant white fur starting to thicken for winter, on a rocky perch to the south. This wizened climber re-clines above a rock outcrop with a com-manding view of the alpine slopes and forest below. I set out towards him to get a closer look, making my way down the cliff and around the corner, and manage to get close enough to watch him enjoy basking in the warm rays of the sun.
En route, I find a tiny launch—a narrow, steep field facing right into a much lighter 6 mph breeze. As I begin my critical assessment of it, I can hear Kevin reviewing the site in my mind and decide that this is the launch! The wind remains smooth and consistent. I call my PPG friend, Alberto, to discuss my flight plan. He volunteers to keep an eye on me, and we plan to meet at one of three previously established potential landing zones. I collect my wing and complete a compulsive preflight.
With the light, smooth breeze at my back, I test the wind with a slow, low reverse and lay the wing back down. Perfect. I test it two more times, extend-ing higher each time. I feel absolutely focused and confident. This is it—the dream realized! I take the wing over-head, make the turn and in one step, I am off! I settle into the harness and feel the pressure in my seat. I am going up, fast! I expected to climb and am thrilled with my vertical progress. The summit drops away and up I go. An eagle smoothly glides over for a closer look. I am shocked at how close it comes. Clearly, I am in its element, and the usually reclusive bird eyes me with curiosity. I am awed and, in silence, we both climb higher.
From my airy vantage point, the whole of Southeast Alaska stretches before me. The possibilities seem end-less.
GALLERY | Chris Gibisch
60
[previous page] Self portrait of the artist |
photo by Chris Gibisch. [right] Finding shade at
Woodrat in Ruch, Oregon. [opposite top] Loopy over
Mt. Sentinel in Missoula, Montana. [opposite
bottom] Jeff Shapiro flies "Mr. Death". Photos by Chris
Gibisch.
62
[right] Launch line, Big Springs, Texas | photo by
Chris Gibisch.
64
[right] Jeff O'Brien skimming the South Side,
Point of the Mountain, Utah. [opposite top] Road trip.
[bottom] Chris Gibisch over Tarkio. Photos by Chris
Gibisch.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero66
Friday night’s weather charts were showing promise. And this particular June Saturday morning dawned hopeful that my buddy and I might make our long-awaited trip across the river. The Hudson River— some twenty miles behind launch. We had
been talking about it since we first laid eyes on that glistening ribbon from the Hang-II confines over launch. Now, several years later and a rating-or-two-beyond novicedom, we fancy ourselves XC pilots. You know the mantra: “Get High, Go Far.”
Wanting to get a good night’s sleep, I opted for a late wakeup call and got on the road by nine. I live about a three hour’s drive from the mountain, so going flying is an all-day com-mitment, at minimum. The drive went well, not counting the overturned SUV/camper-combo that had the final leg of the journey ground to a halt for thirty minutes.
I finally arrive at my destination, just as a Vitamin D whole-milk haze envelopes launch. What is normally a vista encompassing the width and breadth of the Catskills is now the view of one ridge and maybe the ghost of a second one beyond—a sledder! I’ve stood on this same launch and heard our beloved “Pack ‘em up Pete”(he’d rather pack up his glider than take a sled run) admonish us that “A sledder is 1040 feet of failure”. Failure? Hmph! I’ll take my sledder with grace and humility, without whine, thank you. At least I won’t have to mess around with putting on my vario, setting up the radio, and tending to all the accoutrements necessary for XC attempts. Okay. No personal bests today. No pressure either. We’ll just wait around to fly down instead of drive. The company is good and the cloudy haze keeps the temps in the pleasant range.
I suppose at this juncture I should point out that this was supposed to be a thermal day. Winds were forecast cross at 6-8. That panned out to be optimistic. The windsock sat defiantly limp. Occasionally it would raise itself to laugh at our clumsy human attempt at “skygoddery.” One pilot had enough. Off he went. He bobbed his way through anemic pseudo-thermals, only to find himself firmly reattached to the ground minutes later. Four people set up gliders, and the first had already experienced 1040 feet of…ahem…practice, shall we say.
That left me and two others. Tom, contestant number one, was waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. Sarah was on her way to launch to pick blueberries. We decide to wait for her. No hurry; it’s a sledder day. Sarah shows up as contestant number two, as Wayne finishes setting up his glider. We all exchange greetings and reassert our intention to “practice.”
However, Sarah brought more than her blueberry basket. She arrived with rain. Ugh! Not the kind of rain, though, that sends you running for shelter. Sprinkles, really. It would sprinkle, then stop. Start, then stop. It finally stopped stopping and contestant number three (me) started bleating his discontent: “It’s not STOPPING. We shouldn’t launch with wet gliders. Wah, wah, wah” I did mention there was whine, right?
Still, the rain was very light. Once again, the windsock raised its head to laugh and point. And laugh and point. But something started to happen. The laughing stopped and the urging began. “Come-on, I haven’t got all day,” the wind seemed to say.
Hook-in, hang check, Sarah dried my leading edges, and I was off into a mid-afternoon wonder wind as smooth as...no cliché needed…it was a true wonder wind. The rain must have dislodged a warm layer near the ground and up we went. No sharp-edged thermals, no circling, just flying. The sprinkles abated, and I flew one of the most fulfilling flights I’ve had in a long time. I casually cruised over launch, singing and watching my buddies separate from their earthly confines. It was good medicine.
For that twenty-five minutes I was naked and loving it! Clothed, mind you, but no in-strument honking at me, no bulky hydration pack leaking on me, no searching for the next thermal, no stress. I wanged down from my lofty perch and topped off the whole affair with a no-stepper. With an obligatory whoop and a gigantic smile tattooed across my face, I basked in our collective post-flight glow.
It reminded me of my early wobbly-kneed soaring successes. So moved was I with the beauty of it all during a handful of those early high flights that tears came to my eyes after landing. Overwhelmed. I flew! I can fly! I tasted again the simple bliss that can too easily get lost in the striving. It’s human nature to move ahead, to build upon past triumphs, to conquer new territory.
If you are, like me, constantly measuring yourself against achievements to be bested, put away the yardstick. I challenge you. Do it for fun now and then. Get naked.
GeT naKeD!by Chad Wildman
67
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Photo by Scot Trueblood
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SANCTIONED COMPETITION
July 4-9 Chelan, WA. Chelan Classic National Open Distance Championship. Come fly in the the first National Open Distance hang gliding champi-onship in the world class flatlands of Chelan. Na-tional title awarded to winner. Chelan is fun for the whole family with great camping on the river. More information contact the Cloudbase Country Club, or Steve Alford, at [email protected].
July 11-16 Moore, Idaho. The 2011 King Moun-tain Hang Gliding Championships will be held again in the amazing Big Lost Mountains of Idaho. Come fly big distances with fun and challenging tasks with some of America's most dedicated mountain pilots. Open distance XC. Requirements: H4 or H3 w/spon-sor, parachute reserve, helmet. Entry Fee: $1oo pri-or to June, $150 after June 1. Registration starts Feb 2011 and ends July 11. Prizes: Trophies 1-3rd in Open & Recreation class. For more information go to flykingmountain.com, or contact Connie Locke at [email protected].
July 24-30 Monroe Peak, Ritchfield, UT. 2011 Paragliding US Nationals. Race to goal. Require-ments: P3 w/turbulence sign-off, reserve & back protection. Trohpies. Entry Fee: $325 before 5/1, $375 after. More information: Stacy Whitmore 435-979-0225, [email protected], or [email protected].
auGusT 14-20 Big Spring Airport, Big Spring, TX. Big Spring US Nationals. Safe, Fair & Fun Race to Goal. Requirements: H3, aerotow, current experi-ence. Trohpies. Entry Fee: $350 by 6/1 More infor-mation: David Glover 405-830-6420, [email protected], or www.endlessthermal.com.
auGusT 14-20 Hearne Municipal Airport, Hearne, TX. Lone Star Nationals PG. A natioal level flatland race to test the potential of hosting a large scale national tow event in the USA. Requirements: P3, tow sign-off, tow bridle. 10% of all entry fees go to prize money. Top three overall & top female. En-try Fee: $250 before 7/1, $350 after 7/1. $150 tow fee. More Information: David Prentice [email protected], or www.earthcog.com.
sepTember 4-10 1st US Nationals Open dis-tance Championship at Inspiration Point (Squaw Peak Lookout), Utah. Open distance as per USH-PA OD scoring system. Requirements: P3 w/turbu-lence sign-off, reserve & back protection. Trophies Entry Fee: $325 before 6/1 $375 after. More infor-mation: opendistancenationals.com, Ken Hudonjor-gensen, 801-572-3414, [email protected], or [email protected].
sepTember 18-24 Francisco Grande Golf Re-sort & Hotel, Casa Grande, AZ. Santa Cruz Flats Race. XC race to goal. Requirements: H4 or foreign equivalent, aerotow rating, xc & turbulence sign-offs, extensive experience on glider to be flown in comp. 3D GPS. Max 60 entrants. Trophies and day prizes. Entry Fee: $275, tow fees TBA. More Infor-mation: Jamie Shelden 831-261-5444 [email protected], or santacruzflatsrace.blogspot.com.
NON-SANCTIONED COMPETITION
July 18-22 Golden, BC. Canada’s premier rac-ing event at one of the best XC sites in the country. It is sure to be an awesome week! More Information: Brett Yeates 250-421-0670, [email protected], or https://sites.google.com/site/2011paraglidingnationals/.
FLY-INS
seconD sunDay oF every monTh Torrey Pines Gliderport, San Diego, CA. The Torrey Hawks Hang Gliding Club hosts our “Second Sundays at Torrey” fly-in on the second Sunday of every month. We generally offer free food, drinks, and our tandem pilots often offer free tandem flights to members and their guests (subject to any Gliderport fees). Come out and join the fun on any Second Sunday. More Information: Bob Kuczewski 858-204-7499, [email protected], or http://torreyhawks.org.
July 2-10 Talihina, OK. Buffalo Mountain Flyers 2011 Fly-in and Fundraiser. Flying at Buffalo , Pan-orama, Heavener and Little Yancy. Come enjoy the beauty of the Ouachita Mountains, local fireworks, and small town hospitality. $50 includes barbecue dinner, a limited edition t-shirt (if pre-registering with size before June 15), unlimited camping on launch or LZ at Buffalo, and all the fun flying you can stand for the length of your stay. Nearby RV parks and limited hotel space available. More info: Dave Ryhal at 918-271-8274, or [email protected].
July 4 Lakeview, OR.The Umpteenth Annu-al Festival of Free Flight will be held on the 4th of July weekend. In addition to the Sugar Hill air race and spot landing competitions, this year registered USHPA pilots will have the thrill of choosing a doll for the new "Barbie Drop." The Pilots party will be held at the Feeley's and fireworks will light up the sky to close out this fun family fly-in. This is a fun time for both hang glider and paraglider pilots, along with their family, friends and pets. For info contact Caro at 541-947-6040.
July 27-30 Dillon, MT HG-PG Open XC. Choose a side for a 100 mile glide. More Information: Gregg Brauch, 406-253-7078.
auGusT 13-21 King Mountain, Idaho. Glider Park Safari. Annual Idaho event just east of Sun Valley. Hang Gliders, Paragliders, Sailplanes, and Self Launching Sailplanes are all welcome. Awe-some glass off and cloud bases at 17’999. Fly to Montana or Yellowstone. Campfire, Potlucks, Star Gazing, Hiking, Mountain Biking and Fishing. Free camping at the Glider Park. Call John at 208-407-7174. Go to www.kingmountaingliderpark.com for directions and more info. See the pictures from pri-or Safaris in our gallery.
C A L E N D A R & C L A S S I F I E DDISPATCH
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 69
auGusT 27-28 Pine Mountain, OR Come enjoy free flying, BBQ and your fellow pilots. Free camp-ing, reliable conditions and league competition once again run by Jeff Huey. This years Raffle will also include an on-line auction! Pine Mt. is located 25 miles East of Bend Oregon. For more informa-tion go to www.desertairriders.org or contact Lisa Darsonval at [email protected] or 541-312-8359.
CLINICS & TOURS
may-ocTober Michigan. Dragon Fly Soaring Club, Cloud 9 Field. Free basic, advanced, tandem instructor training. Full-time instructor training cen-ter, your schedule. Free instructor training! Normal DFSC flying/rental costs apply. See Hang Glide Uni-versity info at http://dfscinc.org.
July 1-4 Richfield, UT. Paragliding Pre-Nation-als xc and competition clinic. More information: Ken Hudonjorgensen at [email protected], or 801-572-3414
July 3 Lookout Mountain, GA. LMFP Tow Pa-villion Aerotow Safety. Clinic on aerotow equipment and how to use it, and aerotow techniques. Taught by Matt Taber and Gordon Cayce. Meet at the tow pavilion. More information: Lookout Mountain Flight Park, 706-398-3541, or [email protected].
July 10 Lookout Mountain, GA. Clubhouse Basic XC Knowledge. How to run away from home. Taught by Claire Vassort. Meet at the clubhouse. More in-formation: Lookout Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541, or [email protected]
July 17 Lookout Mountain, GA. LMFP Sew Shop Parachute Clinic. Your safety system, its compo-nents and how to use them. Practice deployments. DOES NOT teach how to repack chutes. Limited to 10 participants. Taught by Jen Richards. Meet at the Sew Shop. Bring your harness and helmet. Call to register. More information: Lookout Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541, or [email protected].
July 24 Lookout Mountain, GA. LMFP Launch Launching and Beginning Soaring. Clinic on launching, assisted windy cliff launches, and begin-ning soaring. Taught by Dan Zink. Meet at launch. More information: Lookout Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541, or [email protected].
July 31 Lookout Mountain, GA; Clubhouse Air-space Clinic. Sectionals and flight planning. Taught by Terry Pressley. Meat at the clubhouse. More in-formation: Lookout Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541, or [email protected].
auGusT 4-9 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clin-ics in Northern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com , or call 805.968.0980 for more information.
auGusT 7 Lookout Mountain, GA; LMFP Pro Shop Competition Clinic. What to expect. How to prepare for your first competition. Having the right attitude. How to be a good representative for the sport. Taught by Eric Donaldson. More information: Lookout Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541, [email protected].
auGusT 14 Lookout Mountain, GA; Clubhouse Landing Clinic. Landings and Restricted Landing Fields. Taught by Dan Zink. Meet at the clubhouse. More information: Lookout Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541, or [email protected].
auGusT 21 Lookout Mountain, GA; LMFP Tow Pavilion Aerotow Safety. Clinic on aerotow equip-ment, how to use it, and aerotow techniques. Taught by Matt Taber and Gordon Cayce. Meet at the tow pavilion. More information: Lookout Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541, or [email protected].
auGusT 28 Lookout Mountain, GA; LMFP Sew Shop Parachute Clinic. Your safety system, its com-ponents and how to use them. Practice deploy-ments. DOES NOT teach how to repack chutes. Limited to 10 participants. Taught by Jen Rich-ards. Meet at the sew shop. Bring your harness and helmet. Call to register. More information: Look-out Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541, or [email protected].
sepTember 4 Lookout Mountain, GA; LMFP Launch Weather: Predictions and Conditions. Taught by Dean Funk. Meet at launch. More infor-mation: Lookout Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541, or [email protected].
sepTember 11 Lookout Mountain, GA; Club-house Aerodynamics. How aerodynamics apply to launching, thermal turns approaches and good landings. Taught by JC. Meet at the clubhouse. More information: Lookout Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541, [email protected].
sepTember 16-26 Italy. Join us for Eagle Para-gliding’s Italian Dolomites SIV and XC Tour. This tour starts with a three day SIV clinic at Lago de Garda in Italy. We travel to the Dolomites and other flying sites in Italy flying XC routes. Your tour guides will be Rob Sporrer and Brad Gunnuscio. More informa-tion: www.paragliding.com, or 805-968-0980.
sepTember 18 Lookout Mountain, GA; LMFP Launch Launching and Beginning Soaring. Clinic on launching, assisted windy cliff launches, and begin-ning soaring. Taught by Dan Zink. Meet at launch. More Information: Lookout Mountain Flight Park 706-398-3541 or [email protected].
sepTember 24-25 Utah. Mountain Flying and learning how to pioneer a new site in Utah with Ken Hudonjorgensen. More information: 801-572-3414, or [email protected], or www.twocanfly.com.
sepTember 29 - ocTober 4 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Northern California with Ea-gle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com , or call 805.968.0980 for more in-formation.
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Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero70
ocTober 14-16 Owens Valley, CA Location: Owens Valley CA Fly one of the best sites in the US with one of the best pilots in the world. Kari is a Bi-Wingwal pilot and a 3 time world champion with multiple national champion titles under both of her wings. Let Kari’s 29 years of flying and 22 years of living/flying the Owens Valley be your guide! A vari-ety of trips for all levels. Customize your adventure to fit your needs whether its a one on one or a group setting. Work on everything from take offs to land-ings, high altitude launches, dust devil awareness, reading the sky, how to map a thermal, goal setting and cross country. For more information call 760-920-0748 or [email protected].
ocTober 27-30 Owens Valley, CA Location: Owens Valley CA Fly one of the best sites in the US with one of the best pilots in the world. Kari is a Bi-Wingwal pilot and a 3 time world champion with multiple national champion titles under both of her wings. Let Kari’s 29 years of flying and 22 years of living/flying the Owens Valley be your guide! A vari-ety of trips for all levels. Customize your adventure to fit your needs whether its a one on one or a group setting. Work on everything from take offs to land-ings, high altitude launches, dust devil awareness, reading the sky, how to map a thermal, goal setting and cross country. For more information call 760-920-0748 or [email protected].
november 4-6 Santa Barbara, CA. Instructor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Para-gliding in Santa Barbara, California. This three-day clinic is open to basic and advanced Para-gliding Instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.
november 7-8 Santa Barbara, CA. Tandem Paragliding Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Para-gliding in Santa Barbara, California. Classroom and practical training at our world class training hill. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.
november 8-15 &/or 17-24 Iquique, Chile. Fly sites w/Ken Hudonjorgensen and local guides. A great trip to what many pilots consider to be the best place to fly in the world. More information: 801-572-3414, or [email protected], or www.twocanfly.com.
november 19 - December 5 Iquique, Chile- Where can you ride thermals everyday of the year? Only in Iquique! Soar endless sand ridges high above the Pacific Ocean until you are tired, thirsty, and hungry, then land on the beach next to our 4 star hotel! Your guides, Luis and Todd, have been Iquique competition champions multiple times and have pioneered many new sites and XC routes, in-cluding the longest flight in Chile! Join them on a paragliding trip of a lifetime where most pilots col-lect more airtime and pilot skills in one week than they normally would in an entire year! With over 16 years of guiding experience in Iquique, they guaran-tee you will fly everyday, or get money back! More details at: www.paraglidingtrips.com
november 26 - December 12 Peru and Iquique Fly Like a Turkey. Combine the essential with the up-and-coming on our integrated fly-&-travel adventure. Enjoy MTBing, Sandboarding, Ma-chu Picchu and 1gagillion hours of airtime. Con-tact Pete: 646-753-1040, [email protected], www.radventuretravels.com/peru-iquique.
FLEX wINGS
A GREAT SELECTION OF HG&PG GLIDERS (ss, ds, pg) -HARNESSES (trainer, cocoon, pod) -PARA-CHUTES (hg&pg) -WHEELS (new & used). Phone for latest inventory 262-473-8800, www.hangglid-ing.com
DREAm 222, HPAT 158, NOVA 190, 4 HARNESS-ES, 2 helmets, 1 parachute, Flytec vario, many misc accessories. All $2500, or part out. Contact: [email protected], or 503-728-1322
PARAGLIDERS
2008 GRADIENT GOLDEN II Paraglider, (blue/grey), backpack-harness (red/black) with reserve chute for $2400.00, or best offer. Less than 20 hours of flight time/UV exposure. Contact Matt, at [email protected] for more information
SCHOOLS & DEALERS
ALABAMA
LOOKOUT mOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - The best facilities, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more. Wide range of accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543, hanglide.com.
CALIFORNIA
AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING - Year-round excellent instruction, Southern California & Baja. Powered paragliding, clinics, tours, tandem, towing. Ken Baier 760-753-2664, airjunkies.com.
EAGLE PARAGLIDING - SANTA BARBARA offers the best year round flying in the nation. Award-winning instruction, excellent mountain and ridge sites. www.flysantabarbara.com, 805-968-0980
FLY ABOVE ALL - Year-round instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara! USHPA Novice through Advanced certification. Thermaling to competition training. Visit www.flyaboveall.com 805-965-3733.
FLY AWAY HANG GLIDING - Santa Barbara. Best hill/equipment, glider shuttles up hill, tandems, sales, service, 20 years experience, Instructor Administrator Tammy Burcar. 805-403-8487, www.flyawayhanggliding.com.
THE HANG GLIDING CENTER - PO Box 151542, San Diego CA 92175, 619-265-5320.
ocTober 1-3 Owens Valley, CA Location: Ow-ens Valley CA Fly one of the best sites in the US with one of the best pilots in the world. Kari is a Bi-Wing-wal pilot and a 3 time world champion with multiple national champion titles under both of her wings. Let Kari’s 29 years of flying and 22 years of living/flying the Owens Valley be your guide! A variety of trips for all levels. Customize your adventure to fit your needs whether its a one on one or a group set-ting. Work on everything from take offs to landings, high altitude launches, dust devil awareness, read-ing the sky, how to map a thermal, goal setting and cross country. For more information call 760-920-0748 or [email protected].
ocTober 7-9 Owens Valley, CA. Thermal and Cross Country Clinic with Eagle Paragliding. Many pilots are sure to get personal bests. View photos and videos from our last clinic at www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.
ocTober 7-10 Owens Valley, CA Location: Ow-ens Valley CA Fly one of the best sites in the US with one of the best pilots in the world. Kari is a Bi-Wing-wal pilot and a 3 time world champion with multiple national champion titles under both of her wings. Let Kari’s 29 years of flying and 22 years of living/flying the Owens Valley be your guide! A variety of trips for all levels. Customize your adventure to fit your needs whether its a one on one or a group set-ting. Work on everything from take offs to landings, high altitude launches, dust devil awareness, read-ing the sky, how to map a thermal, goal setting and cross country. For more information call 760-920-0748 or [email protected].
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 71
mISSION SOARING CENTER LLC - Largest hang gliding center in the West! Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment: Wills Wing, Moyes, AIR, High Energy, Flytec, Aeros, Northwing, Hero wide angle video camera. A.I.R. Atos rigid wings- demo the VQ-45' span, 85 Lbs! Parts in stock. We stock new and used equipment. Trade-ins welcome. Complete lesson program. Best training park in the west, located just south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Pitman Hydraulic Winch System for Hang 1s and above. Launch and landing clinics for Hang 3s and Hang 4s. Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and custom training harnesses. 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035. 408-262-1055, Fax 408-262-1388, [email protected], Mission Soaring Center LLC, leading the way since 1973. www.hang-gliding.com
TORREY PINES GLIDERPORT - This historic site, established in 1928, offers all of the services you need. We provide USHPA certified instruction, advanced training, equipment sales, tandem flight instruction, paramotor instruction, SIV clinics, cross country clinics, tandem instructor clinics, paragliding instructor clinics, and a fully staffed cafe. We also have an extensive glider sport shop offering parachute repacks and full-service repairs. We are importers for Paratech, Ozone, Skywalk, Independence gliders and are dealers for all brands! We also carry an extensive certified used inventory of gliders and harnesses. We are the primary Ki2Fly dealer, and also carry AustriAlpin, Crispi, Black Hawk Paramotors, and too much more to list! Check us out online at: www.flytorrey.com, or give us a ring at 1-858-452-9858.
WINDSPORTS - Don’t risk bad weather, bad instruction 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 Dockweiler 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
GUNNISON GLIDERS – X-C to heavy waterproof HG gliderbags. Accessories, parts, service, sewing. Instruction ratings, site-info. Rusty Whitley 1549 CR 17, Gunnison CO 81230. 970-641-9315.
FLORIDA
FLORIDA RIDGE AEROTOW PARK - 18265 E State Road 80, Clewiston, Florida 863-805-0440, www.thefloridaridge.com.
GRAYBIRD AIRSPORTS — Paraglider & hang glider 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 accommodations. 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.miamihanggliding.com.
QUEST AIR HANG GLIDING - We offer the best instruction, friendliest staff, beautiful grounds with swimming pool, private lake and clubhouse, lodging, plus soaring in our super-famous, soft, Sunshine State thermals. Come fly with us! 352- 429- 0213, Groveland, FL, www.questairhanggliding.com
WALLABY RANCH – The original Aerotow flight park. Best tandem instruction worldwide,7-days a week , 6 tugs, and equipment rental. Call:1-800-WALLABY wallaby.com 1805 Deen Still Road, Disney Area FL 33897
GEORGIA
LOOKOUT mOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Discover why 5 times as many pilots earn their wings at LMFP. Enjoy our 110 acre mountain resort. www.hanglide.com, 1-877-HANGLIDE, 1-877-426-4543.
HAwAII
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
MARYLAND
HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS - Baltimore and DC’s full-time flight park: tandem instruction, solo aerotows and equipment sales and service. We carry Aeros, Airwave, Flight Design, Moyes, Wills Wing, High Energy Sports, Flytec and more. Two 115-HP Dragonfly tugs. Open fields as far as you can see. Only 1 to 1.5 hours from Rehoboth Beach, Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia. Come Fly with US! 410-634-2700, Fax 410-634-2775, 24038 Race Track Rd, Ridgely, MD 21660, www.aerosports.net, [email protected].
PARAGLIDE TANDEm – Spring, summer, fall, paragliding instruction in the MD, VA, WV area. Beginner through T-3 training. World-wide tours. Contact Peter 304-596-7442 or [email protected]
MICHIGAN
CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION (hang gliding equipment), North American Soaring (Alatus ultralight sailplane and e-drive systems), Dragon Fly Soaring Club (hang gliding instruction), at Cloud 9 Field, Webberville, MI.More info: (517) 223-8683, [email protected], www.DFSCinc.org.
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 major 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.mosquitoamerica.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. Contact 845-647-3377, [email protected], www.mtnwings.com,
FLY HIGH, INC. - Serving New York, Jersey, and Connecticut areas. Area’s exclusive Wills Wing dealer. Also all other brands, accessories. Area’s most INEXPENSIVE prices! Certified instruction/service since 1979. Excellent secondary instruction! Taken some lessons? Advance to mountain flying! www.flyhighhg.com, 845-744-3317.
LET'S GO PARAGLIDING LLC - Paragliding flight school offering USHPA-certified instruction for all levels, tandem lessons, tours, and equipment sales. www.letsgoparagliding.com, 917-359-6449.
SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK Cooperstown, New York. Serving the North East since 1978. We have the best training hill in New York. Dealers for Wills Wing, and others. Trade-ins welcom. www.cooperstownhanggliding.com, 315-867-8011
STAINLESS STEEL! $10www.ushpa.aero/store
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero72
NORTH CAROLINA
KITTY HAWK KITES - FREE Hang 1 training with purchase 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 instruction, 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].
TENNESSEE
LOOKOUT mOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Just outside Chattanooga. Become a complete pilot -foot launch, aerotow, mountain launch, ridge soar, thermal soar. hanglide.com, 1-877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543.
TEXAS
FLYTExAS / JEFF HUNT - training pilots in Central Texas for 25 years. Hangar facilities near Packsaddle Mountain, and Lake LBJ. More info: www.flytexas.com, (512)467-2529
UTAH
CLOUD 9 PARAGLIDING - Come visit us and check out our huge selection of paragliding gear, traction kites, extreme toys, and any other fun things you can think of. If you aren’t near the Point of the Mountain, then head to http://www.paragliders.com for a full list of products and services. We are Utah’s only full time shop and repair facility, Give us a ring at 801-576-6460 if you have any questions.
SUPER FLY PARAGLIDING – Come to world famous Point of the Mountain and learn to fly from one of our distinguished instructors. We teach year round and offer some of the best paragliding equipment available. Get your P2 certification, advanced ratings or tandem ratings here. We have a full shop to assist you with any of your free flight needs. 801-255-9595, [email protected] , www.superflyinc.com.
WINGS OVER WASATCH HANG GLIDING - Salt Lake / region 4 area. Certified HANG GLIDING instruction, sales, service. World class training hill! Tours of Utah’s awesome mountains for visiting pilots. DISCOUNT glider/equipment prices. Glider rentals. Tandem flights. Ryan Voight, 801-599-2555, www.wingsoverwasatch.com.
VIRGINIA
BLUE SKY - Full-time HG instruction. Daily lessons, scooter, and platform towing. AT towing part time. Custom sewing, powered harnesses, Aeros PG , Flylight and Airborne trikes. More info: (804)241-4324, or www.blueskyhg.com
PARAGLIDE TANDEm – Spring, summer, fall, paragliding instruction in the MD, VA, WV area. Beginner through T-3 training. World-wide tours. Contact Peter 304-596-7442 or [email protected]
wASHINGTON
AERIAL PARAGLIDING SCHOOL AND FLIGHT PARK - Award winning instructors at a world class training facility. Contact Doug Stroop at 509-782-5543 or visit www.paragliding.us
wEST VIRGINIA
PARAGLIDE TANDEm – Spring, summer, fall, paragliding instruction in the MD, VA, WV area. Beginner through T-3 training. World-wide tours. Contact Peter 304-596-7442 or [email protected]
INTERNATIONAL
BAJA mExICO - La Salina: PG, HG, PPG www.FLYLASALINA.com. by www.BAJABRENT.com, He’ll hook you up! site intros, tours, & rooms [email protected], 760-203-2658
COSTA RICA - Grampa Ninja's Paragliders' B&B. Rooms, and/or guide service and transportation. Lessons available from USHPA certified instructors. USA: 908-454-3242. Costa Rica: (Country code, 011) House: 506-2664-6833, Cell: 506-8950-8676, www.paraglidecostarica.com
mExICO - VALLE DE BRAVO and beyond for hang gliding and paragliding. Year round availability and special tours. Gear, guiding, instruction, transportation, lodging - all varieties for your needs. www.flymexico.com 1-800-861-7198 USA
PARTS & ACCESSORIES
FOR ALL YOUR FLYING NEEDS - Check out the Aviation 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 paragliding units with training from Hill Country Paragliding Inc. www.hillcountryparagliding.com 1-800-664-1160 for orders only. Office 325-379-1567.
GUNNISON GLIDERS - X-C, Factory, heavy PVC HG gliderbags. Harness packs & zippers. New/used parts, equipment, tubes. 1549 CR 17 Gunnison, CO 81230 970-641-9315
HALL WIND mETER – Simple. Reliable. Accurate. Mounting brackets, control-bar wheels. Hall Brothers, PO Box 1010, Morgan, Utah 84050. (801) 829-3232, www.hallwindmeter.com.
OxYGEN SYSTEmS – MH-XCR-180 operates to 18,000 ft., weighs only 4 lbs. System includes cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula, and remote on/off flowmeter. $450.00. 1-800-468-8185
SPECIALTY WHEELS for airfoil basetubes, round basetubes, or tandem landing gear.(262)473-8800, www.hanggliding.com.
PUBLICATIONS / ORGANIZATIONS
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.
SERVICE
CLOUD 9 REPAIR DEPARTmENT - We staff and maintain a full service repair shop within Cloud 9 Paragliding; offering annual inspections, line replacement, sail repair of any kind (kites too!), harness repairs and reserve repacks. Our repair technicians are factory trained and certified to work on almost any paraglider or kite. Call today for an estimate 801-576-6460 or visit www.paragliders.com for more information.
GET YOUR ANNUAL INSPECTION, repair or reserve repack done quickly and professionally. Super Fly does more inspections, repairs and repacks than any service center in North America. Call or email for details and more information. 801-255-9595, [email protected].
RISING AIR GLIDER REPAIR SERVICES – A full-service shop, specializing in all types of paragliding repairs, annual inspections, reserve repacks, harness repairs. Hang gliding reserve repacks and repair. For information or repair estimate, call (208) 554-2243, pricing and service request form available at www.risingair.biz, [email protected].
TOwING
1984 18FT 9IN CORRECTCRAFT ski nautique 2001 with trailer. set up with elec wench and take off platform for boat tow hang gliding. Contact: 269-979-4356, 269-965-7092, [email protected], or 269-963-1221
wANTED
WANTED - Used variometers, harnesses, parachutes, helmets, etc. Trade or cash. (262) 473-8800, www.hanggliding.com.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 73
Big Spring Hang Gliding Nationals � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15
Escape Paragliders � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 57
Flytec - Blueeyes � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 69
Flytec - 6020 � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 69
Flytec � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 80
Foundation for Free Flight � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 25
Kitty Hawk Kites � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 23
Lonestar Paragliding Nationals � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 33
Lookout Mountain � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 69
North Wing� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �11
Ozone Paragliders � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2
Parasupply � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 70
Soaring Society of America � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 73
Sport Aviation Publications � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 24
Superfly � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 79
Thermal Tracker Paragliding � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 55
Torrey Pines � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 43
Traverse City HG & PG � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12
Wills Wing � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5
USHPA | Visa � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 13
ADVERTISERS
Crossword by Myles Mellor
H A N G P O I N T L E G
A R C N I O P
R O P E A T L O O P S
N M Z E T O P O
E X L E A R N H U P
S N O T E R R
S I N K I N G O U T E
E T N M F F
W E A T H E R B O I L
A R I B L G I
T R I B A T E S V G
E N A D S H H
R O G A L L O L I F T
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero74
M A R C H | 2 0 1 1 RATINGSHANG GLIDING
PARAGLIDINGRTNG REGN NAmE CITY STATE RATING OFFICIAL
RTNG REGN NAmE CITY STATE RATING OFFICIAL
P-1 1 James Szubski Vancouver WA Kelly KellarP-1 1 Thomas Fredericks Anchorage AK Frank SihlerP-1 1 Allen Hansen Anchorage AK Jake SchlapferP-1 2 Kevin Dutt Brentwood CA Klaus SchlueterP-1 2 Mami Noguchi Berkeley CA Klaus SchlueterP-1 2 Lori Smith Bayside CA Norman ThompsonP-1 2 Thomas Mcmahon Henderson NV Bruce KirkP-1 3 Mark Jacobsen San Diego CA Bradley GearyP-1 3 Matthew Prudente La Jolla CA Bradley GearyP-1 3 William Smith Moreno Valley CA Jonie MillhouseP-1 3 Logan Walters Carpinteria CA Tyler SporrerP-1 3 Juan Silva San Diego CA Max MarienP-1 3 Marcus Meyer Mission Viejo CA Max MarienP-1 3 Kevin Johnson Long Beach CA Robert PeloquinP-1 4 Matthew Lewis West Jordan UT Patrick JohnsonP-1 4 Craig Davis Tempe AZ Chandler Papas
P-1 4 Matt Gold Draper UT Stephen MayerP-1 4 Daniel Lay Richfield UT Stacy WhitmoreP-1 4 Peta Sheridan Denver CO Stephen MayerP-1 4 Mark Buccambuso St George UT Stacy WhitmoreP-1 4 Jason Ely Denver CO Stephen MayerP-1 4 Ed Nelson Saratoga Springs UT Patrick JohnsonP-1 4 Jeff Ambrose Salt Lake City UT Jonathan JefferiesP-1 5 Jeremy Grimes Pocatello ID Stephen MayerP-1 5 Lawrence Bush Laramie WY Granger BanksP-1 7 Michael Radtke Chanhassen MN Steve SirrineP-1 9 Dimitar Koparov Arlington VA Hugh McelrathP-1 9 R John Dawes Washington DC Mike SteenP-1 9 Nicholas Reiter West Decatur PA Mike SteenP-1 10 Rex Allen Stump Mooresville NC Luis RosenkjerP-1 10 Kim Stump Mooresville NC Luis RosenkjerP-1 10 Alan De Florio Greer SC Luis RosenkjerP-1 10 Alex De Florio Greer SC Luis RosenkjerP-1 12 Dansi Qian Brooklyn NY Benoit BruneauP-1 12 Eugene Gleason Hoboken NJ Terry BonoP-1 12 Julian Yap New York NY Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 13 Yuichi Maeno Yokohama, Kanagawa Pete MichelmoreP-1 13 James Lynch Sao Paulo, Sp Chad BastianP-2 1 Thomas Fredericks Anchorage AK Frank SihlerP-2 1 Allen Hansen Anchorage AK Jake SchlapferP-2 2 Kevin Dutt Brentwood CA Klaus SchlueterP-2 2 Thomas Mcmahon Henderson NV Bruce KirkP-2 3 Mark Jacobsen San Diego CA Bradley GearyP-2 3 Michael Mclucas Wailuku HI David (dexter) BinderP-2 3 Casey Kringlen Los Angeles CA Jonathan LeggP-2 3 William Smith Moreno Valley CA Jonie MillhouseP-2 3 Logan Walters Carpinteria CA Tyler SporrerP-2 3 Juan Silva San Diego CA Max MarienP-2 3 Kevin Johnson Long Beach CA Robert PeloquinP-2 4 Matthew Lewis West Jordan UT Patrick JohnsonP-2 4 Matt Gold Draper UT Stephen MayerP-2 4 Daniel Lay Richfield UT Stacy WhitmoreP-2 4 Peta Sheridan Denver CO Stephen MayerP-2 4 Mark Buccambuso St George UT Stacy WhitmoreP-2 4 Jason Ely Denver CO Stephen MayerP-2 4 Ed Nelson Saratoga Springs UT Patrick JohnsonP-2 4 Jeff Ambrose Salt Lake City UT Jonathan JefferiesP-2 5 Jeremy Grimes Pocatello ID Stephen MayerP-2 7 Michael Radtke Chanhassen MN Steve SirrineP-2 9 Dimitar Koparov Arlington VA Hugh McelrathP-2 9 R John Dawes Washington DC Mike SteenP-2 9 Nicholas Reiter West Decatur PA Mike SteenP-2 10 Rex Allen Stump Mooresville NC Luis RosenkjerP-2 12 Dansi Qian Brooklyn NY Benoit BruneauP-2 12 Eugene Gleason Hoboken NJ Terry BonoP-2 13 Yuichi Maeno Yokohama, Kanagawa Pete MichelmoreP-2 13 James Lynch Sao Paulo, Sp Chad BastianP-3 1 Paul Garnet Kasilof AK Jake SchlapferP-3 1 Ken Blanchard Renton WA Lan ChiricoP-3 2 Chris Mckeage Sutter Creek CA Mike FifieldP-3 2 Bruce Hachtmann San Martin CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-3 3 John Mallard Hauula HI Pete MichelmoreP-3 3 Laurie Phillips La Jolla CA Robin MarienP-3 3 Juan Silva San Diego CA Max MarienP-3 4 Brendan Wills Avon CO David ChampaignP-3 4 Matt Gold Draper UT Stephen MayerP-3 9 Dimitar Koparov Arlington VA Hugh McelrathP-3 10 Victor Leshtaev Roswell GA Luis RosenkjerP-4 2 Daniel Barcay San Francisco CA Chad BastianP-4 3 David Bader Carpinteria CA Rob SporrerP-4 13 Sergio Da Silva Toronto, Ont Paul Voight
RTNG REGN NAmE CITY STATE RATING OFFICIAL
H-1 1 Ken Feigion Vancouver WA John MatylonekH-1 1 Justin Hager Grants Pass OR James TibbsH-1 2 Daniel Brekke El Dorado Hills CA Tammy BurcarH-1 2 Christopher Kroeze Del Rey Oaks CA David YountH-1 2 Jonathan Goodwin Pinole CA Patrick DenevanH-1 3 Michael Eshaghian Beverly Hills CA Greg DewolfH-1 3 Lin Odriscoll Los Angeles CA Greg DewolfH-1 3 Philipp Bell Santa Barbara CA Tammy BurcarH-1 4 John Turner Prescott AZ Zac MajorsH-1 7 Daniel Lange Westfield WI Daniel ZinkH-1 7 Paul Adds Chicago IL Gordon CayceH-1 7 Perry Volden Sioux Falls SD Daniel ZinkH-1 9 Mark Mears Miamisburg OH Daniel ZinkH-1 9 Tom Mcginnis Churchville MD Daniel ZinkH-1 10 Gregory Kress Sharpsburg GA Gordon CayceH-2 1 Ken Feigion Vancouver WA John MatylonekH-2 2 Joseph Villaflor Daly City CA John SimpsonH-2 2 Karen Yung Berkeley CA Kurtis CarterH-2 3 Benjamin Oberman Valley Village CA Greg DewolfH-2 3 Alexander Williams Redlands CA Kurtis CarterH-2 3 Michael Soultanian Long Beach CA Greg DewolfH-2 3 Philipp Bell Santa Barbara CA Tammy BurcarH-2 4 John Turner Prescott AZ Zac MajorsH-2 7 Daniel Lange Westfield WI Daniel ZinkH-2 7 Paul Adds Chicago IL Gordon CayceH-2 7 Perry Volden Sioux Falls SD Daniel ZinkH-2 9 Alexander Kittle Arlington VA Jon ThompsonH-2 9 Mark Mears Miamisburg OH Daniel ZinkH-2 9 Tom Mcginnis Churchville MD Daniel ZinkH-2 10 Gregory Kress Sharpsburg GA Gordon CayceH-3 1 Rebekah Keene Bellingham WA John HeineyH-3 2 Bob Shelton Milpitas CA Eves Tall ChiefH-3 2 Zach Hazen Mountain View CA Harold JohnsonH-3 3 Philipp Bell Santa Barbara CA Tammy BurcarH-3 4 Russell Obrien Sandy UT Rob MckenzieH-3 4 John Jaugilas Aurora CO Mark WindsheimerH-3 10 Steven Sims Acworth GA Gordon CayceH-3 10 Dustin Blewett Signal Mtn TN Gordon CayceH-3 11 Deirdre Gurry San Antonio TX Joel FroehlichH-4 3 Chris Van Velden Huntington Beach CA Rob MckenzieH-4 3 Philipp Bell Santa Barbara CA Tammy BurcarH-4 10 Kinsley Sykes Alpharetta GA Gordon CayceH-4 10 Donald Guynn Raleigh NC Paul TjadenH-5 8 Tom Lanning Littleton MA
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 75Anthony Green getting aggressive with the brakes | photo by Anthony Green
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero76
1971 - 1973 Low & Slow1972 - 1976 Ground Skimmer1976 - 2003 Hang Gliding1993 - 2003 Paragliding2003 - 2008 Hang Gliding & Paragliding
CompleteMAGAZINE
COLLECTION
1971-2008
You hold the history of our sport, from the earliest days of bamboo and plastic to the present. Within these pages you’ll fi nd the evolution
of foot-launched fl ight from the fi rst days of bamboo dune-skimmers to the modern variety of hang gliders, paragliders and rigid wings. Each PDF fi 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 imperfections are present in the original source magazines, some of which were the only known copies remaining.
MA
GA
ZIN
E C
OL
LE
CT
ION
19
71-
20
08
Future issues will be available on an update disk. Compilation copyright. 1974-2008, US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association. All rights reserved. Other material republished by permission of copyright holders. Please don’t dupli-cate or reproduce this work without permission. For limited reprint permission (club newsletters, etc.) contact the USHPA offi ce at 1-800-616-6888 or E-mail: [email protected] Pages scanned and indexed by Scandoc, Inc. of Aracata, CA. www.scandoc.com. Cover design by Gregory Gillam, [email protected].
Each disk includes Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 7 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux systems.
1972 - 1976 Ground Skimmer
2003 - 2008 Hang Gliding & Paragliding
1971-20081971-20081971-2008
FLEECE JACKET | $35.00 - 45.00
DENIM BRUISER | $30.00
HG & PG MAGAZINE ARCHIVES ON DVD | $30.00 FLYING RAGS FOR GLORY | $47.95
FLEECE VEST | $35.00
NEW! CAPS | $18
So you just made 10K
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sites have opened and closed.
Get to know the old school.
Recently updated to 2008.
Big Blue Sky is a feature length documentary about hang
gliding, the first extreme sport, and how it started. Big
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The A to Z of Competition
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PUBLICATIONS
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THE ART OF PARAGLIDING | $34.95 !
Excellent illustrations and a
companion DVD make this
paragliding tome a must-
have in any pilot's library.
As an introduction or a
refresher reference you'll
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topics. A must have–period.
Thermal Flying is a compre-
hensive guide to the art of
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knowledge you need to make
the most of each flying day.
It's here! The latest edition
has cool extras including
athlete profiles and a Team
Camera featurette. You
can't live without this DVD.
This DVD features great footage
of soaring flight over the rolling
hills of Washington. Dixon White
talks you through climbing and
taking that first cross country
leap. An excellent refresher or
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Americans Nate Scales and
Honza Rejmanek tested
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edition of the Alpine torture
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Epic flights. Monster hikes.
Determination. Inspiration.
Dixon White left a powerful
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weather seriously, you'll
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Join Jocky Sanderson
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thermal smarter, have more
fun and sample French
wingovers. "Light in zee
seat, heavy in zee brake..."
This thorough guide by Dennis
Pagen is a must have for any
paraglider's library. Get started,
keep flying, or go back and
review. An excellent reference.
B O O K S | F I L M S | A P P A R E L Call 1-800-616-6888 or order online at www.USHPA.aero/store
Reduced shipping chaRges when oRdeRing online!
BROKEN TOE ACRO DVD | $44.95
Join Enleau O'Connor and
friends as they examine the
ins and outs of SIV and acro.
Get out your airsick bag and
call the attendant because
you're in for a ride. A full 2
hours and 20 minutes!
Circles78 |
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero78
by Steve Messman
I’ve been thinking a lot about circles, lately. Not the ordinary kinds that you can trace around dinner plates or the common ones that often form as icy rings around the sun or moon. No. I’ve been thinking about magical circles. These usually take form from nothing and occur about as fre-quently as a congregation of wood fairies. They encompass powerful magic sufficient to gather crowds, bind friendships, and they might even result in hours of pure, silent, bird-like flight.
I believe, in fact, that it must have been magical circles that first summoned mankind’s dreams of flight. How many people before the Wright brothers, how many before Leonardo sat on grassy hill-sides and stared for hours at the birds that circled above? How many harbored jeal-ousy at the mere sight of a pair of eagles cavorting in the most graceful of circles? How many spent days and nights dream-ing that they too would one day circle with those majestic kings of the air? How many held the mystical feather of a hawk in their fingers and wondered at its magic? And when they dropped that feather, how many smiled as it floated to the earth in its own series of lazy circles? How many before those scientists and adventurers whispered to themselves “I can do that.”?
And, thanks to those who dared to dream, now we actually can do that, and so we do. We are pilots, and now we, too, turn in those same magical circles as birds. I like to believe that we do it with the same intent. With the same thrill. With the same question. What will the next circle bring?
I also believe that people actually need magical circles in order to be whole. A recent weekend fly-in provided ample evi-dence. Magical circles formed as soon as pilots and guests began to arrive. Vehicles were parked in circles. Tents popped up in small circles. A small campfire was lit, and that immediately generated a circle of old friends and new acquaintances. A bonfire was lit, and that caused the formation of an even larger circle of pilots and family members. Then a dozen or more satellite circles formed: smaller circles comprised of two people, or three, or four that revolved around the larger circle. Conversations happened everywhere, about every pos-sible topic. You could hear their sounds, the hums of a dozen circles and twice that many conversations weaving threads from person to person, circle to circle, eventu-ally making the entire trip around the bonfire, and always, in some special way, connecting every one of us to each other.
The magic of circles, and the need for them, became even more obvious as the
weekend progressed. Early morning saw people huddled in tight circles around coffee pots and warming campfires. Later, we all circled around for the morning pilot briefing. We drove up the mountain, and at the top we found the circular patterns of launch areas. Before long, the first glid-ers were turning magical circles that, for many, resulted in flights directly to the clouds and beyond. Gliders of all kinds and colors circled together, wing tip to wing tip in a magical, circular ballet as perfect as the workings of a mechanical clock, the perfection of circles turning inside of circles.
But still, one of the greatest aspects of pilots that I have discovered is that their circles are never closed. We train, in fact, to move from circle to circle. In the air, we move, if done correctly, into another’s circle with elegance and grace. The result is a beautiful areal dance of fluid motion. On the ground, as can be easily seen around any campfire, it is obvious that our circles are never closed. All people, be they strangers or friends, move in and out of our circles with comfort and ease. The result is always a beautiful, earth-bound dance of relaxed and friendly conversa-tions. A hundred people, often less, often more, some pilots, some not. A hundred conversations between friends. Circles. Magical circles.
Green brothers over Fujian, China | photo by Anthony Green
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