hang gliding & paragliding vol45/iss07 jul2015

JULY 2015 Volume 45 Issue 7 $6.95

2 HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

http://flyozone.com

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 [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.

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COPYRIGHT Copyright (c) 2014 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.

Hang gliding and paragliding are INHERENTLY DANGEROUS activities. USHPA recommends pilots

complete a pilot training program under the direct supervision of a USHPA-certified instructor, using safe

equipment suitable for your level of experience. Many of the articles and photographs in the magazine

depict advanced maneuvers being performed by experienced, or expert, pilots. These maneuvers should

not be attempted without the prerequisite instruction and experience.

WARNINGABOVE Looking north at Hayden Pass and the Sangre de Cristos from cloudbase | photo by Jason Boehm.

http://flyozone.com

FLIGHT PLAN

HEADS UP

SAFETY FIRST

CENTERFOLD

RATINGS

CALENDAR

CLASSIFIED

THE 1

7

8

12

34

60

62

64

66

12 Between the Lines

Tangled up and blue? Here's what you do.

by Bill Bredehoft

14 Keep it Simple

Relying on instincts to manage risk.

by Chris Santacroce

18 Flow and Mental Performance

It's all in your mind.

by Patrick McGuinness

42 A Matter of Choice

Which class of wing?

by Nate Scales

54 Thinking Outside the Blocks

Part XVI: Expect the Unexpected

by Dennis Pagen

PHOTO BY LOREN COX Cade Palmer over Moab, Utah.

AdvAnce IotA: Easy PErformancEA High-Level EN B glider for ambitious cross-country pilots. Featuring an optimized, low-weight design, the XC-Intermediate IOTA is the most accommodating balance between performance and piloting ease. a

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I N F O @ s u p E r F Ly I N C.CO m

Super Fly is North America’s Largest Full-Service Paragliding Equipment and Services Provider Since 1998

MentoR 4: ThE nExT milEsTonE in ThE xc inTErmEdiaTE class

more technology, more know-how, revolutionary performance, refined handling and even better climb characteristics.

everything the ambitious cross-country pilot desires.

Two Guys Tearing up the skies Over the Pacific Northwest.

Flying far, flying often, giving back.

by C.J. Sturtevant 46

Inkler's Point

Introducing a (relatively) new site

in eastern Washington.

by Steve Baran 36

PERSPECTIVES

Two pilots who flew vol-biv across

the Sierra share their unique takes

on the epic adventure.

by Dave Turner & Eric McAuliffe 24JULVolume 45 ISSUE #7

2015

Martin Palmaz, Publisher

[email protected]

Nick Greece, Editor

[email protected]

Greg Gillam, Art Director

[email protected]

C.J. Sturtevant, Copy Editor

[email protected]

Kristjan Morgan, Advertising

[email protected]

Staff Writers

Christina Ammon

Dennis Pagen

C.J. Sturtevant

Ryan Voight

Staff Photographers

John Heiney

Jeff Shapiro ON THE COVER

http://superflyinc.com

PHOTO BY LOREN COX Cade Palmer over Moab, Utah.

AdvAnce IotA: Easy PErformancEA High-Level EN B glider for ambitious cross-country pilots. Featuring an optimized, low-weight design, the XC-Intermediate IOTA is the most accommodating balance between performance and piloting ease. a

801.255.9595w w w. s u p E r F Ly I N C . CO m

I N F O @ s u p E r F Ly I N C.CO m

Super Fly is North America’s Largest Full-Service Paragliding Equipment and Services Provider Since 1998

MentoR 4: ThE nExT milEsTonE in ThE xc inTErmEdiaTE class

more technology, more know-how, revolutionary performance, refined handling and even better climb characteristics.

everything the ambitious cross-country pilot desires.

http://superflyinc.com

7HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

By July we have reached the mid-point of the flying season in many places. By now the cobwebs are dusted off, new gear is dialed in, and the early jitters and stress of returning to the air have ebbed away. Now we are operating in the

sweet spot of comfort that arises when our flying abilities intersect with appropri-ate conditions to create satisfaction in every flight. A comfortable level of anxiety, different for each of us, keeps us tuned into the importance of environmental and mechanical aspects of flying.

In my opinion, we need this anxiety to successfully immerse ourselves in the art of free-flight. It keeps us sharp, or “frosty,” in the parlance of jet fighters, and, in turn, keeps us safe from the trap of complacency. And we must remind ourselves of a couple of factors that can derail this perfect level of anxiety and push us into a place that is neither fun, nor healthy: flying in conditions that are too strong or on equipment that is too advanced.

These two factors will easily tip our performance threshold scale to the level where one’s anxiety is not a benefit, but a weight which has the capability of cloud-ing one’s ability to successfully engineer one’s environment for success. Many factors—ranging from hunger, sleep deprivation, emotional insecurity, and lack of preparedness—can tip this scale. Being aware of these factors can work to our benefit, because if we know what aspects in our individual flying affect our perfor-mance, anxiety, and happiness in the air, we can take steps to participate in the sport only after we have checked off the appropriate boxes to engineer success.

For me, after 15 years of flying, this means making an honest assessment of all the conditions that contribute to my anxiety level and making sure I allow plenty of leeway for unexpected stressors. If I check in and fail to meet my personal require-ments for margins of error, I scale back to flying very basic flights, or do something different for the day. Keeping it simple is also keeping it amazing.

Over the next few months, as we continue to focus on risk management, you will see articles from experienced pilots who are getting even more joy out of their flying after having returned to simpler times in their flying careers, when they focused on flying in environments where fun, safety, and camaraderie were more important than complexity, numbers, competition, and records.

In this issue, Nate Scales and Chris Santacroce chime in on keeping it simple and stepping back in performance to move forward with a smile.

As a collective group of pilots, we can never do enough to focus on what will make us more successful in our endeavors. For each of us, certain factors are more important than others in our pursuit of satisfaction and success in hang gliding and paragliding.

So take the time on a non-flyable day to have an honest conversation with your inner pilot and determine where you need to focus to keep yourself ”frosty” through the decades of your flying career!

LEfT South-side slide | photo by Jeff O'Brien.

Martin Palmaz, Executive Director

[email protected]

Beth Van Eaton, Operations Manager

[email protected]

Ashley Miller, Membership Coordinator

[email protected]

Julie Spiegler, Program Manager

[email protected]

USHPA OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Rich Hass, President

[email protected]

Paul Murdoch, Vice President

[email protected]

Steve Rodrigues, Secretary

[email protected]

Mark Forbes, Treasurer

[email protected]

REGION 1: Rich Hass, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Jugdeep Aggarwal, Josh

Cohn, Jon James. REGION 3: Corey Caffrey, Pete Michelmore, Alan Crouse.

REGION 4: Bill Belcourt, Ken Grubbs. REGION 5: Josh Pierce. REGION 6:

Tiki Mashy. REGION 7: Paul Olson. REGION 8: Michael Holmes. REGION 9:

Felipe Amunategui, Larry Dennis. REGION 10: Bruce Weaver, Steve Kroop,

Matt Taber. REGION 11: Tiki Mashy. REGION 12: Paul Voight. DIRECTORS

AT LARGE: Ryan Voight, Paul Murdoch, Steve Rodrigues, Dennis Pagen,

Jamie Shelden. 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.

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.

FLIGHT PLA

N


NOVA MOUNTAINEERING HARNESSNOVA claims that their new harness, the

MONTIS, is lightweight and designed

by mountaineers for mountaineers,

featuring many highly practical detailed

solutions. Weighing only 320 g (340

g in size L), it offers a level of comfort

nearly unheard of in this type of harness.

The 60-litre INVERTO reversible airbag-

rucksack perfectly complements the

MONTIS. In only a few seconds it can be

transformed into an airbag, which

protects both the pilot’s back and poste-

rior. The MONTIS and INVERTO are avail-

able together in a set as the MONTIS+.

Nova states that this combination forms

a well thought-through hike-and-fly

package, with a comfortable harness, a

pleasant-to-carry and spacious rucksack

and an airbag protector. Total weight

of harness and airbag rucksack with

certification: 1.3 kg! More information

at https://www.nova.eu/en/harnesses/

montis/.

NOVA COMPRESSION BAGNOVA’s new Compression Bag

brings a real innovation to the para-

glider market. Inspired by the roll-top

bags used by white-water paddlers, it

is air- and watertight and weighs only

120 grams. Made from lightweight air-

and watertight polyamide fabric with

a silicone coating, and featuring taped

seams, the bag seals so well that the

innovative Tyroleans fitted a vent for

letting out the air when packing. The

Compression Bag allows super-small

packing and protects the paraglider

from rain, snow and body sweat.

The NOVA Compression Bag replac-

es the inner stuff sack. It has a volume

of about 35 liters, big enough for all

IBEX models, all sizes of SUSI Q, and the

MENTOR 3 light and ION 3 light up to

size XS. Available at NOVA paragliding

schools and at www.nova.eu/en/shop/.

MOYES GECKOMoyes announced the release of the new

“Sport Class” hang glider, the GECKO.

The GECKO is designed for the upcom-

ing and experienced recreational pilot.

Moyes claims it was originally designed

to bridge the gap between the Malibu

and the Litesport Class.

The GECKO utilises a 50/52mm

leading-edge construction with 62mm

cross bars—all in 7075 T6 aluminum alloy

tubing—like the Malibu. The result is a

glider that is very responsive to weight-

shift without compromising maximum

pos/neg load requirements for certifica-

tion.

The GECKO sports a new wing plan-

form, with its carbon outboard dive strut

retained inside the 70-90% double sur-

face. The wing is finished off with a radial

glasstip design, allowing short packing

dimensions for storage and transport.

The GECKO features a side-cable/luff-

line compensation system like its bigger

brother, the Litesport.

The GECKO is currently available in a

medium size of 14.4 m2 (155 sq. ft.), with

a span of 9.66m (31.7ft). The optimum

pilot weight lies between 72-77kg (160-

170lb), though the glider can be safely

flown by pilots ranging from 55kg-86kg

(120-190lb). The gliders’ flying speeds

range typically from a stall speed of

28kph (17 mph) to top speeds of +90kph

(+56 mph).


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2015 USHPA NATIONAL FLY-IN

Have you Heard about tHe NatioNal Fly-iN oN labor day weekeNd tHis year? Think for a minute about the best trip you’ve taken. Maybe it was just a fun

day trip, or perhaps you were part of a group that traveled somewhere to fly.

Recall how much you liked that experience… remember the laughs and smiles

and camaraderie… Now ask yourself: Were your feet on the ground or in the

air?

If you’re holding this magazine, it’s no secret: you LOVE flying. Me, too!

But one thing I’ve learned is that flying is more fun with friends. The more

friends, the more fun! So, in that spirit, the Southern New York Hang Glider

and Paraglider Pilots’ Association (SNYHGPA for short) is organizing a fly-in at

Ellenville Flight Park in Ellenville, NY.

Still not clear on what a National Fly-in consists of? At its most basic level,

it’s an excuse for a long weekend for you to become immersed in flying and

surrounded by other like-minded pilots. During the day, we will fly together,

and when everyone’s had his/her fill… it’ll be party time! The SNYHGPA club

will be organizing evening entertainment (music, BEEEEEER, etc).

We also plan to offer some light, informative, and entertaining discussion-

style clinics and some possible availability of dealer-demos. If the weather isn’t

exactly conducive to aviating, there will be “other” ways to have fun, so a great

time is literally guaranteed!

If you’re not familiar with the site in Ellenville, it’s a drive-up site that

includes a portion of short dirt road. Any decent-clearance car or truck can

handle it easily, no 4WD necessary. The launch is comprised of a large, grassy

set-up area, complete with cable lines to tie down gliders, if you so wish.

There are three different launches, facing west, northwest, and north. The LZ

is HUGE, with lush green grass (Western and Rocky Mountain pilots will be in

heaven). There is a campground with a BBQ pit and large fire ring in the LZ,

adjacent to a slow-flowing river that’s great for taking dips to beat the heat.

Ellenville is an H-3 and P-4 site normally, but proficient H-2s and P-2s can

fly with any observer or instructor watching over them; the level of supervision

required corresponds to the pilot’s skills and experience. H-2/P-2 conditions

are usually morning/evening, with great thermic soaring for the more ad-

vanced pilots mid-day and late afternoon. Wonder winds are not uncommon

this time of year. Wouldn’t that be great? There will be a plethora of instruc-

tors/observers around during the fly-in, making this gathering a great first

flying trip for newer pilots. Check with your instructors first, or bring them

along!

What’s most important about this National Fly-in, and any flying day really,

is the company and community we spend it with. This event is poised to bring

people together and create amazing and lasting memories. And it’s family

friendly, too, so bring everyone along.

Mark this event on your calendars: Friday, September 4, through Labor Day

Monday, September 7, 2015, at Ellenville Flight Park in Ellenville, NY. We’ll see

you there! Can’t wait!

More info at www.SNYHGPA.org/ushpa-national-fly-in-2015


by Bill Bredehoft

Get in the habit of routinely attach-ing your speed bar “sister clips” and you might never need this tip.

But if you do come up with a big tangle of lines (Fig. 1), there is an easy way to straighten them.

Lay out the glider and extend the lines and risers as best you can. You probably will realize the lines are through each other as you try to sepa-rate the two sets, while removing any debris or obvious loops and knots.

To straighten out the tangle, start at the wing attachment point for the outer A line (the big-ear line–see Fig. 2). Run your fingers down the line to the riser, putting any other lines you encounter around your arm as you go (Fig. 3).

When you get to the riser mail-lon for that line, grab it and pull the riser assembly through the lines that are around your arm, toward the wing (Figs. 4, 5, 6). After this maneuver, the outer A line should be clear and free of any line-overs from the maillon to the wing.

Often the other lines fall into place

at this point, but if they don’t, repeat the process with the next A line, then the third, etc., keeping the lines that have already been cleared separate, until all the A’s are clear of any line-overs and run straight from the A riser to the wing.

Usually the other lines are close to straight now, but, if not, continue the process with the B’s, etc. (Fig. 7).

An added tip: when laying out your glider and organizing lines that don’t have a big tangle, hold the loop end of the riser assembly and pull it away from the wing. Get the A lines on top, so there is no twist to the whole set of lines. Then start on the bottom, with the brake line, and work up, giving each line a tug to straighten it. This is more efficient than starting with the A’s and working down, trying to flip loops of lower lines off the higher ones.

I am hoping that others will also contribute their clever methods of fixing problems, avoiding them in the first place, handling gear, etc., for the benefit of all. Send in your ideas or contact me with them at [email protected].

PRO TIP : CHILL OUT

Between the Lines

Like to have cool water on long flights

in hot places? Dustin Pachura freezes

a pint of bottled water, removes the

cap, and puts it in his Camelback,

upside down. Fill the reservoir with

water and it stays cool all day. Other

options: If you can’t get a hard frozen

bottle into your reservoir, try freezing

large ice cubes in paper coffee cups

and popping them out and into the

reservoir. Or partially fill the reservoir

and lay it flat in the freezer overnight,

then add water in the morning.

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.thermaltracker.com

http://www.xx2i.com


Back before the Internet, some brave, bold pilots taught themselves how to fly. Many used a book or

consulted a friend on the phone. Sounds crazy, right? After all, flying is a three-dimensional sport with no pause button; it’s abstract. Without an instructor and a guide, it’s impossible for a new pilot to know what they know AND what they don’t know. It’s also pretty hard to quan-

tify flying environments and conditions.The guys who taught themselves

relied on their own good sense of things to keep them out of trouble. They did what felt right—and it worked, better than many modern approaches. I know one guy who did 300 flights in a straight line, because he was worried the glider wouldn’t fly if he turned off the wind. Talk about using your own sensibilities

to manage risk!How do I know? I am one of them. In

the beginning, I wrote my own definition of what flying was about. I ran/hiked to the top of the hill as fast as I could and, if the wind was straight and light, I flew. That’s what I did for a long, long time. I never went up, never went anywhere, and never flew in anything but light wind. It was simple and awesome.

KEEPSIMPLEIT

by Chris Santacroce photos by Jerome Maupoint


Over time, I found my way to a flying site that had a club, instructors, rules, etc., and I got to see what was possible. I tried a hot glider and soared; I top landed. And so it went. From there, I continually raised the bar. For 20-plus years, I always tried something new and let other people define the sport for me. But I would have been safer on my own or if I had paid a professional instructor to help me manage my progression.

There are only X number of people in the sport at any one time. We teach many new pilots, while a number of people stop flying each year, causing

some to wonder why.But as a group, we constantly raise

the bar. A soon as students can manage the glider, they run down the hill, fly, then fly off the top of the hill and soar, top land, thermal, fly cross-country, do acrobatics, and compete. And it works, to a point. Somewhere along the way, pilots sometimes get in “over their heads.” They get scared for a moment, perhaps end up in a tree, and get scraped up. Considering all the folks who are flying, pilots don’t get hurt often. BUT, the scare…it kind of takes the fun out of it. Sometimes they quit and don’t seem

to know why. “No problem,” the flying friends and

instructor say. Just take a step back. Don’t fly in thermals; don’t “go big” in the mountains. Turns out, that doesn’t work—because that strong thermal flight was the most fun the pilot had ever had. That type of flight, pilots lament, was why they were in the sport. Do you see the paradox? The idea of flying in the high intensity is too scary, but the idea of not doing so is too big a step back. They quit. Not on that day but some day soon. The magic is gone.

The point is that for the aver-age person, flying should probably be uncomplicated. He or she should not go deep in the mountains or attempt strong climb rates or cross-country. The flight should be like a simple cruise or nice hike—a bit of soaring in some mellow wind. These flights can be absolutely amazing and very predictable. And this is exactly how someone would fly a para-glider if he/she hadn’t seen YouTube, the Internet, forums, or anyone else fly.

As an instructor, I make a point of encouraging simple flying. It works for me. I have a handful of friends with 20, even 40, years of foot-launched flying. One remarkable commonality is that if we are on top of a hill in no wind, we all claim the flight, cruise on down to the bottom of the hill, and slap each other some high-fives. Other folks might abstain, saying something like, “No, thanks … it’s just a sledder…too much work.” Sadly, we can normally count the months before these people won’t be flying anymore. Nothing personal against them. It’s just that the sport needs to be appreciated in its simplest form, to be really appreciated at all.

During lessons, we take time to identify different levels of flying. Kiting on its own, for example, is a dream. It’s OK to own a paraglider just for kiting. They are the coolest kites ever, depend-ing on whom you ask. Hang gliders are


fun to play with, even without a har-ness; just run along or let it lift off your shoulders in a breeze. Some fly on small hills only, like the training hill. I always say that if the FAA came along and said we have to keep it under five feet, I’d still be in. Some pilots only fly under radio supervision, on vacation, or dawn patrol. There are plenty of those types of pilots nationwide. Very cool.

One thing hard to quantify is how many hours, days, years, etc., any one person needs to invest in hang gliding or paragliding in order to enjoy it at his or her level. In many, many cases, it’s easy to be flying next to a guy who has spent de-cades upon decades doing little else than fly. On the other hand, when will you catch up in terms of experience? Never. The signup for flying on that level started 15 or 20 years ago.

The problem is that it’s easy to get up into the air and fly with someone like that, out-climb them and even end up further down the road than they at the

end of the day, but that level of flying is difficult to maintain. The best way to progress is to repeat simple flights with your friends—your buddies. At the end of a flying year, you will notice that you have progressed nicely without even

trying. Almost any pilot with an agenda is a dangerous pilot. Save your ambition for running a marathon, doing cross-fit, or whatever else you pursue. There is definitely a place for that kind of ambi-tion.

Flying is more like driving. By the time you have tasted it, it will likely be a necessity of daily life. None of us claim to be the best driver around. We just try to stay out of trouble. The jury is out on our abilities as drivers and pilots. Only when we hand over the keys to our chil-dren or hang up the glider will we be able to claim good driver/good pilot.

ABOVE Easy launching gliders are a treat to fly. PREVIOUS PAGE Hike-and-fly in the early morning calm air.


MENTALPERFORMANCE

FLOWand


While flying at your local site, your confidence is unusually high today. You’ve forgotten about yourself and become completely immersed in flying. Every

movement and decision is made with crystal clarity. You work sliders on the ridge and airborne maneuvers with crisp technique, effortlessly monitoring your distance from other pilots and observing all safety considerations. You’re in the zone and every decision flows into smooth movements.

Your glider becomes an extension of your body. Flying seems effortless, as all your actions are decisive and smooth. Following your intuition, you act without deliberation and execute each movement with precision.

THE OPTIMAL PSYCHOLOGICAL ExPERIENCEThe state of flow is what drives so many of us to fly high and far. What most people want to know about flow is how they can reach that state more often in their lives. If you’re a

serious pilot, you should know that, in addition to making you feel good, it improves performance. Therefore, you can improve your performance if you master this optimal psychological state.

To do that, you need to understand the concept better. What is a state of flow? It’s a psychological experience that moves in a continuous, smooth way. The experience moves the way water moves; it flows. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi pioneered the research on this psychological phenomenon.

Flow is, literally, a state of mind. To further your un-derstanding, you may ask…what is a state? In psychologi-cal terms, it’s an internal experience of consciousness. It’s comprised of physical sensations, perceptions, thoughts, emotions, brain waves and changes in conditions like heart rate and breathing. These things all work together to create a particular psychological state, a state that is temporary.

To better understand a flow state, contrast that experience

by Patrick McGuinness

ABOVE This pilot steps into the present moment as he prepares for launch.


with other states of being, such as feeling sleepy, panicky, bored, or restless. Every person passes through various states of consciousness on a daily basis. While having a range of states is normal, some states are more adaptive than others, given the situation. For example, a state of panic may be ap-propriate when a car cuts you off on a rainy night. However, if you experience panic every night before bed, you’re going to have a tough time getting to sleep. The state you experi-ence needs to be appropriate for the given circumstances.

The most adaptive state for flying is the state of flow. When you’re in a flow state, you are exhibiting effortless control and decision-making and are completely in the pres-ent moment. Aside from improving mental performance, flow states constitute a major component of happiness and a means of creative expression. It’s only natural to seek these experiences out and strive to have more of them in your life.

A PICTURE OF FLOwAfter recently stepping up to a higher performing glider, a young pilot flies his new acquisition and explores the new wing’s responses to his input. Floating underneath his friends and silently rising in front of them in the warm, evening glass-off, the pilot is completely lost in the moment. His movements are precise and effortless. Flying without the chirping of a vario, the silence is palpable. He’s aware of his body position, rate of speed, and pitch and roll. He feels con-nected to his friends and fellow pilots. All of this happens simultaneously along with smoothly flowing awareness.

Other nights he might fly more aggressively, working on maneuvers to mentally tune-in and maximize his fun. But tonight, experimenting with glass-off conditions in the new glider provides enough novelty to serve as a challenge. Transcending the conscious use of technique, his flying becomes more intuitive. The glider is the paintbrush, the smooth air the canvas, and the flowing movements are the images and artistic expression.

Flow states occur when you’re challenged to just the right degree. The level of challenge is relative to you and your abil-ity as a pilot. The more skills you have, the more challenge is required to get you in the zone. But be aware that too much challenge makes it all begin to fall apart.

The balance of skills and challenge is central to the experi-ence, because flow happens when you lose yourself in the activity, when you act without being aware of yourself, and worry, fear and distraction disappear. You become one with the experience, environment, and camaraderie of other pilots. Your identity disappears as you merge into the moment.

Your sense of self as a distinct entity, separate from the activity, allows for self-evaluation, which sometimes impedes your progress towards flow. When you evaluate yourself, you judge the experience as being good or bad, taking you out of the moment. In a state of flow, you become one with the glider and simply fly.

Rather than get distracted by excessive self-awareness, tune in to the present. The feeling of the wind, the smell in the air and the physical sensations of your glider’s movement


can serve as cues to bring you back into the present moment.Aside from feeling confident and making good decisions,

what distinguishes these subjective experiences as described by pilots is how much they enjoyed the flight. The experi-ence of flow is enjoyable, because “everything seems to fit.” Prioritizing and making decisions come easily, and anxiety falls away.

Of course, flow requires a level of proficiency in the sport. You must have all the basic skills wired, so they don’t demand your attention. You must be able to fly without conscious thought being directed to specific techniques. The state of flow happens when you transcend technique and simply perform.

Unfortunately for beginners and newer students, experi-encing a state of flow is not common, because every action re-quires conscious thought. They can’t merge with the activity or lose themselves, because they don’t know what to expect or what decisions to make; they’re more self-conscious and distracted. Self-awareness in a beginner is often accompa-nied by negative judgment, which makes it more difficult to

reach a state of flow.Students who “stick with it” will eventually reach

milestones where, suddenly, “things click.” The paragliding student nails his reverse launch, turns and torpedoes assert-ively. The hang gliding student begins to foot launch more aggressively, the glider rising off her shoulders with relaxed hands. She’s beginning to put techniques together without excessive analysis.

DECISION MAKING AND TIMINGAs mentioned previously, when you’re in a state of flow, everything seems to fit together and work out. Flow states improve your performance because they help you focus on the moment with clear goals. When you’re trying to sky-out in light lift, your mind is focused on one thing—finding lift. You naturally, instinctively, fly toward conditions that produce lift. Once you find it, your goals change instantly and, again, are crystal clear. “Stay in it, turn in it, find the core; don’t fall out.”

One accomplished pilot explains that what he enjoys most

LEfT Skill building at the training hill becomes a means of creative expression.


about the experience of flow is clarity in decision-making. “I’m aware of which way the wind is blowing and how strong it is at different altitudes. I think of the most efficient path to get to my target and how much time it will take to reach it, and I quickly adjust my speeds and decisions based on changing conditions. I have an awareness of where the LZs are and when I’ll be committing to those further down route… all at the same time.”

Good concentration while flying means knowing what to focus on and when. In a state of flow, you have a clear sense of priorities and you effectively blend emotional responses with logic, freeing you to act intuitively. Your sense of time is altered when you’re in a state of flow. When you hit those burbles and begin linking them together, seconds may feel like minutes. Yet when you reach cloudbase, after working a thermal for 10 minutes, it may feel as if only one or two have passed.

During a discussion about flow and being in the pres-ent moment, some pilots question how one can be “in the moment” and simultaneously be aware of things to come, like landing zones and making goal. The answer is that your perspective of the future is put into context. The only aspect of the future that arises in these examples is pertinent to the current moment. There’s a link to the future, but it’s rooted in the present. For example, following a particular thermal means you’re committing to the next furthest LZ on course. It’s as if the future is seamlessly integrated into the present experience.

wHAT’S THE SECRET RECIPE TO ACCESSING FLOw?You must remember that flow arises from the intersection of the challenge you face with the level of skill you possess. If you make an effort to optimize these two factors, you will literally find the “zone.” Everyone has a set point where he or she enters into a state of flow. Novice pilots enter a state of flow when they begin ridge soaring, because it provides a good challenge for their skill level. More advanced pilots confess they sometimes feel bored ridge soaring only. It’s important for each pilot to find his or her set point when seeking flow.

If the challenge is not high enough, you may get dis-tracted and pull away from the present moment. You might become complacent or distracted by, for example, thinking about a new piece of gear you need, a repair you promise yourself you’ll do before you fly again, or how you’re going to pay for your next road trip. These distractions are evidence that you’re not in a state of flow.

When you’re fully engaged, you don’t notice things that aren’t directly related to the task at hand. You may overlook physical discomfort, such as an ill-fitting harness, hunger, or fatigue. When you’re in a state of flow, all of your psychologi-cal resources are allocated to flying.

Think of your brain as a computer with limited capacity to process data. When you’re adequately challenged and in the moment, there’s no room to process self-consciousness, worries, and fear. Concentration gets better, anxiety fades away, and physical movements become smooth and deliber-ate.

What can you do to capture flow? By its very nature, flow is difficult to pin down, but you can work to access the state more consistently. To optimize your chances of experiencing flow:

*Adjust each flight plan accordingly. If you’re bored by

TOP Smooth and flowing, this paraglider pilot soars in the evening air. BOTTOM Coaching and instruction can help a pilot master optimal psychological state.


ridge soaring, make a plan to work on a skill or set of skills. Maneuvers, techniques or navigation can be broken down and improved. Working on a skill increases the level of chal-lenge and makes you more likely to experience flow.

*Don’t take on too much. Rather than keeping up with pilots who are more experienced or more current, adjust the task to reduce your challenge. For example, you’re out for a day of flying with your friends for the first time in a while. You’re concerned about landing out or some other variable. Consider landing at the established LZ, rather than going cross-country with your friends. Just because you used to do it, doesn’t mean you should commit to that on any given day.

*Learn to manage distractions and stay tuned to the pres-ent moment.

*Maintain currency. Flying regularly helps you focus less on techniques, steps, and procedures, because they become second nature. When you’re current, you begin to transcend technique and act more intuitively.

*Develop goals to maintain an element of novelty in each flying experience. If you work a skill or set of skills each time you fly, you will keep your motivation and focus for flying.

Flow is a state of mind. It’s a psychological experience that moves like water: smoothly and strongly. It’s an op-timal psychological experience, because it evolves from

using your hard-won skills as a pilot in combination with intuitive and artistic expression. When you experience flow, you let go of fear and anxiety; you transcend technique and lose yourself in the act of free flight. Flow not only results in happiness, it also enhances performance. To reach it, keep flying and manage the intersection where the challenge you take on meets your current level of skill. If you manage that zone, you will more predictably arrive in the zone or mental state known as flow.

Patrick McGuinness has a master’s degree in applied psychology. He offers hang gliding instruction, sport psychology training and life coaching. He’s also the owner of Wings Over Wasatch at the Point of the Mountain in Utah. For more information, contact him at www.WingsOverWasatch.com or www.HangGlideUtah.com.

“wHEN YOU’RE IN A STATE OF FLOw, ALL OF YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED TO FLYING.”

http://willswing.com


TWO

PERSPECTIVES

April 2015, five friends set

off from the southern tip of the

Sierra Nevada Mountains for

a five-day vol-biv tour of the

Sierra. Their plan was simple: Fly

as far north as possible through

a series of linked bivy flights,

before weather shut them

down. One unique parameter

of this trip was that they chose

a style that dictated all forward

progress on their trip was to be

made by flying the paraglider,

not hiking. Setting off on this

adventure was truly casting off

into the unknown, even though

they had a rough plan regarding

strategy and style of travel for

the trip. One member of the

group was a very experienced

vol-biv pilot, but the others

were definitely stepping out

of their comfort zone to see

what they were capable of.

Two of these pilots, who have

different backgrounds and

levels of experience, relate their

feelings about taking on the

adventurous challenge of flying

vol biv over the intimidating

High Sierra Mountains.


TWO WHO FLEW

SIERRAPILOTS VOL-BIV

THEACROSS


Sometimes my adventures are well conceived and planned, while others happen spur-of-the-moment. I guess I am the type of pilot who thrives on pushing hard and “going

big” in setting off on lofty adventures. This is how I operate, but many pilots might find these adventures too intimidating to become a part of. So I often go alone. That’s fine; I have always climbed, flown, and completed expeditions as a solo adventurer.

But this particular Sierra trip was different. After check-ing the weather and coming up with a rough plan to fly the range south-to-north, I sent out a message to close friends and our local Sierra Pilots Club members asking who might be interested in becoming part of a crew that would fly a possible weeklong route from the southern tip of the Sierra all the way north to Tahoe. I spread the word Wednesday night, and by early Thursday morning we were meeting at the Von’s super-market parking lot in Bishop, wearing huge smiles and heavy packs. No one except Tawny had ever joined me for a trip like this, so I was amazed when four friends said they were in.

In the beginning, we were a group of four: Eric McAuliffe, Ben Jordan, Lewis Byington, and me. Our fifth member, Eric

Steinmann, would be joining us two days later. After grabbing last-minute supplies in Bishop, the four of us made the drive south to our southern XC jump-off point, a tiny launch deep inside Nine Mile Canyon. I had flown this notorious launch site many times, but this was a first for the other guys. On the drive down, I let them know that Nine Mile launch was pretty serious: You launch from a low, shallow launch where there is no LZ, and you only have about 800 feet of terrain to find a thermal before having to side-hill land. And to top it off—the launch is very deep, all the way in to the back of a canyon.

Everyone in our group is either P-3 or P-4, with decent backgrounds and experience in mountain flying. But questions kept gnawing at me: Was it OK for me to bring others along on such an adventure? Will they be fine while flying deep in the back of the canyons, a practice that is unconventional but fairly normal to me? Would everything work out and we would all stay safe? At this point, I was much more concerned about my group than myself. I have flown this area almost every day for the last five years, logging over 5000 kilometers (3000 miles) of vol biv. It was true that my crew was pretty fresh for this region and style of flying, but I knew they would send.

DAVE TURNERPERS

PECT

IVES


When we arrived at launch, conditions appeared to be great: five mph gusting 20+ straight in, so it was obviously going to be a thermic Sierra day. I was pumped. I could see the guys were a little nervous, which was to be expected. I launched first and boosted right out of there. Game on.

Every adventure I set off on is different, but one method of execution is fairly constant: I prefer to fly my vol-biv routes without assistance or support of any kind, and to hike or fly every inch of the route. I try to fly as much as possible on these trips, because I prefer air travel to hiking, but some-times during bad weather or land-outs, I am forced to hike in order to make progress. In doing so, I stay busy and hike while not flying, but our procedure on this particular Sierra trip was going to be different. All forward progress was to be made in a series of linked flights; we would not go forward by hiking. The flight tracks needed to overlap for the entire route, without assistance or support of any kind for us and without leaving a site and returning to it, to make it happen. We had to start in the south, head north, and see how far we could go. This was to be a kind of arbitrary, self-imposed choice of style; we believed linked bivy flying was an idea worth trying.

That first flight from Nine Mile was great, allowing us to make it all the way past Walt’s Point for a nice 50-mile shot. It was too turbulent and tight to try to top land on the switch-backs: I had to acknowledge this after trying to put it down on the upper switchbacks, after many failed passes. After flying

over the launch area, we landed about 4000 feet below launch level out in the desert, just to the north. We ended up hiking back to launch to make sure we adhered to our chosen style of linked flights.

Day two turned out to be a forced rest day up at Walt’s launch, as the wind was 50+ mph over the back until 10 a.m. on day three. So at 10:30 a.m. on day three, we set off in windy, turbulent conditions. On the first day, I had warned the others about the need to be on the ground by 1 p.m. that day, due to forecast extreme valley winds, which turned out

LEfT Dave having just landed at Walt’s, and now waiting for the others to arrive. TOP Dave high above the southern Palisades, with Split Mountain

in the middle. RIGHT Eric, Lew, Ben, and Dave camped out at Walt’s Point. PREVIOUS PAGE Hiking back up to Walt’s.

“TO SAY THAT wE STRUGGLED wITH THE wEATHER EVERY DAY, IN ONE wAY OR ANOTHER, wOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT.”


to be true (good job landing in that, Benny!). On our second flying day, we did not have to worry about afternoon wind anymore because it was backing down, but we had to deal with heavy afternoon overdevelopment.

To say that we struggled with the weather every day, in one way or another, would be an understatement. The first two days were windy, and every day after that was absolutely blowing up with overdeveloping cumulus clouds in the early afternoons. We were only going to get a few opportunities to fly and only for a few hours at a time. But I knew we could take advantage of these mini-windows, if we were ready and in position when they presented themselves. All of my flying in the Sierra had opened my eyes to what’s possible with our little magic backpacks; all we had to do was make it happen. That morning, on day three, we nailed the short window of opportunity and Eric M. and I made it about 90 miles north from Walt’s for a top landing of McGee. Eric S. also made it and landed down in the LZ. Lew didn’t go far, but eventually picked up Ben, just past Bishop, and shuttled him back up north to Eric S.’s location.

On day four, Eric M. and I woke up on the summit plateau absolutely psyched. Eric S. and Ben had camped out below at the lower launch, after Lew went home, and we finalized our plan to meet up in the air that morning, after launching at dif-ferent points on the mountain. We climbed out from McGee, and all of us pointed north together. After crossing Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort, Eric S. got so low heading out towards highway 395 that he started to hitchhike back to his car and job in SoCal. Eric M. was killing it, somehow just staying at cloudbase for most of his flight, while Ben was bringing up the rear. The only remaining Eric and I ended up making it all the way north that day, past Yosemite National Park, before it got

bad. The sky was getting highly questionable, with overdevel-opment at that point, and the wind was even starting to push hard SW through the tight canyon systems. Before it got too bad, forcing us to land out in the flats with an ensuing re-hike back up, we landed very high on Monument Ridge, ready for the next day’s flight.

I wish I could tell you that on day five we sent a huge flight to Lake Tahoe, but the weather had other plans for us. Instead of completing our goal of landing at the lake, we ended up landing in Bridgeport after our final flight. Only 59 more miles stood between us and Tahoe, but forcing the weather from that point on would have been too risky and inappropri-ate. Conditions allowed us to fly over 200 miles (320 km) of our route, and, most importantly, we did it safely. Even with a mixed forecast for the entirety of the trip, we squeezed what we could out of it. We completed four flights over five days, and our forward progress was made solely by flying. We top landed each flight, after flying past the next day’s launch, in order to ensure a continuous flight track; only at Walt’s did we land below and walk back to launch.

I have to give big congrats to the guys for joining this mis-sion. Stepping up to the plate and realizing one’s potential is often difficult and intimidating. But, in the end, dreaming big is only one part of the equation. Waking up from the dream and actually going for it is where life is truly lived. Often we have to believe in order to achieve, and sometimes it just takes stepping out into the unknown to really see what you’re capable of.

Huge thanks go out to Maximal Concepts, vteams, Torrey Pines, Ozone, Flytec, High Adventure, Patagonia, and Black Diamond for their continued support.

LEfT Eric and Dave climbing in a thermal above Mt. Morrison, having just lunched from McGee. BELOW Eric and Dave at their bivy, high on the

summit plateau of Mt. McGee.


ERIC MCAULIFFEE

ver since I became aware of vol-biv paragliding, I knew it was the type of adventure I would one day like to experi-ence. I have been playing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

my whole life—climbing, skiing, backpacking, and dreaming. I have been paragliding for less than two years, but only recently have started focusing on cross-country flying. Very few pilots fly vol biv and, initially, the idea of setting off on my first vol biv with the ambitious goal of flying the entire Sierra Nevada range from south to north, with all forward progress complet-ed solely by flight, was a bit overwhelming for me.

We started our route out of Nine Mile canyon, deep in the southern Sierra, fired up on caffeine, adrenaline, dreams of the days ahead, and what would unfold. Was I in over my head? I knew I was going to have to rely upon every skill I have learned thus far to have a successful flight. Dave launched first and climbed right out, providing the rest of the group with a vision that this was, in fact, a possibility. Ben and I struggled at first, and for a moment I felt as if I wasn’t going to make it up. Watching Dave work the tight lift made it apparent that he had an advantage over some of us, after having flown this route many times. But we kept at it, working the small thermals, and were soon high above the scrappy launch.

Once established at altitude, the route was obvious. Follow the range to the north, dodging to the east towards the Owens Valley, if you get low. That’s one safety feature of the Sierra—there’s a massive valley with a highway running right up the middle, so as long as you keep the valley within reach, it doesn’t feel so wildly committing. There were clouds, tailwind, and strong thermals, all ingredients in a beautiful recipe for long, open-distance XC flying. I was starting to feel more comfortable. It was working.

The forecast called for instability, as well as over-develop-ment, something I had not experienced while flying XC. What would these clouds be like? How strong were the lift and turbulence going to be? We’ve all heard stories about cloud suck. I did not want to get myself into an unsafe situation, and we were pushing towards some beautifully developed clouds. All of these thoughts made for a mildly stressful flight. My personal style is to charge hard, but not so hard as to get myself scared. I find that getting scared is the most counterproductive feeling a pilot can have. Healthy respect for the area we are flying and fear management are different from getting downright frightened!

Things were starting to make more sense. The strategy

PERS

PECT

IVES


LEfT Eric taking a selfie up at cloud base on the northern section of the route. ABOVE Eric taking off from the summit of Mt

McGee early in the morning. RIGHT Two different forms of a high mountain bivouac, up on Monument Ridge.

was apparent, and the whole idea of the trip was feeling more achievable. Having the skills to forecast weather is paramount on a vol-biv trip. We had seen the overall forecast for increas-ing instability each day, but being able to crunch the numbers and look at all the parameters is vital to having safe flights. Since I was a pilot new to this area and aware of how rapidly conditions can change, flying vol biv the first time here by myself would have been irresponsible. Having Dave in the lead, with the knowledge and experience he has acquired over years of flying huge vol-biv routes, provided a foundation for the success of our group.

We had to wait a day at Walt’s Point, due to strong forecast valley flow. The wind ended up blowing 50 mph for hours and hours, giving us a firm reminder of the power these mountains hold. That night was an unforgettable bivy. The gale-force winds flattened our tents, making for a sleepless night. Feeling that strong wind just prior to launching, I was uneasy, but the forecast was improving rapidly, indicating light winds aloft. Go or no go? We went!

The next two days of flying were amazing. We covered over 140 miles. We launched Walt’s Point at 10:30 a.m., as soon as the cycles were overriding the west influence. Once we reached 12,000’ MSL, we started to feel the west flow, which wasn’t too turbulent. We experienced strong leeside, man-eating terrain and beautiful cumulus formation. What more could we ask for?! Dave screamed ahead, out of sight, so I shifted into solo XC mode. The High Sierra route consists of huge

peaks and ridges, rolling down over 10,000’ of elevation to the Owens Valley below. As the day evolved, cloudbase rose, the west wind subsided, and we were able to make a 90-mile flight from Walt’s to Mt. McGee, near Mammoth Lakes. On my final glide, I was ecstatic, knowing I had just smashed my personal best open distance, as well as flight duration, in what one might consider less than ideal conditions. I think Dave was just as surprised as I was to see me top landing McGee!

By this point in the trip, I was feeling more comfortable with monitoring conditions in-flight, such as over-develop-

“I wAS ECSTATIC, KNOwING I HAD jUST SMASHED MY PERSONAL BEST OPEN DISTANCE, AS wELL AS FLIGHT DURATION, IN wHAT ONE MIGHT CONSIDER LESS THAN IDEAL CONDITIONS.”

http://flytorrey.com


ment, strong valley winds, and other hazards we face flying in this powerful range of mountains. High-altitude launch and landing, forecasting, and route choice were all starting to feel more natural. Route choice was probably the most intimidating aspect of the trip, flying hundreds of miles over unforgiving terrain. Anytime you’re thousands of feet over unfamiliar terrain, every-thing seems to blend together. Top out the climbs and press on. Look for top-landing options as they present themselves. Think positive, focus on the thermal sources, and make smart decisions.

We spent a chilly night on the summit of McGee in order to be able to launch early and utilize as much of the day as possible before the afternoon thunderstorms. We were in the air before 10 a.m. and soon on our way to Mammoth Mountain and beyond, to the Bridgeport Valley. The clouds were forming much earlier and were more congested. The climbs were going up at 8m/s but were surprisingly smooth, and most of the clouds were working well. A quick two-hour flight, and we were 40 miles farther along our route when we landed at our final bivy, high on Monument Ridge.

The final evening was something special. We landed at a place on the ridge with a perfect, protected campsite within a grove of pinyon pines, to shelter from the threatening thunderstorms that were all around us. We cooked our dinner, sipped tea, and listened to music, while watching one of the most amazing sunsets I’ve seen in a long time. Pair that with the full moonrise, and we found ourselves shouting and laughing at the amazing Range of Light!

Tahoe was only 60 miles away, and we were hungry—not for food, but to taste the completion of this ambitious route. If we could squeeze in one more flight, we might make it. We launched just above our campsite, where the thermals were working well at 9:20 a.m. Less than an hour later we found ourselves pasted to the ridge above Twin Lakes, with little thermic activity and the sky rapidly blowing up. Having made it this far without incident, we decided to make a final glide out across the Bridgeport Valley and land, finalizing our route.

http://flytorrey.com

Ryan Voight over Tennessee Photo by Aaron johnson


Jorge Cano piped up, “Hey, Steve, it stands for I Love Inkler’s!” We were sharing our newly earned radio call

signs at a Center Of Lift club meeting. KG7-ILI. And I do love Inkler’s!

Google Earth prompted my first visit to Inkler’s Point, a spiffy ridge that juts out into the Colville River Valley six miles S of Chewelah, Washington—just

two stop signs and 33 miles from my home, via US Hwy 395.

After hitting the ski slopes at nearby 49º North, I stood in the sunshine on a late winter’s day near a railroad cross-ing and a pasture access road, along State Hwy 231, staring up in awe at an exceptionally steep quartzite ridge that I hoped could become our launch

location. Three bald eagles soared effort-lessly above me, before thermaling away to parts unknown. At this site, however, there didn’t seem to be enough wind to support the ridge-soaring raptors.

So, grabbing binoculars, I quickly began to scan the ridgetop for other pos-sible launch locations. One ponderosa pine after another wedged amongst

POINTInkler's

by Steve Baran


radical rocky outcrops began to dash my enthusiasm. Nevertheless, I studied a boomerang-shaped ridge, trying to detect any remotely possible spot to place a launch, and surveyed the valley areas beside me for fences, power lines, and other hang/para “nasties.” I was surprised to discover there were few fences and no power lines. What—no power lines?! I saw only hay and grazing pastures bordering a couple of houses that were well out of the way of smooth, flat potential LZs.

I couldn’t get home soon enough to further study the ridge on Google Earth and look up land ownership of the area on the Stevens County Assessor’s web-site. To my surprise, the county merged plat ownership with satellite images that were even newer than the Google Earth images for the area. Before long, I had a list of landowners and contact informa-tion.

Good fortune paved the way for Inkler’s Point to become a flying site (which continues to be developed). Four years ago, I had just finished rebuilding our home, and I’d become good pals with the cabinet maker Jamie Blubaugh, who lives in the Chewelah area about

six miles from Inkler’s Point. When I told Jamie what I’d seen and asked who owned the best portion of the ridge that might work as a launch location, he said the owner was Shaun Wuesthoff. “I know Shaun,” he continued. “He’s a great guy. He’ll let you jump off there. I’ll give him a call!” So Jamie called and Shaun said, “OK!” The speed was staggering.

Now we needed to find a place to

launch. After our motley crew of hang and para pals hiked Shaun’s property, we told him there were no natural

OPPOSITE Para pilot John Krauss assessing the air at launch. The bail-out LZ is just below. ABOVE The main face of the Inkler’s Point ridge. BELOW Looking SE across the setup area and towards the west-facing portion of Inkler’s Point. The setup area adjoins launch (both grassy areas). Photos by Steve Baran.


launches—only one sloped grassy swale in the ridge with too many trees. Shaun replied, “You need to cut trees? Go ahead and cut trees!” We looked at one another in amazement. Great!

But before we began tree cutting, potential LZ owners had to be con-tacted. With the exception of one, they were just as friendly and welcoming as Shaun. The only “no” I encountered came from the owner of a large cattle ranching outfit whose property housed the largest LZ (a square mile or two in

front of our future launch). However, he called me a couple of months after I sent him two letters, each with an issue of Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, to thank me for the informative letters and magazines. He continued by expressing his concerns: “I find it interesting what you are doing, but we just don’t want to open ourselves up to the increased liability.”

We continued chatting, during which time I gave him more informa-tion, and by the end of the call he said,

“You know, to heck with it, go ahead and land there all you want. You seem like a responsible bunch. Just be careful not to land when cattle are there.” I did abso-lutely no arm twisting, just thanked him for his call, answered a bunch of typical questions we free-flight pilots get, while letting the guy know more about who we are and how we conduct ourselves with private land owners and public land managers. Boy, was I one grinning fool by the end of that call!

With a bit of hard work by an old high school buddy and ace woodsman, Ken Campbell, and me, plus other hang pals—mainly Mike Bomstad, Rick Williams, and Joaquin Morelli—we not only created a launch off Inkler’s but also developed a second launch on another hill owned by Shaun. We regularly fly Inkler’s Point and occasionally go to the

OPPOSITE Paragliders soaring Inkler’s Point. TOP Red arrow points to launch. View is to the SE toward the town of Valley. State Hwy 231 skirts the site. Photos by Steve Baran. CENER The author, Steve Baran, soaring below Mike Bomstad | photo by Mike Bomstad. BOTTOM Inkler’s Point owner Shaun Wuesthoff | photo by Steve Baran.


second launch. We’re continually working to im-

prove our launch 500’ above the LZs. The center of the 1.5-mile Inkler’s Point ridge is 700’ above the LZs, and it’s located in the center of the boomerang. The only drawback to our 500’ launch occurs when the wind switches more W than S and creates a nasty rotor on the right/west-side cliff of the launch.

Enter yet another bit of good for-tune: The launch landowner just bought the rest of the ridge! Shaun’s now put-ting a road to the top and allowing us to cut trees to create a more W-facing launch at the ridge’s highest section. (BTW, Shaun’s business, Wuesthoff Excavation, consists primarily of road building in remote locations, mainly for hilltop electrical installations and power lines.) Adding an additional launch will enable ridge-soaring takeoffs from SSE to W, although the steepest portion of the ridge is the “point” that faces SSW, at the center of which is our 500’ launch facing up the Colville River Valley.

Flying protocol at Inkler’s Point dic-tates calling the landowner each time for permission via members of our USHPA chapter, Center Of Lift. The launch road goes right past the landowner’s home, so they always want to know who’s there and why. Full USHPA membership is required, except for our Canadian friends, and a waiver must be signed. Where the landowner lives is yet another bit of good fortune, as their home is only 120’ vertically lower than our current 2150’ ASL launch. The portion of the road that goes to their

home is maintained year round. We’re only shut down on driving to launch if a pasture we must drive through is too wet to drive on. When that occurs, I have carted my glider up, fastened to my mountain bike. From the LZs to launch is a short 5- to 10-minute drive.

So is Inkler’s Point good to fly? You’ll have to visit us and find out. Suffice it to say that from the 2150’ launch, I was up above 6300’ on March 28. And before noon, too! Is it always that good? Well, it is one heck of a place to troll for thermals while in ridge lift. I’ve been 6000 feet above launch. If the winds are too light—darn, we just head over to Parker Mountain, a pesky five miles away with two launches. (That site is yet another story.) Or, we can give Wrights

Mountain a try, just across the valley from Inkler’s and facing ESE. I’m also working on Eagle Mountain (USFS) in the same area. And I’m laying the groundwork to gain two other sites on the wish list. If all goes well, you’ll be hearing much more about the Chewelah, WA, area in the years to come!

ABOVE Steve Baran soaring Inkler’s Point in a Falcon1-225 | photo by Ken Campbell. BELOW

First visit to Inkler’s Point ridge by hang glider and paraglider pilots. Left to Right: Steve Baran, Dale Sanderson, Ralph DeSimone, Rick Williams, and Mike Bomstad (Dog: Launch Director) RIGHT Theresa Hastings headed for the LZ. “The Island” is in the background. More or less everywhere in front of Inkler’s for a mile or two is OK to land on. Photos by Steve Baran.


I love paragliding. It is truly one of my favorite things to do on earth. For me, the real beauty of flying is the freedom and independence it offers. From the moment our feet

leave the ground until we return again, we are completely on our own. Our well-being, success, and survival are complete-ly dependent on the decisions we make. From deciding what to have for breakfast, to where to launch, what we fly, where we go and when we land, everything comes back to the pilot in command. There is little, if anything, anyone else can do to help.

I have been flying for a while now: I took my first flight and became helplessly addicted in the spring of 1992. During my first year of flying, I volunteered to drive for the PWC final in the Owens Valley and instantly became enamored with race-to-goal competitions. This was a place where the best pilots assembled, flying the latest greatest wings, and I decided that was who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. XC competitions offer an opportunity to com-pare your skills and decision making with a similar group of like-minded individuals. They offer a place where most of the best pilots meet and greet. And most are there with the same agenda: testing their skills and learning from others, while enjoying themselves in a cool environment. The camaraderie and friendships that develop during these events are some of the best. It takes a special kind of person to be crazy enough to run off the side of a mountain and be smart enough to get back to the ground safely sometime later.

High-performance paragliders have quite literally taken me all over the world. In 1997 I went to Brazil and

CHOICEofA Matter

LEfT Nate Scales on his Nova Triton 2 in Washington.

by Nate Scales photos by Matt Senior


Venezuela to compete in the PWC. Brazil was awesome; Venezuela was a nightmare (but that is another story). In 2007 I was invited to compete in the X-Alps, a race across Europe. That was a truly amazing experience. In two weeks, I got to see most of the Alps and lose 15 pounds, quite liter-ally walking my butt off during the night, while trying to get to the next reasonable takeoff. In 2010 I qualified for the PWC SuperFinal in Denizli ,Turkey, where, once again, I had the opportunity to turn circles around the sky with my idols.

For many years I chose to fly competition-level wings, be-cause I believed I needed that type of paraglider to be a good pilot. Almost every year a new and sexy model came out, and I was convinced I had to have it to fly as fast and far as possible. It is exciting to show up at a contest and know you have a competitive glider. The feeling of racing at the front of a task and knowing that your decisions may hinder you, but your glider will not, is super fun. It was a choice I made and a risk I was comfortable taking.

But the one constant in my life is change. And lately, I have had less and less desire to fly super-hot gliders. I can honestly say I have not lost any of my passion for flying, and

this change of attitude has nothing to do with being “scared.” However, now that I have a family, it is harder and harder to leave home for weeks at a time. I want to focus my energy on flying long distances in the Intermountain West. I truly believe this is the best area on Earth for flying. I want to demonstrate to other people what can be done here and mo-tivate them to come and experience the magic of the Rockies for themselves.

Recently I have noticed an attitude I call “Mentor Mania” occurring in Europe. Good pilots flying B and C gliders are going really long distances. Last year, Thomas Walder achieved the 300km triangle mark in Europe on an Enzo comp glider. The next day, Bernie Pessl flew 300 km on a NOVA Mentor 3 EN B glider. In England Mark Watts set the British record flying his ENZO 2 comp glider 275 km in five hours 45 minutes. Al Wilson flew his Gin Carrera EN B 270 km in six-and-a-half hours on the same day. Last year, five of the top 10 places of the open category XContest were won by pilots flying EN B gliders!

As I began to absorb all of this information, I became intrigued with exploring the possibility of flying XC on a “lower-class glider.” It seems possible these days to get


greatly increased glider recovery characteristics with almost no penalty in performance. In the past, I always looked for the glider with the best performance; that was what mat-tered most to me. This season, I have changed my outlook; I want to try to find the glider I think will help me fly my best. I now consider comfort and safety to be as important as performance in being able to fly far, while keeping flying exciting and fun.

This winter I joined the NOVA Pilots Team. Their mission is “… to build paragliders that are safe and simul-taneously high performance. Performance and safety, or rather the correct ratio between the two, make for lots of flying fun—and that is what it is all about!” I have been flying a Mentor 4. It seems to provide a great combination of comfort, handling and performance, while producing a completely different feeling in the pilot from being in a comp glider.

Launching in subprime conditions is a low-stress affair. There is less tension in the sail, and it’s possible to pull the brakes a really long way, but the glider turns on a dime and has been amazingly comfortable to scratch out of gnarly holes in bumpy conditions. My bag is lighter and easier to

carry. Without all those plastic rods, I can fold the glider up easily and quickly. Consequently, I have found myself flying more, which is a good thing.

It is by no means my intention in writing this article to discourage people from flying high-end gliders. I have spent more sleepless nights than I am willing to admit ponder-ing my decision. What are my friends going to think? Am I getting soft in my middle age? Can I fly XC without a high-performance glider? Right now, I have an unproven theory that by stepping down a class in gliders I will be able to focus more of my energy on assessing conditions and choosing my line, instead of working to keep the glider open and flying. Because of these advantages, I’m postulating that this class of glider will help me fly farther.

I can’t wait for the real XC season to turn on! My goal is to open pilots’ minds to all available options. There is a lot more to flying well than flying a high-performance glider. I don’t believe we can ever make ultralight aviation truly safe, since we are hanging thousands of feet up in the air and depending on nothing more than high-tech bed sheets and shoestrings. But by making good decisions, I do believe we can stack the odds in our favor.


TWO GUYSPAcific NWIN

THE

Tearing Up the Skies


I’m an active pilot in the Northwest hang gliding and paragliding communities; I go to the fly-ins, get around to many of our sites, count hang and para pilots as my

best friends. So I’ve known both these guys—hang glider pilot Rick Lai and paraglider pilot Owen Shoemaker—for at least a couple of years. On the surface they’re “ just folks” in search of airtime like the rest of us, but both these guys have an extra “something” that makes them stand out, giving them just a hint of super-hero status among their fellow pilots. Having lucrative jobs that allow them to work from home on a flexible schedule is a huge bonus, but that’s only the beginning. Rick considers himself a recreational pilot, who loves to get out and fly at every opportunity. Owen is an adventure-sports fanatic whose SPOT track on the xcfind.paraglide.us website shows us he’s out over tiger country more often than not. What they have in common is this: They both, intentionally or not, put their passion for flying to use to the benefit of their fellow pilots. I wanted to find out what makes these guys tick. Here’s what I learned.

GETTING STARTED FLYING, AND KEEPING GOINGOwen was introduced to paragliding over a decade ago: A friend was celebrating his birthday with a tandem flight from Tiger Mountain, and knowing Owen was into “extreme” sports, he asked him to join the party. After that first taste of airtime with tandem instructor Mike Eberle, Owen admits he “was hooked” on paragliding but, unfor-tunately, circumstances prevented him from pursuing the sport until 2012. He tried to connect again with Mike to take lessons, but by then Mike was no longer flying. After interviewing many of the instructors at Tiger, Owen ultimately chose Bob Hannah, who, he says, “had a slow, safety-first approach, and a teaching style that I felt would be complementary to my more aggressive pursuit of the sport.”

Rick saw his first hang glider in 1989, when he pur-chased a home in Sylmar, California, within sight of the Kagel LZ. He and his wife bought a tandem package from Windsports, and his first wing, a Delta Wings Dream 185. A year later he moved up to a WW EuroSport 167, and he

continued to fly several times a week at Kagel. But in 1995 work took him to Hong Kong, where a lack of flying sites put his hang gliding on hold for several years. Even after returning to the US in 2001 he was unable to pursue flying at his previous level, “due to family, work and skateboard-ing accidents...” It wasn’t until 2010, when his kids were grown and he’d moved to the Pacific Northwest, that Rick was once again able to immerse himself totally in the hang gliding scene.

wHICH wING, AND wHYWhen he returned to hang gliding in 2010, Rick bought

PAcific NW

by C. J. Sturtevant

LEfT Owen, Andrey Yakimov and Mike Purfield looking at the map and deciding waypoints for the League practice task at

Blanchard | photo by Talbot Shoemaker. RIGHT Owen launching at the first XC League event at BJ | photo by Bonnie Hobson.


“brand-new from North Wing” a single-surface Freedom 170. “The Freedom is perfect for me,” he says, “since I con-sider myself a recreational pilot and I don’t do aerobatics or cross country.”

Owen’s current wings of choice are an Ozone M6 and a Gradient Freestyle. When he decided he wanted some-thing with a bit more performance than his Delta 2, but more stable and less of a handful than his Icepeak6, his friend Matty Senior let him demo his M6. “Honestly, I was not very impressed with the M6 at first,” Owen recalls. “It seemed like a tweaked Delta 2. With only modest perfor-mance specs I wasn’t expecting very much.” But his first XC flights on it, at a comp in Valle De Bravo, changed his perspective. He found himself “more efficient in climbs,

and I had more speed and reach. I was hooked.” When he had what he describes as a “bad entrance” to a maneuver in an SIV clinic with Matty in Thailand that resulted in some broken lines on the M6, Matty lent him a Gradient Freestyle to finish out the clinic, and “that is now my go-to wing for acro/SIV,” Owen says.

BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIMERead and weep, all you 9-to-5’ers: Both Rick and Owen have jobs that, in Owen’s words, allow them the “luxury of working from home”—or anywhere they have an Internet connection and a computer. That’s why you’ll find them in the air on just about any day where the odds are in favor of it of being soarable.


But how to determine those odds? We pilots seem to spend a lot of time checking the weather, trying to figure out where the best flying is going to be on any given day. “Too little information and you get skunked,” quips Owen, “but too much information and you end up in analysis paralysis.” His go-to resources for NW weather are UW MM5 (http://www.atmos.washington.edu/mm5rt/gfsinit.html) and TJ Olney’s Windgrams website (http://home.comcast.net/~wxtofly/windgrams.html) although, he says, he’s been trying to use only the MM5 “ just to simplify things.” He describes his forecasting strategy as “constantly

evolving,” adding that it has taken him some time to be able to accurately interpret the skew-t. “I am getting better the more I use them,” he concludes.

Rick recalls not needing to consult the weather gurus during his early days of hang gliding in southern California—all his flying was at Kagel, and the SoCal weather is almost boringly consistent. But flying in the Pacific Northwest, he says, “is a totally different ballgame. We have many more flying sites that face all directions and it is important to understand the wind speed and wind directions before heading out to fly.” Rick doesn’t use MM5 or skew-t, but he reports that Weatherunderground, Windfinder, Iwindsurf, NOAA, and weather.com seem to work really well for him.

ON MOTIVATIONS AND CHALLENGESFor Owen, exploring is what it’s all about. “Paragliding is a great sport for the adventurous traveler!” he enthuses, and elaborates: “I hope to make it to six countries by the end of this year and get a number of vol-biv trips in as well. As my skills have improved, that has opened up a lot of new terrain and bigger routes at some of our local flying sites.”

At his stage in his flying career, Owen finds his biggest challenge is “mental overload. After about three hours in the air I feel so overwhelmed with all of the mental stimula-tion that I sometimes land earlier than I should, missing out on hours of good flying because I chose to end my flight. I am working on staying hydrated, snacking in the air, and relaxing to help push forward to maximize the day.”

Rick, who is infamous for getting high and staying there longer than the rest of us, still considers landing to be the highlight of each flight. “I always love the landing part,” he says, adding, “I get excited when I land safely.” Which makes for a lot of positive excitement in any LZ when Rick arrives with his typically perfect touchdown! As for personal challenges, Rick’s ongoing goal is to keep improv-ing as a pilot, and to accomplish that he figures he needs to just get out and fly. “I feel that the more I fly, the safer I am as a pilot.” In other words, practice makes perfect, a good mantra for all of us regardless of skill level.

THE BIGGER PICTUREBoth Rick and Owen are stand-outs in the NW hang glid-ing and paragliding communities this season, not just be-cause of their personal accomplishments, but because of the impact of their personal philosophies on the rest of us. Rick brushes off my suggestions that he’s an influential force within the hang gliding community, but the truth is that he is an inspiration to many of us, newbies and experienced pilots alike. “I do just the same as other pilots, which is post

ABOVE Chimney Rock on a nice triangle flight from Rampart.Photo by Owen Shoemaker.


my plan on the public forum before heading out to fly,” he says, but there’s much more to it than that. Post he does, prolifically, and since he’s out at the flying sites so often and has so many great flights (of which he also posts in-depth descriptions, along with photos and well-edited videos), he often inspires others to join him. He mentors pilots flying new-to-them sites, and offers to help transport hang gliders to walk-in launches, making those sites accessible to anyone who wants to fly there. That’s going far above and beyond “ just the same as other pilots”!

Owen is taking his personal skills-stretching pro-gram to the masses. After attending his first XC clinic in Pemberton, BC back in July of 2013, he asked clinic guide Matty Senior for suggestions on the best way to improve his skills. Matty’s response: Go fly a comp. “The next scheduled comp was a pre-PWC in Bir, India,” Owen, still a relatively new P-2, recalls. “I registered, got my visa, bought my plane tickets. I had no idea what to expect.” (See the XC clinic flight on Leonardo here: http://www.paraglidingfo-rum.com/leonardo/flight/807629)

Fortunately for him, Jugdeep’s Northern California XC League had an event scheduled a month before Bir, providing Owen with his first exposure to competition flying. “Everyone there was happy to help, answer questions, show me how to use my new flight instrument, and make goal,” he recalls, adding, “Having access to mentors really improved my flying skills, and I had such a fantastic experi-ence I knew we needed something similar in the NW.”

And so, this summer Owen is the main organizer of the first NW XC League, which is already (as of the May 9 event at BJ) proving popular with the NW parapilots. “Starting out as a beginner XC pilot can be very daunt-ing,” Owen acknowledges, but points out that flying a task

removes some of the uncertainties. “There are more thermal indicators and if you really aren’t sure of the best route you can hang back and watch. That, coupled with having your retrieve taken care of, frees up some mental energy. It cre-ates a good transition into XC flight and eases the stress of making that first jump away from the hill and primary LZ.”

THEIR FLYING-RELATED wISHLISTS FOR SUMMEROwen doesn’t hold back—”I really want to take a crack at the Washington state record this year,” he declares. “The combination of in-flight endurance, the logistical challeng-es, and beating my personal best really appeals to me. My stretch goal is to fly the Pakistan Himalayas. After seeing pictures and hearing the stories I really want to do some vol-biv there.”

Rick is less goal-oriented. “I’m pretty spontaneous,” he muses, “and don’t have any dream list for this summer.” His main focus remains on having safe launches and landings for every flight in the future. The rest of us would urge him to add to that the goal of continuing his in-depth postings before and after each flying day, and perhaps enticing others to follow his example, thus expanding the flying-related da-tabase of forecasts vs. realities for various weather sources.

AFTER A LONG, SATISFYING FLIGHTBoth Rick and Owen told me essentially the same thing: What they really enjoy after an awesome flight is sharing the experience with friends. Owen prefers to de-brief over an ice-cold beer, “discussing with my fly buddies the high-lights and what we could have done differently.” Almost as

ABOVE Rick launching at Oceanside, Oregon.


an aside, he adds, “Sometimes I get weird food cravings in flight, typically for something that is incredibly difficult or impossible to find. Like an ice cream bar in the middle of the desert. Recently I had a craving for an ice cream sand-wich so badly I had to cut my flight short just so I could stop by a gas station and pick one up. It was worth it…”

Rick, of course, shares his flight stories via the Internet in his post-flight posts. “I’m always looking forward to another good day with more pilots to share the great flying with me.”

No flying article would be complete without some flying stories! I’ll close with Owen’s and Rick’s accounts of a few of their most memorable flights.

Owen especially enjoys flying what he calls “the aes-thetic line—big mountains, glaciers, alpine lakes, all really appeal to me. The Cascades provide unbelievable vistas and are very accessible from Seattle. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest backpacking in a lot of these areas, so being able to fly over the same area close to terrain is really special to me.” He’s laid down some truly impressive flights in eastern Washington, crossing miles and miles of mountainous, roadless wilderness areas. A recent flight from Chelan to Mazama is on Leonardo here: http://www.paraglidingfo-

rum.com/leonardo/flight/1156319, and a triangle over the spectacular Cascades scenery is here: http://www.paraglid-ingforum.com/leonardo/flight/1156319.

When he first learned about flying cross-country, Owen immediately asked if it was possible to fly a paraglider over Snoqualmie Pass from Tiger Mt. The answers he got boiled down to, “Yes, you can get BLOWN over the pass, but people rarely do it.” Owen took that as a challenge; he care-fully watched the weather as the NW winter morphed into spring, and on last March 30 conditions looked promising. He launched from Tiger with friends Brian Franklin and Sabrina Krewin, with their sights set on crossing the pass into eastern Washington. Sabrina landed just short of the summit, but Brian and Owen successfully crossed the pass and landed at Kecheelus Lake, below Rampart Ridge and just east of Snoqualmie Summit. It was, they all agree, “a really special trip!”

In the last couple years, Owen has flown in both the Indian and Nepali Himalayas. “Both Pokhara (Nepal) and Bir (India) offer great flying, easy vol-biv, and comfortable lodging,” he says. “While it is a long trip to get to either of these places, it is worth it. World-class flying and the terrain make the Himalayas an area I will visit again.” One of his favorite triangle flights in Pokhara is on Leonardo

457,73km 25.10.2014 North Brasil, Aspen5, Karel VejchodskyWorld’s longest f l ight on an EN C gl ider

www.gradient.cxwww.atlantaparagliding.com

next generat ion of the legend

USHPA_mag_charlie.indd 1 10. 4. 2015 12:43:42

http://atlantaparagliding.com


here: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/1111647.

Although Rick told me that he doesn’t go XC, two of the flights he chose as his most memorable include some elements of cross-country flying. Last April, at the annual Frostbite Festival, he launched his Freedom from Bremer Mountain, and with several other pilots found good lift in leeside thermals that got them high enough to hook into the stronger thermals coming up from the back side of Bremer. “My altimeter ran out of battery when I reached 5000’ above launch,” Rick recalls, “but my vario just kept screaming so I think I got over 10,000’ AGL or more.” From that altitude he could see the Morton airport about eight miles away to the east as the glider flies, and another four miles beyond the airport, Dog Mt. He’d lost track of his flying buddies, and he doesn’t consider himself an XC pilot, but even so he couldn’t resist going for it. He was so high when he reached the airport that the hang rigs parked there offering an easy retrieve didn’t even tempt him to land. He flew on, getting about halfway to Dog before finally turning back to the airport, where retrieve driver Mike was still waiting to return him to Area 151, the site of the evening’s Frostbite festivities. Rick received a trophy for this XC venture at the Frostbite award ceremony the next day.

Rick’s other unexpected XC flight was last August. Rick thermaled up to about 4500’AGL at Dog Mt., high enough to cross Riffe Lake and soar Elk Mt. Typically it’s

a bit of a push into the west wind to get to Elk, and then a quick downwind ride back to the reliable lift at Dog, or to Dogpatch LZ. But on this day, Rick “experienced a sudden wind switch due to an oncoming storm, with a strong east that I wasn’t able to penetrate even at full speed. It was clear I couldn’t make the crossing back to Dogpatch. So, I had to find a bailout spot below Elk to land in, or else I’d end up in the trees or the lake.” All his landing practice served him well, and “I had a soft landing without getting wrecked, injured or wet.” He adds, “A BIG thanks to Travis for taking quick action to get a boat and come to my rescue at this remote location.” Without a radio or a cell phone, and with evening coming on, he’d figured his best option was to land somewhere visible from the Dog side of the lake, where he could signal he was OK, and then begin the long trek on foot around the lake, leaving his glider to be retrieved later. Luckily, Travis’s commandeered boat made retrieval of Rick and glider relatively easy. “A guardian angel must’ve been looking out for me,” Rick concludes. All’s well that ends well…

A few weeks after his outlanding at the base of Elk, Rick experienced the magic of one of the NW’s most spectacular soaring sites: Rampart Ridge. For more than two hours he and a group of hang gliding friends had “the privilege of being surrounded by the magnificent scenery, soaring above the lakes and summits at 8000’ MSL.” Everyone who’s gotten high at Rampart would concur that looking down on those lakes nestled behind the vertical cliff of Rampart


Ridge with snow-covered peaks in the distance is one of the “most stunning views in Washington State.” Again, Rick’s non-stop focus on perfect landing form served him well. Rampart’s infamous LZ turbulence left him unscathed but resulted in downtube-crunching touchdowns for several others.

As I mentioned earlier, Rick posts videos of his flights so the rest of us can enjoy or learn from his experiences. His “totally unexpected” XC flight from Bremer to the Morton airport is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3giRI17uJA. The flight at Rampart (“the most beautiful flying site in

Pacific Northwest”) is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIARNwu4NG8.

And his “escape from disaster” at Dog Mt., which he admits is “still kind of disturbing when I think about that landing, but the flight was just spectacular” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nHRgfR-SiU.

THE TAKEAwAY FOR THE REST OF USIt may not have occurred to you that just doing what you love, and doing it well, can be hugely inspirational to your fellow pilots. Rick’s posting his flight plans so others can tag along if they wish, and then following up with reports on how the day went, has motivated more than one pilot to get out and join him. And while most of us have neither the skill nor the desire to venture as deep into the mountains as Owen has gone, nonetheless it keeps the “wonder” in this

wonderful sport to see where our flimsy craft, in the hands of a skilled pilot, can go.

I’ve always felt that one of the coolest things about our flying “family” is how we celebrate each other’s successes and personal bests, no matter where they fall on the con-tinuum relative to what others have done. Back when email was a new phenomenon, sending out a so-called “gloat post” was a common practice among my flying buddies; letting the rest of the gang know who went were and how well (or not) that site was working was just part of our post-flight routine. Rick’s emails, and Owen’s tracklogs of his everyday flying on http://xcfind.paraglide.us/map.html?id=1, have somewhat resurrected that abandoned tradition. I surely am not the only one who enjoys knowing what’s been going on in the wide world outside my own little circle of sites and flights. When you’ve had an interesting flight, or learned something new about a familiar or a new site, consider sharing the story! Some offhand comment or trivial-to-you detail might provide an ah-ha! moment to someone else, transforming you into their super hero, even if only for a few minutes. Who knows what unsuspected powers may lie within each of us?!

OPPOSITE L Owen gets airborne for the practice League task at Blanchard | photo by Talbot Shoemaker. OPPOSITE R Owen, just after landing at the vol-biv spot in Pemberton. Now to get ready for some ridge soaring and then some sleep... | photo by Guy Herrington ABOVE Rick and his Freedom at Bingen, Washington, above the Columbia River | photo by David Le.


The air is somewhat predictable, but it is fickle enough that we some-times get surprised. The element

of surprise can be pleasant as when we blunder into a nice fat thermal, or more commonly, the surprise can be stress-ful. A little stress adds to the adrenaline pump for the hormone junkies, but most of us want to reduce flying jitters by knowing what’s coming. We can never

know it all, but being prepared for some common surprises can foster peace of mind in flight—most of the time. Let’s look at the bad stuff, then progress to the good stuff.

TAKEOFF SURPRISENothing gets your attention more sharply than a sudden gust or surge during your launch run. A lifted wing or

even a head-on gust can spoil your fun if it causes you to lose control. We have all heard of, witnessed or participated in too many launch accidents. Many of them are due to unsteady conditions. We must have excellent takeoff tech-nique, or sooner or later the surprises the wind has up its sleeve are going to bite us. Like a viper.

Here are some snakebite-prevention

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-unbeatable value for money

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navigation made easy

live tracking

rules: rule oNe: Expect the unexpected in

every condition, except possibly seaside soaring and non-thermal light-wind days.

rule two: Develop a takeoff tech-nique that maintains maximum control and contact with the glider at all times. This rule means that every pilot should review his or her takeoff technique. Have a friend film it (no excuses—ev-eryone has a camera handy). If you are letting go of the uprights, or switching your hands from grapevine to bottle grip early in the run, you are vulnerable. It’s better to switch your hands later so that your glider has been accelerated and has some airspeed for control. Then if a gust goblin jumps up and says “Boo!” you at least have some control. Better yet, don’t switch your hands. It is not necessary. I know of no other launch technique that maintains control as well as using the grapevine grip all through the run and into the air. Think about it: Would you want to be riding a moun-tain bike down a very rutted slope and have to reverse your grip while your wheel was being twisted? Why relin-quish control of your glider when you can hit an air rut at any moment?

rule tHree: Set a perfect attitude (nose up or down position). We learn this principle in our training sessions, but we may not learn the variations for steepness of hill or strength of wind. Again, have a friend give you feedback on this aspect of your launches to perfect the position setting. Too low will dive you into the ground. Too high will get you into the air with too little airspeed, and thus, too little control if you take a bad hit.

rule Four: Put as much energy as you can into the glider by gradually accelerating. In order for your run to have the desired effect you have to start with that good attitude of rule three and move the glider with good control. Sometimes we get off launch too easily,

and especially if we fly a site that has an easy launch we may develop a ho-hum attitude. But then when we encounter a launch that is flat, has a short ramp, a bit of turbulence or some other com-plication, we may not have the skills to perform safely. I recommend making every launch a good acceleration launch, no matter how perfect the ramp, how steep the run, how ideal the wind. Every flight should be a practice for the rest of the flights in your flying career—such an approach will help guarantee a long one.

I have lost two friends to poor technique during a crosswind and gusty launch. I don’t have enough to lose more. To illustrate what can go wrong, here are a couple of surprises that happened to me. One was at Sandia Mountain when a super Saturn rocket hit me as I stepped off launch. My glider pointed skyward over 45 degrees and I was hanging on the uprights. Eventually the upward acceleration slowed, I could get on the base tube and turn tightly to avoid going over the falls. I can categori-cally state that if I was in the process of rotating my hands when that liftoff occurred, the glider would have been ripped out of my grip and I would have ended up plastered on the rocks and scrub.

The second most surprising take-off happened just two weeks ago (December) in soarable air. I was flying a site called Jacks Mountain, which I first flew in 1979. We have had hun-dreds of flights there. I noticed the wind streamer was blowing in and standing almost vertical. That’s a sure sign of good lift. But this is a very steep site and I experienced quite a bit of ramp suck (the air flow tried to pull me off the hill). If I kept my nose down the pull was worse. As I cleared for takeoff and began a step, the back of my glider got lifted and I was heading for a nose-in or a dive into the trees below on this very steep slope. I did not have time to think

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about what to do; I stopped running and quickly put my right hand up on the top of the upright and gave a hefty pull backwards to lift the glider’s nose. It came up and I was suddenly in the air. I immediately dropped my right hand down to the base tube, followed by the left and flew away. It happened too fast for fear and all I remember thinking was, “Holy Shinola, what was that?!”

Let’s do a quick analysis of this surprise. I suspect that on that day my heavy gloves, the density of the air and the straight-in wind direction all conspired to add to the problem. I have launched in ramp suck many times, but in this case it was severe. I should have taken more time to establish a better balance between the tendency to be pulled off and the danger of having the nose too high in a soaring wind. The second, and more important, matter was, I should have moved my single wing wireman to the rear wires. (A rear wire person is the safest option in strong ramp suck. We will discuss ramp suck and technique in a future article.) I was lucky to fly out of this, and do not recommend my emergency technique, for it was fortunate that the air was smooth enough that I wasn’t turned during my brief minimal-control period. The point is, after 40 years of flying I was still surprised. I flew from that site two weeks later and you can bet I used quadruple caution during launch.

LANDING wHOASThere are a couple of landing surprises that can make you say “whoa!” and leave you scrambling for options. The first is getting ballooned up on ap-proach. The second is turbulence that turns you. The third is the appear-ance of another glider—either on the ground or in the air—compromising your flight path.

On hot, thermally days your final

approach can disturb the warm ground air mass so that it releases in a birth-ing thermal. You may then experience a sudden rise or a prolonging of your flight path—you glide much further than expected. Any time thermals are present (you should be able to detect them on launch most of the time), especially in arid areas, expect the pos-sibility of buoyancy in the landing field.

The remedy or defense against surprise thermals is to try to always land in the first half of your landing field whenever possible. That way any unexpected altitude or extended glide will not have you encroaching on the boundaries of safety. Also, it is neces-sary to maintain a good approach speed for control in case the thermal has some swirly little companions.

The opposite condition happened to me last year. There was massive sink that extended from launch to the ground (obviously there was some huge thermal going up somewhere nearby, but it sure wasn’t calling my name).

I barely made an alternate landing field, and sank so fast all the way to the ground that I didn’t have time to stand up. I landed on my belly with no problem, but I was very surprised that the sink never lessened all the way to the deck. The only defense in such a situation is to plan for extra altitude at the landing field, and be prepared to land on your belly if necessary (see Part X of this series).

Turbulence—that caused either by obstructions or thermals—can com-promise your control and flight path. Unfortunately, turbulence can occur right at ground level when you would like things to be nice and smooth for a perfect flare. The prevention and remedy for such turbulence is to carry extra control speed. There is a dilemma here: When you are standing upright it is more difficult to maintain extra speed, and even harder to maintain roll control because of the geometry and lever arms involved (see figure 1). This factor is especially noticeable in pitch (speed control) on single-surface gliders because of their strong stability. Remaining in the nearly prone flying position with hands on the base tube affords the best control. However, if you crash this prone position leaves you moving headfirst so that your head and neck are vulnerable. For this reason, many instructors recommend having one hand on the base tube and one on the upright as shown in the figure. This position has the best (or worst, depend-ing on your viewpoint) of both worlds. You have better control than when upright and can presumably rock up if something bad starts to happen.

I was turned 90 degrees sideways in a long tree-lined landing field on final a few years ago. I was already upright about 10 feet off the ground and im-mediately climbed the right upright. With a good percentage of my weight on this upright, the glider responded with a right turn away from the trees, I

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leveled out and pushed out for a landing all within about three seconds. Whew! It was ugly, but I landed on my feet. The lesson here is that even though I didn’t expect the surprise turn I was prepared to counteract it.

When other gliders are in the air there is always potential for surprises, especially if you are not experienced at tracking more than one at a time. If there is another glider orbiting the landing field at your level, it is standard (and safe) procedure for the lowest pilot to spiral down to provide separation. If you suddenly see a glider at your level when it is about time to perform your pattern, plan to accelerate your pattern, dive your turns and land as short as you can and to one side of the field. That way the other pilot can pass over your head to avoid your vortices, or, at worst, land beside you. If possible, gliders caught in a landing conflict will have the pres-ence of mind to set the approach up on

opposite sides of the field so they can see each other at all times.

INVOLUNTARY AERIALSI have witnessed three tumbles in thermals I was working, and a fourth occurred to a pilot in a thermal I had just left. In none of these thermals did I feel the conditions overpowering. The tumblers didn’t either. However, they may have been flying too slowly. All four of them successfully deployed parachutes and landed OK with bruises to their body and confidence. In any case, they survived by being prepared to throw their laundry. That’s one way to prepare for such an incident.

The second way to prepare for ther-mal surprises is to quickly figure out the nature of the thermals of the day and be ready for defense if necessary. The main defense for dealing with strong thermals is to maintain a steeper bank angle. A steeper bank angle results in higher

flying speed, less chance of being rolled to the outside of the thermal, more possibility to control your positioning in the thermal and less chance you will encounter the turbulent edge of the thermal. Another defense is to enter and exit thermals with extra speed. If you try milking the lift on your way out of a thermal you risk a tumble with all but the gentle giants.

Besides tumbles, you can blunder into a severe thermal and be rolled seri-ously against your will. In fact, probably as many upside-down events happen when the pilot was rolled rather than pitched (or a combination of these involuntary rotations). The prepared-ness here is to carry more airspeed in rough or powerful thermal conditions, but also to be ready to perform the cor-rect control actions. These controls vary according to how your glider is affected. Again, this discussion will be covered in a future article.

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THUNDERSHOCKSWe all tend to fly in unstable conditions, since those are the conditions that sat-isfy our thermal lust. But a lot of times unstable thermal conditions can result in thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are dangerous and even deadly to all types of aircraft. But if we never flew when there was a possibility of thunderstorms we would rarely fly on thermal days, at least in the humid East.

It is possible to predict thunder-storms somewhat by looking at the day’s lapse rate (temperature profile), the dew-point profile and the expected heat-ing. But the predictions are not 100%

accurate, so usually the weather report says “chance of thunderstorms” and may give a percentage of such a chance. As a ballpark figure, I would say that any time there is a greater than 50% chance of thunderstorms pilots need to exercise extreme caution when considering to fly or actually flying.

Thunderstorms have cropped up sud-denly and unexpectedly, even in a previ-ously blue sky. The best defense against thunderstorms is to understand them (we have written much about them in the past, both in this magazine and in books; there will be more discussion in the future, no doubt). The second

defense is to recognize their signs and give them a wide berth. The classic sign of thunderstorms is a rapid build-up of clouds, especially if the clouds are towering.

Another thunderstorm sign (that usually indicates you are too close for comfort) is cloud suck—widespread strong, smooth lift. Of course, cloud suck can occur in moist conditions without the thermals developing into full-blown thunderstorms, but any time there is cloud suck, pay atten-tion. Suspect thunderstorm possibility and be happy if they don’t materialize. Cloud suck itself can deliver unexpected

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consequences if you are pulled up into the cloud against your will (and against the law and safety limits). Expect it whenever cloud dimensions spread and the lift itself gets stronger, more widespread and smoother as you climb upwards.

CLOUDY CONDITIONSNot all surprises in the blue are bad juju. Sometimes they are pleasant. One I have experienced many times is abundant thermals on a totally cloudy day. Many pilots are discouraged by too much cloudiness, but often the reason there are so many clouds is a lot of mois-ture in the air, quite unstable conditions or both. All it takes for thermals to form without sun is an unstable air mass moving over warmer ground, so the air is heated at the surface. I have flown on many 100% cloudy days with thermals of moderate strength—200 feet per minute or more—that went nearly as high as their sunshine-sired cousins. I’ll take that any time over hanging around the house contemplating chores.

Other nice thermal surprises occur over lakes, swamps or other areas not known for heating and thermal produc-tion. But, when cooler air moves in over large bodies of water, the water, which stores heat efficiently, can warm the air at the bottom and produce large and (usually) weak thermals. Typically this effect occurs in the cooler months, but it can happen anytime.

In Florida we frequently encounter thermals right above the many lakes. This effect has more to do with the cooler lakes acting as triggers for ther-mals building on the nearby shore, but often you can see the thermal swirls on the water surface to help indicate and locate the thermal. No matter what the mechanism details are, any time we dis-cover such a gift we should be smiling.

PAYING IT BACKA long day’s heat often builds up in

locations that are slow to heat. Then when the sun settles, these locations pay the heat back slowly as (often) weak thermals. When it is late in the day sometimes weak thermal are very welcome as opposed to no thermals. Particular areas that deliver this thermal payback are rockslides or outcroppings, dryer (pine) forests and closely nestled buildings (you know the congested area rules, don’t you?). Seek these areas in a pinch to extend soaring time.

Another nice surprise of this nature is restitution winds and thermals. We call these conditions “wonder winds” or

“magic air,” depending on the location of the lift. We can’t always expect these nice end-of-the-day gifts, but here’s a clue: During high-pressure days the heating can be intense because the sky is blue and the air is relatively dry. But due to the stable air mass related to high pressure, thermals are small, infrequent and often weak. So the surface heat is not evacuated effectively during the day. But near the end of the day, when cool air slides down from the heights it moves under the warm air mass, lifts it and makes it auto-convective. The entire mass of warm air may release up the slopes in an orgy of smooth, fat wide-spread lift. Expect the unexpected.

In decades of flying we have encoun-tered many surprises. At this point all we know for sure is that we

should expect the unexpected. A little preparedness results in a lot of safety margin. I try to prepare for most of the unexpected flying occurrences by imag-ining what can happen and forming a plan of action if a surprise springs up. I anticipate and expect the unexpected. It is surprising how many pilots report that they knew what to do when the unexpected happened because they had thought about possibilities ahead of time. The idea is to foster not trepida-tion but confidence by imagining the correct actions and a happy ending.

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CALENDAR, CLINIC & TOUR LISTINGS can be sub-mitted online at http://www.ushpa.aero/email _events.asp. A minimum 3-MONTh LEAD TIME is re-quired on all submissions and tentative events will not be published. For more details on submissions, as well as complete information on the events listed, see our Calendar of Events at www.ushpa.aero

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

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

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

If in doubt, many hang gliding and paragliding businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you bring them to inspect. BUYERS ShOULD SELECT EQUIpMENT ThAT IS AppROpRIATE FOR ThEIR SKILL LEVEL OR RATING. NEW pILOTS ShOULD SEEK pROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION FROM A UShpA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR.

Jul 23-27 > This clinic will be hosted by Torrey Pines Gliderport team, Master Pilot and SIV Coach, Gabriel Jebb, Enleau O’ Connor, and Max Marien. This will be a super clinic and cover everything from deflations, to he-licopters, tumbles, misty flips, etc. This clinic has two (2) tow boats with three (3) tow winches. It’s incredible fun with a big group of pilots of all skill levels. More info at www.flytorrey.com, email [email protected], or call at 858-452-9858.

Jul 23-27 > Lake Berryessa, CA. SIV/Super Acro Clinic This clinic will be hosted by Torrey Pines Glider-port team, Master Pilot and SIV Coach, Gabriel Jebb, Enleau O’ Connor, and Max Marien. This will be a su-per clinic and cover everything from deflations, to he-licopters, tumbles, misty flips, etc. This clinic has two (2) tow boats with three (3) tow winches. It’s incredible fun with a big group of pilots of all skill levels. More info: www.flytorrey.com, email [email protected], or call at 858-452-9858.

aug 9-23 >Colombia. Come to fly with us in SEV-EN sites along The Cauca Valley and Antioquia region includes: Piedechinche, Roldanillo, Anserma Nuevo, Jericó, Damasco, Santa Fé de Antioquia and San Felix. Coaching and guidance by Ruben Montoya (Rubenfly). $2100 includes 14 nights accommodation in tradition-al «fincas» or hotels, breakfast, ground transportation, yoga sessions, Spanish lessons, briefings, guidance and flying fees. Call Sofia at 818-572-6350, www.shi-wido.com www.paraglidingmedellin.com.

aug 10-25 > 2015 Colombia. Paragliding and Yoga tour Colombia. Paragliding and Yoga Tour Colombia. Ex-plore SEVEN sites along the Cauca Valley and Antioquia region with the guidance and coaching of Colombian top pilot and instructor Ruben Montoya, "Rubenfly" and So-fia Puerta Webber, paraglider pilot and yoga therapist. $2100 including accommodation in hotels or traditional "fincas," breakfast, ground transportation, briefings and flying fees. Contact us at (818)-572-6350 or via email: [email protected] www.sofiapuerta.com.

august 29, 30, 31 > Thermal Clinic. Utah sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Learn your wing’s language and what it is telling you about the parcel of air it is in. More info: Phone 801- 971-3414, email [email protected], or www.twocanfly.com.

seP 5-9 > Cross-country and open-distance compe-tition clinic with mentoring. Paragliding Intensive with Ken Hudonjorgensen and other mentors. Inspiration Point, Jupiter, West Mt. and Monroe, Utah, wherever the weather tells us to go. More info: Phone 801- 971-3414, email [email protected], or www.twocanfly.com.

seP 19-20 > Site Pioneering. Utah sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. More info: Phone 801- 971-3414, email [email protected], or www.twocanfly.com.

seP 21 - oct 1, oct 2-12> Paracrane European Tour. Austria, Slovenia, and Italy. "The Sound of Music" meets the X-Alps! Early summer and early fall are per-fect times for flying in Austria, Slovenia and Italy. We’ll base in Zell am See, Austria, with tram access to excel-lent flying. Other great sites are close by. On to the Alps of Slovenia, plus a stop in Venice. After classic Meduno, we shift north to some of the most spectacular flying in the world, the Dolomites. More info: [email protected], 541-840-8587, or http://www.costaricaparaglid-ing.com/europe.html.

CALENDARCLINICS & TOURS

Jul 3-5 > Thermal Clinic. Utah sites with Ken Hudon-jorgensen. Learn your wing’s language and what it is telling you about the parcel of air it is in. More info: Phone 801-971-3414, email [email protected], or www.twocanfly.com.

Jul 10-12 > Join the Torrey Pines Gliderport Tandem Team and Tandem Administrator Gabriel Jebb, to earn your Tandem Instructor (T3) rating. This clinic is the USHPA accredited Tandem Instructor Training Program. The clinic will include all your pre-requisite require-ments to attain your Tandem Pilot (T1) rating as well as your Tandem Instructor rating. Both ratings can be at-tained after completing this clinic. More info at www.flytorrey.com, email [email protected], or call at 858-452-9858.

Jul 10-12 > San Diego, CA. Torrey Pines Gliderport - Tandem Instructor Clinic. Join the Torrey Pines Gli-derport Tandem Team and Tandem Administrator Gabri-el Jebb, to earn your Tandem Instructor (T3) rating. This clinic is the USHPA accredited Tandem Instructor Train-ing Program. The clinic will include all your pre-requi-site requirements to attain your Tandem Pilot (T1) rating as well as your Tandem Instructor rating. Both ratings can be attained after completing this clinic. More info: www.flytorrey.com, email [email protected], or call at 858-452-9858.

Jul 16-19 > The Torrey Pines Gliderport will be of-fering an SIV clinic at Lake Berryessa starting Thursday at 3pm and ending Sunday (whenever the towing stops). The clinic will provide several hours of classroom the-ory and analytical discussion, personalized instruction on each tow, by the SIV coach, and several tows per day to practice the maneuvers, recoveries and aerobatics. More info at www.flytorrey.com, email [email protected], or call at 858-452-9858.

Jul 20-23 > Lake Tahoe, CA. Cross-country Clin-ic Torrey Pines Gliderport is offering advanced cross-country flying in the Lake Tahoe area, Nevada. The clinic will include all rides to launch, retrieves and radio in-struction. Please have a vario, GPS, personal locator and cell phone. The clinic will provide the following special skills sign-offs: High Altitude (HA) and Cross Country (XC). Clinic cost is $450—special discount for those who attend the SIV clinic beforehand. More info: www.flytorrey.com or contact us at (858) 542 9858 and [email protected].

Jul 20-23 > Torrey Pines Gliderport is offering ad-vanced Cross Country flying in the Lake Tahoe, Ne-vada area. Hosted by Gabriel Jebb and Lake Tahoe, XC Sky God, Mitch Neary. More info at www.flytorrey.com, email [email protected], or call at +1(858) 452-9858

HOW TO USECALENDAR & CLASSIFIED

RENEW your membershipat USHPA.aero to participate

in our Green initiative. Online

renewal is only available to current

members, and members who have

been expired less than 3 years.

Members who have been expired

more than 3 years must contact

the USHPA office.



http://www.flytorrey.com/


6030

seP 28 - oct 3 > Red Rocks Fall Fly-in, Richfield Utah with Ken Hudonjorgensen and Stacy Whitmore. More info: Phone 801- 971-3414, email [email protected], or www.twocanfly.com.

Nov > Iquique Chili paragliding tour: This year we have divided the tour into four different segments: Instruc-tional Days, Iquique Days # 1, 2 and 3. Our Tour leaders are Todd Weigand, Luis Rosenkjer and Ken Hudonjor-gensen. The entire tour will be packed with instruction for all levels of paragliding (including P-2 thru P-4). Check the web site for more details. For anyone want-ing to fly, fly, fly... this is the tour to join. The last tour will focus more on XC. More info: Phone 801- 971-3414, email [email protected], or www.twocanfly.com.

Nov 12-14, 16-18 > Yelapa, Mexico. SIV/maneu-vers clinic. Join us for another great learning and fun experience in beautiful tropical Yelapa. Tow up and land on the beach in a warm, friendly location with lots of great places to stay and eat. Brad Gunnuscio, world-class XC and acro pilot, will be teaching the courses. As Brad says, «Yelapa is by far the best place to do an SIV clinic.» More info: contact Les at www.paraglideyelapa.com or Brad at siv.com or 801 707-0508. More info: www,paraglideyelapa.com or siv.com.

dec 7-16> Brazil. Paraglide Brazil with Paracrane Tour. We’ll start in magical Rio de Janeiro, flying over the tropical forest surrounded by granite domes and landing on the beach, or try a flight to the world-famous Christ statue! After 3 days we head to Governador Va-ladares, for incredible XC opportunities. Depending on conditions other sites we may visit include Pancas, Castelo and Alfredo Chavez in Espirito Santo. Brazil is a unique paragliding and cultural experience! Open to strong P-2’s and up. Please note, you will need a Bra-zilian Visa. More info: 541-840-8587, or [email protected].

JaN 17-24 & JaN 31 - Feb 7 > Tapalpa, Mexico. Tapalpa, Mexico Fly Week. Parasoft has been guiding pilots to Mexico in January since 1990. In 2002 we dis-covered Tapalpa, site of a 2003 World Cup event. With big launch and landing areas and no crowds, this is the best in Mexico! With three other sites nearby, you soar in any wind direction. To guide our clients well, we limit our group size to four and offer tandem flights to im-prove flying skills. More info: parasoftparaglding.com/mexico-flying, [email protected] or 303-494-2820.

COMPETITION - SANCTIONED

JuN 28 - Jul 3 > Chelan Butte, Chelan, WA. 2015 Chelan Cross-Country Classic and National Open-Distance Championships, Pilots will choose their own tasks to get the most our of each day and points will be awarded based on the distance they fly. This will be a sanctioned event this year so pilots can earn points for national rankings. Go straight out on days with tail winds or complete a triangle on light winds. Then go for a swim in the lake and hit the town for dinner to finish the day. This competition is also for new cross-coun-try pilots as a great way to learn the art of cross-coun-try flying. Evening seminars and on-launch/LZ coach-ing programs are in planning. Individual scoring as well as team scoring and a para vs. hang rematch. Bring the family too! Chelan is great vacation destination and the meet dates are before the 4th of July to avoid the crowds. More Info: Lennard Baron, [email protected], 425 275-2162.

aug 2-8 > Big Spring Nationals. The Big Spring Na-tionals is the premier hang gliding competition in the US with the best and most consistent racing condi-tions.Tasks average 100 miles. Many days we are able to come back to the airport and your glider can rest the night in the hangar. We usually fly every day. No oth-er city supports a hang gliding competition like Big Spring, with use of their air-conditioned terminal, han-gar, free water and ice cream, golf carts, runway, wel-come dinner, prize money, and much more. As a na-tional competition, it will again be a high NTSS points meet and count toward the National Championship. More info: Belinda Boulter and Davis Straub, http://oz-report.com/2015BigSpringNationals.php, [email protected], and 863-206-7707.

aug 30 - seP 5 > DINOSAUR 2015 More info: Ter-ry, and Chris Reynolds, rockymountainglider.com, [email protected], 970-245-7315.

seP 13-19 > Santa Cruz Flats Race - Mark Knight Memorial Competition . The Francisco Grande Resort is once again welcoming us back for another week of great flying. If you're up for 7 out of 7 days of awesome tech-nical flying conditions, come join us for the 9th Annual Santa Cruz Flats Race. Registration opens at noon eastern time on April 11th. More info: Jamie Shelden, www.santacruzflatsrace.blogspot.com, [email protected], or 831-261-5444.

seP 20-26 > OVXCC - Owen's Valley Cross Coun-try Classic 2015. More info: Kari Castle, KARICASTLE.COM, [email protected], or 760-920-0748 .

COMPETITION - NON-SANCTIONED

JuN 27 - Jul 4> Lumby, BC, CANADA. 2015 Canadian Hang Gliding National Championships. Cana-dian hang gliding nationals will be held in Lumby, BC, about one hour drive from Kelowna and the international airport. Practice day June 27, task days June 28-July 4. Meet HQ is Raven Aviation Freedom Flight Park in Lumby. Organizer is Randy Rauck, meet head is Bruce Busby, safety director is Garth Hemming. Scoring TBD. Launch sites include Coopers, Vernon Mountain and Mara Lake. FAI Cat 2 sanctioning in progress. Check www.lumbyairforce.com soon for information regarding registration, fees, accommodations, etc.

Jul 6-11 > Moore, ID. King Mountain Cross Coun-try Competition. Individual and team competition. $100 entry fee prior to June 1. 2015 T-shirts by Dan Grav-age. USHPA membership required. Download entry form at http://www.flykingmountain.com/download/contest-documents/King-Registration-Forms.pdf and send to: King Meet—Connie Work, PO Box 519, Dunlap, CA 93621 More info: www.flykingmountain.com.

Jul 15-19 > Cosmos, Minnesota. 2nd Midwest Corn Alps XC continues this year at Cosmos, MN, organized by SDI paragliding. Dry camping at the field. ppg is al-lowed with limitations. For more info go to sdiparaglid-ing.com or chicagoparagliding.com

http://www.flytec.com

http://www.paraglideyelapa.com/

http://www.paraglideyelapa.com/



http://www.flykingmountain.com/download/contest-documents/King-Registration-Forms.pdf

http://www.flykingmountain.com/download/contest-documents/King-Registration-Forms.pdf

http://www.flykingmountain.com/

http://flytec.com

http://parasupply.com


HARNESSES

FLY CENTER OF GRAVITY CG-1000 - The most affordable single line suspension harness available. Individually designed for a precise fit. Fly in comfort. www.flycenterofgravity.com; [email protected]; 315-256-1522

PARTS & ACCESSORIES

GUNNISON GLIDERS - X-C, Factory, heavy PVC HG gliderbags $149. 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.

SpECIALTY WhEELS for airfoil basetubes, round ba-setubes, or tandem landing gear. 262-473-8800, www.hanggliding.com.

POWERED & TOWING

pILOTS: FREE CROSSOVER TRAINING when you purchase your Miniplane Paramotor! Instructors: Add PPG to your offerings and watch the fun begin! Visit our website for more info: www.Miniplane-USA.com/USHPA

SCHOOLS & INSTRUCTORS

ALABAMA

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGhT pARK - The best facilities, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more. Wide range of accommodations. 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 760-213-0063, 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 Santa Barbara & Ojai from the 2012 US Instructor of the Year! More students flying safely after 10 years than any other school in the nation. flyaboveall.com

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

seP 3-7 > Mingus Mt., Central Arizona. 40th Annual Mingus Mt. Fly-In We›re planning a big bash, Thurs-day through Labor Day! HG launch! PG launch! AZH-PA campgrounds at launch! Details to follow. More Info: Bill Comstock 602-625-4550; [email protected]; AZH-PA.ORG.

seP 4-7 > Ellenville, NY. THE USHPA NATIONAL FLY-IN! Calling all hang gliders and paragliders. Come one, come all–let's gather and fly and celebrate the sky! More info: at www.SNYHGPA.org.

seP 4-7 > Pine Mountain, OR. The Annual Pine Mountain Fly-In has been high flying since 1991. Join the Desert Air Riders for midday and evening glass-off flights in the High Desert or Central Oregon. The fly-in is a fundraising event to generate revenue for site insur-ance, Pine Mt and Mt. Bachelor, and for site improve-ments. Past events included raffle prizes, breakfast, and BBQ, expect some of the same this year. This is a free event with free on-site camping (we do gladly accepts donations)! More info: http://www.desertairriders.org/index.php

seP 28 - oct 3 > Richfield, Utah. Red Rocks Fall Fly-in. Fall colors and beautiful mountains and flying activities for all levels and interests. Clinics, ridge-soaring task competition, morning sledders, distance challenges. Low pressure, fun-flying activities to give everyone a chance to mingle and enjoy flying from Cen-tral Utah’s many world-class flying sites.

CLASSIFIEDCLINICS & TOURS

COSTA RICA - Grampa Ninja's Paragliders' B&B. Affordable rates include breakfast, pool, free wifi. Guide service and/or transportation to all popular paragliding sites. Lessons available from USHPA certified instructors. Call USA: Mid April thru Dec: 908-454-3242. Call Costa Rica Jan thru mid April: (Country code, 011) House: 506-2200-4824, Cell: 506-8950-8676, or email [email protected] Website: www.paraglidecostarica.com

ITALY - Fantastico! Great flying! Great food! Great weather! ALL inclusive service suitable for all levels of pilots. Round topped grassy mountains and large flatlands. Flying with culture! www.flytaly.com

pARAGLIDEShASTA - Guided Paraglider tours in beautiful Northern California. Whaleback, Hat Creek Rim, Woodrat and more. Located in Mt. Shasta, Guided by Brian Kerr with 15 years experience in area! Paraglideshasta.com

fLEX WINGS

A GREAT SELECTION OF hG&pG GLIDERS (ss, ds, pg) -HARNESSES (trainer, cocoon, pod) -PARACHUTES (hg&pg) -WHEELS (new & used). Phone for latest inventory 262-473-8800, www.hanggliding.com

aug 16-22 > Dunlap, TN. Tennessee Tree Toppers Team Challenge is an instructional competition pio-neered by the TTT for the cultivation of cross-coun-try and competition skills. The unique scoring format awards more points to less experienced team members for the same distance, encouraging their more expe-rienced team members to assist them along course. Teams are led by some of the finest XC and comp pilots in the country! Nightly seminars explore the finer points in greater detail, covering topics from forecasts to land-ings. More info: www.tennesseetreetoppers.org

fLY-INS

JuN 12-14> Eagle Rock VA, Eagle Rock Fly-In, Come join the "Skywackers" (SW Virginia Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association) for our Fly In at Eagle Rock, VA. The mountain has SE and NW facing launches A well maintained road to the launches can be driven with a 4WD vehicle. Free camping is available in fields at the base of the mountain, motels are close. A conve-nience store with a Subway and gas station is located 1/4 mile from campsites www.skywackers.org. Contact: Phil [email protected]

JuN 20-28> King Mountain Glider Park Safari. Free Annual Idaho event. Fly the longest days of the year just east of famous Sun Valley. Paragliders, hang glid-ers, sailplanes, and self-launching sailplanes are all welcome. Awesome glass off and cloud bases up to 18,000’. Fly to Montana or Yellowstone. Wave Window. Campfire, Potlucks, Star Gazing, Hiking, Mountain Bik-ing and Fishing. Free camping at the Glider Park. Big Air and Big Country! For an outtake about King from Dave Aldrich’s awesome movie production see vimeo.com/104771241 Explore kingmountaingliderpark.com for directions and more info. Spot Locator with tracking function or equivalent required. Call John at 208- 407-7174.

July 3-5 >Talihina, OK. Buffalo Mountain Flyers July 4th Fly-in and Fundraiser. Flying at Buffalo, PG Point, Heavener and Little Yancy. Come enjoy the beauty of the Ouachita Mountains, local fireworks, and small-town hospitality. Saturday evening BBQ dinner, a lim-ited-edition T-shirt, unlimited camping on launch or LZ at Buffalo and all the fun flying you can stand for the length of your stay. Annual Paper Airplane Contest. Ex-tra T-shirts available for $20 (XXL XXXL add $2). $60 registration. Please register by June 14 to ensure T-shirt size. More info: www.buffalomountainflyers.org.

Jul 4> Lakeview, Oregon. Lake County Umpteenth Annual Festival of Free Flight. Save by Pre-Register-ing by June 18th 2015 for $30.00 after June 18th it’s $35.00 at our website: www.lakecountychamber.org 877-947-6040. We have been welcoming both Hang Glider and Paraglide Pilots since the early 1980’s. Please visit our website and click the FFF tab for info and registration.

Jul 23-25 > Monroe Utah. Pioneer Days Fly InSpend three days with us in Central Utah, soaring Cove Moun-tain and flying in together at sunset, enjoying hamburg-ers at the park as we watch the fireworks. Enjoy the 6000-foot butter-smooth morning sledder from Mon-roe Peak, then the pancake breakfast at the park and the parade. The Pioneer Days Fly-in combines flying from world-class sites with a hometown celebration. Fun for the whole family.

http://www.buffalomountainflyers.org/


WINDSpORTS - Train in sunny southern Cal. 325 fly-able days each year. Learn modern flying skills safely and quickly. Train on sand with professionals at Dock-weiler Beach training slopes (5 minutes from LA air-port.) Fly any season in gentle coastal winds, soft sand and in a thorough program with 1 of the largest schools for over 40 years. 818-367-2430, www.windsports.com

COLORADO

GUNNISON GLIDERS - X-C to heavy waterproof HG gliderbags. Accessories, parts, service, sewing. In-struction 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.

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.

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].

MICHIGAN

TRAVERSE CITY pARAGLIDERS - Soar our 450’ sand dunes. Full time shop. Certified instruction, all levels. Sales, service and accessories for all major brands. Call Bill at 231-922-2844 or email at [email protected] Your USA & Canada Mosquito distributor, www.mosquitoamerica.com

MONTANA

BOzEMAN pARAGLIDING - Montana’s full time connection for paragliding, speedflying, & paramotoring instruction & gear. Maneuvers courses, thermal tours abroad, online store. www.bozemanparagliding.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE

MORNINGSIDE - A Kitty Hawk Kites flight park. The Northeast's premier hang gliding and paragliding training center, teaching since 1974. Hang gliding foot launch and tandem aerowtow training. Paragliding foot launch and tandem training. Powered Paragliding instruction. Dealer for all major manufacturers. Located in Charlestown, NH. Also visit our North Carolina location, Kitty Hawk Kites Flight School. 603-542-4416, www.flymorningside.com

NEW YORK

AAA hANG GLIDING Teaching since 1977, Three training hills, certified, adv instruction with mtn launch, tandems, towing, pro shop, pilots lounge, camping. We carry North Wing and Moyes, 77 Hang Glider Rd Ellenville, NY www.mtnwings.com 845-647-3377

FLY hIGh hG Serving the tri-state area with beginner and advanced instruction- the only school with THREE USHPA Instructor-of-the-Year recipients! Area's exclusive Wills Wing dealer. Superior customer service, lifelong support, the most competitive prices. Just 90-minutes from NYC. Come Fly High with us! www.FlyHighHG.com 845.744.3317 [email protected]

NORTH CAROLINA

KITTY hAWK KITES - The largest hang gliding school in the world, teaching since 1974. Learn to hang glide and paraglide on the East Coast's largest sand dune. Year-round instruction, foot launch and tandem aerotow. Powered paragliding instruction. Dealer for all major manufacturers. Learn to fly where the Wright Brothers flew, located at the beach on NC's historic Outer Banks. Also visit our New Hampshire location, Morningside Flight Park. 252-441-2426, 1-877-FLY-THIS, www.kittyhawk.com

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 TEAM - training pilots in Central Texas for 25 years. Hang Gliding, Paragliding, Trikes. Hangar facilities Lake LBJ, Luling, Smithville 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.

VIRGINIA

BLUE SKY - Virginia's full time, year round HG School. Scooter, Platform and Aero Tow. Custom sewing, paragliding, powered harnesses, trikes, representing most major brands. 804-241-4324, www.blueskyhg.com

INTERNATIONAL

BAJA MEXICO - La Salina Baja's BEST BEACHFRONT Airsport Venue: PG, HG, PPG: FlyLaSalina.com. by BajaBrent.com, He’ll hook you up! Site intros, tours, & rooms. [email protected], 760-203-2658

EXOTIC ThAILAND X/C CLINIC - Phu Thap Boek,Thailand's most awesome,highest flying site 5,200ASL.Open to P-2 and above.Come learn how to fly high and far! Very inexpensive! More info: [email protected]

FLYMEXICO - VALLE DE BRAVO and beyond for HANG GLIDING and PARAGLIDING. Gear, guiding, instruction, transportation, lodging - www.flymexico.com 512-467-2529 / 1-800-861-7198 USA

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.

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].


February, 1983

There's something magical about the first flight from any site, but for me, Mt. Si holds special magic: It's

almost in my backyard—I'd spotted hang gliders flying right over my house en route to one of the LZs. Ever since my first altitude flight at Barr Mt. two months earlier I'd been eagerly anticipat-ing my first flight at Mt. Si, certain it would be a truly mystical experience.

And now, after an unseasonable warm stretch, the mountain was accessible. The logging road up to the 3400' launch was snow-free except for the last couple hun-dred feet. Instructor Chuck decreed that George and I were ready to "graduate" from Barr; one of us could fly our shared Dove, the other would drive the truck down to the LZ. We joined a group of pilots and headed for the top.

A roll of the Pigmania pigs (Google it!) determined that I would fly. George helped me carry the Dove and my gear through the snow up to launch. But when I looked out over the trees below the logging road to the tiny town of North Bend in the valley below, and realized that the LZ really was out of sight, way around the mountain, I knew I wasn't ready yet for that much altitude without the security of a visible LZ. George flew and I, disgruntled and disap-pointed with myself, drove down.

But two weeks and several Barr flights later Chuck and his buddies were going back up to fly Si, and this time I was de-

termined not to chicken out. Once again George and I carried glider and gear to the setup area. The "big boys" were ready and off the hill in short order, up and gone. I took my time, knowing I was scared enough to make errors, checking everything carefully.

My knees were shaking as I carried the Dove up to launch. I was worried about running in snow, worried about recognizing the LZ from the air, worried about being too scared to think straight. I stood on launch for a few minutes, watching the wind streamers and the other pilots, repeating Chuck's "launch litany" to myself (keep the nose down, run like hell, at the last step pull yourself through the control bar…). Then, with a feeling of "it's now or never!" I ran off the edge of the logging road.

Pilots still on the hill told me later that I'd launched into some turbulence that lifted my right wing. I was too inexperienced to know anything about turbulence, but I could tell right away that I was not heading in the desired direction. I yanked myself as far to the right as I could and, after what seemed like an eternity, the far-too-big-for-me Dove straightened out and we flew away from the hill. In reality it must've been only seconds, because George and Chuck heard me yell back, "This is not fun!" as I followed some other pilots out to the LZ.

Actually, though, it was fun. I had about 10 minutes to get my act back to-gether and look around at the mountain behind me and the town of North Bend

below. Even though I'd lived in North Bend for five years, I was disconcerted to find I couldn't pick out any familiar land-marks from the air. I was extremely re-lieved to find myself in a parade of pilots heading for the landing field, relieved to discover how easy it is to pick out an LZ once there are gliders in it. I had a good setup and a perfect landing, and lots of help moving my Dove off the field and breaking down in wind stronger than any I'd encountered before. I was adrenaline-charged, exhilarated, my not-fun launch a distant memory. I was already antici-pating my next flight from what was to become my favorite flying site!

That was the only February flight I ever enjoyed from Mt. Si. More typically, snow closed the logging

road by November, and launch remained inaccessible until late spring or summer. Some years winter floods would take out culverts, or cut huge swaths through the road bed, and we'd be shut out till the logging company, or, eventually, the Forest Service, would make repairs.

And then, in 1996, the Forest Service turned the mountain into a Natural Resources Conservation Area, and vehicle access was no longer allowed. I am forever grateful that my flying career included the opportunity to fly this amazing site. I had almost 100 Mt.Si flights, some to thousands of feet above launch, before we lost our road access, but this brief February sledder remains the one I cherish most.

by C.J. Sturtvant

There was a day when your training clicked, conditions were

perfect, stars aligned, and you soared to new heights. Send in your

tale of “The 1” flight you'll never forget. We'll print it here, and you'll

be entered into the annual drawing for a USHPA soft-shell jacket.1The

http://moyes.com.au

http://moyes.com.au

http://www.flytec.com

hang gliding & paragliding vol45/iss07 jul2015

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