hang gliding & paragliding vol39/iss03 mar 2009

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero

MARCH 2009Volume 39 Issue 3

$6.95

www.USHPA.aero

MAGAZINE STAFFPaul Montville, Publisher: [email protected]

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

Staff writers: Alex Colby, Chris Galli, Steve Messman, Dennis Pagen, Dean Stratton, Mark “Forger” Stucky, Ryan Voight, Tom Webster

Staff artist: Jim Tibbs Staff photographers: John Heiney, Jeff O'Brien, Jeff Shapiro

OFFICE STAFFPaul Montville, Executive Director: [email protected]

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

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

[email protected]

USHPA OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEELisa Tate, President: [email protected]

Riss Estes, Vice President: [email protected] Rich Hass, Secretary: [email protected]

Mark Forbes, Treasurer: [email protected]

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

The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Inc. is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), which is the official representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the United States at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHPA supervision of FAI-related hang gliding and paragliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions.

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

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

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1543-5989) (USPS 17970) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc., 1685 W. Uintah St., Colorado Springs, CO 80904, (719) 632-8300, FAX (719) 632-6417. PERIODICAL postage is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, P.O. BOX 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. Canadian Post Publications Mail Agreement #40065056. Canadian Return Address: DP Global Mail, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, ON N9A 6J3

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine welcomes editorial submissions from our members and readers. We are always looking for well written articles and quality artwork. Feature stories generally run anywhere from 1500 to 3000 words. 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.

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

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

The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, a division of the National Aeronautic Association,

is a representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale in the United States.

On the cover, Jeff Shapiro plays shadow puppet over Hurrican Ridge, Utah. Meanwhile, some speed flying action in Southern Utah | photo courtesy flyozone.com.

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE09MAR

by Mark "Forger" Stucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

by Cyndia Zumpft-Klein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

by Chris Galli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

by Dennis Pagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

by C .B . Schmaltz and John Kraske . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

by Jugdeep Aggarwal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

by J .C . Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

EDITOR

PILOT BRIEFINGS

AIRMAIL

THE ASSOCIATION

SAFETY BULLETIN

CENTERFOLD

FILM REVIEW

DISPATCH

RATINGS

USHPA STORE

PAGE 78

7

8

10

12

14

40

62

68

74

76

HANG IN THERE

RITE OF PASSAGE

WEATHER XTRA

AVOIDING THE ANTI-VOID | PART ONE

OCEANSIDE OPEN FLY-IN 2009

N. CALIFORNIA LEAGUE MEETS CATCH FIRE

ATTACK OF THE BOBCAT

Afterburner thermals for Yogi? Yes, thank you.

Erika spreads her wings and learns how to fly.

A double helping of mind bending science.

Part one in a multi-part series.

Set a waypoint for the Tillamook coast.

The gaggles are gathering over Cali.

Not a fan of speed wings? Think again.

09MAR

by C .J . Sturtevant . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

HALL OF CHAMPIONSGet to know the faces and places behind the 2008 awards. 58

FILM

http://www.willswing.com

On January 25, 2009, Eric Reed became the first American to win a task at a World Paragliding Championship. On January 26,

2009, Brad Gunnuscio became the second American to win one. Matt Beechinor, not to be outdone, pulled off a task win on February 6. For the first time ever in a World Championships, every scoring American pilot won a day! Kari Castle, who completes the team, is also distinguing herself. It seems as if it's a new era in racing in the states and the world is taking notice. The racing population in the USA is quite small. So these exceptional feats are noticed by few, due to the small pool of fast-flyers that the USA grooms each year. Currently, there is much discussion about chang-ing the competition structure in the USA. Regardless of what any of us thinks about competition, we all should exhale a collective shout of congratulations to our national competition teams. These folks have chosen to dedicate themselves to representing us on the World scene at significant personal cost.

The members of the US Paragliding team also have a few sky-gods watching over them. Tony Lang, who started the non-profit organization that suc-cessfully pays for the team to travel and compete in foreign lands, should be commended at every oppor-tunity. He realized the need to support the US men and women attempting to represent the USA on the world scene and is a true champion for those whose dedication to our sports often leads to marginal bank accounts.

As this magazine goes to print, the US Paragliding team is racing for gold among the best pilots in the world. Even if the meet ended now, this year’s team has made a statement that the level of flying in the USA is as good as anywhere in the world. We all should be immensely proud!

The US Hang Gliding team is up next in Laragne, France. This four-person team will consist of Davis Straub, Dustin Martin, Jeff Shapiro, and Jeff O’Brien. This dedicated team of pilots is seriously poised to put US hang gliding back on the competition map. They’re ready to fly fast and furiously in the Alps next year. They, like the US Paragliding team, need a helping hand. Steve Kroop is leading the collection charge for them this year. Please go to http://flytec.com/worldteam/index.html to donate to a great cause. No amount is too small. The t-shirts and posters you can buy to show your support are really cool!

As I eagerly await the results from the World’s each day, I can’t help but imagine myself flying around the mountains, covering the same terrain and smiling big after landing. The team might be at the competition, but the feelings they’re having are very familiar to all of us.

As we celebrate their performance, we can all shout with pride:“USA, USA, USA!!!!”

7

Matt "Farmer" Beechinor at the top of the stack at the start of task 9 at the Paragliding World Championships | Photo by Nick Greece.

http://www.paragliders.com

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero8 Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 9

JON SHAW DIESJon Shaw died peace-

fully at his home in Annecy

during the night at the end

of last July. His funeral was

held in Annecy and was

attended by members of

his family and many of his

friends from around the

world.

Jon had beaten cancer

some years earlier partly by

focussing on his preparation

for the first Red Bull X-Alps.

He travelled the world with

his paraglider enjoying life

to the full, making friends

wherever he went. He then

settled in Annecy flying

whenever possible, never

resting, every day was an

opportunity for something.

Most recently he had re-

turned to his executive role

in international marketing,

once again jetting around

the world from conference

to conference.

It was a joy to have known

him. Submitted by Steve

Uzochukwu.

FELIX WING AVAILABLEFLX.2 - The Felix Rodriguez

Pro Model wing is now avail-

able in its second version,

for 2009. The original FLX

proved itself on the Acro

World Tour and also in the

hands of many expert pilots,

and now the FLX.2 is born.

Felix spent an additional

year of prototyping and

trimming with Dav Dagault,

and he says that the version

2 does everything better,

and in Infinite Tumble the

pilot almost ‘doesn’t need to

touch’ the wing, it just keeps

going!

OZONE'S SMALLER MAGNUMOne of the world’s most

popular (and best selling)

professional tandem wings

is now available in a smaller

38m size, in addition to the

standard 41m. Ozone has

refreshed the top surface

design and color palette

for 2009, and says that the

38m is their answer to lighter

pro-pilots, or anyone who

wants an excellent perform-

ing tandem wing that packs

smaller and is lighter than

most others.

NOVA ANNOUNCES TRITONNova is proud to officially

announce the TRITON, their

new EN D/class 2–3 wing

Just as with their class 1–2

/ EN B wing MENTOR and

our class 2 / EN C model

FACTOR, we have decided

not to exhaust the EN-

categories by reaching their

ultimate limits, but rather to

pay attention to the abilities

of the pilots in the various

target groups. Accordingly,

the TRITON’s main charac-

teristics can be described

as “Performance Without

the Bite.” With the TRITON,

we promise outstanding

performance, combined with

very precise handling and

balanced behavior in turbu-

lence. The TRITON is already

certified in sizes 20, 22 24,

and size 18 is in process.

OZONE MANTRAMantra R09 – The Mantra R

series of competition wings

from Ozone now has its

latest version, the R09. The

2009 Worlds at Valle de

Bravo saw many of these in

the air, with Charles Cazaux,

Jamie Messenger, Anders

Baerheim, and of course

British Champ Russ Ogden

flying them successfully.

MENTOR PROGRAM LAUNCHESThe developing USHPA

Mentor Program has of-

ficially been rolled out, and

is now available for general

use. The program’s intent

is to pair up experienced

Mentors and beginner-in-

termediate Mentees to help

the latter progress through

that transition period and

become an integral part of

the soaring community. For

more information, check

out http://www.ushpa.aero/

info_mentors.asp.

KING MOUNTAIN 2009Registration for the 2009

National Hang Gliding cham-

pionships at King Mountain

is now available online at

www.flykingmountain.com

Upper launch preference is

given to the first 45 pilots to

register.

US HG TEAM BENEFIT SALEThe US Hang Gliding

Team needs your help!

Go to http://flytec.com/

worldteam/index.html for

more information, details on

the team, and cool gear for

sale to benefit the team.

PilotBRIEFINGSNew | Improved | Buzzworthy

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ork

and

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Felix

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Perfection rises from simplicity. A complete wing design is as discrete as your heartbeat.

Less weight - more performance.

explore the invisible

Wayne Michelson, USHPA Mentor Director

http://www.atlantaparagliding.com

http://www.ushpa.aero/store


1971 - 1973 Low & Slow1972 - 1976 Ground Skimmer1976 - 2003 Hang Gliding1993 - 2003 Paragliding2003 - 2007 Hang Gliding & Paragliding

CompleteMAGAZINE

COLLECTION

1971-2007

This is the history of our sport, from the earliest days of bamboo and plastic to the present. Within these pages you’ll fi nd the evolution of foot-launched fl ight from the fi rst days of bamboo dune-skimmers to the modern variety of hang gliders, paragliders and rigid wings. Each PDF fi le is one complete magazine, just as originally published.

Pages with color have produced as color scans, the rest scanned as black and white

images. Blemishes or imperfections are present in the original source magazines, some of which were the

only known copies remaining.

Future issues will be available on an update disk. Compilation copyright. 1974-2007, US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association. All rights reserved. Other material republished by permission of copyright holders. Please don’t dupli-cate or reproduce this work without permission. For limited reprint permission (club newsletters, etc.) contact the USHPA offi ce at 1-800-616-6888 or E-mail: [email protected] Pages scanned and indexed by Scandoc, Inc. of Aracata, CA. www.scandoc.com. Cover design by Gregory Gillam, [email protected].

Each disk includes Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 7 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux systems.

1972 - 1976 Ground Skimmer

2003 - 2007 Hang Gliding & Paragliding

1971-20071971-20071971-20071971-20071971-20071971-20071971-20071971-2007

mental problem often lies with the har-ness and the pilot’s inability to easily and completely go upright. Even going up-right early does not guarantee improved landings if your harness keeps you sig-nificantly head down. In fact, flying the glider in one of these harnesses in the up-right position can, paradoxically, be less safe in difficult conditions (these are not the training harnesses we learned on).

I implore pilots to ask themselves if they really need the latest and greatest (in harnesses). I’ve been flying over 20 years and still prefer my cocoon harness over any other. It’s comfortable, simple and very easy to quickly go completely up-right. Some of the softer pods are simi-lar in these traits. I know of at least two pilots in our area who have left the sport, mainly because they spooked themselves every time they landed (although they might tell you otherwise). Sometimes they’d pull it off, but other times it would end in a loud noise. Yes, landing is a skill that can be learned, but why make it harder than it has to be just to gain that extra glide point or two? From my point of view, every part of the flight should be

fun and as stress-free as possible. Fly safe.Mark Furst

Fort Atkinson WI

BRONZE ART Arturo Melean, #55494, has earned the Hang Gliding Bronze Safe Pilot Award. Congratulations, Arturo.

WING STING Thanks for the listing of “stolen from the Andy Jackson Airpark”. You may remove the listing from the magazine. The glider has been recovered, and three individuals are doing jail time for it now. The wing was listed for sale on Ebay, I won the bid, and worked with the police to set up a sting at the point of sale. Thanks again.

Rob Mckenzie

That’s a happy landing . -Ed

PLAYING PERCENTAGES I enjoyed reading Lauren Tjaden’s article “Hanging on in Zapata”, and congratulate Gary Osaba on his new ultralight sailplane record. I just want to add that while, as stated in the article, the official flex wing distance record (435.3 miles) belongs to Manfred Ruhmer, the longest flight actually be-longs to Mike Barber (437 miles on 9/19/02, also in Zapata). Mike’s flight wasn’t considered a new record because it

was less than 1% longer than the existing record. The best part is that Mike is an outstanding instructor for advanced and intermediate pilots. If you’re quick you can contact him at 1-800-WALLABY and pick up some mad skills this winter before your local season even starts.

Tyson RichmondTampa, FL

STANDING UP FOR STUCKY I love reading about Mark Stucky’s adventures in early hang gliding. He does a great job of tell-ing his tales with humor and lessons to be learned by new and old pilots alike. I know there must be a limit to the number of stories he has to tell, but I hope he keeps them coming until they run out.

Thanks for recognizing Mark’s talent and printing his stories each month. Upward wishes.

John Heiney

TOO TIGHT FOR UPRIGHT? I’m writing to respond to last month’s safety bulletin

about landing difficulties. In it the pilot explained in great detail about a mishap in what would seem ideal landing condi-tions. My sympathies go out to whoever it was. Every pilot makes these technical errors at one time or another and some-times doesn’t get away with them. What I thought was missing from the story was what, if any, the harness contributed to the incident. Yes, there were some mis-takes made in the setup and approach, but, to me, it seems as though the pivotal moment was when the pilot missed the down-tube the first time. In my years of flying I’ve seen my share of blown land-ings, and a large portion of them can be attributed directly to harness problems, leading to troubles with going upright and finding the down-tube. Since har-nesses have become more tight-fitting and streamlined, some compromises have inevitably been made in landing performance.

Many bad landings are blamed on the glider, but I believe the more funda-

Rants | Raves | Ramblings

AirMAILThe opinions expressed in the letters published in this column are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of

the magazine staff or USHPA officials. While every effort is made to verify facts stated in letters, readers are urged to check the accuracy of any statement before taking action or forming an opinion based on the contents of a letter.

North Wing Design 3904 Airport Way East Wenatchee, Washington 98802

Celebrating 12 years of making Flight and Dreams come together!

[email protected]

www.northwing.com

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[above] Painting in the Delhi, India transit lounge | photo by Nick Greece.

http://www.northwing.com

FROM THE PRESIDENT As I sit here writing this article I reflect on the past four years in a leadership role at USHPA. I grew up in a household of leaders, but there is nothing inherent in this role as our organization’s president. Good leaders are made not born. They develop skills through a never-ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. Constantly striving to improve their leadership skills, good leaders do not rest on their laurels.

According to a 2004 study by the Hay Group, trust and con-fidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of member satisfaction in an organization. Effective communi-cation by leadership in the following three critical areas was the key to winning organizational trust and confidence:

1. Helping members understand the organization’s overall strat-egy and nation-wide goals. 2. Helping members understand how they can contribute to achieving key strategic objectives. 3. Sharing information with members on both how the organi-zation is doing and how specific programs are doing relative to the organization’s strategic objectives.

The Board of Directors has made several critical strategic decisions since development of our first strategic plan in 2005. This has resulted in some hard and unpleasant decisions in pur-

suit of the vision and mission of the organization. Part of good leadership is making decisions which benefit the greater good of our sports, knowing that some members may disagree.

Our strategic objective is to grow the numbers of active hang glider and paraglider pilots. We have been seeing a steady attri-tion rate of 7.5% over several years. Stopping this decline, then reversing it, is not an easy goal. We are a small organization with limited resources. What we do have is a very talented and passionate pool of volunteers who have been donating thou-sands of hours each year on various strategic projects to help USHPA reach its goal.

Our strategic plan (which is available in its entirety online at www.ushpa.aero) identified six key areas in which we must be successful if we are to achieve our goals:

1. Develop & Execute Strong Internal Marketing2. Improve Organizational Efficiency & Accountability3. Develop & Execute Strong External Marketing 4. Develop and Support Instruction5. Safety Awareness6. Flight Opportunities/Site Preservation

We launched the strategic plan in 2005 and have made significant progress through phases 1 and 2, which include stabilizing the organization, improving membership services (internal marketing), improving our organizational efficiency/governance and increasing our assistance to instructors

We launched phase 3 in 2008 with a new Executive Director

Membership | Policy | Involvement

TheASSOCIATION for USHPA who has significant experience in sports marketing and non-profit management. The USHPA board adopted a new marketing campaign, which is currently being executed. The marketing plan for USHPA is available online at www.ushpa.aero. This was developed using a work group gleaned from the membership. Many thanks to Riss Estes, Leo Bynum, Finbar Sheehy, and Paul Montville for their work on this project.

The strategic plan is highly integrated, meaning that all key programs depend on each other. Failure or elimination of one component could cause the plan to fail. In 2009 we will be developing the next key component, which is increasing the number and visibility of competitions and events.

USHPA believes there are many benefits of competitions and events. For several years, the sole focus of USHPA-sanctioned competition in the U.S. has been to create a team of five pilots, for both hang gliding and paragliding, to represent the U.S. at the World Championships. In 2005 the USHPA Board of Directors agreed there are many other aspects of competition that are important to the entire membership. Competitions can help promote site retention, marketing of our sports, camaraderie, development of advanced skills, and good community relations. Historically, USHPA had a competition system that enjoyed the participation of a larger portion of our members. In 1986 the focus of competitions changed to focus entirely on U.S. Team selection, and the number of sanctioned events fell from 30 to 40 to as few as 5 or 6 and participation in sanctioned competi-tions fell to less than 2% of our membership.

In 2008 the board formed The Competition Work Group

to help develop a new competition system that will serve all of the potential benefits to our entire membership, while still maintaining a strong U.S. Team. This is a major project which was developed over several months and hundreds of man-hours. Top pilots, along with meet directors, organizers, and marketers were invited to provide input. The USHPA board reviewed the plan at the fall 2008 meeting. The board endorsed the direc-tion of the work group and supported a limited implementation for the 2009 season, with full implementation to start in 2010.

Unfortunately, a great deal of false and misleading informa-tion has been generated through various channels about the new plan. This has caused confusion among our membership. As part of the work group’s recommendation to the BOD, feed-back from the membership on the new system was conduct-ed. That feedback is currently under review. If USHPA is to be successful in implementing our strategic plan and stopping the attrition rate in our sports, we must be willing to change and grow. I would like to thank our volunteers, staff, and membership for their input and work on this key strategic initiative.

Looking forward,Lisa Tate, USHPA President

For more information about rates, fees, other costs and benefits associated with the use of this credit card, please call 1-800-438-6262. This credit card program is issued and administered by FIA Card Services, N. A. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated and is used by the issuer pursuant to license. WorldPoints, the WorldPoints design and Platinum Plus are registered trademarks of FIA Card Services, N.A. Bank of America and the Bank of America logo are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation.


This column contains a summary of a report of a pilot who fell from his glider immediately after launching . Failure-to-hook-in accidents were once far more common . We include this summary in the hopes of reducing this type of accident to zero .

MINGUS MOUNTAIN, AZ 8/30/08 | 1:30 pmPILOT: 36 year old male, H-4 with a long break in activityGLIDER: Moyes LightSpeedHARNESS: Moyes MatrixHELMET: Icaro full-face w/visor

SUMMARY: An experienced advanced-rated pilot, flying the mountains after an eight-year long hiatus, fell from the glider after launching unhooked. The pilot attempted multiple times to climb up into the con-trol frame, then released from the glider at about 100 ft AGL, and threw his parachute while falling. The accident pilot did not survive the fall.

CONDITIONS: Conditions at the time of

the accident were described as favorable. One pilot, launching at the time of the ac-cident, delayed due to reports of occasional turbulence in the LZ.

LOGBOOK: The accident pilot was reported to be an experienced advanced-rated pilot with approximately 100 hours total time and 100 flights. He had recently ended an eight-year hiatus from hang glider flying. The accident pilot received his intermediate rating in 1994 and his advanced rating in February 2008.

MEDICAL: There were no known pre-exist-ing physical conditions or illnesses prior to the accident flight.

SYNOPSIS: The accident pilot had com-pleted a successful flight from the mountain earlier in the day. After arriving back on top and seeing conditions favorable for another flight, he, along with one other pilot, quickly set up his glider. The accident pilot, who was described as exuberant, was reportedly

advised by others to “slow down.” The other pilot had set up first and taken the number-one position for the traditional hang glider launch. The accident pilot had one experi-enced hang glider pilot on his nose wires, who queried the first pilot to see if he was ready to launch. The response was that he was contemplating his launch, as the condi-tions in the LZ were reported to be turbulent at times. The accident pilot then decided to move to a different launch that had recently been constructed. Primarily intended for paraglider launches, it had been successfully flown by hang gliders; in fact, it had been created with a section expressly designed to accommodate hang glider launches. While the nose wires were being held by the first pilot, the accident pilot moved into position at the second launch. Another experienced hang glider pilot as well as a paraglider pilot also joined the launch crew.

After waiting for several minutes, a launch-cycle was called by the nose person. The accident pilot then launched, un-hooked, into the cycle. Emergency 911 was called. The accident pilot was observed immediately trying to climb into the control frame. He managed to get one knee over the bar, but

Analysis | Preparedness | Incidents

SafetyBULLETIN the glider began to gyrate and dive, causing him to fall off the base tube.

Repeated attempts to climb into the con-trol frame proved impossible, as the glider continued to gyrate violently. The pilot was soon observed falling from the glider at the same time the parachute was thrown. The glider’s altitude at this time was estimated to be 75 to 100 ft. above the ground. The parachute only opened partially before the accident pilot impacted the mountainside. Several pilots on the scene rushed to the crash site, arriving within half-an-hour, and attempted CPR. But the pilot was most likely killed on impact. Emergency person-nel were able to reach the pilot after approxi-mately another hour, whereupon he was declared deceased.

AIRFRAME: A detailed damage description was not available. All damage to the glider was consistent with ground impact. The hang-strap was intact, and the carabiner was still clipped to the harness under the pilot’s arm.

PARACHUTE: The accident pilot was using a Quantum 330 reserve parachute at the

time of the accident. The type, style, and size of reserve used were not considered to be a factor in the survivability of the pilot in this accident.

HELMET: The accident pilot was using a full-face hang-glider-style helmet at the time of the accident. The type and style of helmet used was not considered to be a factor in the survivability of the pilot in this accident. The helmet (Icaro) was intact for the most part. The chin guard failed as designed in a full frontal impact.

ANALYSIS: No electronically recorded flight information (GPS or barograph) was avail-able for analysis of this accident. There was no physical evidence indicating any failure of the glider or harness during or after the launch. An examination of the pilot’s flight deck revealed that the pilot, apparently in his haste to pack up and fly again, failed to switch the instrument off after his ear-lier landing on the day of the accident. The barograph feature of his instrument (FlyTec 4030 Race) was not turned on.

Eyewitness statements all agree that the pilot initiated his launch while un-hooked

from the glider. As the glider lifted, the ac-cident pilot attempted to hold on and climb into the control frame. The extreme nose-down input this introduced would have caused the glider to fly very fast. Additionally, it would have been difficult-to-impossible to maintain stable roll- control under these conditions. As a result, the glider became unstable in flight. It is likely that the acci-dent pilot recognized too late that the situa-tion was quickly getting out of control and attempted to throw his parachute as he let go of the glider. Given his low altitude, the parachute did not have time to fully deploy before impact with the ground.

PROBABLE CAUSE: Failure to hook-in prior to launch. Failure to accomplish a successful hang-check just prior to launch-ing.

DISCUSSION: This particular hook-in fail-

“The accident pilot

then launched, un-

hooked, into the cycle.”

http://www.thermaltracker.com

http://www.ushgf.org

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 17

ure is disturbing due to the fact that there were several people observing, including experienced hang glider pilots who were in attendance on his wing. As with all serious accidents, an unbroken chain of unfortu-nate events were required to enable this tragic outcome, including:a) The accident pilot was excited from his prior successful flight and was rushing to get back into the air . b) The traditional hang gliding launch was not utilized . A ritual is more or less followed when using this launch that facilitates a hang-check, since the launching pilot must climb up to launch, making his or her hang strap/straps readily visible to someone in front of him . c) Those pilots observing the launch assumed that the accident pilot was hooked-in . d) No hang-check was asked for, nor was one offered .

RECOMMENDATIONS: Always accomplish a good hang-check JUST prior to launching. Make effective use of your wire crew to assist in the completion of all individual pre-flight checks.

DISCUSSION: The pilot-in-command of

any aircraft bears full responsibility for the safe conduct of his or her flight. Hang glid-ers are almost always broken down for stor-age and transport and flown immediately after re-assembly at the new launch site. Such operations place an extreme premium on pre-flight checks to ensure that the air-craft is properly assembled and airworthy for flight. The common practice of don-ning the harness while waiting to launch and hooking in just prior to flight, ups the ante even more. By analogy, this would be like a general aviation pilot walking around the tarmac while wearing his/her cockpit as he prepares for flight, and hooks up the wings of his aircraft just prior to taking the runway. Viewed in this way, the supreme importance of a pre-flight hang-check ac-complished JUST PRIOR to flight is made clear.

Redundancy is a key safety principle when it comes to aviation. Single-point fail-ures can be deadly. Critical safety-of-flight items like being hooked-in should be checked multiple times (redundancy in time) and by more than one individual (redundancy in space). Every pilot should build into his pre-flight checklist at least two checklist items

verifying that he is properly clipped into the glider. Every pilot should utilize any wire crew available to assist in verifying that he is clipped into the glider properly. The final check should be accomplished as soon as practicable prior to launching – to reduce the chances of compromising the configura-tion prior to flight.

Launching unhooked at a cliff-launch, or any other site that does not involve a shal-low grass-covered slope, is every hang glider pilot’s worst nightmare. Given the control frame configuration of most higher perfor-mance hang gliders, the ability to fly safely while hanging from the basetube is severely compromised. A modern hand-thrown re-serve system requires a significant amount of altitude (see manufacturer documentation) above the ground to fully deploy. Speed through the air can significantly reduce this deployment time and the altitude required. The fact-of-the-matter is that depending on the site being flown, launching unhooked is a very low-survivability event. There is very little the pilot can do to survive the incident once the launch has been initiated. The best course of action is to ensure that the pilot is properly hooked-in prior to flight.

AFTERBURN I was stationed at China Lake from ’90-’93, my main job being testing improvements to the F/A-18 Hornet. I also retained currency in the F-4 Phantom because of my extensive background in it. The two-seat venerable Vietnam-era warhorse had been stripped of all its fighting gear and reconfigured to fly as a remotely-piloted drone–a target for the latest anti-aircraft weapons tests.

I usually flew the aircraft solo, serving

as a safety pilot, to verify the remote con-trol systems were working properly (not too cool) and also as a test pilot who’s job was to maneuver the aircraft to exact con-ditions before pushing the button that initiated the ejection sequence for a crash test dummy that was strapped into the rocket-powered ejection seat in the rear cockpit (too cool).

I fondly remember taxiing past a tran-sient aircraft after such an ejection test.

All sets of eyeballs followed me intently as I cleared the runway – the rear canopy missing, the telescoping seat track ex-tending skyward into the air stream, and dark burn marks running the length of the aircraft’s spine. They gaped at the sight, obviously wondering what the hell would make the back seater eject himself and yet the pilot landed as though every-thing was normal!

These test flights were few and far between, so every once in awhile I got scheduled for a flight solely to maintain proficiency with the aircraft. By this time I had well over 1000 hours in the beast and had graduated from TOPGUN, fought Soviet MiGs in then-secret train-ing flights in the remote Nevada desert, and was comfortable holding it on its tail in a vertical climb till 150 knots – some-thing that years prior would have caused me more fear and trepidation than a one-legged downwind flat-sloped launch in a hang glider. There really wasn’t too much more for me to see or do in the Phantom so I did what any red-blooded, frustrated XC hang glider pilot would do on a good summer day – I would go sight seeing up

HangInTHEREWisdom | Lore | Flights

by Mark “Forger” Stucky

PHOTO SUBMISSION GUIDELINESHorizontal photos in slide or digital format with a MINIMUM

of 3120 W x 2400 H pixels (7.5 megapixels). Please submit

unaltered at the highest resolution you have. Photos must have

been taken no earlier than January of 2007. Each submission

MUST INCLUDE: Signed contributor agreement (1 per

photographer) photographers name, mailing address, phone,

email address AND a photo caption, location, site name, pilot

name, wing type, month & year of photo. Please submit digital

photos on CD or DVD if possible, but FTP is also available at the

link below. SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE IS MAY 31ST.

2010 CALENDARPHOTO CONTEST!WIN YOUR OWN FEATURE STORY IN

All contributors will receive confirmation of receipt and photos will be returned upon completion

of the project. Contact Martin with questions at 1-800-616-6888

[email protected].

2010UNITED STATES HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION INC.

YOUR PHOTO HERE.2010

UNITED STATES HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION INC.

Submission info & forms

are found at:

www.ushpa.aero/

calendarproject.asp

Send your photos to:

USHPA Calendar

Attn: Martin Palmaz

PO Box 1330

Colorado Springs CO

80901-1330

WE'RE UPPING THE ANTE IN 2010. All photos making the final cut will score the standard contributor payment. The two photos that make the HG & PG covers will win a free helmet PTT from our friends at Thermal Tracker. We'll also be running a feature story in the December issue highlighting calendar photos and the pilots and photographers behind them. So dig through that pile and find a unique gem. You don't have to be a pro to stake your claim in the free-flight hall of fame.

http://www.ushpa.aero/calendarproject.asp

http://www.lazerlink.com/~pagenbks


the Owens Valley.I’d spend the hour’s worth of gas

slowly cruising the Sierras and Whites, mentally mapping the terrain; memoriz-ing canyons, rock faces, thermal-gather-ing chutes, and retrieval roads. On a good day there would be a dozen hang gliders airborne and I would circle high overhead watching to see if they’d connect with thermals where I thought they should. It was the ultimate in arm-chair flying.

On one such flight I noticed a glider circling low in the foothills west of Independence. He apparently had not

been able to find lift after crossing the notorious Onion Valley and was in dire need of a thermal.

Thermals are bubbles of air that are only slightly warmer than the surround-ing atmosphere. In fact, the temperature difference is so small that I can only recall one soaring flight where I was actually able to feel the temperature change on my face. My trusty F-4 had two GE-J79 turbojet engines that put out a combined 36,000 pounds of thrust in full after-burner. The conversion of dead dinosaurs into such thrust releases a whole lot of heat energy–heat that I thought might be usable to a certain hang glider in need of a lift.

I knew from the flight manual that af-terburner exhaust temperatures exceeded the boiling point of water over 100 yards behind the aircraft. I needed to ensure that I not only didn’t cause potentially deadly turbulence but that I also didn’t leave an unwitting pilot trying to fly a glider consisting of a frame covered with remnants of melted Dacron. I figured that I could make the safest and most usable thermal by flying as slow and far below

as possible.So I lowered the landing gear and

flaps, slowed to 150 knots, and snuggled in as close to the hillside as I dared. I re-peatedly cycled the afterburners as I flew a few hundred feet beneath the glider. I was heartened to see he was maintaining his circles instead of frantically trying to run.

The Phantom has very limited rear-ward visibility and it was dangerous to try to look over my shoulder while so low and slow. I cleaned the jet up, accelerated, and began a turn to see the outcome of my actions. By the time I turned the jet around I was the better part of a mile from where I had last seen the glider. I looked intently but saw no sign of the distinctively colored sail. I knew from ex-perience that hang gliders were very dif-ficult to see at any distance if not framed by blue sky so I wasn’t overly concerned and decided that hanging around might only serve to terrorize the pilot.

So I continued up range to the north-ern end of the Whites, occasionally stop-ping to circle as I watched other gliders heading northward. I reversed course at

“I didn’t have much

gas to spare so I

quickly configured

the airplane for slow

flight and made a

single pass beneath

him...”

Janie’s, retracing my route back down the Whites to Black Mt. before crossing the valley for the Sierras as I headed towards home. Suddenly, low-and-behold, I spied that same glider circling near Split Mt.! I was elated to see that he apparently hadn’t been traumatized too badly and that per-haps my actions had made the difference between an out-landing and a very mem-orable XC flight.

Split Mt. was the planned crossing point where a hang glider should gain its maximum altitude but this glider was circling extremely low in the foothills. I guessed that he must have tried to make the valley crossing but turned back in heavy sink and was trying to get a reboost for another attempt. Unlike his previous low point, this time there were not any retrieval roads nearby.

I didn’t have much gas to spare so I quickly configured the airplane for slow flight and made a single pass beneath him, carefully watching the fuel gauge as I gave a couple quick bursts of burner. Now with minimum fuel, I pointed di-rectly towards the airfield and intercepted a low-fuel profile.

I often pondered what that pilot must

have thought on that eventful day. A couple of years later I took a job as an astronaut instructor pilot at the Johnson Space Center. It was during this time that the first hang gliding internet mailing list was born and one day I posted a short ac-count of my F-4 thermal-generating flight. Almost immediately I received a response from Oklahoman Bruce Mahoney saying that a group of local pilots were drinking beer around a campfire one night when one of them told the story of how he had been flying in the Owens Valley and every time he got low a military fighter would swoop in and make him a thermal. Everybody laughed, told him he was full of crap, and the story was dismissed as nothing more than a tall tale. The pilot’s name was Yogi Dicks.

Well I found Bruce’s response as jaw-dropping as he had probably found my post to be, for I started my hang gliding career in Kansas and remembered Yogi well, he was a classic ‘70s hang glider hippie that was fun to be around and fun to fly with. In fact, he often came out and flew his moth-patterned Wills Wing SST at our Lake Wilson flying site. I imme-diately inquired about his whereabouts

but he had reportedly stopped flying and dropped out of sight.

Now, over fifteen years later I decided to put some more effort into locating Yogi. I was eventually given a phone number where he’d be for a couple of weeks and I gave him a call. I introduced myself and reminded him who I was and how we had flown together years ago. I was somewhat surprised when he replied that he didn’t remember me. I then asked him what he remembered about his experience with a certain F-4 in the Owens Valley. Yogi re-sponded that he had lost more than a few brain cells and that those were his “fog years.” Although he remembered making a trip to Owens he did not remember flying there!

So I didn’t have the storybook ending that I wanted and I’m left choosing to be-lieve the story Bruce recounted. If there is another hang glider pilot out there who caught some man-made thermals from a military fighter then please help set the record straight.

May you have blue skies and good thermals (whatever the source).

[below] Yogi soars near Russell, Kansas, May 1978 | photo by Forger.

http://www.skywings.org.uk


Hall of ChampionsW

here would we be without all those dedicated volunteers who work day after day, year after year, doing whatever needs to be done to keep our sites open and safe? On the ground, is where, probably in dire straits from severe airtime deprivation! Each year USHPA recognizes members and non-members who have, in the opinions of their peers, gone far above the norm with donations of time,

energy and resources to keep us all flying . Below are the 2008 award recipients, with the details regarding their dedication to our sports provided by those who nominated them for the awards .

by C.J.STURTEVANT

ExCEPTIoNAL SErVICE

DICK HECKMAN

Dick Heckman has been an active part of USHPA for over 30 years, serving as the chair for numerous committees and work groups, as FAI delegate, and as president of the Association. The welfare of the Association, and the sports which we rep-resent, have always been at the forefront of Dick’s decisions. He maintains the high-est level of integrity while volunteering for USHPA.

There are very few individuals who are willing to donate the time to get things done to the level and degree Dick Heckman has. Anyone who has served on the USHPA board, or who has worked with Dick on one of the many projects he has managed, will agree that he has pro-vided USHPA with exceptional service, and deserves our gratitude and thanks.

PrESIDENTIAL CITATIoN

Rob MCKENzIE

This is USHPA’s highest award, pre-sented to a single recipient each year. From a slate of several highly deserving nominees, SoCal biwingual pilot Rob McKenzie was selected. Rob’s contribu-tions are legendary, and have been for

decades. One of his nominators provides these specifics:

“After the devastating fires of October 2003, the United States Forest Service was forced to close Marshall Peak due to the potential for damage to fragile land-scapes. Rob spearheaded a letter-writing campaign to draw USFS attention to the closed, world-class flying site. Then he conceived of, and convinced the USFS

to support, a plan to re-open Marshall through the construction of a 3000-foot guardrail along the edge of the roadbed. This guardrail allowed the USFS to re-open the site to all outdoor enthusiasts.

“Scant weeks later, the USFS was again forced to close Marshall Peak as part of a massive forest closure due to extreme fire hazard from prolonged drought condi-tions. Rob worked with the USFS, draw-

ing upon the goodwill from the guardrail project, and organized an unprecedent-ed forest ranger cooperative program. Crestline Soaring Society (CSS) volun-teers were deputized as forest rangers to escort pilots to Marshall Peak and patrol the wilderness area. Past efforts by CSS had spotted fires early and led to the de-scription/apprehension of arsonists in the area. CSS pilots became additional eyes for the USFS during this hazardous fire season.

“One feature of Marshall/Crestline’s Andy Jackson (AJ) Airpark that draws delighted remarks from visiting pilots is the massive grassed area of its landing zone: three acres of grass LZ in the dry, hot Southern California desert area that normally has no more vegetation than desert weeds and shrubs. Rob designed two water-collection systems that exploit barely trickling mountain springs to ir-rigate the grass. He organized the work parties and inspired donation of many of the materials, and thousands of feet of feed pipe and sprinkler pipe were laid. The tanks and storage reservoir require constant monitoring which Rob oversees on nearly a daily basis.

“Rob’s involvement in AJ extends right down to the very design of the LZ. He produced a 3-dimensional model for the construction. Key features include its orientation to take advantage of the predominant afternoon sea breezes, its gentle 2° incline and its aerodynamically designed edges to induce laminar airflow over the field.

“Rob continues to improve the site with extensive tractor work, developing training hills for paragliders and hang gliders as well as keeping the parking lots, overshoot LZ and grounds in shape. The tractor was painstakingly acquired by Rob at an auction with the help of a couple of CSS members, and the lion’s share of tractor work and all the tractor maintenance is carried out by Rob.”

Another pilot adds: “Rob brings a unique professionalism to the sport. He does what he says he will do. He will not sell you equipment that you are not ready for, and he tries to not sell you something you do not need.”

Clearly Rob McKenzie is deserving of the flying community’s greatest apprecia-tion, and USHPA’s highest award.


HG INSTrUCTor oF THE YEAr

StEvE pREpoSt

Even though he’s from New England, Steve teaches year round, in New Hampshire’s Morningside Flight Park during the summer and at Wallaby Ranch in Florida when the New England weath-er goes sour. Steve has an excellent safety record and is highly experienced as both a tandem and training-hill instructor. He has been teaching for many years, and his perseverance is a testament to his commit-ment to the sport.

PG INSTrUCTor oF THE YEAr

bRAD GUNNUSCIo

In the paragliding community, Brad is well known and highly respected for his individual accomplishments, his ability to teach new students, and to help pilots ad-vance their flying skills. Those who attend his maneuvers clinics point out his teach-ing style as one of his greatest assets. One clinic attendee provides specifics: “Brad made sure to get to know each pilot and his or her goals for the clinic. He was always available to explain things as many times as it took for the pilot to understand. Brad’s instructional technique, patience, understanding and knowledge are un-

matched. Not only did he explain the ma-neuvers, he made sure we all understood what we were doing, why, and when we might put the maneuvers into practice.”

Another pilot adds: “I took instruc-tion for my P-1/P-2 from Brad. His calm demeanor and instruction helped me to overcome my initial trepidation about flying. His ability to watch everything I did and to know EXACTLY how to cor-rect my inputs into my glider were impec-cable. I couldn’t believe how quickly I was able to progress under his instruction. When I took a SIV clinic with him, I was

very comfortable executing the maneuvers with relative ease. I definitely feel that his commitment to safety is unparalleled! “


CoMMENDATIoN

JEFF GREENbAUM

The pilot who nominated Jeff said he was thinking of nominating Jeff for Instructor of the Year, “but I soon realized that such a nomination would be far too limiting. Jeff is an excellent instructor, but his contri-butions to paragliding extend far beyond that. He dedicates time, material and ex-pertise to everyone (students or not), and at any place (through site maintenance). He created a large, friendly flying com-munity in the San Francisco peninsula, and, thanks to Jeff, I feel proud to be a part of it.”

CoMMENDATIoN

MARK DEMARINo

Mark’s students and fellow pilots pro-vide this list of his ongoing contributions: Mark was very active at the Packsaddle (Texas) flying site, where for years he was interfacing with the landowner to keep Packsaddle open. He has been president of Houston Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association for many years and remains a fixture in the local community, always willing to contribute his experience and public relations expertise to promote flying in the community. He was one of the founders of the Houston Aerotow group (now with 33 members). He is clearly worthy of formal recognition from USHPA and his grateful fellow pilots.

CoMMENDATIoN

StEvE RoDRIGUES

Several pilots felt Steve was long overdue for recognition. A few highlights from their nominations: “Steve has worked tirelessly as president of Fellow Feathers Hang Gliding Club, and for years, prior to that, he served as president of Wings of Rogallo. The community of pilots who fly at Ft. Funston must be one of the most diverse and eccentric groups of individu-als in existence. [Another nominator de-scribed them, with an obvious roll of the eyes, as “the most difficult, immature bunch of crusty hang glider pilots on the planet.”]

“Steve has shown incredible aplomb, in-telligence, and tolerance, as the guy who keeps it all on the right track. The amount of real, substantive progress that Steve has accomplished, in the face of the numer-ous challenges presented by the position, has been extraordinary. A few examples: Steve single-handedly renegotiated our use permit with the National Park Service last year, securing a win/win relationship with the Feds which entailed careful han-dling of several contentious issues. He has very successfully administered a ground-breaking tandem flight program over the last two years at Funston.

Steve has dedicated himself tirelessly to improving safety practices at Funston, constantly maintaining a professional ap-proach, however contentious and thank-less the position has been.”

CoMMENDATIoN

DAvE Goto

Here’s a pilot who’s been part of the hang gliding scene since the days of bamboo and plastic. His nominator tells this tale:

“Back in the ‘70s when I would go to Makapu’u beach for some body surfing in Hawaii, I saw hang gliders in the air above the cliffs of the Ko’olau range. I knew, as a teenager, that hang gliding was what I wanted to do. I convinced my mom to take me up to the bamboo forest to har-vest bamboo so I could make a hang glider like the one I saw on the cover of Popular Mechanics. (Apparently Mom was placat-ing me at the time; she later let it be known that if I had, indeed, followed through in making the glider, there was no way she was going to let me fly it.) Unbeknownst to me at the time, one of the pilots I was watching was Dave Goto.

Dave Goto and his posse are still flying this site. Dave has held and maintained the permit for landing hang gliders at the Makapu’u LZ for as long as anyone can remember. The permit is on a month-to-month basis, and Dave ensures every month that the permit is in place, and that no beach goers or campers have any func-tions or tents in the designated LZ in this crowded area. He has been a true leader in the flying community in Hawaii for much longer than most people have been flying. The local flying community, which now includes paragliders, and many visi-tors over the years owe Dave a large debt of gratitude.”

CoMMENDATIoN

ALEX CoLbY

Alex writes the paragliding accident review column for Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. That in itself is a big com-mitment and a major contribution but a fellow Hawaii Paragliding Association (HPA) pilot points out, Alex does much more: “Even with two beautiful kids, a wife, and all the flying he does, Alex still finds time to create, maintain and write joyful stories on our website, www.wind-lines.net (USHPA’s 2006 Website of the Year), and he takes all the responsibilities of the HPA, USHPA’s 2007 Chapter of the Year, as the president. He is an ambas-sador for paragliding in Hawaii, making sure, above all things, that visiting pilots fly safely and enjoy their visit.”

Another pilot comments on the Website and Chapter of the Year awards: “Neither of these awards would have been possible if not for Alex’s endless enthusiasm and energy. He built our website and main-tains it. Alex works hard to make sure that there is no commercial activity at Kahana, which could threaten our state permit, and he keeps up the paperwork for that permit. He designed the T-shirts for the West Coast Paragliding Championship and the Rat Race. Alex’s graciousness has served us all very well as he’s been able to soothe bruised egos and keep harmony among the para pilots and hangies, all the while working hard to keep everyone op-erating within the club rules so that we don’t jeopardize any of our flying sites.”

CoMMENDATIoN

pEtER bIRREN

Peter has been part of the hang gliding scene for more than three decades. His many nominators provide this eclectic list of excellent reasons for honoring Peter with a USHPA Commendation:

He has kept static-towing alive and well in Illinois. He organized a yearly glider maintenance clinic and a parachute repack clinic. He is the inventor of the award-winning Linknife tow-release used by many for static-tow and aerotow.

Peter has had numerous hang gliding related articles published through the years. He produced an excellent newslet-ter for 14 years until he saw that the inter-net provided wider opportunities; then he initiated an informational online bulletin board used by many local pilots.

He maintains strong communication and relationships between the landowners and the pilots using the sites.

His continued attention to detail and safety has prevented many accidents over the years. He and his colleagues show the utmost attentions to details of safety and instill them in newbies by excellent ex-ample.

He’s served as president of the Reel Pilots for many years, maintaining and teaching safe static-tow traditions. He broadened activities to include paraglider pilots, some of whom have begun their own static-tow operations, there being no other way to get up with a paraglider in the Midwest.


CoMMENDATIoN

MALCoLM JoNES

Back in 2007, Malcolm took Al Roker, host of NBC’s Today Show, on a tandem flight. Al’s characteristic irrepressible enthusiasm for this adventure led Today Show co-host Matt Lauer and his wife to come to Wallaby to check out hang gliding. After the Al Roker Today Show segment featur-ing his flight, the Wallaby server crashed as a result of more than 40,000 hits. The fact that such high-profile celebrities have had a taste of hang gliding may help to spread the word in a way mere advertising never could. For his professionalism and talent in this project, which was “brilliant and made the sport shine,” Malcolm re-ceives this commendation.

CoMMENDATIoN

KAtHERINE YARDLEY

Katherine has been flying hang gliders for nearly three decades. On July 13, 1989, she set the women’s world record for straight-line distance in a hang glider, 163.8 miles from Lone Pine, California, on a Moyes GTR. That accomplishment, her nomi-nator points out, is “pretty cool in itself,” but personal accomplishments are not the main focus of this award. Katherine’s con-tributions to the flying community are nu-merous. She is past president of the Sylmar Hang Gliding Association (SHGA) and a current (and long-time) SHGA BOD member. Her ongoing dedication to sup-porting new pilots, keeping club finances in good order and promoting hang glid-ing in a positive light are excellent reasons for honoring her with this award.

SPECIAL CoMMENDATIoN

DoRIS poLARI

Although not a pilot, Doris tirelessly works as Lookout Mountain Flight Park’s vol-unteer social director. She manages many functions in a professional and competent way year in and year out. Her nominator enthusiastically praises her as “a huge asset and a great person in our community.”

SPECIAL CoMMENDATIoN

ANDY MENG / INFRoNt wEbwoRKS

USHPA’s IT expert made this nomina-tion: “Infront has shown tremendous professionalism as well as flexibility while acting as our Internet Web host for the past seven years. Their support of our organization and patience with us in the early years of our database helped USHPA develop a system that will be in use for years to come. Their professional kindness has saved the association a ton in hosting fees. USHPA has been able to gain better access to databased information, which is then leveraged for deriving membership trends–a key to any marketing effort.” For service above and beyond what is nor-mally provided by an Internet Web host, USHPA formally thanks Andy Meng and Infront with this award.

NAA SAFETY AWArD

JoE GREGoR

Joe Gregor made significant contributions to hang gliding and paragliding safety during his service to the USPHA as the accident review committee chairman. His columns in the HG&PG magazine dealt with the difficult topic of the large number of hang gliding accidents and fatalities. Joe coordinated the volunteer labor in-vestigating these accidents, collecting, validating, and analyzing information in an effort to make sense of the events. He contributed to safety by educating the membership in the process of accident in-vestigations, urging patience and caution in a time when instant internet analysis of accidents, often by people who were not even at the scene, was becoming problem-atic. Joe let people know that information concerning an accident “must be acquired and collated: witness statements, police reports, coroner’s reports, weather obser-vations, etc. Physical evidence must be preserved and documented: description/diagrams of the accident scene, data from the pilot’s GPS and barograph, damage to the glider and surrounding objects, in-juries to the pilot, etc. In most cases this requires travel to the accident site, and/or detailed coordination with pilots local to the scene.” This substantially contributed to safety by improvements in on-scene information collection and a reduction in online speculations of subsequent ac-cidents.

Joe identified and published probable cause and lessons learned from the acci-dents. These recommendations were clear, specific and reliable. The recommenda-tions flowed directly from his conclu-sions concerning what contributed to the accident. He provided USHPA with the highest degree of professional analysis of accidents. He strove to identify the truth as best as it could be known. He inter-preted that truth and published the facts only after those facts were established to some level of confidence. He volunteered his high degree of analytical ability and expert and varied aviation background to educate pilots, save lives, and mitigate injury.

For his dedication and professional ap-proach to improving safety in hang glid-ing, USHPA nominates Joe Gregor for the NAA Safety Award.

bEST ProMoTIoNAL VIDEo

bILL LISCoMb / bIG bLUE SKY

Bill Liscomb wrote, directed, filmed and produced the hang gliding documentary film Big Blue Sky. The Awards committee members and several other BOD meeting attendees all found the film a captivating, entertaining, sobering and thoroughly enjoyable presentation of hang gliding from its early days to the present. In the award nomination, Gary Fogel (an RC model airplane enthusiast who frequently flies his craft at Torrey Pines) is quoted as saying, “Big Blue Sky brings to life an exciting chapter in the U.S. aviation histo-ry...an era that paved the way for modern hang gliding and brought the realization of flight to anyone brave enough to feel the lift in person. Bill Liscomb lived this history and has captured the sights and sounds of those free-spirited years in a fas-cinating way so that the innovation that took place is remembered as it should be. This film is a ‘must see’ for any soaring en-thusiast.” Those of us who have seen the film totally agree!

Big Blue Sky is available for purchase online for $29.95 + shipping. Go to big-blueskythemovie.com and click on “store” to order (USA only), or buy it from store at www.ushpa.aero/store.


bETTINA GrAY PHoToGrAPHY AWArD

JEFF o'bRIEN

Jeff is a USA World Team (hang gliding) competition pilot who has been taking breath-taking photos of hang gliders and paragliders for years, and definitely has a gift for capturing the spirit of the sports. You’ve seen his images on the cover and inside Hang Gliding & Paragliding and Cross Country magazines, as well as in the Fly Forever and USHPA’s calendars, and in Wills Wing’s advertisements.

CHAPTEr oF THE YEAr

UtAH HG & pG ASSoCIAtIoN

UHGPGA manages one of the coun-try’s premier flying sites, Point of the Mountain. “Managing” this urban site requires considerable effort to avoid launches and landing areas being gobbled up by developers. A nominator elaborates:

“Both the South Side and the North Side launches are designated flight parks (state and county park respectively). The North Side also has a man-made, graded bottom-landing zone that is secured and not going anywhere (owned by the local water treat-ment plant).”

UHGPGA has documented, online at uhgpga.org and through articles in USHPA’s magazine and the local press, the amazing progress the Utah pilots and the local political and civic groups have made in keeping flying not just surviv-ing, but thriving, at The Point. For this ongoing dedication they are, once again, named USHPA’s Chapter of the Year.


Today I watched my daughter run off of a 3500-ft mountain. With wings on her back, she leaped into space

and soared. Hang gliding has become her passion, and today marked her first solo off Kagel Mountain in Sylmar,CA. She has been practicing weekly, perfect-ing her skills at takeoffs and landings and learning to soar the ridgeline at Dockweiler State Beach.

Learning to fly has been an ideal back-drop for Erika's final year in high school. In August, she takes off for college, 3000 miles from home. Balancing her desire to soar while maintaining her grades (3.94 GPA) and practicing her viola daily, she managed her time well enough to allow for flying almost weekly, preparing her for the multi-tasking that is necessary to

be successful in college and in life. Hang gliding honed her ability to focus on the task at hand; there is little room for multi-tasking when you are in the air.

Joe Greblo, the owner of WindSports where Erika is taking lessons, invited her to join their teen program which is designed to help give younger students access to hang gliding. Since Erika began lessons just shy of her 17th birthday, Joe told her that she would have to fly at the beach for a full year before launching from the mountain so that he could be assured that she was completely prepared. Her perseverance, dedication, and flight skills so impressed her instructors that Joe invited her to solo prior to leaving for college, just before her 18th birthday. That is what we watched today.

Hang gliding has been the perfect sport for my daughter. It has forced her to grow in ways she could never imag-ine. Erika does not have an out-going personality. She prefers books to people and avoids crowds whenever possible. Spending days at the beach interacting with the public required that she gain confidence in working with strangers. I have watched her blossom over the past year as her ability to discuss the sport with an interested public has grown. Watching her fly encouraged many to give it a try and inspired would-be pilots.

As the principal violist at a perform-ing arts high school, she already knew the importance of preparing for a perfor-mance and had developed the confidence

Rite of Passage

to play with orchestras and chamber groups, but there are not many solos written for viola. Hang gliding made her learn to rely solely on herself. Once you are in the air, you have to be ready for the gusts and turbulence the wind throws at you, much like the experiences she will have in life. Her ability to quick-ly adjust to the changing conditions and to respond to new challenges will serve her well at college and life as she moves on to new adventures.

Was it scary to let her fly? Yes, but al-lowing our decisions to be ruled by fear is the worst way we can raise our chil-dren. Erika has wanted to fly since she was 11. From age 11 to 16, she kept her eye on her goal, occasionally bringing up the subject and learning as much about

the sport as possible. During her junior year in high school,

Erika completed an eight-page term paper about the history of hang gliding, interviewing individuals who helped popularize the sport in the early 1970's and learning about how dangerous it was in the beginning. She also discov-ered how much safer hang gliding has become, although she is well aware that it is an extreme sport. She researched the development of different wing designs and why one style worked better than the rest. As an adjunct to this assign-ment, she asked that we allow her to take a tandem flight so that she could include her impressions in her paper. With much trepidation, we granted her request.

As you might expect, once Erika

landed from the tandem she was hooked. She started taking lessons at the beach in August of 2007. Now it is the end of July 2008, and she leaves next month for col-lege. Erika has learned the value of per-sistence and keeping focused on a goal and is on her way to becoming one with the birds. I know that I will watch her soar figuratively and literally as she leaps out of her own safety net and flies.

by CyndiaZUMPFT-KLEIN

“Today I watched

my daughter run

off of a 3,500-ft

mountain.”

http://www.superflyinc.com


by DennisPAGEN

Avoiding

Anti-voidthe

part one | Keeping Clear of Hard things

As we all know, our wings are very unforgiving of contact with hard objects in flight mode. Hitting

something while flying, whether it be a pole, a tree, a building, another glider, or the ground, is very dangerous. Sometimes we learn in our training programs how to see and avoid; sometimes we don’t. To take up the possible slack in our flying repertoire, we will look at many of the ways to ward off a whack when winging. This month we look at hard objects on the ground. Next month we look at other gliders.

THE DOORS OF PERCEPTIONAldous Huxley led the way in exploring the edges of the mind’s grasp of reality in his famous book with the same title as the above heading. We don’t need to go quite

so far along the mental experimental road to find out what tricks our minds can pull out of the hat. In fact, we can fall victim to illusion or self-delusion in our chosen ob-session, powerless flight. Here are a couple of ways:

The first matter we’ll investigate is called object fixation, which, incidentally, has nothing to do with fetishes. Object fixation is what occurs when we focus on the object we don’t want to hit—be it a lone tree in the landing field, a radio tower along a ridge, another glider, or perhaps the big lady bending over in the produce aisle. It seems to be a universal tendency for humans to steer towards any object they are staring at. For humankind, this effect has been apparent ever since the first caveman leered at the first cavewoman.

But when it comes to vehicles, we have only been going fast enough to make such an effect dangerous for less than a century. We now know that object fixation can be so powerful that it can cause us to steer into objects against our will.

I have not seen rigorous studies of the object fixation phenomena, but I have seen it work its debilitating effects in our sports. Pilots who have succumbed to its clutches have reported that it seemed as if there was a magnetic force drawing them towards the object of their trepidation. Well, since the brain works on electrical synapse com-munication, there probably was a magnet-ic field involved in the process. The main point is we don’t know if certain brain types are more susceptible to object fixa-tion (probably), but we do know that it can

be overcome with a bit of simple wisdom.Here’s the trick every student should be

taught: When confronted with an object you do not want to hit, instead of looking at the object to judge how to avoid it, look in the direction you wish to go—the direc-tion that takes you out of the solid object’s strike zone—and proceed in that direction. Until you’ve had practice and experience, you should follow this rule absolutely. If for some reason (a serious mistake, perhaps) you do not have much clearance to safely pass by the object, you may monitor it out of the corner of your eye (peripherally—see below) to make sure you don’t have to take drastic action, such as diving away, or hitting something softer. The watchwords are: look at where you wish to go, not at what you wish to avoid.

I have experimented with this object fixation phenomenon while driving my car and riding my bike. I can definitely feel the tendency lurking in the recesses of my brain, waiting to take control. I expect if I am daydreaming, the effect may give me a scare. I hope I’m never daydreaming when I am flying close to hard stuff.

LOOMING AND ZOOMINGI have a friend who is an AMTRAK en-gineer. He told me that every engineer who has been on the “road” for long has hit vehicles on the tracks. You would think that car drivers would be so leery of trains that they would never let themselves get in a compromised situation. But that seems not to be the case. In fact there is another effect of visual perception that can be the

cause of the problem, and it often comes into play in aviation. This effect is called looming.

Look at figure 1 and you will see an illus-tration of the illusion. Here we see an object approaching the observer at a continuously steady rate. The field-of-view of the object (the angle that our vision must spread to take in the whole object) is narrow when the object is far away and gradually gets larger as the object approaches. But even though the object is traveling toward us at a steady speed, the increase of the angle is anything but steady. At first, the increase is slow; then it suddenly gets larger—in a rush. The object thus appears to loom to a large size in our vision as if it suddenly zoomed towards us. As we register our sur-prise, it smacks us. If the object is as mas-

Figure 1


sive as a train, our surprise isn’t registered very long before it is winked out.

In other words, when a large object is coming towards us, it seems to approach gradually as it slowly grows in size. But then, it suddenly flares up, looms, in our vision and catches us off-guard with its proximity. In flight, this effect happens with other gliders, airplanes, and even ground objects.

There is a special case of looming that occurs during the landing phase of flight. Inexperienced pilots may look down and see the ground slowly coming up as they burn off altitude for landing position. But new pilots have a hard time perceiv-ing altitude when looking down, because there is nothing in the human experience that relates to the judgment of the size of

ground objects, such as trees, when viewed from above. Add the looming effect to this, and you have a dangerous case of misjudg-ment.

I shudder to think of how many new high-flying pilots I have seen fall victim to this special looming effect. They suddenly run out of altitude and have to perform a radical, scary maneuver to avoid hitting a tree, or, worse, they actually hit the green-ery. Not a pretty sight. Or equally disturb-ing, they are not prepared for the right-now demands of final and hit the ground awk-wardly. Again, the main problem is the looming effect, and you have never expe-rienced looming until you’ve been loomed at by the largest object in our quotidian experience—the earth.

THE OUTER LIMITSI have often marveled at how adult male moose, with their six-foot span of antlers, can charge through a dense forest without getting hung up. With equal wonder, I have watched horses walk along a path with ruts, rocks, and sticks and never make a misstep. In both cases, the animals seem to have an innate sense of the limits and position of their extremities at all times.

For us pilots, a lesson can be learned. It is to our great advantage to know precisely the breadth of our wings in flight. This knowledge really helps us avoid hitting ob-jects in close situations. Make no mistake: getting so close as to need such recognition is risky and not recommended. However, when unexpected situations arise, such knowledge can save your carcass. Hang

glider pilots sometimes develop some wingspan-clearance knowledge while ma-neuvering their glider on the ground and avoiding trees, poles or other gliders set up. The many speed gliding courses I have run were an excellent way to test and refine this judgment. Paragliding pilots get some practice while kiting near other gliders. But in both cases, actual flight experience is what gives us the best knowledge, judg-ment, and skill.

To hone your own skills, try starting on the ground to see how well you move past solid objects without hitting them. Pass by an object several times to see how close you can get without hitting it. All the while, be conscious of keeping your vision focused straight ahead to develop your pe-ripheral vision or, better, peripheral judg-

ment. Next, take to the air and continue to develop judgment, not by flying close to an object, but by looking at your wing tip and judging how far away it is from other gliders, trees along the hill, or the ground itself, if you are below the top of a slope. Various flying situations will occasionally bring you close to objects, and it is these situations that will help train your spatial judgment.

All this attention to the dimensional limits of our wings may seem like wasted energy, but, in fact, very precise judgment in this manner is invaluable in being able to work effectively when scratching (work-ing weak conditions in close) or flying in gaggles (thermaling with a group of pilots). Also, launching in the East with trees lining the launch “chute” is where this

spatial judgment really comes into play. In fact, it is this situation that helps de-velop the judgment, because usually a pilot has to decide when to turn to stay in the lift. On weak days, the sooner, the better. Ideally, we should be able to fly as close as safety permits without having to look at our wingtips to verify clearance. That’s one mark of a very good pilot.

Much of this month’s info was de-signed for early pilots or those who missed a certain bit of the basics. Next month we’ll look at working close to other gliders, midairs and gaggles. Our goal, as always, in flight is to maximize our performance while minimizing the risks. We must all become experts at avoiding the anti-void (as in solid objects) so as to avoid the void (as in death).

[previous] Rafael Saladini launching above Rio de Janeiro. Photos by Kevin McGinley. [this page] In Pedra Bonita Sao Conrado, Rio de Janeiro, post-frontal conditions offer an inviting cloud street to the Christ statue.

League MeetsNorthern California

Catch Fireby Jugdeep Aggarwal

Jug Aggarwal has been instru-mental in running local small-scale competitions that over

the years have grown into a formi-dable weekend racing league. There are now several leagues emulating Jug’s throughout the West. Certainly the future National Champions will come from these venues. Jug reports on what went down in 2008.


since they help map out the air for the com-peting pilots.

Regularly attendees have got into the swing of things, which reduces the task load on the organizer substantially. Participants can download waypoints from the website before the weekend, as well as sign-in and pay each morning. They are then able to submit GPS for scoring on Saturday eve-ning and email track logs for Sunday’s task. This has run really well and means a smoother running for all participating. Keeping track of pilots has been difficult with large numbers of pilots. However, the buddy system has proven to be a success. This allows pilots to sign in their buddy pilots as being safe. The only issue then is to retrieve them.

New for the league for 2008 was the dedicated website for all information for the league: http://www.santacruzparagliding.com. This has proven to be a great resource for keeping pilots informed throughout the season.

For 2009 I will be initiating a season pass to reduce workload on the weekends. The league benefited considerably from the expanded launch at Dunlap that allowed pilots to launch quickly, made possible by a generous donation from the Foundation for Free Flight.

As in the previous year, scores are now posted on the Leonardo website: http://norcalxcleague.pgcomps.net/comps, which gives pilots the opportunity to view their flights, download their track logs, and play animations for the competition. In addition, Leonardo offers sponsors a much higher profile by showing logos on every webpage. This means that our sponsors this year—BAPA, Flytec, MPH Sports, Fly Above All, Mountain Hardware, Mojo’s Gear, Cross Country magazine, TheraPilates (my wife’s company) and even Eagle Paragliding—were very visible. Soaring Dreams Studio kindly donated their time for engraving the trophies.

I have been running the league for five years and one of the most rewarding as-pects of my position is watching how pilot ability progresses over the years. The league meets definitely take over where formal-ized training ends in providing pilots a chance to fly with, and to learn from, very skilled pilots. Notable are Tim O’Neill and Frank Marquis who have been improv-ing in leaps-and-bounds over the last few years. Both won their respective categories. I am also pleased to see that Dean Stratton has set up a sister league, the Southern California Cross Country League:wwww.usxcleague.com. Rumors on the grape-vine suggest that there will be a few more leagues set up around the country. It would be fantastic to see these leagues grow in the same way the Northern California League has grown. Who knows? Maybe we could have a “league-off” at the end of the season to see which region has the best pilots.

With the 2009 season about to kick off, it would be great for us to see just as many pilots attending league meets as in 2008. I look forward to meeting all of you again at the first meet in March. Keep it fun. See you in the air!

NAMIBIA

March saw our first set of tasks for the season with 20 pilots coming out. By May we had over 30 pilots. It

definitely seems pilots want these low-level league meets to either fly with their bud-dies or train for the much larger sanctioned events. These events are not super-compet-itive but fly-ins with a mission that empha-sizes fun and tasks appropriate for a wide range of pilot skill-level.

As in previous years, tasks ranged from very modest to the positively ridiculous. Setting tasks has sometimes been difficult since the aim of the tasks is to keep even the most junior pilots appropriately chal-lenged. Last year, early season tasks were short—sometimes less than the 10 mile mark, while at the height of the season, dis-tances were over the 100km mark. But all were challenging in their own way.

The tasks are composed of three legs. The first is set on easy course-lines across easy terrain, the aim being to ensure that even the most junior pilot can experience the fun of competing without being overtaxed. The second part of the task is more involved, perhaps including a valley crossing-or-two and flying into more challenging terrain, and is meant to test the more accomplished pilots. The final part of the task is set up across more committing terrain, the aim being to stay in the air to avoid a horren-dous walk out. This last leg gives the better pilots a run for their money.

While the skill level for the pilots is clearly not equal, the competition is set up so that pilots are only competing against their equally skilled peers. Hence, three cat-egories have been set up: those flying com-petition and DHV2-3 gliders (Category

1), those flying DHV 2 gliders (Category 2), and those flying DHV1 and 1-2 gliders (Category 3). This establishes a level play-ing field.

One of the key objectives of the league is to give all pilots, even those who cannot complete all seventeen tasks, an opportu-nity to win. So, similar to the PWC league, a pilot’s final scores are taken from his own scores for half of the tasks set, enabling a pilot to win even if he did not participate in all tasks. Clearly, however, it is more advan-tageous to attend as many tasks as possible.

Since this is really a fly-in with a mis-sion, registration costs have been kept to a modest $10 per-person per-race. For this sum, pilots get to compete and score in the tasks that are scored in a way that is iden-tical to the scoring of bigger competitions. Non-competing pilots are always welcome,

2008 BY THE NUMBERS

CATEGorY 1

1st place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Josh Cohn

2nd place . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric Reed

3rd place . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric Broyhill

CATEGorY 2

1st place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tim O’Neill

2nd place . . . . Jugdeep Aggarwal

3rd place . . . . . . . . . . Jason Shapiro

CATEGorY 3

1st place . . . . . . . . . . . Frank Marquis

2nd place . . . . . . . . . . . David Ismay

3rd place . . . . . . . . . . . . John Caletti

72 Total number of participating pilots

2200Total dollar amount of donated prizes

309Total number of track logs

(17 more than 2007)

7629 Total km flown by all competing pilots

(1881 km more than last year. Oh my

god, did we really fly that far!! That’s

the equivalent of flying from Santa

Cruz to England)

09 DATES & ProVISIoNAL LoCATIoNS

March 21st & 22nd: Potato Hill

April 18th & 19th: Dunlap

May 16th & 17th: Potato Hill

June 13th & 14th: Dunlap

July 18th & 19th: Potato Hill

August 1st & 2nd or 8th & 9th: Dunlap

September 5th & 6th: Potato Hill

October 3rd, 4th & 5th: Owens Valley

[previous] Gaggle over Potato Hill. [opposite] Pilots at Dunlap.


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TI is the thermal index, T is the tempera-ture of the rising air parcel, and Ta is the surrounding air temperature at the same level of the lifting parcel. A negative TI number indicates the parcel will continue to ascend. Where the rising thermal’s tem-perature is the same as the surrounding air, we get zero as our thermal index value. This is where air stops its journey upwards, loiters around a bit, and then slowly starts to sink. The thermal index is really just the difference of temperature, typically measured in Fahrenheit. So a value of –3 means that the rising air needs to cool 3 more degrees, but the surrounding air above that is also cooling, or in some cases warming, so the thermal index values are not constant. It is possible, and often the case in tropical regions or areas with deep boundary layers, that the thermal index values will start to decrease with height even though the lifting thermal is cooling. And if the condensation level is reached before the thermal index hits zero, the thermal can continue to lift to extreme al-titudes if the right conditions exist. We’ll talk about that a little later in this series.

As noted, the ingredients that comprise the thermal index are simple. We only need to know a surface temperature and the vertical profile of temperature and mois-ture above that surface point. These two parameters are easily obtained for hun-dreds of points across the United States alone. Temperatures aloft are measured by radiosonde balloons, called RAOBs, released into the air on regular schedules. Surface temperatures are measured at each of these locations continuously throughout the day. But here’s where it all disconnects: for most locations the balloons are re-leased twice a day at 0:00 UTC and 12:00 UTC. With a negative six-hour time zone offset for the Mountain West during the summer months, this would be at 6AM and 6PM. The data is usually available for consumption within 30 minutes through several redundant data centers. So we have the actual temperatures aloft (as well as wind speed, wind direction, pressure, and moisture content), but the data is for 6AM, nowhere close to what that air mass will look like hours later when the sur-face temperatures overcome the ground inversion. Some data is better than none. However, consider how much an air mass can change over six hours, or even three—

a veritable conundrum. If you are scoping out a pre-frontal or post-frontal window, especially in the fall or spring, the differ-ence can mean sitting on launch all day throwing rocks at tin cans, or nailing the sweet spot of the air mass as you glide with few turns across streets of lift. Absolutely nothing in the air stays constant.

The other ingredient is a realistic sur-face temperature, which is usually the day’s forecast high at that location. The term surface temperature almost always refers to the air temperature at 2 meters above the ground and not the ground’s actual temperature, which is referred to as the surface skin temperature. From here, the numbers can be compared while ap-plying the appropriate lapse rate to the lifting parcel of air. All of the data can be represented in a table.

Another convenient way of looking at this comparison is on a skew-T chart. These charts offer more information at a quick glance but are typically more coarse in vertical resolution. For some experts, reading skew-T’s is not unlike reading tea leaves. Given enough practice, keen pilots can infer mountains of information from

just a few lines of plotted data. For now, let’s keep the focus on a simple data table.

On the following page, Table 1 is a thermal index analysis over the mesa near the El Peñon launch outside Valle de Bravo, Mexico, where the 2009 PWC was held. This data comes from a forecast model that uses the Mexico City morning sounding for January 7, 2009. Column A is altitude and column B shows the temperature of

by Chris Galli

In a series of weather and forecast analysis articles we will examine the small and very small details of our commonly used soar-ing forecast tools . Knowing how large-scale weather relates to these and understanding the limitations and assumptions of soaring forecast resources will help eliminate some of the daily guess work .

Chris Galli, USHPA’s newest staff contrib-utor, brings his weather classes to HG&PG as monthly articles . Please submit questions about weather for flying to the magazine for inclusion in upcoming briefings .

DECoNSTrUCTING THE THErMAL INDEx

When the day is looking good for XC, I can count on getting morn-ing phone calls from friends, as

well as making a few, while I drink coffee and pour over the day’s potential online. It’s all done in my head while I visit a few key web sites, juggling the questions and answers I’m interested in like the Sunday morning crossword puzzle. Sometimes I’ll write down what I see on a scrap of paper if any two sources differ significantly, but, for the most part, the forecasts and morn-ing observations help define a feeling for the day. Numbers become emotions and isobar image loops spawn memories of good flights and post-XC evening beers from days that turned epic—days that resemble the same squiggly lines on my laptop with red, white and blue curves like a tangled mess of yarn. All of those num-bers, contours, and chicken-scratches on forecast weather maps take on a personal-ity for that moment. The longer I look at forecasts and translate them back to the raw emotional rewards of good flights, the less abstract all of the data becomes. They

start to emerge as your old friends and let you focus on the true task of the day: con-centration on what you can do with the XC potential and not an obsession on the actual forecast values. Besides, all forecasts are wrong. It’s just a matter of how wrong that counts when planning out the day. Getting a feel for the trending of condi-tions is the ultimate goal and becomes ex-tremely rewarding when you start calling the days better than your official sources.

While I get mentally prepared for the day, checking batteries and stashing energy bars in random pockets, I inevitably get a phone call from someone who is fixated on the location of the “minus 3”. The minus 3. A number. And what a pervasive number it is! It’s featured on nearly every soaring forecast website, not to mention serving as the fodder for morning discussions in local communities everywhere. The minus 3 refers to a level on the thermal index table. Specifically, it is the altitude aloft where the thermal index is equal to –3 (no surprises there). Some view this number as gospel—a magic integer, giving absolute wisdom and the deterministic height you’re going to achieve for the day. I usually retort back with a smart-ass comment like, “Did you see where the minus two and minus four was too? What about zero?”

My sarcasm isn’t entirely unwarranted. In fact, when you deconstruct just how we arrive at the minus 3 on the thermal index, you’ll quickly see how bizarre it is and wonder why so much stock is given to that digit.

A thermal index is simply the com-parison of the temperature from a rising parcel of air to the temperature of the air surrounding that parcel for any given level. Specifically, the equation for any height level is:

TI = Ta– T

“Consider how

much an air mass

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thanks everyone whohas contributed tothis magazineand made itwhat it is.

We're alwayslooking for stories,

photos, and club news. SEND IT!

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero44

a potential thermal, lifting at even inter-vals (every 100 meters). The first altitude level at 7,544 feet shows 68 F as the ex-pected maximum surface temperature for the day (approximately 3PM local time). Columns C and E show the temperature aloft at various altitude levels for 6AM and 3PM, respectively. Additionally, col-umns D and F show the thermal index of those times. Column G depicts the differ-ence of the 6AM and 3PM thermal index values, which is another way to view how much any lifting air will mix with the sur-rounding air as the day evolves. The term for this mixing is called entrainment and can vary depending on the characteristics of both air masses.

The first thing to note on this table is the difference of the first thermal index value. In the morning we see –15.07 and by the afternoon, when a glider is likely to be soaring, the index is a mere –3.13. The minus three is at ground level during the time when it really counts—our soarable window. This is a result of the daily mixing of the lower atmosphere, as noted in column G. Follow the values down G, and note how much the air warms near the surface but is almost negligible at higher altitudes. This is not because the

sun is heating the ambient air. It is due to the upward deposit of the thin layer of heated air near the ground from upwelling short-wave radiation, called heat flux. This is also the true source of thermals.

Other interesting observations can be made from this table. Note the gray boxes that show the thermal tops at nearly the same level, regardless of whether the morning or afternoon sounding is used. In fact, later in the day the top of lift is slightly eroded and is again reflected in Column G. In general, the most useful observation is to notice how quickly the index approaches zero from either direc-tion (above or below the top of lift). If the lifting parcel quickly reaches a value of –1 but takes another 5000 feet to reach zero, you know that the air mass is sensi-tive to small increases or decreases in the surface temperature. Conversely, if the thermal index reaches 3 or greater within a few hundred feet after passing through zero, you know that the air mass is capped under a stable layer aloft. This also implies that large increases in surface temperature will not significantly raise the top of lift.

Understanding the sensitivity of a re-gional air mass is key to making good decisions on where to fly. For this reason,

many thermal index tables will also in-clude a trigger temperature. This is the surface temperature required to lift a parcel of air to any given level. Though not shown as a column in our table, the trig-ger temperature of 68 is required to reach a height of roughly 11,800 feet, which is easily discerned.

I can’t count the number of times that friends have abandoned the day because of a poorly reported thermal index table, without considering the sensitivity of the day. Some of those days yielded epic flights with long hitchhikes back from other states. Remember, all of these fore-casts and analyses are supposed to provide guidance and the feel of the day. If you’re a relatively cautious person and think that you know better on a poorly forecasted day, you’re probably right.

If we take a cross-section along a path that includes the data point presented in Table 1, we can get a sense of the general conditions for that track. Figure 1 is a 20 km cross-section temperature and lift anal-ysis plot. The red line shows the estimated top of usable lift where a glider with a sink rate of 1.2 meters per-second could climb. The black line shows the thermal tops and is usually where the thermal index reaches zero for the given surface temperature. The white line shows where the thermal

tops would reach if the surface tempera-tures were 2 degrees C higher, hence a very handy sensitivity measurement of the air. As you can see, the top of usable lift is only a few thousand feet above the ground with a fairly stable layer above it—classic Valle de Bravo conditions for January. The color contours in the background show temperature aloft.

Figure 2 shows the thermal index across that same track. This is the equivalent of re-viewing about 400 different thermal index tables at once. Note how little temperature variation there is in some places along the track. This reflects the minor differences in elevation. In a few places, the minus 3 does not exist in the vertical profile. Also note how nicely the thermal index of zero matches the thermal tops (the black line). This is not coincidence.

Strangely, we can’t really say much about the characteristics of potential ther-mals under the conditions assumed from the thermal index analysis. In fact, there is a key ingredient missing in using the ther-mal index to arrive at the tops of usable lift. The thermal index provides clues about the sensitivity of the day and the likely thermal tops, but it says nothing about the strength of thermals, their abundance, or even their possible shape and size. And more importantly, it can’t provide us with

exactly where the air is rising at the same rate your glider is sinking (the effective top of usable lift). To arrive at this, we must have the heat flux of the surface and know the boundary layer depths. Only then can an approximate profile of vertical updraft velocity be obtained. Once that profile is resolved, a comparison for where the lift drops to 250 fpm can be plucked out of the results, which end up being a reason-able value for the top of usable lift. These equations are not for the faint of heart, so I’ll leave it up to the quizzical to investi-gate in more detail.

What if we take a track log from an actual flight and plot it in a way similar to the cross section forecasts? And what if we interpolate and collocate the glider in time and space across the valid forecasts that were available to a pilot before they

A B C D E F G

Altitude (ft)Lifting Air Temp. (F)

6AM Temp. Aloft (F)

6AM Thermal Index

3PM Temp. Aloft (F)

3PM Thermal Index

Daily Mixing E-C (F)

7544 68.35 53.28 -15.07 65.21 -3.13 11.937872 66.59 52.84 -13.75 63.68 -2.90 10.848200 64.83 52.40 -12.43 62.15 -2.67 9.758528 63.07 51.93 -11.14 60.61 -2.46 8.688856 61.31 51.42 -9.88 59.04 -2.27 7.629184 59.55 50.92 -8.63 57.47 -2.07 6.559512 57.79 50.41 -7.38 55.90 -1.88 5.499840 56.03 49.90 -6.13 54.33 -1.69 4.43

10168 54.27 49.39 -4.88 52.76 -1.50 3.3710496 52.51 48.70 -3.81 51.29 -1.21 2.5910824 50.74 47.88 -2.86 49.91 -0.83 2.0311152 48.98 47.07 -1.92 48.53 -0.45 1.4611480 47.22 46.26 -0.97 47.15 -0.07 0.8911808 45.46 45.44 -0.02 45.77 0.31 0.3312136 43.70 44.63 0.92 44.39 0.69 -0.2412464 41.94 43.76 1.82 43.22 1.28 -0.5412792 40.18 42.84 2.66 42.37 2.19 -0.4713120 38.42 41.92 3.50 41.53 3.11 -0.3913448 36.66 41.01 4.35 40.68 4.02 -0.3313776 34.90 39.18 5.19 39.84 4.93 0.66

Table 1. Thermal Index Analysis for point near Valle de Bravo, Mexico, Jan 7, 2009.

Figure 1. Cross-section lift analysis for a 20 km track over the mesa near Valle de Bravo.

Figure 2. Cross-section thermal index analysis for a 20 km track over the mesa near Valle de Bravo.

Figure 3. A Google Map image of the cross section track plotted.

http://www.kittyhawkkites.com


headed off to the hill? Figure 4 shows exactly that. In addition to Figure 1, the purple line plotted is the pilot’s track across the forecast domain. Recall that the red line is the top of usable lift, and the black line is where the thermal index equals zero. Given that the sensitivity of the thermal tops is slight, this particular forecast matched the actual flight excep-tionally well. This flight was taken from a track log posted on http://www.paraglid-ingforum.com/leonardo/f light/154688 and lasted nearly 4 hours across a 70km track. This flight spanned over 3 forecast times, information which was available to anyone the morning of the flight. To round out the comparison, Figure 5 contains the thermal index analysis along that flight track for the appropriate times. Note that the thermal index at ground level across the entire track is never less than –3.

To quickly recap, the minus 3 approach of determining the top of usable lift should be considered a rough guide because we are mixing actual sounding observations with a future forecasted temperature and then analyzing the comparison as if it was a valid scenario. The atmosphere is in a constant state of change. The word index in thermal index is really just a difference in temperature, not a true index which im-plies something more rigorous is going on under the hood. And, lastly, just because there is sometimes a positive correlation with the traditional minus 3 determina-tion and the top of usable lift for the day, that doesn’t make it an infallible mea-surement. We have better tools and data available these days. With little additional effort, they can be developed and dissemi-nated through our flying communities to provide more accurate soaring potentials.

Not to be entirely discredited, the ther-mal index table is an extremely valuable tool for anyone to start exploring in more detail. Just be aware of its limitations and often false-positive results. There were days when I talked myself out of flying or not launching because I had a number stuck in my head, even though the condi-tions were fine and others were already on course downrange. All of the data gath-ered still cannot replace common sense and getting out to the hill to experience the true day for what it is.

LAPSE rATES AND STAbILITY

Even if you’re a newer pilot, you’ve likely heard of the terms lapse rate, and perhaps even dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR) and moist adiabatic lapse rate (MALR). These are lengthy phrases that really represent simple concepts. My eyes often gloss over when I hear these terms too—you’re not alone.

The lapse rate is simply the rate at which temperature changes with height in the atmosphere. Lapse rates can refer to any form of gas that is supported by a gravitational force, but for our discussion, we’re talking about air in the earth’s at-mosphere. There are two distinct classes of lapse rates: environmental and adia-batic. We’re concerned with the adiabatic

lapse rates which include the DALR and MALR.

The DALR is constant. That is, when the air is dry, the rate at which it cools when lifted will remain the same. The term dry refers to air with relative humidity, less than 100%. The physics behind this phe-nomenon is directly related to changes in pressure. If a parcel of air is lifted, its pres-sure decreases, and since pressure decreases with height, the temperature will fall due to expansion. The DALR is 9.78 degrees C per kilometer, or about 5.5 F per 1000 feet. Most resources will cite the DALR as 10 degrees C/km for convenience, and for the most part is accurate enough. If con-densation occurs before the parcel reaches its temperature equilibrium, the lapse rate changes to MALR. This is often referred to as the lifted condensation level (LCL) and is usually available on weather ser-vice soaring forecasts. Contrary to many sources, the MALR is not constant and can vary anywhere from about 3 to 9.8 degrees C per-kilometer. Despite its differ-ing only a few degrees in the most extreme cases, the effects of an air mass cooling slower as it lifts often results in dramatic displays of towering cumulus and violent thunderstorms. The MALR differs from the DALR due to the release of latent heat during condensation. There is only about 10 grams of water in a kilogram of satu-

rated air at 15 degrees C, but water has a high heat of vaporization, so this allows tremendous amounts of heat back into the air mass when condensation occurs. With more moisture present, more heat can be released, which partially offsets the total cooling of the parcel as it rises. In gener-al, when temperatures are warmer in the summer, the atmosphere can hold more moisture and provide greater instability. In cooler months, deep convection is less frequent.

If you don’t get excited at the sight of your old high school calculus and algebra books, then just skip the details, but don’t stop reading now. Understanding the basics of this can have huge payoffs. Deep breath… The moist adiabatic lapse rate equation is commonly written as follows:

MALR = DALR / (1 + L/Cp*dWs/dT)

The important element of the equation is dWs/dT, which is the change in saturation mixing ratio to the change in tempera-ture (normally a function of height). We already know DALR to be 9.78 C per km and L and Cp are the latent heat of vapor-ization (2.453 × 10^6 J/kg) and the con-stant pressure process (1004 Jkg^-1K^-1) respectively. Ws is the saturated mixing ratio, which is the theoretical maximum amount of water vapor that air at a specif-ic temperature and pressure can hold. Ws is calculated as (0.622*Es)/(P-Es)*1000, where Es is saturation vapor pressure and P is pressure in millibars. Es is written as:

Es = 6.11*10^(7.5*Tc/(237.7+Tc))

where Tc is temperature in Celsius. I’ll spare you the details of this equation, but look it up online if you’re interested.

So that’s it. If you string these equa-tions together, you can solve for the po-tential depths of cumulus clouds, which implies we might be able to say something about the true cloud tops if the condensa-tion level is reached. No more guessing if the day will overdevelop, right? You’ll have an exact altitude of where the cloud tops will be. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t work out that nice. Some of the constants in the above equations aren’t really constant, even though they are treated as such. For example, L (the latent heat of vaporization) changes slightly, based on temperature

and the specific heat capacity of air. (Cp) is an average approximation for the entire atmosphere, assuming a temperature of 0 degrees C. So in reality, it’s possible to be off by over 10% even if the forecast was exactly right. And a wrong approximation when you are lifting a cooling, saturated parcel of air can be the difference of thou-sands of feet. Plus, small variances in the air’s moisture can have large impacts on the lapse rate. For example, a large area of forest at the base of a mountain might yield enough moisture through evapotranspira-tion to tip the scales and allow thermals to reach condensation levels well below their estimated DALR tops. Conversely, the same day just a few miles away in a dry valley might not have what it takes to produce clouds, yet the entire area can be shut down from a single over-development event. And then the chain reaction starts, with instability compounding more insta-bility, and you’re packing your glider up in hail. The lesson here is to understand the sensitivity of the air mass.

As pilots, we are intimately aware that not all convectively driven cumulus clouds are the same. Some days yield a handful of small cumulus clouds over the terrain’s high points, while other days start with towering cumulus in every direction, before you finish eating your morning bowl of Wheaties. When an air mass is unstable, it implies the mass is sensitive to changes in temperature. Adding enough water vapor to the air in these scenarios allows for condensation to occur well before a lifting air parcel reaches its top. Let’s look at Table 2 to illustrate a few sce-narios.

On the following page, Table 2 depicts a point just to the east of Mexico City on Jan 12, 2009, at 3PM local time. Data was taken from the GFS forecast that was based on the actual morning sounding. Again we have similar columns as our first table, with altitude as A, the temperatures as B and C, our derived thermal index in D, and the applicable lapse rate as F. E is a new concept that shows the dew point index. Just like the thermal index, the dew point index is a comparison of the esti-mated condensation level temperature to the surrounding air. Contrary to popular belief, the dew point value is not constant either. We learned earlier that the process of entrainment allows a parcel of rising

France Switzerland

Fly the Alpswith Todd Weigand and Luis Rosenkjer

June 2009

Italy

www.paraglidingtrips.com

Figure 5. Thermal index analysis of a 4 hour flight on January 1, 2009, Valle de Bravo.

“If you don't get

excited at the sight of

your old high school

calculus and algebra

books, then just skip

the details, but don't

stop reading now.”

Figure 4. Lift analysis of a 4 hour flight on January 1, 2009, Valle de Bravo.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.paraglidingtrips.com


air to mix as it lifts—water vapor is no exception. Although the exact amount of entrainment is hard to quantify, we can expect the moisture composition of the surface air to change throughout its jour-ney skyward.

Look at column F. Lifting a parcel of air in this scenario begins with a DALR of 9.78. At an altitude of just over 13,000 feet the thermal index approaches zero, as does our dew point index. This point near Mexico City was selected due to the extreme sensitivity of the air mass. As the potential thermal “tops out,” it becomes dangerously close to the condensation level. Also note that the temperature is just above freezing at this point. In a single level of the vertical profile we have a very interesting situation. In less than a tenth-of-one-degree Fahrenheit the air mass teeters on the verge of becoming a potential thunderstorm, and this is exactly what happens. At the next level in our table, only 100 meters higher than our es-timated thermal tops, the parcel becomes unstable again due to the heat released

from condensation. The lapse rate changes dramatically and gives back enough heat to the lifting parcel to send it upward. The thermal index starts to decrease and the moist lapse rates allow the temperature difference to widen. It then takes nearly 6000 more feet before the rising air be-comes stable again. Notice the lapse rate in column F starts to increase with alti-tude. This is due to colder temperatures not being able to hold as much moisture as warmer temperatures, and by 21,000 feet, the parcel is no longer able to perpetuate the lifting process.

Let’s take a step back…way back and look down from space. Figure 6 shows us a high resolution image taken from the polar orbiting NASA satellite named Aqua. At 250 meter resolution, the image shows the cloud scene at approximately the same time as our table analysis east of Mexico City. The center of this figure shows the dry, stable valley floor of Mexico City, with the surrounding mountain ranges produc-ing large cumulus clouds to the east, west and south. The red line crosses directly

over Mexico City, with the left end near Toluca. This line also shows the cross sec-tion track illustrated in figure 7, which is a dew point analysis similar to the ther-mal index cross section. That is, this single figure represents several hundred points of lapse rate analysis. The black line shows the predicted thermal tops, with the red line estimating the top of usable lift a glider might reach in a dry air mass (not consid-ering that condensation has been reached). The yellow line traces out the level where condensation should occur. Where this

level is reached before the thermal tops are achieved is where the lapse rate changes to the MARL. Simply put, this is just where the yellow line drops below the black line The transparent gray area represents the potential cloud position and cloud depth. Notice how stable the forecast shows the Mexico City valley. This corresponds well with our satellite image where we can clearly see the valley floor unobscured by cloud. Notice the thermal tops’ sensitiv-ity to the east and west of Mexico City. This is due to the slight variations of sur-face temperature as the terrain rises in response to the temperatures aloft. Once away from the stable valley, the air mass

is for the most part uniformly unstable. In figure 6, Valle de Bravo is at left bottom of the image with small cumulus clouds over the mesa to the south of the lake.

Admittedly, it took a few cross section analyses to find such a perfect example to illustrate the sensitivity of an air mass with all the right ingredients. Usually, the scales will be tipped to one extreme or the other. However, when these it-could-go-either-way unstable days do come around, try to read between the lines. Make note of days that over-developed and days that did not, when you were out on the hill. Start noticing the moisture levels of the day. Most soaring forecasts provide a

relative humidity profile of the air. When looking at skew-T charts, you can easily compare the dew point and temperatures aloft to each other, as well as the slope of the temperature curve to adiabat lines and get some idea of the lapse rate, although determining cloud tops will be more of a challenge.

The MALR analysis performed here is quite rigorous to complete, and it often will not be spot-on anyway. But being able to get a feel for the day is the end goal, not a fixation on numbers. And being able to exploit opportunity when it arrives and leave the forged notions from the forecasts behind is often what makes a good XC pilot good. Waiting for the day to evolve into the forecast is one way to squander a good soaring day. It’s important to recog-nize the day for what it is and not what it should have been.

Chris Galli is a research associate at the University of Utah, Department of Meteorology, and is a co-founder of XC Skies. He currently hangs his helmet in

Fort Collins, Colorado.


2009CALENDARS

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A B C D E F

Altitude (ft) Lifting Air Temp. (F) 3PM Temp. Aloft (F) Thermal IndexDew Point

IndexLapse Rate

7544 66.07 61.31 -4.76 -13.72 9.788200 62.55 58.84 -3.71 -12.44 9.788856 59.03 55.82 -3.21 -10.87 9.789512 55.51 52.51 -2.99 -9.13 9.78

10168 51.98 49.21 -2.78 -7.39 9.7810824 48.46 45.99 -2.48 -5.7 9.7811480 44.94 42.79 -2.15 -4.03 9.7812136 41.42 39.59 -1.83 -2.35 9.7812792 37.9 36.71 -1.19 -0.85 9.7813120 35.37 35.34 -0.03 -0.14 9.7813448 33.61 33.96 0.36 0.58 3.614104 32.12 31.21 -0.91 2.01 4.1914760 30.58 28.82 -1.76 3.23 4.3715416 29 26.8 -2.19 4.25 4.4616072 27.39 24.78 -2.6 5.28 4.5216728 25.75 22.77 -2.97 6.29 4.8317384 24.03 20.9 -3.13 7.24 5.3118040 22.14 19.02 -3.12 8.18 5.9218696 20.03 17.14 -2.89 9.12 6.7219352 17.65 15.32 -2.33 10.03 7.2220008 15.06 13.62 -1.44 10.88 7.6920664 12.31 11.92 -0.4 11.73 8.1921320 9.4 10.21 0.81 12.57 9.78

Table 2. Thermal Index and Lapse Rate Analysis for point 30km east of Mexico City, Jan 12, 2009.

Figure 7. Dew point analysis along a track dissecting Mexico City, Jan 12, 2009, 3PM

Figure 6. Aqua satellite true color image for area surrounding Mexico City, Jan 12, 2009 21:00 UTC. Image courtesy of NASA/GSFC/JPL-Caltech, OnEarth MODIS.



in spring or fall, you will fly.On one of my first trips out to

Oceanside, I was bumming out be-cause of the forecast for rain. Being from Hood River, Oregon, I’m used to weather that is warm, sunny, and windy most of the time. Reed Gleason—one of the first HG-to-PG cross-over pi-lots—was riding in the car with me. The rain began, and it was bad. My complaining bugged everyone in the car, until Reed said, “Hey, if it’s raining on the way, that’s OK; wait till you get there.” Reed and I both know that the rain comes intermittently in cells on the Oregon coast, or perhaps it’s that the sun and clearings come in cells (often referred to as “sun showers”). If you’ve never heard of sun showers, come to

Oceanside to experience them. On that day the sun showers did arrive, and it was super! Everyone had great flights, and we even saw an eagle.

The 2008 Fly-In was held in April. The weather forecast was pretty bad—high winds, rain, plus SNOW. It looked bleak! On the drive to Oceanside I kept telling myself that even though the forecast was bad, we’d still be able to fly. On Friday we were bombarded with heavy rain all day. That night we had snow and high winds. In fact, one snowman even got some air time. (See picture). And it was really COLD—the kind of wet, cutting cold, not unusual on the Oregon coast, that even a salty sailor hates.

The next morning the weather was

still bad. It was difficult to persuade pilots to stay at Oceanside to wait for the clearing that the satellite predicted was coming. Some folks (including Kraske) booked south to Tierra Del Mar, a seventy-foot-west-facing launch that can access hundred-foot high dunes that run about a mile-and-three-quarters south to Cape Kiwanda. The winds were too strong there as well. They continued south for four miles from Cape Kiwanda along Nestucca Spit where they “squall-surfed” for several hours before heading back to Oceanside. But would they get to Oceanside and find good flying? Yes. And, boy, did it get good!

About 2:30 p.m., you could see the sun shower (a clearing) coming in. By 3:00 everyone was in the air and the flying was ON. Both of the classic routes from launch were working. To the north you could cross Lost Boy Beach and fly to the Lighthouse at Cape Meares and back. To the south you could go to the mouth of Netarts Bay and on to Happy Camp and back. We heard that a hang glider (old Joe Evans, a local legend) jumped the mouth of Neatarts Bay and went way south. You could even launch from a 20-foot bluff on the beach at Rosanna’s

Open Fly-In 2009Oceanside

by CB Schmaltz and John Kraske

Tillamook County, located on the northern Oregon coast, is home to cows, cheese, floods, some

great foot-launch flying, and Oregon’s oldest foot-launch flying event—The Oceanside Fly-In, our season opener.

Tillamook County has at least six good sites, but Oceanside is the most fun. After twenty-plus years of paragliding, Oceanside is still my favorite site. It’s in a laid-back, mellow, small town with a couple of restaurants, a coffee shop, post office, motel and some B&B’s. No shopping malls, no big surfer beach, ca-sinos, or chain hotels. Nope, none of that stuff. It’s just a good place for surf-

ing, windsurfing, and wave kayaking. Oceanside is still a well-kept secret, in a time of mega-promotion. Whatever it lacks in new millennium promotion, marketing, and glamour, it makes up for in good old Oregon fun at the coast. Where else can you fly with eagles while overlooking whales and sea lions, land on a beach in view of awestruck spec-tators, and revive yourself with oyster-shooters and a beer at a nearby bar?

It’s fabulous IMHO. The flying season is not year-round, which is Tillamook County’s one downfall; otherwise, look out Torrey Pines! The summer has a lot of North winds, resulting in cross- winds at launch. In winter, the site is not easily

accessible because to reach it you have to drive through the Oregon coastal range, braving mudslides and floods. But fall and spring are great! As my friend John Kraske says, foot-launch is a passion, and the Tillamook area offers many op-portunities for the pursuit of that spe-cial dance of wind and wing. When the forecast predicts SW or NW winds and less than 60% chance of showers, it can happen. Some folks call it squall-surf-ing. With the approaching squall, you have to be ready to land. Fortunately, you can see the squalls coming miles away. Be sure to carry a large garbage bag to stuff your wing in and keep it dry. Don’t worry about the day’s weath-er forecasting tools. Odds are, if you go

[left] 2008 Winners, left to right standing- Reed Gleason, Dave Cantrell, Todd Weigand, Yaro Lahvlek, Ray Burger lower- James Lee, Kelly Keller, Greg McMurtrie, Rob Stephens. [below left] Four paragliders head towards the classic south-route to Happy Camp from Maxwell mountain. [below right] PG squall surfing low and close to the LZ. Photos by Ann Harper.


Fly-In for everyone, novice to expert. That’s not to say there is no competitive sprit. There is a fun HG vs. PG interac-tion.

So what does 2009 hold? This year the Oceanside Open will be on May 2nd, with a backup day of May 3rd.

We welcome back Ticor Tile Company as our main sponsor and Co-Sponsors SuperFly Paragliding and MAX ROC Paragliding. There will be lots of prizes and awards again.

This year the event will benefit The Elks Food Bank (BPOE # 1437). We

want to contribute to the assistance the Elks give to local families and farmers of Tillamook County. In December, the Tillamook Elks donated many bas-kets of food to the flood victims who were evacuated from their homes as well as to families who were in need during the holiday season. The people of Tillamook have been great about giving us access for flying. If you would like to say thanks to the people of Tillamook for thirty years of free flight, come and be a competitor, volunteer, or prize contributor. The Elks are hosting the dinner party and awards and will provide a live band. And to all the pes-simists who think it rains all the time in Oregon… DON’T let the computer weather models fool you. NW or SW wind forecast with 60% or less of rain predicted can produce really fine flying at Oceanside Oregon.

For more information, Contact Dodie Hawthorne or Mark Sanzone at http://oceansideopen.blogspot.com Hope to C U there!

Restaurant, with all the guests watch-ing you bench up. Then all pilots had to decide whether to go north or south—except Yaro Lahlek.

Yaro may have been the first PG to fly out to the Rocks off-shore and back. Some HGs have made the out-and-back over the Pacific. However, no one could recall ever seeing a PG do it. Yaro cau-tiously worked his way out, climbing slowly as he flew to the Rocks off-shore, then turned and flew back, arriving way over launch. This epic flight was exciting for all to see, The whole town watched as Yaro won the duration event.

The 2008 Oceanside Fly-In donated their proceeds to the local Habit for Humanity, as they had been flooded out of their office and shop. The event raised $3800, thanks to Ticor Title, Torrey Pines Gliderport, SuperyFly,

and Max Roc Pargliding, plus a long list of prize sponsors, contributors, and volunteers. The Cascade Paragliding Club (CPC) and Oregon Hang Gliding Club really helped a lot of needy people. So, with the sun setting slowly in the west over the Pacific, we started a BFP.

The awards dinner was too much fun (Thanks for the taco feed, Rob!). After we’d had our fill of margaritas and beer, the Para girls started handing out the prizes and awards. It took two hours to distribute the loot, awards, and prizes.

The Oceanside Open is a great FUN

[above] A squall disipates on the western horizon as a pilot prepares to launch from Tierra Del Mar. [right] Big party at the

awards dinner. [opposite top] Hang glider spot landing as a squall comes on shore. [opposite bottom] Mr. Sno Man flies a paraglider. He likes winter flying–hates summer flying. Photos by Ann Harper.

http://www.solsports.com.br

2008 Oceanside Open Fly-In ResultsFLY-A-THoN PLEDGE WINNErS

1st Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dodie Hawthorne

2nd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shannon Olivrez

3rd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Sanzon

PG DIVISIoN

XC

1st Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Todd Weigand

2nd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James Lee

3rd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Keller

Silver Dollar Spot Landing

1st Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Todd Weigand

2nd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Keller

3rd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brad Hill

Duration

1st Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yaro Lahlek

2nd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Todd Wigand

3rd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dave Cantrell

HG DIVISIoN

XC

1st Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ray Burger

2nd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gregg (back in the sky) McMurtrie

3rd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rob Stephens

Silver Dollar Spot Landing

1st Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roone Maier

2nd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ray (too many dollars) Burger


Duration

1st Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff Williams

2nd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ray burger


CoMbINED

1st Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Todd Weigand PG

2nd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ray Burger HG

3rd Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rob Stephens’s HG


BobcatAttack of the

by J.C.BROWN


The Bobcat is the latest speed flying wing from Gin Gliders. The Bobcat glider is delivered with a harness,

backpack, fast pack bag, riser bag, and a small pile of Gin swag, including a 1G USB flash-drive loaded with the owner’s manual, some videos, and even some storage space for your own stuff. Everything you need to get started in speed flying is right there in the box. The harness even has carabiners, a large backpack, a small back protector, and a reserve parachute bridle. The over-all finish of all the components of the

Bobcat system is excellent. In case you haven’t seen speed flyers

at your local hill yet and have somehow missed all the fast and furious speed flying videos all over the internet, let me give you a brief explanation. Speed flying is a relatively new foot-launched flying sport that involves the use of small, fast ram-air canopies to glide and even soar. Like most evolutionary developments in hang gliding, this one is a fusion of new and old ideas. To me, it seems like speed flying uses the latest paraglider technology to accomplish some of hang gliding’s earliest ground-skimming goals. Interestingly, speed flying also has roots in a skydiving dis-cipline known as “ground-launching.” Much as the name implies, ground-launching is the sport of foot-launching skydiving canopies and then swooping down a hillside at high speed. Speed flying also has a lot in common with

“speed riding,” which is a winter sport that combines skiing with a small ram-air canopy and involves repeated tran-sitions from skiing to gliding as you

carve down the mountain. Why speed fly? Because it’s fun! This

kind of flying is about the joy of foot-launching, making a simple flight, and landing safely on your feet. I’m sure that some soaring pilots will scoff at the Bobcat’s relatively low performance. To them, all I have to say is: try it before you condemn it. I love soaring as much as most pilots, but I found that a fast terrain- following glide across the cliffs and canyons of my local hill can be every bit as rewarding as an hour spent making passes above it.

Another great feature of the Bobcat is that it’s very light and compact. The small backpack that comes with the Bobcat can easily hold the wing, har-ness and everything you need for a day in the mountains. I’ve always been an avid hike-to-fly pilot, but carrying my paragliding rig often turns an other-wise pleasant hike into a grueling death march. The Bobcat, ready to fly with harness, helmet, jacket, gloves, cell phone, GPS, lunch and a water bottle, weighs less than 20 pounds! Some of

my best Bobcat flights so far have been evening hikes that ended with a sunset-skim down the side of the hill.

OK, so now that I’ve established what the Bobcat is and why you, as a reader of this magazine, might be inter-ested in it, let me try to describe how it flies. First, I’ve got to admit that I’m a total speed flying newbie and that other than a single sled ride on a Gin Nano 2 years ago, the Bobcat is the only speed glider that I’ve ever flown. So, while experienced speed flyers may not learn much from my comments, maybe my fellow speed flying beginners and folks who are considering learning how to speed fly will benefit.

If I had to describe the Bobcat in a single word, it would be: acces-sible. That’s right. As “extreme” as the YouTube version of speed flying might seem, the Bobcat is easy to fly. Ground handling the Bobcat is easier than any paraglider that I’ve ever flown. I’ve even let some of my beginner paraglider pilot buddies use the Bobcat to work on their strong wind-kiting skills, and it proved

to be a great ground-handling trainer. Launches are simple, whether for-

ward or reverse. For such a fast wing, the Bobcat has very little tendency to overshoot on take-off. The Bobcat’s three riser system is fitted with trim tabs on the rear risers, and I found that trimming the wing slow made launch-ing in light winds easier. Even though its launch behavior is simple, it takes a longer run and a more substantial ap-plication of brake to separate from the ground than a regular paraglider. Once in flight, the Bobcat is agile without being twitchy, and it gets a surprisingly flat glide when trimmed slow. Trimmed fast, the Bobcat gets progressively more ground hungry, and trimmed full-fast, it will obediently contour the slope of the hill.

If you use the controls gently, the Bobcat will carve smooth arcs through the sky. Pull harder and the Bobcat will immediately start banking. Pull even harder and it willingly dives into a steep turn. The Bobcat has powerful controls, but it’s not hard to moderate and use

that power. Even with its sporty turn-ing behavior, this wing gives a strong sense of stability in flight.

Landings are straightforward. At

“This kind of flying

is all about the joy

of foot launching,

making a simple

flight and landing

safely on your feet.”

“Of course, any pilot

with an interest

in hike-to-fly is a

candidate for speed

flying, but even

pilots who always

drive to launch

could use a Bobcat

to spice up those

occasional but inevi-

table sled rides.”


my home field elevation of over 5000’ MSL, you have to be willing to run it out in no wind. At first I thought that the slowest trim setting would be best for landing in light to nil winds, but later I discovered that neutral trim yielded more flare power and, therefore, softer landings. If the wind is over 5 mph, landings are a piece of cake.

One aspect of the Bobcat’s flight performance that I haven’t fully explored yet is its strong wind-soaring capabil-ity. I’ve played with it at our local dune in some fairly strong winds, but I haven’t been able to really soar yet. I have, how-ever, had a great time kiting, crow-hopping and side-hill landing all over the dune. On a breezy day at the dune the Bobcat feels as if it’s half-wing, half-toy kite. It might not be soaring, but it’s a great workout and a huge amount of fun.

So who is a potential Bobcat pilot? Obviously, it will appeal to the dedicated speed flyer, but I think there are many paraglider pilots who would enjoy the Bobcat as a second wing. Of course, any pilot with an interest in hike-to-fly is a candidate for speed flying, but even pilots who always drive to launch could use a Bobcat to spice up those occasional but inevitable sled rides. I also think speed flying will attract paragliding ridge rats who hate to sit on the ground and watch the hangies soar when the wind gets strong. Unquestionably, it will also catch the eye of some ground-launching skydivers.

In closing, I’d like to address the issue of where speed flying fits into the world of foot-launched flying. The Bobcat and speed flying are just one of many evolutionary offshoots of hang gliding. You could argue that speed flying is not hang gliding, but you’d be wrong. Speed flyers definitely hang in their harnesses, and they also glide; therefore, they must be hang gliders. In many ways speed flying is closer to the roots of hang gliding than modern hang gliding is. Remember that our association’s magazine, the same one you are reading now, used to be called “Ground Skimmer.” As new disciplines develop, the edges between foot-launched, gravity-powered air sports continue to blur. New disciplines also mean new folks using our limited flying sites, and some-times the “new guys” don’t understand the past. That can create problems, but the solution is to welcome the new birds into the flock. They need to be taught about our history and why we have to respect and protect our sites above all else. I hope that we as a community of foot-launch pilots can remain open to all the forms that our sport has taken, and will continue to take in the future. Some of us might choose to fly sleek 20:1 rigid wings, and others find themselves at-tracted to low aspect ram-air slope-skimmers, but in the end we are all hang glider pilots.

JC Brown has been a foot launched flying enthusiast since 1975. JC currently lives in a small town north of Mexico where he raises goats and packs parachutes.

review by Tom Webster

In the 1960s, America’s space program was seeking new ways to rise above the earth and so, coincidentally, was

a subset of American society known as the Woodstock Generation. They had vastly different strategies, to be sure. But during the last part of the decade, NASA, the hip-pies, and a few enterprising Australians all contributed to the birth of an entirely new kind of vehicle for human enlightenment: the modern hang glider.

But hang gliding wasn’t born in the 1960s—only the modern, popular version of it was. The very first hang glider flights actually happened over 100 years ago, in several different locations, during the race to build a practical flying machine. When the Wright Brothers won the race in 1903, hang glider development sud-denly died, but man’s primal desire to fly did not. Over the subsequent years, flight became more institutionalized, commer-cialized, and militarized. The “personal” flying car often featured on the cover of Popular Mechanics never came to fruition. Airplane designers became focused on building ever bigger and faster craft, and there was very little development in glider technology. The hopes of common people to enjoy the freedom of flight began to look more like pipe dreams—or, if you prefer, pie in the sky. Even the most basic aircraft were too expensive for all but the wealthy.

Then, something happened. In Big Blue Sky, we see how several different fac-tors converged to bring simple flight to the masses. One of the most important was a gesture by an aerospace engineer named Francis Rogallo. While working on re-

covery methods for space capsules in the 1950s, he introduced an extremely simple and stable wing design (originally de-signed by Rogallo in 1948) that was made from little more than a square of fabric and three or four straight spars. Rogallo’s bold gesture was his decision to release the patent on the revolutionary design, thus allowing scientists and hobbyists alike to benefit from the technology. It was an open-source approach to aeronautics.

Rogallo’s design was not the only one used by the early fliers, but its simplicity and accessibility was a major factor in the advancement of the hang gliding move-ment and, in the beginning, hang gliding was indeed viewed as a social movement. It was (literally) a soaring expression of the do-it-yourself movement, which had been gaining popularity since World War II. Another important factor in the advance-ment of hang gliding was the fact that it was incubated in Southern California. It fit in perfectly with California culture, and, as luck would have it, the mountains and wind patterns in the Los Angeles area were, and still are, perfect for flying hang gliders. And what self-respecting young American could resist an adventure sport made famous in the birthplace of fast food, car culture, and the Beach Boys?

Many of the early hang glider pilots were simply thrill-seekers, looking for a new type of non-pharmaceutical high. But in those days, as now, the real soul of hang gliding had little to do with get-ting a quick adrenaline rush. Joe Faust, the publisher of a hang gliding newsletter which inspired (or perhaps morphed into) the early version of this magazine, saw hang gliding as a logical extension of the human desire to ascend to a higher state

of being. It was more a metaphysical ex-ercise than a physical one. As Faust and other pioneers, like Taras Kiceniuk, Jr., are interviewed in the movie, they reveal the way most of them saw hang gliding: as a fledgling sport of limitless potential and boundless horizons and also as a powerful metaphor for the human experience.

But the hang gliding story has a dark side, too, and Big Blue Sky takes a hard look at it. As the sport grew, it became clear that losing friends to poorly-constructed wings and unsafe flying practices would be a terrible and unavoidable part of the hang gliding experience. Some were able to rationalize and accept this fact, while others were not. The manufacturers who chose to continue after the carnage of the early 1970s decided to band together and establish a set of airworthiness standards, which dramatically improved safety and paved the way for a slower but more solid kind of growth.

The archival movies and interviews with the original players in Big Blue Sky will immerse you completely in the spirit of the time. In one sequence, we join a group of hang glider pilots on a road trip in a double-decker hippie bus from Telluride to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. At first glance, it looks like nothing but a Rocky Mountain summertime party cruise, but in the context of the day, it’s clear that this simple drive represents much more—perhaps a transcendental quest for adven-ture and bliss. Big Blue Sky illustrates how the hang gliding movement was a similar kind of trip: it took the idea of a simple, kite-like flying device and used it to give humankind a real set of wings.

http://www.bigblueskythemovie.com

Big Blue SkyThe Untold Story of the First Extreme Sport

http://www.ssa.org


FILM | BILL LISCOMB

interview by Brad Hall

Life is like a box of downtubes. You never know what you are going to get. Sitting down with Bill Liscomb is much the same. He is a self-proclaimed Forrest Gump of hang

gliding history. He never won a competition, but participated at the very first one and many others that followed. Bill did not design any famous hang gliders, but was there flying with the pioneers of our sport from the earliest days. As we look through old photos, there he is in all his red headed glory. Even in black and white you can’t miss him. He has what is probably the most complete collection of our history in existence. Even more re-markable is his near total recall of events, right down to the who, where and when, including personal stories that will make you laugh and cry in the same sentence. It is with this background that Bill set about making the definitive movie of our sport from the roots to the modern times. To say he captured it on film and through his narration is an understatement. The following interview will give you some insight into Bill and his motivation to make this film. If you were flying in the 70’s, the movie is a fantastic journey back in time. If you are new to flying, you need to see this to know how we got here. If you have only dreamed of flight, this film will show you that dreams do come true.

What gave you the idea to make a movie about hang gliding?In ‘03 I walked by all my boxes of hang gliding memorabilia and Bettinas’ photos and knew I needed to sort through them, and I had an epiphany. Make a movie! It was like Noah hearing “Build

an Ark!” (Bettina Gray was Bill’s Mom and was the photogra-pher most responsible for the early shots of our sport)

When was the first time you saw hang gliding?I was attending San Bernardino Valley College in ‘71 with the goal of becoming an airline pilot. In my second semester some-one handed me a copy of Low & Slow #1. I knew the history of the early pioneers like Lilienthal and Chanute and decided to buy a set of “Hang Loose” plans. This was the first hang glider I ever saw. In early May of ’71, I took it to an empty lot in Riverside and tried to fly it. [laughing] This was at night and only lasted 1 or 2 seconds, but I was hooked from the second my feet left the ground.

Tell me about the first hang glider meet.This was the first Lilienthal meet on May 23rd, 1971. I was im-pressed by the organization of it all while at the same time no one was taking responsibility for anything. It was all about having fun and not taking anything seriously. The “hill” was owned by a mortuary and they were kind enough to offer us their services, if needed. I was envisioning soaring flight and was surprised when most people barely got off the ground. Ten seconds was a great flight. This turned out to be the most exciting day of my life.

Where did you go from there?Within a few weeks my friends and I all quit school so we could fly full time. We copied Taras’ Batso for our next glider. We always carried a hack saw in the van and no stand of bamboo was


safe. We set up shop in the parking lot of our apartment build-ing and formed our own hang glider company, Imperial Engine Works. We went to the John J. Montgomery meet in San Diego in August of 1971. Dave Kilbourne was there with a modified ski kite, and Taras with his Icarus I. Taras was the only one able to get decent flights on the shallow slope. I had read about cy-lindrical leading edges and a local irrigation company had some aluminum tubing, so we transitioned to modern materials. Near our apartment building, there was a stop sign and a telephone pole close together that served as the machine tooling to bend the leading edges. This glider also had truncated tips. We were sponsored by a plastics company and next made a glider with a regular control bar and pole vault pole tubing, with a sail made from plastic sheeting and secured with tape. The company folded soon afterward. We never sold any…

You worked with other glider manufactures over the years. Not so much worked as played and bartered. Test flew some Quicksilvers for EipperFormance in ‘74-‘75. I went to Kitty Hawk in ’75 and traveled with and flew for the Sun Sails crew for a while. I went to Europe with Larry Newman and flew Electra Flyers in ‘76. By now I was flying prone and bought an ASG 21 from Tom Price. I eventually became an assembler and test pilot for him. In ‘76 I was voted in as Treasurer for the HGMA and at-tended the certification documentation reviews. By ‘79 I started just flying for fun again. I got a Comet and flew the coast and local mountains. I did my first XC flying from Elsinore to Hemet. I moved on to a Sensor 510 and flew them for many years. Family and kids became a big part of my life and by ‘98 I gave up hang gliding and devoted my flight time to sailplanes.

Tell me about making the movie.Well, I had to learn video editing and my buddy Pork helped me out on that. I was telling the story of what I saw, the history, cast of players, the circumstances and basically let the people who made the history tell their story. I did interviews, edits and more edits, re-edits, spreadsheets, permission forms, time lines, and basically everything involved in making a movie. I think modern hang gliding really got started in ’71, and I was there

and wanted to share the realization of mans’ dreams with every-one. Big Blue Sky was written for the general public. I wanted to show we were not just a bunch of suicidal drug-crazed hippies, but rather the true pioneers, realizing the dream of flying like a bird. OK, so maybe there were some drug-crazed hippies…

A lot of the footage I used is from Carl Boenish’s “Playground in the Sky” and the rest is from friends, and my own collection. I reviewed thousands of awesome photos by Bettina Gray, LeRoy Grannis and Stephen McCarroll. I also learned how to be a de-tective. I listened to a lot of great music too. I am in the movie about a dozen times in stills and in footage.

What did you get out of making the movie?The great pay-off has been every middle aged persons’ dream - to relive one’s youth. I got to interview my old friends, relive old times, and hear how they remember it all. There were sad memories too. Like the sound of a full-luff dive and the ensuing thump. I was also able to work through some of my old grief. I hope all will enjoy this story; it is the story of a lifetime for those of us in it.

Congratulations to Bill on the USHPA Award for best film .

[previous page left to right] Airspeed calibration flight for ASC. Truncated tip glider circa 1972. [opposite top] The first Lilienthal meet, 1971. [opposite bottom left] 1975 Quicksilver launch at Torrey Pines [opposite bottom right] Bettina Gray. [left] Sensor 510 at Torrey Pines 1986. [below] Bill in the den.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero66

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BRRRRR! It’s early November and 42 degrees Fahrenheit on launch, but the wind … oh, the beautiful, blessed wind …is blowing STRAIGHT IN at 16.2 mph on the ramp! I CAN’T

WAIT to step out into that glorious space that we all long for!! I am at TTT’s Henson’s Gap ramp with Keith Smith, who is coming back from Atlanta after attending a seminar on new bio-engineering equip-ment maintenance. Keith and I had arrived at Henson’s about the same time, he from Atlanta and I, from Mobile. The wind is gusting to 18 knots, and we need a wire crew, so we call one of the perennial favorites on the mountain, Clark Harlow, to assist us. Curly, who lives next door to the Tennessee Tree Toppers’ clubhouse, had come over to see what was going on, and we enlisted his aid, as well, in our winter adventure.

I was flying one of Keith’s oldie-but-goody gliders, a Pro-Air 180, and he was on his newer U2-160. The U2 has a much better glide ratio than the Pro-Air, but, to be honest, his hook-in weight was about 40 lbs. more than mine, which gave me a better climb value, only with less penetration. Fortunately, we were staying within range of the primary LZ, so I had the advantage. The only glitch was that somehow, in the last-minute haste of arranging the trip, the base tube for the Pro-Air was left behind. Fortunately, Clark had a spare piece of tubing and a couple of bolts the right size to make a new one in his workshop. I can’t thank him enough for the generosity he demonstrated by loaning me not only some aluminum, but also a drill/driver to boot. This is typical of the type of people you meet at Tree Toppers.

After completing the necessary repairs, setting up, and pre-flight-ing the glider, I made my way over to launch and did a third, and final, hang-check before launching first with Clark and Curly on the side-wires. I was a bit anxious about foot-launching as I had only been towing for a year. We walked out to the red line, and I pointed the nose down just a bit into the wind that was trying to lift the glider, so everything felt neutral. Curly was watching the wind sock and Clark was keeping an eye on the cycles blowing through. I verified our com-munications by asking them to call out “Up, Down or Neutral” on the

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wire tension and thanked them in advance for their assistance. They were calling “Light up, Light up,” but as soon as they both said “Neutral,” I hollered “Clear!” and started running for the grand space we call our skyborne home. Clark had advised me to turn right and head for the sheer granite cliffs around the corner from launch to look for lift. He was cor-rect; I found an elevator waiting to take me to the top floor. I quickly climbed the face of the wall and headed over the ramp to watch Keith launch and do the same. I managed, with the help of a LOT of Dacron, to quickly climb 2k over launch and ride the ridge-lift down to the southern gap, with the U-2 in hot pursuit. It was an easy climb, with all that wing out there. Both of us stayed aloft for over an hour. I had dressed appro-priately, with three layers plus a snowsuit that had a nice ther-mal collar. But I had forgotten about my hands; I had on my summer gloves, the ones with the rubber palms, but not much protection for my fingers. My only consolation was that Keith had done the SAME THING!

I soared with a local who was just as interested in me as I was him. Whenever he turned, so did I, and I maintained his altitude (or he lowered himself to mine) for almost half-an-hour before he decided that hunting for supper was more important than hanging out with this interloper on his moun-tain. After about on hour of cruising the ridge, I looked over at Keith, and we came to sort of a non-verbal agreement that it was getting late and that our hands were about to stop work-ing, so we both headed out to the LZ. Because I was deter-mined not to be the first to land, I waited for him to take the lead. This was when we got our real surprise. Approaching civil twilight as we flew away from the mountain, we expected to start losing altitude rapidly. Much to our astonishment, the whole valley had “glassed off,’” and we arrived at the LZ only 200’ below launch! Stuffing the bar only produced super-fast

forward motion! It was getting dark and we couldn’t get down! Keith finally found some sink and started coring it mercilessly, so I headed over and got above him to do the same thing! After a hard, tight spiral dive at near VNE speed, the Flytec 4010 finally started showing some negative bars. I had never experi-enced such widespread evening lift and was starting to wonder if I were going to have to land in the dark. I was beginning to formulate a plan to just keep flying downward until I rolled in. Thank goodness for wheels!

I finally got down into the LZ’s approach pattern, checked the windsock one last time, and tried to time a flare based on the information available to me. It seemed that even though the sock, at about 12 feet above the ground, was showing at least 10 knots., the surface winds were absolutely ZERO! A hard flare and some quick footwork kept the dreaded “Whack!” at bay, but just barely. This was possibly due to the fact that my hands weren’t quite as nimble as they might have been in get-ting up to the down-tubes. At some point above landing, I had tried moving one hand from the base tube to a down-tube just to see if my fingers were still working and, satisfied that they would function, decided that a stand-up landing was possible.

Next time, after an hour-and-a-half of near-freezing temps, I might just wimp out and do the “old-man, roll-it-in” thing and forget about pride. It makes sense to do the smart thing and err on the side of caution. I have made my share of mis-takes, as have most pilots in this sport, and I hope I learn something from every flight I take, whether it’s in hang gliders, ultralights, sailplanes, or GA aircraft. Each flight should be a safe, fun, learning experience, and no two are ever alike.

Fly when you can, enjoy the company of good people, and be as good a friend to others as possible (the good folks at TTT are certainly that). The world needs all the good people it can get.

by KevinDAWKINS

Memorial day fly-in, Villa Grove, Colorado | photo by Debra Funston


USHPA BOARD MEETINGS

MARCH 26-28 USHPA Spring Board Meeting - Colorado Springs, Colorado. Doubletree Hotel. For more information: www.ushpa.aero.

SANCTIONED COMPETITION

PG APRIL 26 - MAY 2 Dunlap, California. US Na-tional Paragliding Championships round one. FAI Cat2 competition. All registration and info at www.santacruzparagliding.com.

PG MAY 31 - june 6 Ruch, OR, Woodrat Moun-tain. WCPC West Coast Paragliding Championships. Summer flying starts in beautiful southern Oregon. Cooperative weather for proven taskable days. Pi-lot Check in Sat. May 30th. FAI/CIVL $345. Soooo much included. More information: www.mphsports.com, [email protected], or (503) 657-8911.

PG june 28 - juLY 4 Ruch, OR, Woodrat Moun-tain. Rat Race. If you like Cross Country and have never done a competition then this is the place to start. Competition strategies with a focus on men-toring. Pilot check in Sat. June 27. FAI/CIVL. $395. Includes more and much more. More information: www.mphsports.com, [email protected] or (503) 657-8911.

HG juLY 20 - 25 King Mountain, Moore, Idaho. 2009 King Mountain National Hang Gliding Cham-pionships. The King Mountain Hang Gliding Cham-pionships are traditionally one of the largest, most popular hang gliding competitions in the U.S. This year, we are honored to be part of the U.S. Nation-al Championship Series. Pilots flying in this year’s event will qualify for the U.S. National Champi-on title in both Flex Wing and Class 5 Rigid Wing (e.g.,Atos). We will be using the same great format and will also feature our handicapped Recreation Class and Team Class. Come and stay for the week and have a great time flying this scenic, fun site. Competition will be open-distance XC along a spec-ified route, and there will be bonus LZ’s and handi-cap scoring for Recreation Class. Best four-out-of-six days will be scored to determine the winners for this event. BBQ’s, pilot breakfasts, free camping, killer trophies, full color shirts, great daily prizes and tons of other fun stuff! Entry fee is $125. For more information, contact Lisa Tate, Boise, Idaho. (208)376-7914. Information and registration forms online at www.flykingmountain.com.

PG AuGuST 16-21 Salt Lake City, Utah. 2009 Scotty Marion US Paragliding National’s Final Come out and help us carry the torch! This comp is a trib-ute to Scotty Marion and what he did for our sport! Location Squaw Peak (Inspo) in Orem Utah Regis-tration/Practice on Aug.15th. Race to goal with turn-points. Info at www.pointofthemountainparagliding.com.

NON-SANCTIONED COMPETITION

PG MARCH 21-22 Potato Hill, CA. Northern Cali-fornia League Meet. More information contact Jug at [email protected], or check www.SantaCruz-Paragliding.com.

PG APRIL 18-19 Dunlap, CA. Northern Califor-nia League Meet. More information contact Jug at [email protected], or check www.SantaCruzPara-gliding.com.

PG MAY 16-17 Potato Hill, CA. Northern Califor-nia League Meet. More information contact Jug at [email protected], or check www.SantaCruzPara-gliding.com.

PG june 13-14 Dunlap, CA. Northern California League Meet. More information contact Jug at [email protected], or check www.SantaCruzParaglid-ing.com.

PG juLY 18-19 Potato Hill, CA. Northern Califor-nia League Meet. More information contact Jug at [email protected], or check www.SantaCruzPara-gliding.com.

PG AuGuST 1-2 oR 8-9 Dunlap, CA. Northern California League Meet. More information contact Jug at [email protected], or check www.Santa-CruzParagliding.com.

PG SePTeMBeR 5-6 Potato Hill, CA. Northern California League Meet. More information contact Jug at [email protected], or check www.Santa-CruzParagliding.com.

PG oCToBeR 4-6 Owens Valley, CA. Northern California League Meet. More information contact Jug at [email protected], or check www.Santa-CruzParagliding.com.

FLY-INS

HG PG MAY 2-3 Oceanside, Oregon. Ocean-side Open Fly In 2009. May 3rd is make up day. Thousands in Prizes in Hang glider and paraglid-er events. XC, duration, Silver Dollar spot landing, etc…Awards dinner & BIG party. More info: Dodie Hawthorne (971)344-6146, or email Mark Sanzone at [email protected].

HG PG MAY 21-25 Villa Grove, CO. “The Rocky Mountain Jewel” – Annual Memorial Weekend Home Opener “Fun Meet”. Come to the sunny & super-soarable San Luis Valley! Fly the 100+ mile long Sangre de Cristo mountain range, boasting nine ‘fourteeners’ along this uninterrupted ridge. T-shirts, patches & door prizes. Daily goals & tasks. Spiral down from extreme altitudes, hellacious ther-mals or heavenly glass-offs for evening entertain-ment, kegger, BBQ, bonfire and camping in the host’s LZ. Bring your old gear for a swap meet – buy, sell, trade. Bring oxygen or suffocate! Don’t let the weather fool you…last year an 80 MPH jet stream was right over us and everyone still flew the evening glass. Sponsored by the RMHPA & Hayden Pass Hang Gliders. Contact Tiff & Larry Smith, [email protected], (970)209-5212 or Jim Yocom, (303)884-3880.

HG PG MAY 23-25 Ruch, OR. Woodrat Mountain. Starthistle 2009 Fly-In. For more information; www.RVHPA.net.

CLINICS & TOURS

DeCeMBeR 27 - APRIL 4 7-Day Costa Rica Para-gliding Tours this winter and spring 2009 with Nick Crane. Fly with toucans and scarlet macaws over lush tropical forests, land on pristine beaches. Tours include small groups, reasonable rates, nice accommodations, great flying. USHPA certified in-struction available. Phone 541-840-8587. More in-formation at www.paracrane.com, or www.costari-caparagliding.com, or (541)840-8587.

FeBRuARY 1 - MARCH 31 Governador Valadares, Brazil. Planet Paragliding, Tours and instruction. Bi-wingl Bill. (203) 206-3896, New York City Areas fin-est instruction. www.PlanetParaglidingTours.com

FeBRuARY 12 - MARCH 21 Brazil Paragliding Tour with Eagle Paragliding. The minimum cost of the tour is $600. 8 years of flying in Brazil. Our experience and reasonable pricing makes this tour a great choice. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

FeBRuARY 27 - MARCH 4 Over-the-water Ma-neuvers Clinics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

MARCH 3-7 Santa Barbara, California. Thermal and XC Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paraglid-ing. This two-day clinic is open to pilots of all lev-els. The clinic includes ground school and ground-to-air radio coaching in our local mountains. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

MARCH 6-8 Carnesville, Georgia. Tandem clin-ics. T-1, March 6th, T-2 and T-3, March 7th and 8th. Instructors: Ken Hudonjorgensen, Luis Rosenkjer. Organizer: Atlanta Paragliding Enterprises, www.at-lantaparagliding.com, (404)931-3793

MARCH 11-14 Torrey Pines Gliderport in San Diego, CA. Basic and Advanced Instructor Clinic: Hosted by Robin Marien and Gabriel Jebb. $595.00. Call (858)452-9858 or email [email protected].

MARCH 14-16 Torrey Pines Gliderport in San Di-ego, CA. Tandem Instructor Clinic: T1-T3. Hosted by Robin Marien and Gabriel Jebb. $595.00. Call (858)452-9858 or email [email protected].

MARCH 21-22 Santa Barbara, California. Tan-dem Paragliding Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding. Classroom and practical training at our world class training hill. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

MARCH 27-29, APRIL 24-26, MAY 29-31, AuGuST 26-28, SePTeMBeR 30 - oCToBeR 2 Lake Isabel-la, CA. SIV/Acro clinic: Hosted by Robin Marien and Gabriel Jebb. $695.00. Special discount for those who also attend our Cross Country clinic ($995.00 for both!) Paramotoring instruction available as a separate package during SIV clinics as well. Call (858)452-9858 or email [email protected].

APRIL 27-30, june 1-4 Owens Valley, CA. Cross Country clinic: Hosted by Robin Marien and Gabriel Jebb. $495.00. Special discount for those who also attend our SIV/Acro clinic ($995.00 for both!) Call (858)452-9858 or email [email protected].

APRIL 3-5 Santa Barbara, California. Instructor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Para-gliding. This three-day clinic is open to Basic and Advanced Paragliding Instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. Visit www.paraglid-ing.com, or call (805) 968 -0980 for more infor-mation.

APRIL 4 Salt Lake City, Utah. Tandem 1 Class with Ken Hudonjorgensen . Thorough preparation for your tandem 3 clinic with all of the study mate-rials you will need. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

APRIL 11-12 Salt Lake City, Utah. Ridge soar-ing, side hill & top landings and high wind kiting with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Special emphasis on the asymmetric inflation technique, the most effective way we have for moderate to high wind and thermal conditions.Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

APRIL 17-19 Owens Valley Thermal and Cross Country Clinic. Many pilots are sure to get personal bests. View photos and videos from our last clinic at www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

APRIL 17-22 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clin-ics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

APRIL 18-19 April 18-19; Salt Lake City, Utah. In-structor Re-certification with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

APRIL 18-20 Salt Lake City, Utah. Instructor Training with Ken Hudonjorgensen.. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

APRIL 25-26 Salt Lake City, Utah. Tandem (T2 & T3) with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocan-fly.com.

MAY 5-10 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. Ameri-ca’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com , or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

MAY 17-28 France. French Alps Paragliding Tour with Eagle Paragliding. This flying location is amaz-ing. Call (805) 968-0980, or visit www.paragliding.com to get more information, and view the images from previous tours.

C A L E N D A R & C L A S S I F I E DDISPATCH

http://www.ap-store.com/ushpa.html

http://www.flytec.com

http://www.hanglide.com


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

COLORADO

AIRTIME ABOVE HANG GLIDING - Full time les-sons sales and service Colorado’s most experi-enced! Offering foot launch, tow and scooter tow instruction. Wills Wing, Moyes, North Wing, AIR, Altair, Aeros, High Energy, Finsterwalder, Flytec, MotoComm, and more sold and serviced. Call for more info (303)-674-2451, Evergreen Colorado, [email protected]

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

CONNECTICUT

PLANET PARAGLIDING - New York City area's fin-est instruction. Come fly with us. Beginner through advanced instruction. Best prices on new gear. Bill (203)-881-9419, (203)-206-3896, www.Planet-ParaglidingTours.com.

FLORIDA

ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 21 years of experience, top instructors, top pilots, very consistent weather all year. Your best choice on the east coast. www.atlantaparagliding.com (404) 931-3793

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

GRAYBIRD AIRSPORTS — Paraglider & hang glid-er towing & training, Dragonfly aerotow training, XC, thermaling, instruction, equipment. Dunnellon Air-port (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.miam-ihanggliding.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

6020

MAY 23 - SePTeMBeR 27 Teton Village, Wyo-ming. The new Aerial Tram at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is open for summer flying season 2009. Come and enjoy 4,139 vertical ft. of spec-tacular Alpine style flying. Jackson Hole Paraglid-ing offers daily instruction, guide service, tandem flights, gear sales, and service. (307) 690- TRAM, or www.jhparagliding.com.

MAY 29-31 Teton Village, Wyoming. Tandem Clinic with Scott Harris of Jackson Hole Paragliding at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Aerial Tram, 4,139 vertical ft. (307) 690-TRAM, or www.jhpara-gliding.com.

MAY 30 - june 1 Salt Lake City, Utah. Thermal Clinic. Many pilots have reported that “Ken offers the most comprehensive course and booklet on the subject of Thermal Flying for paragliding”. Most will learn in 3 days what it would take 3 years to learn on their own. Utah flying sites with Ken Hudonjor-gensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

MAY 30 - june 13 FRANCE, SWITZERLAND, ITALY- Experience the Alps where it all began! Fly world famous sites everyday such as St. Hilaire, Annecy, Chamonix, Mieussy, Verbier, La Madeleine, Les Saissis and more. Join Luis Rosenkjer and Todd Weigand on an unforget-table tour to some of the most beautiful flying sites in the world. Luis has been guiding international pilots to France for the last 7 years. Last year we were able to fly from the Aiguille du Midi on Mont Blanc, launching at 12,000 feet and landing in Chamonix, 9,000 feet below! www.paraglidingtrips.com

june - juLY Peru. Touching the Andes of Peru Tours. Join Jeff Cristol and Adventure Tour Pro-ductions for another paragliding tour to the An-des of Peru. This will be Jeff’s 14th trip to the high mountains of Peru where he intimately knows sites throughout the country. Please visit www.paraglide-peru.com, www.adventuretourproductions.com/ar-ticles/touchingtheandes.htm and www.adventure-tourproductions.com/articles2005/sacredvalley.htm to read about these adventures. More informa-tion; (970) 728-1754, or [email protected]

june 4-7 Salt Lake City, Utah. Cross-country competition clinic; a friendly introduction to cross-country flying with instruction from US and North American XC record setter, and 2005 US XC Com-petition Champion Bill Belcourt, and Ken Hudonjor-gensen who Held the xc record in Utah for 7 years and has won the Utah xc cup for 6 of the 13 years it has been run. All aspects of XC & Competitions will be covered. Utah XC sites. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

june 5-7 Jackson, Wyoming. Instructor Certifi-cation Program presented by Scott Harris of Jack-son Hole Paragliding at the Jackson Hole Moun-tain Resort Aerial Tram, 4,139 vertical ft. (307) 690 TRAM, or www.jhparagliding.com.

june 9-14 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. Ameri-ca’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

june 20-21 Salt Lake City, Utah. Mountain Flying and learning how to pioneer a new site with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

juLY 14-19 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. Ameri-ca’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

AuGuST 28-30 Salt Lake City, Utah. Central Utah Thermal and XC Clinic with Stacy Whitmore, Ken Hudonjorgensen & Bill Belcourt. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

SePTeMBeR 4-6 Salt Lake City, Utah. Thermal Clinic. Many pilots have reported that “Ken offers the most comprehensive course and booklet on the subject of Thermal Flying for paragliding”. Most will learn in 3 days what it would take 3 years to learn on their own. Utah flying sites with Ken Hudonjor-gensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

SePTeMBeR 15-20 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Southern California with Eagle Paraglid-ing. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call (805)968-0980 for more information.

SePTeMBeR 19-20 Salt Lake City, Utah. Moun-tain Flying and learning how to pioneer a new site with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

oCToBeR 6-11 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clin-ics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

oCToBeR 9-11 Owens Valley Thermal and Cross Country Clinic. Many pilots are sure to get personal bests. View photos and videos from our last clinic at www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

noVeMBeR 6-8 Santa Barbara, California. In-structor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Ea-gle Paragliding. This three-day clinic is open to ba-sic and advanced Paragliding Instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. Visit www.para-gliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more in-formation.

noVeMBeR 10-17 & 17-24 Iquique, Chile .Fly sites w/Ken Hudonjorgensen, Bill Bilcourt and lo-cal guides. A great trip to what many pilots consid-er to be the best place to fly in the world, certainly more consistent than any place I have ever flown. Phone (801) 572-3414, email [email protected], www.twocanfly.com.

noVeMBeR 13-14 Santa Barbara, California. Tandem Paragliding Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Ea-gle Paragliding. Classroom and practical training at our world class training hill. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call (805) 968-0980 for more information.

DeCeMBeR 12-13 Santa Barbara, California. Thermal and XC Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. This two-day clinic is open to pilots of all levels. The clin-ic includes ground school, and ground-to-air radio coaching in our local mountains. Visit www.para-gliding.com , or call (805) 968-0980 for more in-formation.

FLEX WINGS

EVEN-UP TRADES - Looking to move up to a differ-ent glider, but can’t put up cash? (262)-473-8800, www.hanggliding.com

FALCONS, EAGLES, SPECTRUMS, PULSES - Wide variety of gliders for sale, inspected & test flown. (262)-473-8800, www.hanggliding.com

PARACHUTES

INSPECTED RESERVE PARACHUTES - For HG or PG $199 & up. Quantums and LARAs from $499. Some trades accepted. (262)-473-8800, www.hanggliding.com

BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT

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

HARNESSES

HARNESSES - All sizes. Trainers $99 & up. Co-coons $125 & up. Pods $200 & up. Some trades accepted. (262) 473-8800, www.hanggliding.com

SCHOOLS & DEALERS

ALABAMA


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

ARIZONA

FLY HIGH PARAGLIDING.COM - over 10 years of experience, offers P-1 to P-4 certification, tandem flights, towing, new and used equipment, the best weather to fly in USA. (480)-266-6969.

CALIFORNIA

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

EAGLE PARAGLIDING - SANTA BARBARA offers the best year round flying in the nation. Award-win-ning instruction, excellent mountain and ridge sites. www.FlySantaBarbara.com, (805)-968-0980

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

FLY AWAY HANG GLIDING - Santa Barbara. Best hill/equipment, glider shuttles up hill, tandems, sales, service, 20 years experience, Instructor Ad-ministrator Tammy Burcar. (805) 403-8487, www.flyawayhanggliding.com.

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

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

TORREY PINES GLIDERPORT - Come soar in San Diego over the beautiful Pacific Ocean! This histor-ic site, established in 1928, offers all of the servic-es you need. We provide USHPA certified instruc-tion, advanced training, equipment sales, tandem flight instruction, motorized HG/PG instruction, SIV clinic and cross country clinics. We also have an extensive PG/HG shop offering parachute repacks and full-service repairs. We are importers for Parat-ech, Ozone, and Independence gliders. We are the primary Ki2Fly dealer, and also carry AustriAlpin, Crispi, Black Hawk Paramotors, and too much more to list! Bring your family for a bite to eat at our Cliff-hanger café and stick around for the sunset. Check us out online at: www.flytorrey.com or give us a ring at 1-858-452-9858.

http://www.moyesusa.com


http://www.parasupply.com


GEORGIA


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

HAWAII

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

PROFLYGHT PARAGLIDING - Call Dexter for friendly information about flying on Maui. Full-ser-vice school offering beginner to advanced instruc-tion every day, year round. (808)-874-5433, para-glidehawaii.com.

INDIANA

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - See Cloud 9 in Mich-igan

MARYLAND

HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS - Baltimore and DC’s full-time flight park: tandem instruction, solo aero-tows 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, Balti-more, Washington DC, Philadelphia. Come Fly with US! (410)-634-2700, Fax (410)-634-2775, 24038 Race Track Rd, Ridgely, MD 21660, www.aeros-ports.net, [email protected].

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

MICHIGAN

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - Aerotow special-ists. We carry all major brand hang gliders and ac-cessories. Cloud 9 Field, 11088 Coon Lake Road West, Webberville MI 48892. [email protected], http://members.aol.com/cloud9sa. Call for sum-mer tandem lessons and flying appointments with the DraachenFliegen Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field. (517)-223-8683, [email protected], http://mem-bers.aol.com/dfscinc.

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

NEW YORK

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

FLY HIGH, INC. - Serving New York, Jersey, and Connecticut areas. Area’s exclusive Wills Wing dealer. Also all other brands, accessories. Area’s most INEXPENSIVE prices! Certified instruction/service since 1979. Excellent secondary instruc-tion! Taken some lessons? Advance to mountain fly-ing! www.flyhighhg.com, (845)-744-3317.

LET'S GO PARAGLIDING LLC - Paragliding flight school offering USHPA-certified instruction for all levels, tandem flights, tours, and equipment sales. More information: www.letsgoparagliding.com, (917) 359-6449.

PLANET PARAGLIDING - New York City area's fin-est instruction. Come fly with us. Beginner through advanced instruction. Best prices on new gear. Bill (203)-881-9419, (203)-206-3896, www.Planet-ParaglidingTours.com.

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

NORTH CAROLINA


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

OHIO

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - See Cloud 9 in Mich-igan

PUERTO RICO

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

SOUTH CAROLINA


TENNESSEE


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

TEXAS

AUSTIN AIR SPORTS - Hang gliding and ultralight sales, service and instruction. Steve Burns (512) 736-2052 [email protected]. WWW.AUSTINAIRSPORTS.COM.

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

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

WASHINGTON

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

INTERNATIONAL

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

COSTA RICA - Grampa Ninja's paragliders' B&B. Rooms and/or guide service and transportation. Lessons available from USHPA certified instruc-tors. Open January thru April. Rooms available all year. USA: 908-454-3242. Costa Rica: 506-2664-6833. Costa Rica cell: 8950-8676. www.paraglide-costarica.com

ECUADOR - Hang glide and Paraglide safaries with Cert Hanglider tandem instructor.(hpac) Fly the northern and southern hemisphere on one flight. Fly the mountains around Quito and Ibarra. Foot launch or tow (payout) on the beaches of Canoa and Cru-zita. Year round availability. Contact David [email protected] or 011 593 226 4458

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

PARTS & ACCESSORIES

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

CRITTERMOUNTAINWEAR.COM is your one stop website for paraglider equipment and accessories. You can find a full line of backpacks, stuff tarps, flight suits, clothing, GPS and vario holders, flight decks, ballast containers, radio holders, tow bridals, wind-socks, boots, helmets, hook knives, varios, wind speed meters and much, much more. Everything you need to have the ultimate day flying your para-glider. Critter Mountain Wear also imports and dis-tributes lightweight wings and harnesses from Ner-vures. 1-800-686-9327

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

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

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

HALL WIND METER – Simple. Reliable. Accurate. Mounting brackets, control-bar wheels. Hall Broth-ers, PO Box 1010, Morgan, Utah 84050. (801) 829-3232, www.hallwindmeter.com.

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

OXYGEN SYSTEMS – MH-XCR-180 operates to 18,000 ft., weighs only 4 lbs. System includes cyl-inder, harness, regulator, cannula, and remote on/off flowmeter. $450.00. 1(800)468-8185

RISING AIR GLIDER REPAIR SERVICES - A full-service shop, specializing in all types of paraglid-ing 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].

TANDEM LANDING GEAR - Rascal™ brand by Ra-ven. Simply the best. New & used. (262)473-8800, www.hanggliding.com

WHEELS FOR AIRFOIL BASETUBES - Moyes/Air-borne and Wills Wing compatible. (262)473-8800, www.hanggliding.com

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

PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

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

SERVICE

CLOUD 9 REPAIR DEPARTMENT - We staff and maintain a full service repair shop within Cloud 9 Paragliding; offering annual inspections, line re-placement, sail repair of any kind (kites too!), har-ness repairs and reserve repacks. Our repair tech-nicians are factory trained and certified to work on almost any paraglider or kite. Call today for an es-timate 801-576-6460 or visit www.paragliders.com for more information.

MISCELLANEOUS

ATTENTION PILOTS! Bamboo Chutes recycles grounded paragliders and parachutes into enviro friendly tote bags. We pay shipping and send you a tote! 541-261-1900 or [email protected]

Stock up! Order online at

www.ushpa.aero/store or call 800-616-6888

NEW BOOK!!$32.95

Order online at www.ushga.org/store or call 800-616-6888

http://www.ushpa.aero/forms/xcaward.pdf




P-1 1 Bill Overbaugh Anchorage AK Jake SchlapferP-1 2 Philipp Dobrigkeit Redwood City CA Wallace AndersonP-1 2 Matthias Pohl Redwood City CA Wallace AndersonP-1 2 Burket Kniveton Jr. Sacramento CA Bruce KirkP-1 3 Laurel Swan Kealakekua HI Scott GeeP-1 3 Craig Ruhm Kealakekua HI Scott GeeP-1 3 Stephane Couture Marina Del Rey CA Bruce KirkP-1 3 Christian Spannhoff North Hollywood CA Rob SporrerP-1 4 Johnny Long Ranchos De Taos NM T Lee KortschP-1 4 Scott Wilson Brighton UT Jonathan JefferiesP-1 4 Christopher Mckellar Broomfield CO Bruce KirkP-1 5 Justin Bastiani Bozeman MT Andy MacraeP-1 7 Philip Harris Burnsville MN Granger BanksP-1 9 Daniel Hooper Virginia Beach VA Jeffrey Nicolay

HANG GLIDING

PARAGLIDING

H-1 2 Johanna Loenngren Berkeley CA Barry LevineH-1 2 Carson French Berkeley CA Justine YangH-1 2 Anthony Tagliaferro Berkeley CA Barry LevineH-1 2 Jason Wolfe San Francisco CA Justine YangH-1 2 Henrik Bengtsson Berkeley CA Scott SeebassH-1 2 Derrick Wu Oakland CA Barry LevineH-1 2 J Michael Owens Oakdale CA Ken MuscioH-1 2 Tait Schaffer Folsom CA George HamiltonH-1 3 Sam Boggs Beaumont CA Rob MckenzieH-1 4 Brian Blaisdell Ogden UT Ryan VoightH-1 4 James Wilkins Cedar Hills UT Ryan VoightH-1 4 Dean Miller Littleton CO Mark WindsheimerH-1 4 Dave Hilterbrand Englewood CO Mark WindsheimerH-1 9 Leonardo Silvestri Baltimore MD John MiddletonH-1 9 Karl Rogge Clarksburg MD John MiddletonH-1 9 Aaron Gee-clough Silver Spring MD John MiddletonH-1 10 Mark Mautner Pembroke Pines FL James TindleH-1 10 Laura Averitt Franklin TN Gordon CayceH-1 10 Jason Bodwell Memphis TN Gordon CayceH-1 10 John Brown Conyer GA Gordon CayceH-1 10 Kent Goff Atlanta GA Gordon CayceH-1 10 Frank Harbin Rome GA Gordon CayceH-1 11 Kohath Mujtabaa Houston TX Gregg LudwigH-1 12 Ashley Landau Brooklyn NY Bryon EstesH-2 2 Victoria Pacheco Roseville CA Richard PalmonH-2 2 Brandon Essex Berkely CA Eric FroehlichH-2 2 John Peterson Carmichael CA Richard PalmonH-2 2 J Michael Owens Oakdale CA Ken MuscioH-2 3 David Rathmann San Diego CA Jeffrey HuntH-2 3 Sam Boggs Beaumont CA Rob MckenzieH-2 4 Dave Hilterbrand Englewood CO Mark WindsheimerH-2 9 Rajesh Madamanchi Newark DE Adam ElchinH-2 9 Robert Deter Pickerington OH John AldenH-2 9 James Lewis Baltimore MD Paul VeneskyH-2 10 Joe Raymond Nags Head NC Travis HallH-2 10 Mark Mautner Pembroke Pines FL James TindleH-2 10 Laura Averitt Franklin TN Gordon CayceH-2 10 Jason Bodwell Memphis TN Gordon CayceH-2 10 John Brown Conyer GA Gordon CayceH-2 10 Kent Goff Atlanta GA Gordon CayceH-2 10 Frank Harbin Rome GA Gordon CayceH-2 11 Kohath Mujtabaa Houston TX Gregg LudwigH-2 11 Marty Lewis Round Rock TX Jeffrey HuntH-2 11 Alkoto Szombathy Austin TX Jeffrey HuntH-2 12 Turgay Ersoz College Point NY Bryon EstesH-2 12 Jess Weisman Spring Valley NY Bryon EstesH-3 2 Robert Hugel San Francisco CA Barry LevineH-3 3 Kim Floyd Wrightwood CA Rob MckenzieH-3 3 Kyle Fox Crestline CA Rob MckenzieH-3 6 Jayson Holland Perryville AR Chris PriceH-3 10 Douglas Gladden Marion NC Daniel ZinkH-3 11 Christopher Mahoney Houston TX Gregg LudwigH-4 1 Terry Crippen Maple Valley WA S Doug CampbellH-4 4 Peter Cook Crested Butte CO Mel Glantz

N O V E M B E R 0 8

RTNG REGN NAME CITY STATE RATING OFFICIAL

RTNG REGN NAME CITY STATE RATING OFFICIAL RTNG REGN NAME CITY STATE RATING OFFICIAL

RATINGSP-1 9 Eric Ams Great Falls VA Philippe RenaudinP-1 9 Aaron Armstrong Arlington VA James KaplanP-1 10 Jade Tatom Seminole FL Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 12 Faruk Gocmen Beacon NY M Can GulP-1 12 Erdem Tuc Brooklyn NY M Can GulP-1 13 Mustafa Yavuz Tekirdag Murat TuzerP-1 13 Hans-rudolf Moser Ch-3961, Grimentz Murat TuzerP-2 1 Bill Overbaugh Anchorage AK Jake SchlapferP-2 1 Rishi Nair Issaquah WA Todd HenningsenP-2 1 Paris Fletcher Seattle WA John KraskeP-2 1 Cameron Smith Portland OR Larry PindarP-2 2 Kannan Sambamoorthy Concord CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-2 2 Norman Thompson Kneeland CA Michele McculloughP-2 2 Burket Kniveton Jr. Sacramento CA Bruce KirkP-2 3 Sam Blankenship Oceanview HI Scott GeeP-2 3 Laurel Swan Kealakekua HI Scott GeeP-2 3 Craig Ruhm Kealakekua HI Scott GeeP-2 3 Scott Austin San Diego CA Roy ZaleskiP-2 3 Trevor Ryan San Diego CA John RyanP-2 3 Dmitry Rudakov San Diego CA Roy ZaleskiP-2 3 Michael Mumford San Diego CA Bob Hammond JrP-2 3 Kevin Williams Apple Valley CA Ken BaierP-2 3 Tim Schaeffer Simi Valley CA Chris SantacroceP-2 3 Cory Schaeffer Simi Valley CA Chris SantacroceP-2 3 Eduardo Espinoza Ontario CA Hadi GolianP-2 3 Douglas Swain Huntington Beach CA Kevin McginleyP-2 3 Scott Noh Apple Valley CA Ken BaierP-2 3 Stephane Couture Marina Del Rey CA Bruce KirkP-2 3 Christian Spannhoff North Hollywood CA Rob SporrerP-2 4 Kevin Willey Ft Collins CO Granger BanksP-2 4 Matt Hayes Gilbert AZ Chandler PapasP-2 4 Robert King West Jordan UT Chris SantacroceP-2 4 Robin Wynne Ft. Collins CO Granger BanksP-2 4 Ethan Townsend Boulder CO Granger BanksP-2 4 Johnny Long Ranchos De Taos NM T Lee KortschP-2 4 Wayne Diamond West Jordon UT Bill HeanerP-2 4 Scott Wilson Brighton UT Jonathan JefferiesP-2 4 Glen Turner Louisville CO Granger BanksP-2 4 Christopher Mckellar Broomfield CO Bruce KirkP-2 5 Justin Bastiani Bozeman MT Andy MacraeP-2 8 Bill Mayers New Milford CT Bill LockwoodP-2 8 Jeffrey Ryan Columbia CT Bob Hammond JrP-2 9 Frank Gorham-engard Wayne PA Terry BonoP-2 9 Eric Ams Great Falls VA Philippe RenaudinP-2 9 Aaron Armstrong Arlington VA James KaplanP-2 11 James Trude Houston TX Bud WruckP-2 12 Faruk Gocmen Beacon NY M Can GulP-2 12 Erdem Tuc Brooklyn NY M Can GulP-2 13 Paolo Bossi Isikkent, Izmir Murat TuzerP-3 1 Ken Sinclair Port Orchard WA Stefan MitrovichP-3 1 Stuart Scolnik Seattle WA Bob HannahP-3 3 Jeffrey Potts Santee CA Roy ZaleskiP-3 4 Mark Carl Denver CO Granger BanksP-3 4 Jeff Williams Westminster CO Granger BanksP-3 4 Kirk Thompson Riverton UT Stephen MayerP-3 5 Darlene Girard Driggs ID Thomas BartlettP-3 8 Kenneth Browne Hampton Falls NH Jonathan JefferiesP-3 9 Mason Basten Lynchburg VA Dwayne Mc CourtP-3 12 Juan Arias Stanhope NJ Terry BonoP-3 13 Rob Bastiaansen Leusden Granger BanksP-4 1 John Iraggi Bend OR Steve RotiP-4 2 Don Creasman San Francisco CA Phil NeriP-4 3 James Plesetz Tustin CA Hadi GolianP-4 4 Richard Greenwood Albuquerque NM J C BrownP-4 8 Josef Scesnak Lowell MA Ciaran EganP-4 13 Ma Chiu Kit 4-8 Ching Wah St John Mcdonald

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PUBLICATIONS

DVD'S

ACCESSORIES

$3.00

$35.00

BROKEN TOE ACRO DVD | $44.95

HG & PG MAGAZINE ARCHIVES ON DVD | $30.00

RED BULL X-ALPS 2005 DVD | $41.95FLEECE JACKET | $35.00 - 45.00

DENIM BRUISER | $30.00

THERMAL FLYING | $52.95 PLAY GRAVITY DVD | $41.95

BIG BLUE SKY DVD | $29.95 2009 HG & PG CALENDARS | $15.00

RED BULL X-ALPS 2007 DVD | $45.95FLEECE VEST | $35.00ADULT TEES | $16.00 - $18.00

PERFORMANCE FLYING DVD | $42.95APRES-VOL CLUB POLO | $30.00

Join Enleau O'Connor and

friends as they examine the

ins and outs of SIV and acro.

Get out your airsick bag and

call the attendant because

you're in for a ride. A full 2

hours and 20 minutes!

33 great years of free flight

fun are packed into these

digital archives. Watch

technique and technology

evolve. Learn how sites

have opened and closed.

Get to know the old school.

The race designed to kick

your butt and take no

prisoners. The 2007 edi-

tion, last year's race, is also

available below. Grab a bag

of chips and watch people

hurt. It's fun!

So you just made 10K

and sent it over the

back. No retreive? Why

let that stop you? Be

prepared for a chilly

hike out. In Zero Viz

Black.

Big air taking you for

a rodeo ride? Get a

bruiser.You know what

this is, because your dad

wears one. Keep it real.

In High Pressure Blue

denim.

Thermal Flying is a compre-

hensive guide to the art of

thermaling and XC flying. This

260 page book is packed with

clear diagrams, photos and the

knowledge you need to make

the most of each flying day.

We racked our brains (ouch!) to pick the sexiest photos for your 2009 USHPA calendars. But that wasn't enough. We also unearthed an ancient system for figuring out which day it is - this amazing find is called the "Gregorian"! Get your paragliding or hang gliding version today. Completely re-designed and sweeter than ever. Order now.

Big Blue Sky is a feature length documentary about hang

gliding, the first extreme sport, and how it started. Big

Blue Sky is the story of the Lost Frontier of flight, tracing

the origins of hang gliding from the 1880s thru today,

focusing on the golden years of this exciting sport, the

1970s. The movie is a story of mankind’s spirit, dreams

and experiences as much as it is a definitive historical

reference. The story is told by the pioneers of the sport, and their stories are illustrated

by exciting never-before-seen vintage movie clips and still images. They describe

their part in history, and the profound effect hang gliding had on their lives. See how

an industry came into being, encountered side effects of rapid technological develop-

ment, and how the industry met and conquered those challenges, allowing the sport to

continue safely. Big Blue Sky is written, directed, produced and edited by Bill Liscomb,

a pioneer in the sport of hang gliding. Through his experiences and personal friend-

ships with the pioneers of hang gliding, Big Blue Sky tells an engaging story in a way

that no one else can…..

Americans Nate Scales and

Honza Rejmanek tested

themselves at last year's

edition of the Alpine torture

device known as X-Alps.

Epic flights. Monster hikes.

Determination. Inspiration.

Your mama told you to in-

sulate your core. But if you

want the top of the stack

to know you're IN the core,

send them an odiferous

message by setting your

pits free. In Zero Viz Black.

The inspirational message

on the sleeve reads "Looks

good, you go first." Adults

in Stratus. Kids in Sky &

Fog. All sizes listed online.

Join Jocky Sanderson

for one of the best master

classes out there. Learn to

thermal smarter, have more

fun and sample French

wingovers. "Light in zee

seat, heavy in zee brake..."

Now you can wear the

same polo shirt

we wear to

the country

club. Where we

work our second

jobs. In Dusk & Dune.

SWEATSHIRT BLANKET | $20.00

Speedflying, paragliding,

BASE jumping. A plethora

of multi-sport action packs

this slickly produced DVD

with more great moments

than a Mariah Carey holiday

special.

Sucked up into a cloud? Nuts.

After you've landed and

emptied the hail out of

your pod, snuggle up in

a 100% cotton sweatshirt

blanket, complete with the

USHPA logo in Zero Viz Black.

$22!

$7.50!

SALE!

Reduced shipping charges online at

1 (800) 616-6888

www.USHPA.aero/store

FLEECE BEANIE | $10.00

Keep your head warm,

because you lose 99.9% of

your body heat through your

hair*. In Zero Viz Black.

*This statement has not

been verified by the FDA or

anyone else.

B O O K S | F I L M S | A P P A R E L ADVERTISERS



USHPA STORE Call your order in to

FOR SALE IN THE US ONLY.

KIDS $5!

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero78 Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero

It’s not parasailing; it’s paragliding.

It’s not base jumping, either.

In fact, we don’t jump at all. We launch.

We think it’s reasonably safe. Insurance companies sure don’t.

We can’t launch just because you want us to. We wait until conditions are safe.

We won’t fall out of the sky if the wind quits blowing. We’ ll fly out of the sky.

No, there are no aluminum tubes in the backpack.

We try not to land too quickly. Our object is to go up, not down.

We can stay up as long as air is lifting us, sometimes hours, sometimes minutes.

We are not dandelion seeds in the wind. We have some control over where we fly.

Landing in the trees is not a normal option. We try really hard to avoid that.

Yes, it is a whole lot of fun.

FAQ's for Paragliding observers

PREFLIGHT

April 2009

Spaghetti Dinner

Saving the World

Confessions of an Acro-Addict

May 2009

Content close: Mar 15

Ad close: Mar 15

Instruction & growing the sport issue

Instruction, Site development,

New pilot experiences, etc.

June 2009

Content close: Apr 15

Ad close: Apr 15

Marketing and public relations issue

Grass roots PR guide

July 2009

Content close: June 15

Ad close: June 15

Site Preservation & Acquisition

Foundation for Free Flight

Step 1 - Cut on dotted line. Step 2 - Tape to windsock.

http://www.u-turnusa.com

hang gliding & paragliding vol39/iss03 mar 2009

Documents

sports of hang gliding

related hang gliding

paragliding association

paragliding activities

paragliding methods

publication of hang

executive director

art director