hang gliding & paragliding vol40/iss12 dec 2010

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero

www.USHPA.aero

DECEMBER 2010Volume 40 Issue 12

$6.95

http://www.flyozone.com

MAGAZINE STAFFUSHPA, 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, Christina Ammon, Mark “Forger” Stucky, Ryan Voight, Tom Webster, CJ Sturtevant | Staff artist: Jim Tibbs

Staff photographers: John Heiney, Jeff O'Brien, Jeff Shapiro

OFFICE STAFFMartin Palmaz, Director of Business Operations : [email protected]

Robin Jones, Information Services Manager : [email protected] Hollendorfer, Membeship Services Coordinator:

[email protected] Rank, Office Coordinator : [email protected]

USHPA OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEERich Hass, President: [email protected]

Dave Wills, Vice President: [email protected] Bill Bolosky, Secretary: [email protected]

Mark Forbes, Treasurer: [email protected]

REGION 1: Rich Hass, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Dave Wills, Urs Kellenberger, Bill Cuddy. REGION 3: Bill Helliwell, Rob Sporrer, Brad Hall. REGION 4: Mark Gaskill, Ken Grubbs. REGION 5: Lisa Tate. REGION 6: David Glover. REGION 7: Tracy Tillman. REGION 8: Jeff Nicolay. REGION 9: Felipe Amunategui, Hugh McElrath. REGION 10: Bruce Weaver, Steve Kroop, Matt Taber. REGION 11: David Glover. REGION 12: Paul Voight. REGION 13: Tracy Tillman. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Dave Broyles, Leo Bynum, Riss Estes, Mike Haley, Dennis Pagen. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR: Art Greenfield (NAA).

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

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine is published for foot-launched air-sports enthusiasts to create further interest in the sports of hang gliding and paragliding and to provide an educational forum to advance hang gliding and paragliding methods and safety.

SUBMISSIONS HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine welcomes editorial submissions from our members and readers. All submissions of articles, artwork, photographs and or ideas for articles, artwork and photographs are made pursuant to and are subject to the USHPA Contributor's Agreement, a copy of which can be obtained from the USHPA by emailing the editor at [email protected] or online at www.ushpa.aero. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit all contributions. We are always looking for well written articles and quality artwork. Feature stories generally run anywhere from 1500 to 3000 words. News releases are welcomed, but please do not send brochures, dealer newsletters or other extremely lengthy items. Please edit news releases with our readership in mind, and keep them reasonably short without excessive sales hype. Calendar of events items may be sent via email to [email protected], as may letters to the editor. Please be concise and try to address a single topic in your letter. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. If you have an idea for an article you may discuss your topic with the editor either by email or telephone. Contact: Editor, Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, [email protected], (516) 816-1333.

ADVERTISING ALL ADVERTISING AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MUST BE SENT TO USHPA HEADQUARTERS IN COLORADO SPRINGS. All advertising is subject to the USHPA Advertising Policy a copy of which may be obtained from the USHPA by emailing the Publisher at [email protected].

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

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

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

DISCLAIMER The publication of any submissions, articles or advertising in HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine does not constitute an endorsement of the authors, advertisers, products, services, apparatus, processes, theories, ideologies, opinions, advice and/or recommendations presented, nor does it constitute an endorsement of the authors or companies involved. The statements of fact and opinions as well as any product claims in the submissions, articles, advertisments, artwork and photographs appearing in HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine are those of their respective authors, contributors and advertisers and not of the USHPA. The USHPA makes no representation, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, advice, opinion, recommendation, apparatus, product, product claims or process disclosed, in such submissions, articles, advertising, artwork or photographs. All individuals relying upon any materials published herein do so at their own risk. The USHPA is not responsible for any claims made in any submission, article, or advertisement. Advertisers may not, without USHPA's prior written consent, incorporate in subsequent advertising that a product or service has been advertised in a USHPA publication.

COPYRIGHT Copyright (c) 2010 United States Hang Gliding And Paragliding Association, Inc., All Rights Reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the United States Hang Gliding And Paragliding Association, Inc.

On the cover, Speedflying in France | photo by Jerome Maupoint. Meanwhile, Desiree Voight grabs a snapshot on her GoPro at Randolph, Utah.

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

For change of address or

other USHPA business

call (719) 632-8300, or

email [email protected].

The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, a division of the National Aeronautic Association, is a representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale in the United States.

EDITOR

PILOT BRIEFINGS

ASSOCIATION

SAFETY

CENTERFOLD

TANGENT

DISPATCH

RATINGS

USHPA STORE

PAGE 78

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2010DECEMBER

by C.J. Sturtevant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

THE PHOENIXHopes are high after a successful maiden voyage.

GALLERY

41

by Jeff Shapiro and Jeff O'Brien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

by Nate Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

by Mike Meier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

by Katrina Mohr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

by Dennis Pagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

by Jeff Shapiro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

JEFF SHAPIRO'S COVERT-OP

THE BEST FLYING ON EARTH

COUNTRY 4 OLD MEN

PILOT PROFILE : MELANIE PFISTER

THE 2010 TEAM CHALLENGE

KAVU DAYS

The new harness

Sending it in Sun Valley

Saddled up and headed for Telluride

Live from Jackson Hole

The Tennessee Tree Toppers are at it again

A lesson in busy livin'

http://www.willswing.com

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero6

At the Fall 2010 board of directors (BOD) meeting in Bend, Oregon, in October, Steve Roti and the local flying community did a terrific job not only of welcoming the

USHPA directors and staff but also helping us experience their amazing hometown. (See Board of Directors Meeting rundown, p.10).

After the new board members were elected and inducted, Lisa Tate, who has done a superb job as USHPA President over the past five years, was thanked for the tremendous success she has garnered for the organization and the countless hours she has dedicated to furthering free-flight in the USA!

A variety of great programs were discussed, and many were passed. All proposed competitions were approved, marketing

strategies and videos for instructors applauded, a new safety video starring Paul Voight, shot by our art director, Greg Gillam, was released, and the search for the new executive director was clearly shown to be in the capable hands of Tracy Tillman—in other words, another weekend of free-flight “think-tanking” complet-ed.

The final issue of 2010 will hopefully keep you inspired as the snow begins to fly in points west. Starting in Tennessee, Mr. Pagen takes us through another wildly successful Treetopper event at the 2010 Tennessee Team Challenge.

Katrina Mohr catches up with Melanie Pfister, now US National Champion, who began her competition career at the paragliding equivalent of the Team Challenge, the Rat Race. Pay

6

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 7

attention, aspiring comp pilots! Pfister divulges what it takes to rise to the top.

Staff writer CJ Sturtevant delves into one of the newest USHPA chapters: Foundation for Free Flight’s grantee, Able Pilot, whose goal is to enable those with physical handicaps a chance to taste the freedom of flight.

Another free-flight luminary, Mike Meier, weighs in with his tale of Harleys and hang gliders in a classic town to set one’s sights on—Telluride, Colorado.

If you are a gear-head, check out Wills Wing’s sleek new har-ness, designed by a collaboration led by Jeff Shapiro. Shapiro also contributes a great piece about a company—KAVU—founded by a free-flight pioneer, Bruce Barr. KAVU, Klear Above Visibility

Unlimited is not just a company’s name; it stands for a way of life that promotes activity and adventure that leaves one feeling exhilarated, exhausted and fully alive. Hard not to make the leap to every flight that presents us with the ultimate vehicle to have a KAVU day.

Finally, if it’s stunning images that you require to pass the time until your next flight, December’s gallery contains a smattering of shots from the USHPA calendar, including two interviews from this year’s cover-shot winners, Paul Voight and Loren Cox.


CHRIS MCKEONOn March 28, 2010, Chris

McKeon was doing what he

loved most–hang gliding off

of Mount Diablo, California.

McKeon is an experienced

pilot but for unknown

reasons he crash-landed at

a school yard in Concord,

California. Chris suffered a

traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Since the accident, McKeon

has made significant prog-

ress in his recovery and

rehabilitation, progressing

to being able to return to his

home and leave the hospital.

At this time he requires 24-

hour custodial care which is

being provided by his loving

family.

A donation account has

been established at Wells

Fargo Bank for Chris. Your

kind and generous contribu-

tions will help Chris during

his recovery and reha-

bilitation in providing for his

needs. Chris has a positive

attitude and is working dili-

gently to again live indepen-

dently. Donations can be

made to:

The Chris McKeon Donation

Fund in care of

Wells Fargo Bank

Account #3063741148

Wells Fargo Bank

292 Battery Street

San Francisco, CA 94111

Incoming Wire Routing

Number 121000248.

Fed. Tax I.D. No. 27-6686285

NOVA MENTOR 2Nova announced their

Mentor 2, a DHV1-2 glider,

has passed certification for

weight ranges 70-90kg. For

more information contact

Superfly Paragliding at www.

superflyinc.com.

JEFF NICOLAYJeff Nicolay, Region 8

Director, New England

Hang Gliding icon, and

Morningside Flight Park

(Claremont, New Hampshire)

owner passed away peace-

fully on the evening of Sept

12th. For more than three

decades Jeff Nicolay and

Morningside Flight Park

have been the heart of hang

gliding in New England. He

introduced countless people

to flying and touched all our

lives in one way or another.

Jeff’s death is a terrible loss

to the free-flight community.

Jeff’s only daughter Gisele,

is ten, but he isn’t here to

provide for her any more.

There is something the

flying community can do to

help. An education fund for

Gisele has been created at

Claremont Savings Bank.

Please send donations to:

Giseles Education Fund

Claremont Savings Bank

145 Broad Street,

P. O. Box 1600

Claremont, NH 03743

SAFE PILOT AWARDJonny Thompson USHPA

member 21407 has achieved

his third Diamond Safe Pilot

pin. Combined with his

two Gold Safe Pilot pins he

has five safe pilot awards

in 6000 logged flights.

Congratulations Jonny!

WAYPOINT APPLICATIONTom Payne has released a

great program that easily

creates waypoints for

downloading to a GPS. Go

to http://twp.isdc.unige.

ch/~twp/waypointplan-

ner/ and a Google map will

appear where one can zoom

in and place waypoints on

terrain and receive GPS

coordinates for download.

This tool is incredible for

those trying to form informal

leagues, competitions, fly XC,

or plan routes and landing

fields along a course line

USHPA ON FACEBOOKFor all those USHPA mem-

bers on Facebook, remem-

ber to check out the United

States Hang Gliding and

Paragliding page for great

links, and photos. In an effort

to promote the sport more,

if you find a video you like

on the USHPA page please

re-post it on your page

to hopefully expose your

friends to a little slice of free

flight. The more videos we

spread the more friends will

undoubtedly be inspired by

the content our sports deliv-

er. This is a great new media

way to spread the word!

ERRATAIt has been brought to

USHPA’s attention that

the rating official for pilot,

Richard Gillespie in Virginia

(region 9) was incorrectly

listed in the magazine. The

actual observer who gave

the rating was Phil Givens.

PilotBRIEFINGSNew | Improved | Buzzworthy

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FROM THE PRESIDENT The fall 2010 USHPA board meeting was welcomed to Bend, Oregon, by Steve Roti and the Desert Air Riders. It turned out to be a great meeting, with an outstanding group of volunteers who worked tirelessly to propel the organization forward with new policies, initiatives, and elected of-ficials.

Regional directors elect new USHPA officers and five directors-at-large at the fall board meeting. This year, Rich Hass replaces Lisa Tate as president, Dave Wills joins the EC for the first time as vice president, and Bill Bolosky, a former USHPA president, becomes the new secretary. Mark Forbes stays put as trea-surer. The new five directors-at-large are Bill Bolosky, Dave Broyles, Mike Haley, Dennis Pagen, and Steve Rodrigues.

Preflight Safety for Hang Gliding, a new USHPA-produced video of hang gliding safety, video-premiered at the meeting, giving directors an opportu-nity to review an excellent tool that was produced, directed, and edited by Greg Gillam. Paul Voight and Gillam collabo-rated as co-writers. Voight hosted the

video, and Joe Greblo and Rob McKenzie provided assistance. Erika Klein and Greg DeWolf are also featured in the video. USHPA Chapters are encouraged to present the video, which is available for viewing on the USHPA website, at chapter meetings.

USHPA’s current Strategic Plan is now five years old. Over the past several months, a group of directors and mem-bers have collaborated on developing new ideas and revisiting the long-term goals of USHPA. Riss Estes, who served as facili-tator when the group met in Los Angeles, California, this summer, presented sever-al of the group’s ideas and recommenda-tions to the board.

USHPA’s long-term goal continues to be growing the sports of hang glid-ing and paragliding. The group believes a strategy of staying focused on specific goals will help USHPA achieve its long-term goal and allow it to operate as a professional organization. With this in mind, the group made specific recom-mendations for improving membership communication and getting membership

“buy-in” when adopting new programs

and initiatives.Bill Bolosky, treasurer of the

Foundation for Free Flight, made a pre-sentation to the USHPA Board. The Foundation for Free Flight is a 501 (c)(3) charity dedicated to the preservation of hang gliding and paragliding in the United States. While closely allied with USHPA and sharing many of the same goals and objectives, the Foundation is a separate entity with its own board of directors and offices. Bolosky thanked USHPA and its members for contrib-uting $34,000 to the Foundation last

Membership | Policy | Involvement

TheASSOCIATION by Rich Hass, USHPA President

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


year. Since its inception in 2003, the Foundation has committed $210,000 to-wards site preservation and related proj-ects.

Tracy Tillman updated the board on USHPA’s search for a new executive di-rector. The search committee, chaired by Tracy, is advertising the position and con-ducting a detailed review and interview process, with the goal of completing its work in November.

The board approved spending up to $10,000 to develop instructional train-ing videos and teaching modules for use by USHPA instructors. Board members Matt Taber and Rob Sporrer will lead development of this program. Progress will be evaluated in the spring and, if the initial efforts prove worthwhile, the pro-gram may be expanded.

Competition committee recommen-dations, passed by the board, approved all proposed meets for 2011. The Big Spring, Texas, meet has been designated the hang gliding national championship. Paragliding will have a co-national cham-pionship format with events in Richfield, Utah, and the first large-scale tow na-tionals, ever, in Hearne, Texas. USHPA-

sanctioned events are listed at www.ushpa.aero. It was also determined that PWC and pre-PWC meets will qualify as sanctioned meets for paraglider pilots interested in national team points and all USHPA-sanctioned competition events will have a minimum meet validity of 300 points. The board approved the draft of the Hang Gliding Aero Rulebook. USHPA competition rulebooks can also be found on the USHPA website.

One of the most valuable USHPA membership benefits is the site insur-ance program. Without third-party li-ability protection for landowners, many sites would be in jeopardy. Site insur-ance is available to recognized USHPA chapters and these chapters, in turn, are responsible to USHPA and their mem-bership for managing insured sites that are consistent with requirements of the insurance program. The board restated the obligation of each chapter to enforce the USHPA membership requirement for all pilots flying at USHPA-insured sites. Chapters are encouraged to work with landowners to secure necessary authority to meet these obligations.

USHPA will begin including USHPA

helmet stickers with membership renew-als to help chapters and members enforce the USHPA membership requirement at USHPA- insured sites. Members will not be required by USHPA to use these stickers. Chapters may adopt or refine their own enforcement approach. Using the USHPA helmet stickers will easily identify USHPA members at insured sites and help spread responsibility for enforcement from chapter officials to all members interested in site preservation.

Finally, the board authorized devel-opment of a new complaint reporting system that will enable members to lodge complaints against pilots and instructors without incorrectly using the accident reporting system. Complaints will go di-rectly to the chair of safety and training and regional directors for follow-up.

The fall meeting was the culmination of thousands of hours of volunteer and USHPA staff efforts to continue the safety and growth of free-flight in the US. The spring meeting will be held in Colorado Springs in March. All USHPA members are warmly welcomed to join in the plan-ning and implementation of projects for the coming year!

http://thermaltracker.com


FLYING ALONE Very few accidents have been reported in the USA in the last few weeks (hopefully because few accidents have occurred), so this article uses as examples ac-cidents from around the world.

This month’s theme is one of our sports’ great taboos—flying alone. “Never fly alone” is a cardinal rule of paragliding. Pagen has it as rule 24 of 24 in “Rules to live by” in The Art of Paragliding. Should one ever fly alone? How should one reduce risk, whether flying in a group or alone?

ACCIDENT 1On the 12th of August, 2009, a pilot set off from St André-les-Alpes to fly to the Dormilliouse, a classic XC route over some intimidating terrain. The pilot, a young, newly-married math teacher with everything to live for, just disap-peared. He seemed to fly off the face of the planet.

At the British Open held at the Dormilliouse a few days later, all pilots were told to look for a red wing on the ground. Posters were put up everywhere. His disappearance was on the evening news. His family organized helicopter searches and local pilots continued to fly over the area, looking for his wing—all without success.

His body was eventually found on the 20th of November, 2009, in inhos-pitable terrain in the high mountains. All of the clues pointed to an unrecover-able collapse and an immediate death on impact. It’s hard to think about this ac-cident without contemplating the stress and ongoing uncertainty for his family, especially his wife.

ACCIDENT 2In late April of 2009, a newly qualified pilot joined a group of experienced pilots at Glencoe in Scotland. The pilots didn’t launch as a group, and no-one was keep-ing track of everyone’s flights. Late in the day, the pilot had an accident and was badly injured, but no-one was aware of this. All of the other pilots headed home.

The injured pilot had no means of con-tacting any of the other pilots (there was no cell-phone coverage). A (third-hand) report relates that his lowest point oc-

curred at nightfall when he realized he was going to be stuck on the hill all night, unable to contact anyone, while watch-ing someone in the distance do a top-to-bottom.

The pilot had a badly injured back but ended up walking out the next day and heading to the hospital. He had serious back injuries and (as far as I can find out) has never flown since. If his injuries had been a little worse, or he’d had a little further to walk, or the overnight weather had been a little colder, he might not have survived.

ACCIDENT 3On October 2, 2010, a pilot flew off Mount Sopris in Colorado. A local pilot spoke briefly with him before he launched and said it appeared he was flying solo at the time.

The pilot was coming in to land in a meadow “…when the wingtip on his glider clipped the top of a spruce tree roughly 20 feet in front of the meadow where he intended to land.” Although he landed on his feet, he was badly injured (compression fracture in his lower back, broken ankle and rib, and a collapsed lung).

Despite his injuries, the pilot was able to call his wife on his cell phone. A nearby hiker with a GPS unit was able to supply his position. A helicopter was dispatched; the pilot was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

WHY FLY ALONE?Almost always, pilots fly alone because they aren’t able to fly with someone else. They have a choice between flying alone or not at all. It’s not a choice any pilot makes lightly. Everyone who flies alone realizes it increases his/her risks and so they try to make conservative decisions.

Despite the increased risks, flying alone clarifies the decision-making. Like solo climbing, it is an intense experience with its own rewards.

FLYING ALONE AS A SPECTRUMFlying alone is often presented as being a black or white decision, but, in reality, it covers a wide spectrum. Ridge soaring

on a popular site with a working radio is clearly on the comfortable end of the spectrum. Hiking to the top of some remote mountain without anyone know-ing your plans and flying XC without a working radio or cell-phone is clearly on the other end of that spectrum.

Most group XC flights eventually end up with pilots flying alone, sometimes within radio contact, sometimes not. A good XC guide can help keep a group together, but that takes a lot of skill and patience— most XC pilots don’t like waiting!

In the same way, many “solo” flights are made with company. If you head up to a popular launch by yourself, you’re cer-tain to find a bunch of pilots on launch. If there’s no-one there, ask yourself why. You can take off with other pilots and fly in an informal group that land together. This probably happens more often in a ridge-soaring situation than flying XC, but, even then, you can spend much (and occasionally all) of your flight with com-pany.

A number of factors affect where you are on the spectrum:

whether you set off in a group•the popularity of the flying site•the number of pilots you’re likely to •find on your expected routewhether you and other pilots will be •patient and wait for each other when flying XChow good your communication equip-•ment iswhether someone knows your flight •plan, when you should return and what to do if you don’t return

The pilot in accident 2 had no idea he was flying alone, but no-one saw his crash. He couldn’t communicate with the other pilots, and they didn’t realize there was a problem. He was flying alone!

TECHNOLOGYCommunications technology has im-proved a lot in the last few years. At this year’s British Open (held at St André-les-Alpes, in France) all competitors flew with a live tracking unit. The organizers could follow all the pilots in real-time and respond more quickly to a problem. Spectators back in the UK could follow the race on the internet in real-time. Several pilots reported receiving congrat-

Analysis | Preparedness | Incidents

SafetyBULLETIN by Douglas Mullin


ulations via a text message in goal before they landed!

Most pilots fly nowadays with a radio and a cell-phone. Radios generally work well when you are within line of sight and poorly if at all otherwise. Cell-phones tend to be limited by reception; many flying sites have poor or no reception.

A SPOT Locator provides a reliable emergency means of communication. It uses satellites to send an emergency message with your GPS position. It isn’t cheap—you have to subscribe to the ser-vice—but I consider it well worth the cost. An optional, but highly recommended, tracking feature records your position every 10 minutes when the device is on and posts this to the web. (I record mine to http://tinyurl.com/SpotDouglas). So even if you have a crash and your SPOT locator is damaged or you are unable to press the SOS button, people know roughly where to look.

Technology doesn’t always work the way it is supposed to, but it certainly re-duces your risk, whether you are flying alone or in a group. It saved the pilot in Accident 3; the lack of working commu-nications made the pilot’s situation in Accident 2 much more dangerous; and Accident 1’s pilot’s family could have been spared a lot of stress if he had been flying with some live tracking technology.

Finally, if you have a bad accident, having a cell-phone in the bottom of your harness may not help—the devices need to be readily accessible.

RISKS IN FLYING ALONEA pilot flying in group with radio contact is safer because::

opportunities for advice over the •radio could prevent an accident (e.g., the wind is picking up in the LZ; the clouds over that peak are overde-veloping). in the event of an accident, his fellow •pilots may be able to land and offer direct assistancehis fellow pilots can more easily con-•tact help (e.g. they can radio when they are still in the air)there is less reliance on communica-•tions (e.g., if necessary, someone can fly or walk to get help).A pilot flying by himself (or in an in-•formal group) has to compensate for

these factors by:being more conservative in his deci-•sion makingmaking sure his communication •equipment is working wellmaking sure someone knows what to •do if he doesn’t report back

There are other risks in flying alone that don’t directly affect the pilot. If you simply fail to return, you will cause a lot of stress to your family as well as to the rescue services and your fellow pilots.

A PERSONAL VIEWPete Reagan is a Portland, Oregon, based pilot who used to write this column. He is better placed than most to know the risks in paragliding. Pete fairly regu-larly flies by himself, sometimes hiking into a remote, seldom-flown site, flying, top-landing and walking back down the hill—definitely on the sharp side of the spectrum. I asked Pete to share some of his ideas on flying alone.

“Flying alone is an attempt to balance the intensity and depth of the experience and personal safety. There are a couple of very soft ways in which safety may be

somewhat enhanced: one’s own increased situational awareness and the lack of in-terpersonal distraction, as well as a de-creased risk of collision or other accident involving other gliders. However, these are, of course, more than counterbal-anced by the very real increased problems with rescue, if no one can even be noti-fied of the accident.”

Pete compares flying alone to soloing in climbing, another area where the obvi-ous dangers mean you have to make very careful, conservative decisions. Finally, while accepting its increased dangers, Pete points out that we don’t really know much statistically about the increased danger.

DISCLAIMERI wouldn’t want anyone to construe this article as encouraging the practice of flying alone. Flying is dangerous and doing it alone definitely increases the risks. But whether you are flying com-pletely alone or in an informal group, there is much you can do to reduce your risks.

http://tinyurl.com/SpotDouglas

http://www.paragliding-tapalpa-mexico.com


Every year, pilots swoop down on the singular Sequachie Valley of south-eastern Tennessee for a September

orgy of XC flying. This valley is about five miles wide, forty miles long and 1500 feet deep. Both sides and the middle pump thermals in various weather conditions, and its unique enclosed structure helps create soarable upslope breezes, waves, convergence, lift lines, wonder winds and sheltered thermals. At times it is possible to cross the valley with ease and soar either side along the imposing valley. It has been claimed that Paul Bunyan carved this great trench by dragging his axe, but ev-eryone knows he never got this far south. So it must have been God practicing his sums in the dirt.

This year, economics and other factors resulted in a smaller field, but we still en-joyed the full complement of great flying, guide pilots, talks by experts, launch videos, daily on-site meals, parties, music and lots of swag for every competitor and driver. In fact, a small meet (22 pilots in this case) makes for great camaraderie. Everyone helped his/her fellow aerial trav-elers and retrieves were easy, since we ac-counted for every pilot on the fly. And we should mention the impromptu parties in the goal fields.

For those just back from a decade-long trip to Alpha Centuri, here’s a brief on the format: We divide into teams and compete as a team. There are three clas-sifications of pilots: A, B, and C, based on

skill and experience. The C’s are the least experienced, but score the highest; then come B’s and A’s, being the most experi-enced and scoring the least. Most teams are made up of some of all three grades of pilots; it is the job of all A pilots to get their B’s and C’s to goal. In fact, it is worth more to the team for an A to assist a C pilot than to actually get to goal himself (no female A pilots this year!). An added wrinkle is that the setting of the C courses is the easiest, with B’s the next most dif-ficult, and A courses most challenging. All

The 2010Team Challenge

words by DennisPAGEN images by MillerSTROUD

[above] Jennifer Cobble slicing air. [top right] Relaxing at launch while thermals shift into gear. [bottom right] Mike Barber getting away at Whitwell. Note hand in grapevine grip.


courses follow the same general route, in order that A pilots can stay with B’s and C’s until their respective goals, then con-tinue on to the promised land.

DAY ONE—MANIC DEPRESSIONOn September 19, we were geared up and ready to fly. Each team was set up in its designated area, the wind dummies were on the ramp, the light wind was favorable, the forecast was propitious, and the ap-propriate sacrifices had been made. But, damn, if it wasn’t extendo sled rides for all of the pre-round pilot probes. So we went against our nature and practiced patience. Eventually, by mid-afternoon the air began frothing with thermal bubbles—bubbles that were a bit elusive. Only three-quarters of the pilots (despite allowed reflights) were able to get up and on course, which was the source of mild depression.

But for those who did manage to break through the inversions layer(s), big air thermals abounded. The area was experi-encing the biggest drought on record, so normally green Tennessee was putting out lift like an Arizona wildfire. Some of us managed to find an 800 fpm steady eleva-tor that lifted us to over 9000 feet MSL. It was formed out in the valley, and we blundered into it in a valley crossing. I re-flected on the beauty of this meet: it is not a race, so we were free to follow our fancy to the top of the heaving, lifting layer.

In all, twelve pilots made their respec-

tive goals and some had their longest dis-tance flights. Two C pilots, Tim Martin and Aaron Rinn, made the first goals of their life. Therein lies the reason we have this meet every year.

DEPRESSIVE MANIAThe second day bloomed with promise. But then it got flat, with birds flapping

or refusing to leave the roost. Our quality wind techs were also reluctant to punch out into the blah air. Mike Barber, one of our main probes, sat on the ramp for over an hour, waiting for a sign, any sign. It finally arrived: a faraway bird struggling upward. Mike bailed off the ramp, found a lively core and proceeded to show us why we needed to be in the air. By the


time most of us launched, it was 4:30 pm. But there was lift for the lucky, as a gaggle waffled in and out of the lift in front of launch. Again, once you got above the ridge, the climbs improved, the lift got fat, the tops were tall.

The C pilots had to cross the valley once and go downrange a bit, the B’s had to cross twice, and the A’s, three times. Five A’s made goal, one B made it, and two C’s reached their destination. The B pilot was Randy Brown, and the C’s were Colin Hodsdon and Jennifer Copple. Jennifer, our only O+ pilot, was grinning for days after this flight.

We celebrated in the landing fields, but there were some depressives who did not get up on several tries. We were definitely ready for some easy soaring, but the next two days harbored first, very cross winds (our wind techs got batted about, so we de-cided to call the day), then rain. Finally:

EUPHORIAOn the fifth day we headed across the valley for the Whitwell’s southeast facing launch. Conditions looked sweet, with a nice wind wafting in at launch. The cloud tracks showed us a bit of right cross, but that just helped the C’s reach their goal, 11.2 miles north along the ridge. The B’s had to go north, 3.25 miles, come back into the crossing wind to launch, and head back north to the same goal as the C’s at Galloway’s airstrip, for a total of 17.7 miles. The A’s had to go to Galloway’s, back in the headwind to launch, then back to Galloway’s for a total of 33.6 miles.

Nearly everyone soared, and we found a robust thermal just to the left of launch that seemed to pump on and off, mostly all day. The initial climb got us to about 7 thou. MSL, and we headed north in a tail-wind. There are large gaps in the ridge on this route, but they go deep into the ridge and show good cliffs facing the crossing wind. They usually work when you need them. The route to Galloway’s was made with three thermals, the last merely a top-

[left, top to bottom] The line-up at launch. A “C” pilot lands at goal. Potato Joe and the Ramp Campers displaying their Flytec varios. [right, top to bottom] Janes Anderson, Dennis Pagen, Ollie Gregory and Buddy Cutts launch Mark Stump at Whitwell. Pilots showing their thanks to Flytec and support for the Cloudbase Foundation.


ping of the tank before we headed out in the valley to tag the turn point. When we returned to the ridge, we had only about a thousand feet over, which isn’t a lot when you are beating into a wind. We scrabbled around in elusive lift, until we moved a bit to find better cores. There was enough wind to drift us back over the plateau as we climbed.

Once we topped, Jeff Nibler bolted for a climbing Atos—Ollie Gregory—even deeper on the plateau. I started going that way for a while, but then decided to head more out front to cloud formations. Both plans worked, but Jeff reached the launch turn point before those of us who stayed out front. We tagged the point and turned downwind for the goal. A heady thermal at the first gap took us to nearly cloudbase, and we probably had it on glide, but an-other thermal beckoned later, and we filled our tank. The point: this wasn’t a race and despite the party at goal, it was fun to stay high, beat the heat and sightsee.

This time there were 13 goalies, includ-ing three happy C’s, Tim Martin, John Freitas and Aaron Rinn. Four B’s, Cliff Rice, Roger McKinley, Jim Ramsden and Kip Stone, also brought home the bacon. The joy in the field was palpable.

When the dust settled, the winning team was crowned and there were prizes galore for all the participants. Flytec and Wills Wing donated some nice coats. These two main sponsors are doing a lot for our sport, in general, and for competi-tions, specifically.

The idea of the Team Challenge is to get new pilots flying XC and learning some of the tricks of competition. It worked this time, in part because of the help of pilots like Mike Barber (wind tech and expert lecturer), Ollie Gregory (organizer), Jeff Nibler (organization and scoring), Steve Lee (club president, organization), James Anderson and Buddy Cutts (launch as-sistants) and John and Margaret (nightly meal preparation).

We do it every September and will keep running this meet until the last thermal is exhausted or pilots no longer want to get their first XC flight, their first goal or their biggest altitude gain.

Y’all come next year and we’ll guar-antee fun flying and a friendly welcome. It’s a learning, aerial experience—a flying orgy that shouldn’t be missed!

IMPRESSIONS OF A “C” PILOT by Aaron Rinn

I short-packed my Discus from Seattle and joined several midwest and east

coast pilots in a land of rocky cliffs, deciduous trees, and abundant LZs. We all

spent a week completely immersed in hang gliding.

When we weren’t flying, we were treated to entertaining lessons from sev-

eral hang gliding legends on soaring farther, faster, and safer. Topics included

timing the day, launch technique, thermalling, competition, and landing out. We

learned how to read SkewT diagrams and airspace charts, and we discussed

what to do if we ever find ourselves screaming downwind on final. At dinner, we

collectively critiqued videos of our launches. Even a short thunderstorm that

broke up the fabulous summer weather became a chance to learn about “Hang

3 conditions.” (That’s when the Hang 2’s are scared to fly and the Hang 4’s

know better.)

We were all waiting for the wind dummies to launch on Day 4, when the

clouds across the valley rapidly overdeveloped. A gust front blew through

launch, showing off its impressive power, even though the storm remained

several miles away.

The meet culminated for me on day five. My head was filled with the voices

of Mike Barber and Dennis Pagen, as I searched for an elusive boomer that I

knew was there: “….the land gradually drops away leading to the first gap, so

get up well before heading there. Zero on your vario actually means 200 FPM

up. Keep searching around in generalized areas of lift. Really bank it up when

you find it.”

After four attempts, I finally hitched a ride up to cloudbase. Later that night,

we super-imposed several of our GPS tracks to see why some of us had hooked

the climb, while others had not. We found it helpful to see that our failed at-

tempts were the result of falling out of the thermal on the downwind side.

I hope I can convince a small contingent of northwest pilots to make the pil-

grimage with me next year. The entry fee is low, and it sustains the Tennessee

Tree Toppers, a passionate group of free fliers who will welcome you into their

family on your first day there.

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Melanie

PILOT PROFILE

Pfisterby KatrinaMOHR


Melanie Pfister was no stranger to parachutes when she started para-gliding in 2002. After six years as

a Smokejumper and eight more as a wild-land firefighter, Melanie fell in love with the calm quiet of flying and became a com-petition force after only two full years of competing.

This year Melanie has had impressive showings on the national and world stage, including a second place finish in the wom-en’s category at the Chelan PWC and first place finishes in the women’s category at both Paragliding Nationals (Chelan and Sun Valley). This earned her the title of US Women’s National Champion. Melanie also finished 16th overall in the open cat-egory for the series. In between, she found time to crack off a 115-mile flight from Park City, Utah, to Green River, Wyoming.

Melanie is sponsored by Superfly and Gin and flies a Gin GTO. She is currently a Pilates instructor and lives with her hus-band, Kevin, an accomplished paraglider pilot in his own right, in Salt Lake City. Katrina Mohr caught up with Melanie in between comps to chat about her summer and her love for gaggle flying.

Congratulations! It’s been a great month for you. You are the women’s US Pargaliding National Champion and also made a 115-mile XC flight. Between the two accomplishments, which meant more to you?

MELANIE: The 115-mile flight. It’s the only flight I’ve ever logged (laughs). I hon-estly have no idea how many hours I’ve flown or how many flights I’ve done. It’s not about the numbers; it’s about the expe-rience and learning for me. There’s a great group of pilots in Salt Lake City; without them I wouldn’t have been able to do that. Bill Belcourt, Matt Dadam, Chris Galli ( SeeXCSkies,issue?), and Cliff Curry, among others, make it fun and exciting to show up. Some pilots make every excuse not to fly. These guys make excuses to go fly, and they always show up and crack off big flights.

And they are a great group to be with. If you want to fly far, hang out with people who put you to shame and humble you. I felt great about my flight, but that same day Bill Belcourt flew 159 miles. (Belcourt’s 159-mile flight set a new Utah state dis-

tance record.) It’s good to know I could’ve done better. I wouldn’t do half the stuff I do if it weren’t for others. I’m just follow-ing directions. I’ve really only been flying XC for five years because of the firefighting job, and I couldn’t have made that flight without others telling me it was possible. I have no original thoughts. I try to keep my mouth shut and listen to these guys who have a lot to teach.

How was that flight different from your previous long flights?

MELANIE: Five hours into it, I thought I was getting close to 100, but my instruments were in kilometers. I didn’t have the mental capacity to figure out the conversion, so I was fumbling with my instruments for 10 minutes to change km into miles when it popped up that I had only flown 89. I was in excruciating shoulder pain, but I realized I had to fly for another hour—I didn’t care if my arm fell off. I made a deal with myself that once I cracked 100 miles, I would consider landing.

How did you make it 15 more miles once you hit your goal?

MELANIE: Mentally I couldn’t go any further. I just tried to not think about landing, landing was the last resort. But, in the end, I was in too much pain and just couldn’t keep it together anymore. Some days you fly and it seems effortless, and other days it’s so tedious. The funny thing was I didn’t even know it was the day I was going to break 100 miles. Chris and Bill knew it was a potential record day, but I never discussed it with them. It was just another day to fly. In flying, you have to capitalize on what you get. Conditions change every second, so situational aware-ness is huge. It was naive to treat it like any other day, but if I had known a long distance was possible that day, maybe my flight would have turned out differently.

How did you get into paragliding?

MELANIE: I was a Smokejumper, and I was sitting with my crew at the end of the season talking about winter plans. When my friend said he was going paragliding in

Mexico, I was blown away by what he de-scribed. I asked him lots of questions until my curiosity was satisfied. Then I said, “I have to do this, who do I call?” He set me up with Dixon White, and my husband and I went down to Arizona and learned to fly in February of 2002.

I had never seen a picture of paragliding or anything. Dixon came out with a stuff sack, opened it up, and said, ”Here it is.” Just knowing you could put it in a back-pack, travel to some exotic place, and fly around… I didn’t need any more details. I knew this was something I had to do.

At the time I was ready to do something else. Things like skydiving seemed too extreme; they didn’t suit my personality. When you jump out of a plane to go to a wildfire, everything is crazy loud, but when you feel the static line pull taut and your parachute cracks open, there’s only silence as you slowly fall to ground. I realized that’s what I liked—the quiet, being by myself and how peaceful it was. Paragliding was what I needed—not crazy jumping stuff.

Did you start flying all the time right away, or did it take you awhile to get

Melanie

by KatrinaMOHR

http://www.ascensolibre.mx


into the sport?

MELANIE: I was very upfront with Dixon. I told him that when we left Arizona, we needed to have all the tools to be able to fly, since we had no one else to learn from where we were living in Lovell, Wyoming. For the first four years I was flying I never had a flight in the summer because of my firefighting jobs. I took two-week trips to Mexico each year to fly, but those trips scared me. You can’t be proficient by flying a few weeks a year. My husband and I moved to Jackson, Wyoming, in part so we could fly more. In 2006 I took a leave of absence from firefighting and worked as a Pilates instructor. I arranged my schedule so I could fly midday, and I just showed up to fly. The summer of 2006 was the first time I flew midday in the mountains.

There’s a huge pilot community in Jackson. I became successful because of those people: Jon Patterson, John Hunt, and Nick Greece are always going big and hitting it hard. When you are hanging with them, they inspire you because every time they open their bags they fly 80+miles. You don’t know what you don’t know, and I was fully aware I didn’t have a lot of flying expe-rience. I actively sought out help, and there were plenty of pilots who were willing to help me once I asked.

How did you go from two solid summers of flying to entering major competitions?

MELANIE: It was all Nick Greece’s fault. That and I wanted to fly 100 miles. To fly that distance you really need to use all your tools. How else can you learn to fly far and fast than to go to a race? My first real competition was the 2008 West Coast Championship. I didn’t know what I was doing or even how to work my in-struments. Nick had told me to buy a Flytec 6030 flight computer, so I blindly followed his advice. I remember not being nervous, but I had really low expectations of myself. I wanted to fly around and not die. After it was over and I was successful, I think I finished in the middle, I thought, wow, that wasn’t so bad. (Melanie was the second woman and placed 30th overall.)

What do you enjoy about flying in competitions?

MELANIE: Competition forces you to do things you’d never do on your own; it’s not open distance. That makes me a better pilot. I look at it as training. I don’t know the ultimate goal yet—there never has to be one—but I don’t fixate on accomplish-ment. I didn’t start comp flying to say I’m number one. It all comes back to the

group of people I hang with. Everywhere we go to fly, people are pushing it hard, but at the end of day nobody cares. We do it because we love it. There’s no glory in it.

I was sitting around talking with some pilots about why we fly and someone asked who was national champ last year. No one knew or cared—not in a negative way—we just don’t focus on that. I try to do the best I can, given the circumstances. Cliff Curry once said it’s like we’re all super heroes and our special power is the ability to fly. So we all get together and practice flying. Some people’s super powers are better than others, but we all have the power, and it is so cool. Why be negative about it in any way?

Katrina: That’s a wonderful way of putting any skill into perspective. What else is special about the paragliding community?

MELANIE: Paragliding is so unique in that everyone’s flying together; first time comp pilots get to go flying with ex-perts. You can show up and fly with the best pilots in the world. Everyone will sit around the course map at a competition and talk about how to fly it. Just because you have the knowledge doesn’t mean you will be able to perform. Pilots are more willing to share information, unlike my other passion, skiing, where people won’t tell you where they went or what the snow was like. With flying, it’s more fun with more people in the sky. If flying conditions are perfect, you call up all your friends and go, but if it snows three feet, it’s every man for himself.

I hate skiing near other people, but the more people, the better, with flying. The difference is that when you’re by yourself, your sampling of the sky is so small, but if tons of other people are in the air, you can see what’s going on. I can fly cross- country by myself, but I can fly faster when I can see other people ahead of me climbing out in a thermal, and I can head to where they are. Flying is so solitary, anyway, that it’s magical to be able to share with other pilots at the end of the day.

What do you prefer: competition or cross-country?

MELANIE: I just love gaggle flying.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 23 worldwide: www.gradient.cxUSA: www.atlantaparagliding.com

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People complain about it, but I feel safer. Being a part of that many people in that small a space, even if it’s stressful, is beau-tiful, like a school of fish. Everyone’s moving and lifting and falling together.

There are people out there who think I’m an adrenaline junkie, but I’m not. I’m scared of heights, and I have a crazy fear of falling. One of the main reasons I fly comps is that I worry a lot when I fly cross-country about stuff I make up, like get-ting hurt, or a series of events that would make me throw my reserve, or not doing well in the conditions, etc. They are all valid concerns, but when someone gives you something to do, like getting to goal, flying becomes second nature, and I don’t have time to worry. It’s safer to fly in comps than free fly. People are there to see you and help you if you get into trouble. I’m pretty conservative. If conditions are on the edge, I’ll be one of the first people to decide not to take off. I still fly a serial wing, because I don’t think I have the skills yet to fly a comp wing competently.

What’s it like being one of the only women in a male-dominated sport?

MELANIE: It’s never been an issue for me. I like men, and I enjoy their company. I like how simple things are for them, and I’m not a particularly emotional person. It was the same with firefighting. I was the only woman Smokejumper at my base for several years, but it wasn’t something I ever noticed until someone pointed it out. Even if it was an issue, flying is too spe-cial to let that stop me. But I do think it would be better for the sport to have more women pilots.

There are many examples of female pilots out there, showing that it doesn’t have to be an extreme sport. One of my friends in Salt Lake, Becky Brimm, just had a baby and she’s out flying again. The facts don’t matter. Yeah, she has a baby, but she’s doing what she loves and that’s really inspiring. I traveled to competitions with women pilots this year, and they are strong competitors. At the Chelan PWC, Joanna DiGrigoli beat me. I knew she would beat me. She always beats me; she’s been flying so much longer and has more experience, but this time it wasn’t by much. I was on a serial wing and she was on a comp wing, but I’m narrowing the gap.

Did firefighting help you be a better pilot?

MELANIE: I was a firefighter for 14 years. That kind of job requires you to really step it up and perform when you’re in the field. I jumped out of planes and sometimes landed in trees, but I wore a Kevlar suit and a motorcycle helmet. I’d never want to do that with a paraglider. It’s very real to me that you can be seriously injured. I’ve seen too many people busted up in the woods, and those times have kept me from being crazy when I paraglide. I’m all about minimizing my exposure to risk. I don’t want to scare myself and get burned out. I always want to show up and be excited to fly. I want to fly when I’m 80. Paragliding is not just a young person’s sport. There’s plenty of time.

I’ve also competed in many sports over the years. It’s not that I’m hyper- competi-tive. I think I just perform better when I’m called out to do my best. However, you can’t be the best all the time, so why expect that? Have fun and keep having the experi-ences that make you feel alive.

http://www.gradient.cx


A mythical bird that never dies, the phoenix flies far ahead to the front, always scanning the

landscape and distant space. It represents our capacity for vision, for collecting sensory infor-

mation about our environment and the events unfolding within it. The phoenix, with its great

beauty, creates intense excitement and deathless inspiration.

– The Feng Shui Handbook, feng shui Master Lam Kam Chuen

Phoenix


The

Phoenixby C.J.STURTEVANT


A Foundation for Free Flight and USHPA Chapter Success Story

Imagine that all your life you’ve been active, ad-venturous, on-the-go – and then, in the blink of an eye, a devastating injury deprives you of

your freedom. What happens to an adventurous spirit confined to a paralyzed body? For some, the restrictions are almost unbearable; for others, the challenges provide motivation to get on with life’s journey in this totally unexpected direction.

Laying the Groundwork: We free-flight folks ex-perience adventure and freedom in ways that most others can’t even imagine. Mark Gaskill, USHPA’s Region 4 director, has worked for years with dis-abled veterans; as an avid paraglider pilot he was well aware that if there was a way to make para-gliding and hang gliding accessible to those who are unable to run off a launch, it could change their world. Although there are some mobility-challenged free-flight pilots, they are the rare exception. Aided

by a 2008 Foundation for Free Flight “safety and education” grant [see sidebar], Mark and a hand-ful of friends formed the ABLE Pilot™ chapter of USHPA and began developing a teaching curricu-lum tailored to the specific physical needs (not just mobility) of paraplegics. The group also experi-mented with creating an adaptive harness, based on a monoski. Mark reports that they “learned a lot” in the process, and while their curriculum develop-ment was highly successful, when it came to design-ing and engineering a new product they were “in way over our heads.”

Mark’s contacts with Utah’s Neuroworx clinic, which focuses on activity-based therapy for those re-covering from spinal cord injuries, directed him to the University of Utah’s mechanical engineering de-partment for help with the adaptive harness design. ME Professor Don Bloswick, a leading figure in rehabilitation ergonomics and ergonomic applica-tions for the disabled, has worked on engineering products for disabled persons for many years, and

[above] Chris Graves doing a wheelie and holding

it with his one finger. [opposite] Bryon Densley

ground-testing the Phoenix. Because it’s so easy to push

and very light, the driver can pop wheelies with

no issues, short of falling backwards.


found Mark’s project highly intriguing. When he presented the concept to his senior engineering stu-dents, several of them enthusiastically offered to add this challenge to their already busy schedules. Dr. Bloswick selected a team of four whose varied individual strengths – theoretical, analytical and practical – balanced and complemented each other to produce the ideal work group. Early in February 2010, this Phoenix design team began to turn ABLE Pilot™’s vision into a tangible product.

Dr. Bloswick insists that he’s been merely coor-dinator for the Phoenix project, with the students doing 100% of the work. For the team members, this was any college student’s dream course: intel-lectually challenging, highly motivating, real-life applications, fun homework (is that an oxymoron?), with a bit of financial compensation and some col-lege credits towards their degree being the icing on the cake.

Race to Goal: Working within the time con-straints of their college semester and Mark’s desire

to have a Phoenix harness ready for demo flights at the National Hang Gliding and Paragliding Day fly-in on Memorial Day weekend, the design team was constantly hustling. Team member Bryon Densley reports a steep learning curve at first as the students researched the needs of paraplegics and the requirements of a paragliding harness: “At first we didn’t realize how much was needed [for the dis-abled pilot] as well as the design inputs required to help us build a functional product. All design was done electronically and as nice as that is, it is dif-ficult to visualize what is going on sometimes…We really just had to move so fast with the design input we had. We would meet early in the week, figure out what we needed to do and then go about doing it.

“The biggest reward was being up

on the North launch [at Point of the

Mountain] having those we built it

for inspecting our finished product

and seeing the excitement in their

eyes. All the long hours, hard work

and sleepless nights were com-

pletely worth it.”

– Bryon Densley, Phoenix design team member


We didn’t have the time to make a finished product and then revise. So we had to make sure we had all our I’s dotted and T’s crossed at every step. We were lucky enough to get it done in time for the fly-in – with it looking very striking if I can say so myself!”

When asked for specifics about the design and

construction process, Brian Densley described his role in the creation of the Phoenix: “I did the majority of the SolidWorks (3D CAD software) modeling – basically creating the chair electroni-cally with screws, parts, wheels, etc. – and also did all the machining on the chair. Up front we did a lot of sketches, which I digitized in order to make the solid model. Once I’d finished that, I found it frustrating not being able to help those in charge of welding the pipe together. Having to stand back and let the others work did give me more time to get into the solid model and continue working on my part of the project. I also did a lot of the nagging if things were needing to get done and were not.” He adds, after seeing the Phoenix in the air, “There is nothing more satisfying than to see your creation in action and working as planned.”

The stated mission of ABLE Pilot™ is “to assist people with disabilities (spinal cord injuries, ampu-tations, and neuromuscular disease) to safely experi-ence the freedom, joys and sense of accomplishment of free flight.” With financial assistance from the Foundation for Free Flight and the University of

Utah, the design team has created the Phoenix har-ness/wheelchair that, even in its current prototype stage, fulfills this mission. Mark Gaskill, Chuck Smith and Walter Neser have flown tandem with the Phoenix at Point of the Mountain, using each other as test “passengers” to fine-tune the design, then inviting disabled volunteers to come fly. Video clips (e.g. http://vimeo.com/14631072) document the success of the “experience the joys of free flight” aspect of the project – the delight on the faces and in the body language of these young people leaves no room for doubt!

What’s Next: However, the Phoenix is still in the prototype stage. Dr. Bloswick concedes that al-though the current design “does what it’s supposed to do – providing stability and mobility on the ground as well as accommodating the needs of the disabled pilot in the air” – it still needs tweaking. The ultimate goal is for a disabled pilot to use the Phoenix for solo flight, and to that end the tweaks remain major. One example: In the current iteration it’s cumbersome for a solo pilot to handle braking the Phoenix with bicycle-style hand brakes, while simultaneously managing the controls of the para-glider just after touchdown in the LZ. Both Mark and Dr. Bloswick foresee disabled pilots moving on to XC flying and competition, thus adding aerody-namics, instrument accessibility, and dealing with the additional physical challenges involved with a multi-hour flight to the design constraints of the Phoenix. There’s a lot more to be done!

Although two members of the design team were able to schedule tandem flights, Dr. Bloswick has yet to get airborne. “Mark’s warned me of the parawait-ing often involved in getting a flight, and right now I just can’t fit that into my schedule,” he told me, but added that he fully intends to take a tandem

[below] A view from underneath the Phoenix showing the shocks and

swing arms [opposite] Brad Gunnuscio getting a launch assist from Steve Forslund

for the Phoenix’s first flight.

The Foundation for Free Flight provides financial assistance for a wide variety of projects that impact the hang gliding

and paragliding communities. Many grants, such as this one supporting the development of the ABLE Pilot™ teaching

curriculum and the Phoenix harness, require the applicants to provide matching funds, thus ensuring a high level of

commitment from the grant recipients. If you’re inspired by the philosophy of pilots helping pilots achieve some rather

lofty dreams, please consider a donation to the FFF. Information on donating, and on other Foundation-funded proj-

ects, is at http://foundationforfreeflight.org.

http://vimeo.com/14631072

http://foundationforfreeflight.org


eventually. When I asked him if he’d do his flight as a passenger in the Phoenix he seemed surprised at first but then laughed. “I hadn’t considered that, but I guess I ought to put my money where my mouth is!” Bryon also hopes to schedule a tandem flight in the near future.

Both Mark Gaskill and Dr. Bloswick, with their years of experience working with disabled men and women, feel strongly that a paraplegic who can get into the air should be able to do just about anything the rest of us can do up there. The Foundation for Free Flight’s grant to the ABLE Pilot™ project pro-vided some of the financial support this highly quali-fied and capable team needed to develop and perfect the training and equipment that will bring the joy of flight to some who may never have dreamed so high. While the original design team members have all graduated and moved on, Dr. Bloswick expects to continue work on the Phoenix with his current crop of senior students. If you’d like to offer financial support to keep this amazing venture rolling along, you can contact Dr. Don Bloswick at http://www.mech.utah.edu/people/faculty/bloswick.html.

[left] The Phoenix is extremely comfortable to sit in; design team members all wanted one to watch TV/movies in at home (team member Chris Graves pictured). [right] Brad Gunnuscio putting the Phoenix through its paces on its maiden flight.

http://www.mech.utah.edu/people/faculty/bloswick.html


http://www.ushgf.org


Adaptive ParaglidingTraining Protocol

and Development Grant

Utah Hang Gliding

and Paragliding Association

In conjunction with Mark Gaskill of the Utah

Hang Gliding and Paragliding Assoc., a grant

for $3402 was given to support the overall

goal of developing and testing a formal para-

gliding and hang gliding instructional protocol

for student pilots with various disabilities.

ABLE Pilot™ – 2010 Adaptive Paragliding Grant

Request 2 (Awarded 4/17/2010) This matching

grant for $5000 will continue to address the

engineering and design challenges that have

prevented paragliding instructors from safely

accommodating the instructional and adap-

tive needs of persons with spinal cord injuries

(SCIs). This application requested financial as-

sistance to continue the process of perfecting

the design, build and testing of new paraglid-

ing flight chair/harnesses that meet several

well-defined characteristics and criteria. The

project seeks to develop a better paragliding

flight chair/harness prototype as a result.

ABLE Pilot™ ’s Mark Gaskill continues to seek

additional funding; he has met with represen-

tatives from and filed grant requests with the

PVA (Paralyzed Veterans of America) and the

Christopher&Dana Reeve Foundation.

ABLE Pilot™ : http://www.systemicpartners.

org/ablepilot/able.html

Dr. Don Bloswick: http://www.mech.utah.edu/

people/faculty/bloswick.html

Neuroworx: http://www.neuroworx.org/

PVA: http://www.pva.org/

Christopher&Dana Reeve Foundation:

http://www.christopherreeve.org/

http://www.systemicpartners.org/ablepilot/able.html

http://www.systemicpartners.org/ablepilot/able.html



http://www.neuroworx.org/

http://www.pva.org/

http://www.christopherreeve.org/


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OLD MEN by MikeMEIER

Erik walked into my office and said, “Here’s what we gotta do. We gotta get ourselves some Harleys and ride ‘em to Telluride!”


The year was 1985, and the inspiration for Erik’s sudden obsession with a fantasy motorcycle trip was his recently celebrated 40th birthday.

The big 40 had seriously scrambled Erik’s internal gyroscope, but he was convinced it could be re-set with a Harley Davidson Super Glide and a road trip to the annual Airmen’s International Hang Gliding Classic.

At first I dismissed the idea out of hand; I had a two-year old daughter at the time, and I’d sold my last motorcycle ten years earlier, after I discovered hang gliding. But Erik persisted with a laser-like focus, and, before I knew it, we’d put down depos-its on two motorcycles. They were not the Harleys we had wanted—the $8500 price tag on the Super Glide was well beyond the meager means of a couple of hang gliding “professionals”—so we settled in-stead for some two-year old, two-thousand dollar Yamaha Viragos. And, in the end, we went with four other friends on motorcycles, with my wife Linda, daughter Amelia and our hang gliding gear follow-ing behind us in a van.

So when Linda asked me a few months ago what I wanted to do to celebrate my 60th birthday this summer, I didn’t hesitate. “Think I’ll ride my Harley to Telluride,” I said brilliantly.

I had originally thought to go alone—partly be-cause to do so fit with my self-image as a lonesome cowboy, and partly because I doubted anyone else would be interested. But I floated the idea by email to

each of my original five motorcycle companions from the 1985 trip, and, to my surprise, three of them—Erik Fair, Dean Tanji, and Joe Aldendifer—signed up for the ride. So now I was committed.

First on the agenda was getting my Harley ser-viced. Erik and I had each eventually acquired a Harley within a few years of the 1985 trip, after Dean embarrassed us by showing up at one of our breakfast rides with a brand new 85th Anniversary Limited Edition Springer Softail. For ten years after the ’85 Telluride trip, the original group had gone on rides together on a fairly regular basis, including a ride to Sturgis in 1990 and a ride back to Telluride in 1995. But I hadn’t had my bike on a long trip since 1995, had only ridden it infrequently, and serviced it even less often.

The local Orange County Harley dealerships have evolved away from being traditional bike shops and have gone more in the direction of upscale clothing and accessory boutiques. Their service departments won’t even work on bikes more than ten years old, so I had to find an independent mechanic. On our 1995 trip, my bike had blown a voltage regulator, followed in quick succession by the battery, ignition black box and a head gasket, leaving me dead on the side of the road in the middle-of-nowhere in Monument Valley. Although that whole episode turned into an adven-ture that now makes for a good story, I thought that perhaps some pre-emptive service work might avoid the burden on my traveling companions of a repeat

[previous]Mike in front of launch | photo by Dean

Tanji. [above] A beautiful Telluride Sunset | photo by

Joe Aldendifer.

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scenario.Well, it turns out if you neglect a motorcycle for

15 years and then want it to be dead-nuts reliable for a 2000 mile trip, it’s going to cost fifty-eight hundred dollars, to be exact, according to the mechanic’s es-timate. I did have an alternate offer from him: he’d buy the bike from me for two grand. I thought long and hard about that, because for $7800 I could buy a reasonably suitable new motorcycle of the less expen-sive Japanese persuasion that would get me there and back, and do so without any reliability issues.

However, I was brought back to reason by a slap in the face from an unexpected quarter. “Just get the Harley fixed—you’re not going to be happy with anything else,” said my wife, who was being surpris-ingly understanding and agreeable about the whole idea of the trip. As usual, she was right. So I laid out the $5800, in cash, (independent Harley mechanics deal in cash; it just goes with the persona), and hoped for the best.

After months of anticipation and preparation, the trip turned out to be surprisingly easy. We had per-fect weather. Nobody broke down, fell down, or got lost.

I had written those words about our 1985 trip, but in 2010 we managed all three and all within the first two days. Our original plan had been to follow exactly the itinerary from our 1985 trip, but a quick check of the route showed that this would have us riding through Baker, California, in the heat of the day, when the forecast high temperature was 112 degrees. We decided to leave three-and-a-half hours early, which would get us through Baker by 11 am, and on through Las Vegas, starting up into higher elevations by noon. However, by the time we had ridden the first ten miles, Erik’s bike was having problems. Northbound on I-15 out of Corona, Erik suddenly couldn’t maintain more than 50 mph. After a brief stop in San Bernardino and a failed attempt to diagnose the problem, we limped into Victorville

[above] Mike in the saddle on Day 3 in Southwestern Colorado | photo by Joe Aldendifer.


and pulled up into the parking lot of the Harley Davidson dealership. It was 8:00 am. They wouldn’t open for an hour, and it was the Friday before the Sturgis weekend, so we weren’t sure if we could get any service at all. But with 163 miles of desert be-tween us and the next Harley shop, we decided that discretion might be the better part of valor.

Luck was with us; the mechanic was able to di-agnose Erik’s problem as a combination of a par-tially plugged fuel cap vent and a torn carburetor diaphragm. So three hours and a- couple-hundred dollars later, we were on our way and right back on schedule to hit Baker in the heat of the day.

There are three kinds of hot when crossing the Mojave Desert on a motorcycle in the middle of the day in August. There’s regular hot: when the ambi-ent air temperature rises above body temperature, making you feel as if you’re riding inside an oven. In this case, the faster you ride, the hotter you get, because the only heat transfer is in, not out.

Then there’s really hot: when the outside tem-perature passes 105, and the oven becomes a blast furnace, and you wonder how this air-cooled engine between your legs has not turned into a molten pool of scrap iron.

And, finally, there’s much too hot, when the out-side air temperature passes 110, and the blast furnace is super-charged, and you begin to wonder if your life might actually be in danger. We had all three. But eventually we made it to St. George, Utah, and then on to our first night’s destination in Cedar City, and

we all survived. On day two, heat was no longer the problem; we

had cool, cloudy weather with intermittent rain for the entire day. By noon, one of us had fallen down twice, though both times while stationary, so no damage or injury was incurred. And, later in the day, I passed up a sign that read “next services 108 miles” after a lightning-quick but ultimately incorrect cal-culation indicated I had enough gas to make it. Eight miles short of Green River, Utah, I ran out and rolled to a stop on the shoulder of Interstate 70—break-down number two. (Fortunately, we had picked up our “support crew” in Cedar City: Glen Gentry, who was driving a pickup truck loaded with various essen-tials such as chips, beer, and a five gallon can of gas.) And, finally, misremembering my last trip through the area by car in 2005, and confusing Green River, Utah, with Green River, Wyoming, I assured Joe that we could stop at the Harley Shop just off the interstate up ahead for some extra rain gear, when, in fact, that shop was off of interstate 80, not interstate 70, and we would pass it by a good 180 miles to the south and never see it.

But in spite of breakdowns, fall downs, and get-ting lost, we managed Moab that evening as planned and holed up in a dry motel room with some Jack Daniels, a deck of cards and a bag of mixed nuts substituting for poker chips. Erik was the big winner, or would have been, except he kept eating his win-nings.

On day three the weather broke crystal clear and

[above] Mike to Erik–“I didn’t run out of

gas because I was driving too fast.” Photo by Joe

Aldendifer.


sunny for a short, but breathtakingly beautiful ride through eastern Utah and southwestern Colorado into the high mountain valley of Telluride. The sun lit up green, high plateau pastures populated by lazily wandering grass-fed cattle, and I could not keep a smile off of my face. “What do you do all that time while you’re just riding and riding,” my wife had asked me before we left, “you can’t listen to music or anything…” Ah, but I was hearing music, and it was as clear as if it had been playing through earphones:

People will tell you where they’ve gone; they’ ll tell you where to goBut till you get there yourself,you’ ll never really know.

We rolled into Telluride at noon and pulled up at the Floradora Saloon. Flying had not been part of my plan for this trip. All

I wanted to do was to get out of town for my 60th birthday, ride with some friends, tag Telluride for old time’s sake, and get back home and back to work before too much of it had a chance to pile up. But at the Floradora I ran into Roscoe Kane and his mom Florie, who own and run the place. Roscoe is a para-glider pilot, and he gave me the names and phone numbers of several of the other local pilots, including JR Nershi, with whom I eventually made contact. A half-a-dozen phone calls later, JR had not only se-cured the loan of a glider and harness for me, but scheduled a trip on one of the Telluride Air Force

transport vehicles to the 12,000 foot Gold Hill launch to take a look at the late afternoon conditions, and, maybe, to fly.

Telluride has been flown since the early 1970’s. For years it was a Mecca-like destination for hang glider pilots, on par in reputation and fame with the Owens Valley. For a few years in the late 1970’s, the HGMA Manufacturer’s Meet was held there. I first flew Gold Hill in the 1978 event, a meet in which three-man teams representing 16 manufacturers, along with two teams of local pilots, competed. Later on, an annual aerobatic championship was held for many years in conjunction with a fly-in. Our 1985 trip coincided with that year’s event, and more than 250 pilots registered for the fly-in that year.

Today, the local pilot community is about a dozen pilots, a little more than half of whom are paraglider pilots. There is no longer an annual fly-in, though pilots still travel to Telluride in hopes of catching the right weather for a chance at an epic flight. The locals are proud of their flying site, and rightly so—

[below] Mike above Gold Hill | photo by Joe Aldendifer.

“A half-a-dozen phone calls later,

JR had not only secured the loan

of a glider and harness for me,

but scheduled a trip on one of the

Telluride Air Force transport vehicles

to the 12,000 foot Gold Hill launch

to take a look at the late afternoon

conditions, and, maybe, to fly.”


Telluride offers some of the most magnificent scenery and some of the most dramatic flying to be found. And the very opportunity for hang glider pilots to fly Telluride exists only because of a long legal battle and massive fund raising effort that allowed the town to purchase the land in the valley floor and save it from development. The locals go to great effort to try to help visiting pilots to fly, as was amply demonstrated the day that I was there. (Visiting pilots wishing to fly Telluride should check in at www.tellurideair-force.org to familiarize themselves with the site rules and procedures.)

When we arrived on top of the Gold Hill launch, the sky was overcast, and the pilots were uncertain as to whether conditions would be suitable for flying. I was the only one flying a hang glider that day; each of the other pilots was planning to paraglide. Without at least some lift, it’s a long glide to reach the end of the ridge and make it to the valley floor, and the pilots don’t want to make waves by landing out within the boundaries of the ski area property. At JR’s suggestion, I went ahead and set up the Falcon 3 195 that he had borrowed for me from local pilot Kurt Haas, as we both agreed that I could make the glide out even without the help of any lift. The wind on top was almost dead, and the hoped for late after-noon clearing of the clouds that might lead to some lift was looking less likely as time wore on. Finally, at about 6:30, JR said to me, “Mike, I think maybe it’s time for you to wait for a good cycle and take your sled ride like a man.” To which I agreed, think-

ing also that maybe if I sacrificed myself, the clouds would clear and the others would get to soar.

Waiting for a bit of a cycle was the other thing I agreed with. Even though the slope of the launch at Gold Hill is quite steep, you are at 12,000 feet, and the air is thin. I’ve seen several pilots blow launches at Gold Hill because they didn’t realize the need for a very aggressive launch run. Finally, we got a few mph of breeze, and I launched under persistent over-cast. To my surprise, in the first bowl to the right of launch there was a little bubble. The harness that JR had borrowed for my use was an old CG 1000 that had at one time belonged to Jim Zeiset. I felt honored to be wearing Jim’s harness; it made me feel like an honorary member of the Green Team. But, for some reason, I wasn’t having success getting the slider on the mains to go far enough aft for the harness to bal-ance in pitch, and I felt like I was flying excessively head up. In spite of the resulting mild disorientation, I managed to blunder about, staying mostly inside the little bubbles of thermal lift coming up the slope, eventually finding myself a couple-hundred feet above the ridge top. Erik’s comment, rendered in mild disgust, was, “Typical Meier—can’t even take his sled ride like a man!”

This was all the other pilots needed to see. Soon everyone was laying out their canopies and preparing to launch. As luck would have it, I had managed to find about the only lift of the afternoon, and, before long, we were all descending over the valley and pre-paring to land. Despite its relatively brief duration,

[above] Mike launches | photo by Joe Aldendifer

http://www.tellurideairforce.org

http://www.tellurideairforce.org

the flight was intensely enjoyable— beautiful, peace-ful and exhilarating all at the same time.

In writing about our 1985 trip to Telluride, I had noted how old all of us pilots had become: “…half of us were over forty, and only one was under thirty.” Between 1971 and 1976, hang gliding had grown explosively. By 1985, even though it was then only about 14 years old, it had long since passed its peak and entered into a slow decline and already seemed both old and mature to me. I had reflected at the time on its apparent lack of appeal to a younger gen-eration. “This beautiful, magical sport, once the perfect lifestyle expression for the college kids of the sixties, hasn’t found a place among the ‘upwardly mobile’ young men and women of the eighties.”

And now, at a time when those of us who were then just thirty-five have turned sixty, and as hang gliding itself prepares to celebrate its 40th birth-day, those thoughts come to mind again. It is not that there are no new, younger pilots entering the sport—there are, and their energy and enthusiasm is a welcomed and much needed boost. At Lookout Mountain Flight Park, owner Matt Taber specifically and strategically targets young people; when I visit there, I almost feel as if I’m back in the 1970’s. But the nationwide demographics of the sport reflect a mature population; the overall average age of hang

gliding members of USHPA today is 48. At most of the sites I visit, most of the pilots are old folks, like me, and most of the largest schools I know of are run by people from my generation, who have been in hang gliding essentially since the beginning. And no matter how much we love this sport, and we do, we won’t be doing this forever, and who is it, I wonder, that will step up and take over for us when that day comes that we eventually hang it up, so to speak?

I don’t pretend to know the answer to that. The national organization has been working for some years on a strategic plan to grow the sport. Thus far, the membership numbers don’t show evidence of any large scale success. I do know that there are individu-als, like Matt Taber, who know how to bring people into this sport, because they’ve been doing it success-fully for years. Perhaps our national strategic plan-ning effort can benefit from his experience and that of others like him.

In the meantime, I will continue to feel immense-ly grateful for having been born into the one brief in-terval in human history during which we have been granted this incredible privilege of being able to fly like birds, and, at the same time, because we are not birds, of having the uniquely human perspective that enables us to fully appreciate just what a remarkable and wondrous gift that is.

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GALLERY | 2011 USHPA Calendars


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I started flying hang gliders in 1972 and kept dabbling with them until 1976, when I actually purchased a glider with a buddy of mine. After graduating from college(s) in 1980

with two degrees, I got a summer job teaching hang gliding and have never left that field of work. I have owned and operated Fly High Inc. hang gliding school since 1984. (Obviously, my par-ents were thrilled with my choice.)

In the beginning, my photographs were hand-held shots—shots where I tried to include a wing so folks would know they were hang gliding shots. You actually can get very nice pictures that way, particularly if you fly close to another pilot! Very low hassle factor.

Next, came the photographic technique of the “air plunger,” where a wing-mounted (2+lbs) camera could be triggered by squishing a bulb that, in turn, forced a pin to depress the camera button. This was very labor intensive, because you had to rig the air hose from the bulb on the control bar out to the camera, through/inside the wing.

A breakthrough occurred in the field when a local pilot named Scott Wise engineered a wonderful, super-light, radio-controlled camera in an aero-dynamic pod housing, named the Photo-Pod. He probably built 40 of them in total. I got a number of great shots with that camera, always using Kodachrome slide film. The radio-control feature was awesome! It took instantaneous pic-tures on demand.

Then digital cameras were introduced. Any light camera did a pretty good job, but there were two main hassles: the cameras

would power down after a couple minutes, and there was a long delay between hitting the infra-red triggering button and the moment the shot was actually taken.

I kept using real film and my Photo-pod.I never really graduated to using professional equipment like

the masters (Mitch McAleer, John Heiney, Jeff Obrien, etc.) I had the equipment but I’m relatively lazy and hate dedicating so much of a flight to picture-taking preparation.

How did I get this cover shot? First, I went to Yosemite! I took this photo using a Go-Pro HD on still-shot mode, instead of video. Who wants to watch a movie of me swinging around under a hang glider for ten minutes, anyway? I wing-mounted the tiny Go-Pro HD, set the camera to take a picture every two seconds, launched, and flew a scenic route (there are NO un-scenic routes in Yosemite)!

I captured 660 photos and culled them down to the top 15. Selecting the best cuts is a very important step for success as a photographer.

So, my advice to any pilots considering photography? You don’t necessarily have to use the truly pro equipment. (Albeit, you won’t get pictures quite as good as the previously mentioned masters). But you do have to take the time to set the camera up before a picturesque flight, and I recommend taking MANY shots. The more pictures you take, the higher the likelihood of capturing a magic moment!

I have to admit I’ve never regretted taking pictures on any flight. The effort always results in at least a few great shots!

cover photo by Paul Voight

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I’m an ex-desk jockey who took one tandem flight with his severance package money and became a flight addict, thereby drastically altering my life path, living location, and aspira-

tions forever. I’ve been flying for 5.5 years, playing with foils and wind sports for over 10, and shooting photos since my wee hands could grasp a camera. Due to my previously mentioned flight ad-diction, I somehow managed to weasel my way into the position of Graphic Designer/Photographer for Ozone Paragliders, and now live at the Point of the Mountain, a few steps from the flight park in Draper, Utah, of all places.

Flying and photography are both passions of mine, so I’m ex-tremely lucky to get to combine them, though, at times, they detract from each other in major ways that make them become both more difficult and less enjoyable. It’s like looking through a paper-towel tube and trying to text on your cell phone, while riding a horse around a field, herding sheep. In other words, there’s often a lot going on at once, and it’s difficult, if not im-possible, to give both the wing and your camera the full attention they should be receiving, in addition to having fun.

I’ve modified a flight deck as a sort of quick-draw holster to make getting to, and putting away, the camera as easy as possible, but it’s still a major distraction. I have to motivate myself to bring the camera along on some flights, because I know from experi-ence it will detract from my enjoyment of living in the moment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in some exotic location, flown over/off of something amazing, landed, and thought to myself, “Wow... what just happened?” because I spent the entire

flight “in the camera” and not in the moment. Good thing I have images to go back to so I can see what fun it was!

So, overall, I have a mild love/hate relationship with shoot-ing while flying, but I never get the shot when I don’t have the camera. Capturing the world from angles that only we free flight pilots get to see keeps me motivated and always gives me a feel-ing of accomplishment when I can show someone an image and that actually represents how it felt to be there—to have the image elicit an emotion. That’s when it all comes together and makes the effort worthwhile.

As with many parts of our lives, I’d say what’s most important in getting a good shot is to be “dialed” and practiced. This means having your kit/camera setup and easy to access and, most im-portant, knowing your way around your camera, preferably with one hand. It’s painful to miss that killer shot because you had the wrong shutter speed or couldn’t get your camera out fast enough. Have the correct settings for what you want to capture ready before you launch and/or be able to change them quickly in flight, and know how to focus quickly on your subject. It helps to know what you want instead of shooting off the hip and hoping for the best: Are you going for an action shot that needs high shutter speeds or do you want a nice wide shot with everything in focus that needs a tighter aperture? Having basic and easily recalled knowledge of your camera will get you far—relying on the Auto setting on your camera will limit you. Most of these moves can be practiced on everyday flights or while hanging in a simulator or taking everyday photos of moving objects—like kids!

cover photo by Loren Cox


(Loren Cox, CONTINUED)

It’s also hugely important to be able to fly your wing well, either entirely with weight-shift or with both toggles in one hand and your camera in the other, while you are looking through the lens. Spatial awareness of who/what is around you is huge. Since you AND your subject will probably be moving at different speeds in different directions, it’s key to be able to anticipate where you and the subject will be, relative to each other, when you are ready to press the shutter. So just flying a lot and putting your subject where you want him by being in the right place at the right time is imperative. That can often mean proper use of the speed bar or heavy brakes or even a full frontal,to quickly lose altitude.

Also, be ready to take advantage of a situation. Many times you’ll see something you’d never have imagined on the ground. If you can get yourself in the right place quickly, you can capture it. Basically, shoot a LOT of photos and fly a lot. Use common sense. Get a camera and wing you are comfortable with and use them as much as possible.

The photo on the cover of the USHPA Paragliding Calendar was the result of a group of us making a mad dash across the Bonneville Salt Flats in order to be in the air when we could get interesting evening light, as well as interesting terrain. We had been chasing weather for a few days, and towing seemed like our only chance of getting decent photos. So Carson Klein, Matt Gerdes, Dave Hanning, Mike Steen and I loaded up our tow winch and booked it to the salt flats. We quickly set up a Y-bridle,

allowing us to tow up two people at once from one winch, namely the photographer (me) and a subject. The procedure was highly stressful, not only because of the tow setup but also because we were racing the sunset. If one of us botched a launch, we would have to reset and waste time, so perfect forwards were mandatory. The winds were switchy, causing us to change tow direction with nearly every flight. This was made slightly easier by the nature of the flats, i.e., being flat, obstacle free, and in the middle of nowhere. Many of the photos used in the latest string of Ozone ads were from this photo shoot.

The cover photo was taken on the first flight of the session when we towed up from the service road you see in the photo. Matt Gerdes is in the pilot seat on a Buzz Z3. It took a group of quick-thinking, skilled pilots who are practiced at not strangling each other or killing themselves in high stress situations, and a desire to fly somewhere out of the ordinary to get the shot.

Framing shots is tricky. I’m thinking about quite a few things when I press the trigger. Contrast between the wing and back-ground is a big consideration. A blue wing on a blue sky with no clouds is boring and hard to see, as is a green wing over a green forest. Same goes for texture. Shooting a wing against a really busy background usually means you are going to lose the pilot visually, though contrast can help. For instance, having the pilot wearing bright colors shot against a busy, but shadowed, back-ground can work really well.

I love texture, so I frequently find myself shooting down on cool-looking terrain; this is a priority for me. Positioning myself

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so the subject(s) have the right light is also high on the list, and ties into having contrasts. Dramatic, or at least slightly interest-ing, lighting can make otherwise dull subjects look amazing. Generally, the top of the wing is more interesting and an off-axis angle is more appealing. So I try to avoid shooting straight on or directly from behind. Part of that idea is making sure the pilot isn’t hidden by the wing and making sure the risers aren’t cover-ing his/her face.

Last, and probably most important, I try to get interesting framing. In this shot, for example, the road cutting across below, as well as the distant interstate, makes for compelling lines in the frame and breaks up what would otherwise be a flat boring background. I try to give the glider “head room” and “leading space”... meaning, not bunching them up against the edge of the frame, but placing them in the frame so the wing has space to

“fly into.” Putting the pilot in one corner of the frame instead of another can make all the difference.

I am consistently inspired by other photographers. For in-stance, I love George Steinmetz’s photos. He’s doing what I’ve long dreamed of, travelling with a paramotor and getting some unbelievable, and sometimes otherwise unobtainable, photos. Look him up if you haven’t seen his work. Olivier Laugero has been consistently taking great photos longer than I’ve been flying. And I’ve been super-impressed with Becca Bredehoft’s photos lately. Keep an eye out; I bet you’ll see more from her in the magazines soon.

My final thoughts relate to having subjects who understand

what makes a photo great. I’m lucky to fly with a lot of excellent pilots, many of whom understand what makes a good photo and honestly do a good bit of the work for me—by knowing where to be and when. I’ve been on photo shoots with pilots who fly in shadow over shadowed terrain or are always above me, or some-thing similar, that makes it damn near impossible for me to get a good photo. My job is a million times easier when the pilots I work with have a clue. So, thank you, to all of those who’ve helped me make the photos happen!

Take as many photos as you can, but don’t forget to pull your head out of the camera and take MENTAL photos. A LOT. You’ll often find that a little boxy photo can never come close to representing the real thing. Spend time in the moment instead of worrying about getting a photo so you can remember it later. It won’t be the same.

United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

2011

United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association2011

2011

$15.00

CALENDARSON SALE NOW!

www.USHPA.aero/storeEPIC IMAGES!

“Generally, the top of the

wing is more interesting and

an off-axis angle is more

appealing. So I try to avoid

shooting straight on or

directly from behind.”

http://www.ushpa.aero/store


Jeff Shapiro Reviews the Covert


After a little more than a year of design and development, The Covert Harness is now in its

production phase. Wills Wing team pilots have spent this year’s competition season test-flying pre-production models. Structural tests have been conducted, and the design has evolved into a refined product that has come to be expected from Wills Wing.

The “Covert” moniker is derived from the covert feathers on a raptor—feathers that smooth airflow and help blend the transition from a bird’s body into its wings and legs. I think this name seems more-than-appropriate for our product.

The Covert’s design evolved through the complementary expertise of pilots and designers for whom I have a large amount of respect. Steve Pearson, who has had many years of design, engineering and flying experience, provided the initial 3D form and CAD design- assistance for the streamlined shape as well as the CNC expertise for the construction of the solid billet slider mechanism, which is the heart of the back plate. Dustin Martin, a guru of composites, lent his skills and research in materials and process toward the design and manufacture of the back plates and other carbon components for The Covert. I tried to exploit my degree in industrial design and almost two de-cades of climbing experience, along with an intense desire as a pilot, to solve the safety and comfort issues that are inher-ent, while attempting to design an aero-dynamically advantageous competition/ XC harness.

Most notably, all involved with this project are passionate pilots. We all want what our customers want, which is a blend of comfort and function, without compromise, involving safety and dura-bility. After all, we designed the harness with the enthusiastic intention of flying in a Covert ourselves. I feel this helped us achieve our goal of high expectation for this product.

STRUCTURE AND SAFETYAt the heart of the structural system of The Covert is a carbon back plate sup-ported by a single suspension main. Noteworthy in the construction of the main back-plate’s coupling is a CNC cut, a hard anodized Teflon-coated aluminum

slider mechanism that decreases friction during the pitch adjustment between the prone, or “flying” position, and the landing position. A lot of design time focused on maximizing the pilot’s ability to get and stay upright for safe landings. The slider mechanism achieves this with the added bonus of strength and con-struction that inspires confidence. Steve and Wills Wing have built a connection between the glider and pilot that is the next evolution in single-suspension har-ness design.

The back plate is a robust construction. At the heart of the plate is Divinycell H80, a lightweight polymer foam core that is suited to structural loads and can conform to the three-dimensional ana-tomically tailored mold.

Sandwiching the Divinycell are pre-

cisely placed layers of heavy-duty uni-directional carbon fiber, several layers of S2 glass aligned with load forces, and a finish layer of 2x2 twill carbon. The core has been cut back from the edges of the plate and from the recessed hard-ware positions to maximize its structural integrity and durability. The goal was to construct a plate that can approach the ultimate load capabilities of the webbing system itself.

MATERIALSThe exterior of The Covert is 420D Diamond Ripstop nylon. The double-coated fabric is abrasion resistant, has

[opposite] Jeff Shapiro showing off the Covert’s clean lines in flight | photo by Jeff O’Brien [below] Jeff Shapiro busy sewing in his harness shop | photo by Kara Shapiro.


good UV protective qualities, is easy to clean and has proper elasticity for wrin-kle-free skin tension.

The carefully designed neck/shoulder gasket is constructed from Hypercell, a strong material similar to Neoprene in its dynamic properties and its look—but the similarity stops there. It is more resistant to abrasions and tears than Neoprene, significantly increasing the longevity of the gasket. The gasket also has the same Diamond Ripstop (that covers the main outer shell of the harness) to protect those areas of the gasket that commonly make contact with the ground during set up and while packing gear. This means that a custom harness will last through the intense use required by our sport.

The boot is clad with a Hypalon-type fabric, similar to whitewater raft materi-al, and is exceptionally resistant to abra-sion. In addition, a carbon/ Kevlar boot cover, or “skid,” acts as an additional armor plate in the highest wear area. The interior materials are a combination of Antron and spacer mesh to keep the pilot cool and comfortable.

All zippers are YKK, with the para-chute deployment zippers being a CNT 4 style water-resistant type. They were chosen, not because of water resistance, but because they provide reliable sepa-ration of the deployment system and improved longevity and durability for multiple repacks.

Speaking of safety: The Covert has a completely redesigned side-mounted parachute-deployment system, with minimal Velcro, that is realistically de-ployable with either hand. The position of the parachute was worked out over several attempts; it is placed to remove pressure points from your hips or ribs. A pilot has the option of one or two para-chute containers, and chute bridles are attached to the harness structure with a “screamer” type internal attachment point—for shock load reduction proper-ties during an abrupt parachute opening.

[left, top] Covert boot detailed with Hypalon and a replacable carbon/Kevlar skid protector. [left, middle] The CNC cut Teflon coated, aluminum slider mechanism before installation in the carbon backplate. [left, bottom] The CNC cut Teflon coated, aluminum slider mechanism before installation in the carbon backplate. [opposite] “Screamer” type shock load reducing parachute attachment point (internal) | photos by Jeff O’Brien


The Yates climbing company has been successfully producing load-reducing slings for years: (find link at the bottom of this section). I have taken factor 2 falls while climbing rock and ice over the years, and I have absolutely no doubt, based on my experience, that my implementation of a “screamer” type sling added dynam-ics to my fall, reducing impact force, and increased the probability that my protec-tion would safely remain in the rock or ice and arrest me. In the unlikely event of a terminal opening, the orientation of the internal structure within the harness, as well as the way it interacts ergonomi-cally with the pilot, is far more important. But I felt that if I were going to attach a parachute bridle to the robust attach-ment within the harnesses structure, a connection that added impact force re-duction properties in some, if not most, instances would be advantageous. http://www.yatesgear.com/climbing/screamer/index.htm.

STORAGEThe Covert features ample storage for XC flight. Beginning externally on the upper chest, there is a seam-welded camera pouch with structural bungee lanyard. Whether using it to store a camera or for energy gels or the bar of your choice, it’s easily accessible in flight, and I’ve found it to be user friendly and convenient. Along the center of the back, there is an internal neoprene sleeve for a water bladder.

I placed a radio pocket within The Covert, nestled internally behind and off to the side of the pilot’s lower back. I recently added a matching pocket on the other side to allow the pilot to choose which side his/her radio is stored and to allow storage of other items, such as a cell phone, keys or any other equally sized miscellaneous gear.

Behind the pilot’s knees is a zippered compartment large enough to accommo-date a stock glider bag. Two shin pockets

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hold most other peripheral glider bags, although The Covert comes standard with shin bags housing a medium den-sity open cell foam which helps to sup-port the shin area, reducing fatigue on the pilot’s ankles during long flights.

A hollow core mat composite boot, large enough for a harness bag and more, completes the generous storage profile. In one parachute version of the harness, two large side pockets are placed opposite of the parachute and create storage that’s accessible in flight. Both contain bungee lanyards to help secure stored items.

FEATURESOne of the most important consider-ations of any pod-style harness is the main zipper function. The Covert comes with a fully replaceable main entry zipper secured with Velcro. This remedies costly, worrisome zipper problems, especially while on holiday or during competition. This feature also allows for small fine-tune adjustments to the fit by allowing small increases or decreases in circumfer-ence. In other words, if the harness fits perfectly in all places but is a touch tight

in the ribs (as an example), the Velcro on the zipper is simply adjusted slightly to taper out in that area. It has been a pleasant surprise that even a small adjust-ment of 1/8” in certain areas has helped me to “fine tune” the fit of my harness for my particular shape, making it even more custom and comfortable. During six-hour flights every little bit helps, and my Covert has not let me down.

Leg and shoulder straps are also, of course, adjustable, as is standard in most harnesses of its class. In flight pitch, ad-justment is achieved with a spring cam, activated by a hands-free “butt lever” in-ternally, which Dustin has constructed to be far more robust than previous de-signs. The Covert harness comes with a backpack-style harness bag, hardy enough for travel, light enough to fly with.

Wills Wing is now taking orders for production harnesses, and I am doing my best to make sure that each pilot order-ing a Covert gets the customer service required to insure a good fit and careful attention to detail regarding all options available.

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Jeff O'Brien flies the Covert

Currently, The Covert is in pro-duction, having been revised and tested during the spring competi-

tion season. In April of 2010, there were three pre-production Covert harnesses being flown to refine design and rectify any deficiencies.

I happen to have one of the three. From its inception, The Covert was de-signed to be a superior cross-country race harness; therefore, certain “features” inherent in the purpose built product are not necessarily for recreational pilot consumption. (More recreation friendly features have now been implemented for a second edition to the Covert line.)

My race harnesses have been get-ting progressively tighter in the effort to minimize evil drag. I wear low profile thin soccer shoes to fit in the stream-lined aft section of the harness. I wear a minimum of flying clothing, as I’m mostly competing in temperate climates. I expect the harness to fit tight as I fill my lungs and expand my chest. I want just enough storage—not another cubic inch of wasted space around my body. So far, The Covert is fulfilling my needs better than any previous product and, despite the tight fit, the harness is very support-ive and comfortable.

I want a harness that’s going to be strong and safe in the worst case scenario. In addition to years of experience with harness systems in the climbing industry, Jeff Shapiro has received accounts of, and witnessed, catastrophic harness failures. He wanted to make certain any design flaws that led to those failures were not present in The Covert. He also wanted to design out other perceived defects, both in terms of safety and performance. Without going into technical explana-tion, I appreciate the level of thoughtful contemplation that has gone into the design and find the structural integrity confidence- inspiring.

I’ve flown The Covert for 50 hours and find it a pleasure. Fully loaded with all of the glider’s peripheral bags, my legs have room to snake in, between the stor-age pockets, which occupy ergonomic dead space. The cross-sectional cut below the parachute containers is aggressive

and, hopefully, will further minimize drag. The parachutes have packed into the sides of my body nicely.

Most of my competition mates like to fly with smaller parachutes, but I like larger ones. I’m able to fit one large and one small parachute into my harness. (I haven’t tried to fit the two large ones in yet.) I’ve had the opportunity to deploy and re-pack both my parachutes in The Covert, and I’m very pleased with the deployment system. The zippers in the deployment system sit at an angle that allows for good initial friction, but once the deployment sequence has started, the parachutes drop out of the harness quickly—exactly what you want in a deployment system. It has good initial friction, so accidental deployments aren’t an issue, and there is quick, easy extrac-tion in an emergency.

Static load tests have been conducted, and the back plate and internal structure have held to an equivalent of ten g’s on a 210lb pilot without damage or failure. More static and dynamic load testing on the harness’s structure were conducted, and it passed with flying colors. Steve Pearson and Jeff Shapiro have been incre-mentally adjusting the shape patterns to retain minimal drag profiling and create a shell that’s ultimately comfortable with all body styles—not an easy feat.

After engineering robust composite components, redesigning parachute de-ployment systems, and going through several rounds of three-dimensional pattern refinements, how will The Covert perform? In the two high-level US meets this spring, an overall meet win eluded all of the pilots wearing a Covert. However, each of us flying a prototype was able to win at least one day. Later in the season, both my team-mate Zach Majors and I won a day at the Pre- World Championships in Monte Cucco, Italy, and Zach became this year’s U.S. National Champion in his Covert. Dustin and Jeff have also won individual days and performed well in their Coverts this season. It’s my per-ception that The Covert has and contin-ues to evolve into the next generation of hang gliding race harnesses.

Tis the season to pray for that special something you've always wanted.

Be specific.

Happy Holidays!


KAVU DAYS

A Lesson in Busy Livin'


by Jeff Shapiro

When I first met, and was fortunate enough to become involved with, the Seattle-based clothing company, KAVU, I soon realized

that their products’ promotional image of “happi-ness and full-value life experience” was no image but a way of life and philosophy lived by all involved within the company. The more I got to know the crew, the more apparent it became that they freely gave and passed on this attitude by example and their interactions with their customers around the world. Every person I met at KAVU—from folks in the warehouse to the designer, the sales team to the owner— seemed to live each day to the fullest.

As pilots we chase our bliss, so I instantly felt at home with these folks—their religion was one I knew and believed in. I learned a long time ago that if you’re happy as an individual, truly happy, you will

have the ability to give the best of yourself to those around you, and the folks at KAVU seemed to be doing just that. To inspire and be inspired is a privi-lege. We as pilots know and live for those feelings and experiences: to be happy and pass on that hap-piness, to live in the present and not take a second of our lives, especially when lucky enough to partici-pate in free flight, for granted. This allows us to go through each day of our lives happier and healthier.

I wanted to know how KAVU’s owner, Barry Barr, grew up, how his passion for life turned into a way of doing business that became contagious, and how filling each day with “full value” experiences became the essence and definition of a “KAVU day.“

After spending time with Barry Barr, I wasn’t sur-prised to learn that he is an avid paraglider pilot who comes from a family of pilots and intense, self-pro-claimed “fun hogs.” Barry’s parents were involved in everything from competitive water skiing and snow

[main] Jeff Shapiro towing over Marble Canyon during the shooting of the Nature Propelled video. [above] Bruce Barr foot launching in the early days over Monroe, Washington.

“In the early 1960’s, a small

classified ad in the back of a

water-ski magazine that caught

my eye advertised Delta Wing

Kites for $300 and urged the

reader to: ‘become a dealer

now!’ So I did!”


skiing to motorcycle racing in 100-mile desert en-durance fests. I laughed out loud when I discovered that Barry’s dad, Bruce Barr, was a pioneer during the infancy of hang gliding. Listening to Bruce talk and tell stories about “the old days” inspires me to live a little more, love a little more and never hold back. After all, KAVU is an aviation term and Klear Above, Visibility Unlimited is a way of describing an ideal life. What I learned was that living a KAVU day is a choice we all get to make each morning, and what a good choice that is.

I interviewed Bruce and Barry Barr and appreci-ate the message their life example spreads—life is precious, the demonstration of happiness positively impacts those around you, and don’t take a second of living for granted! “In the end, it’s not the years of life, but the life in the years that matters most.”

Hi Bruce, can you tell me where and when you became involved in free flight?

BRUCE: In the late 1950’s and early sixties, we were towing each other around in a flat kite. We usually launched by going off a 5-foot water-ski jump. Since the only pitch control we had was the speed of the boat, we were forced to learn about airspeed vs. groundspeed.

In the early 1960’s, a small classified ad in the back of a water-ski magazine that caught my eye adver-tised Delta Wing Kites for $300 and urged the reader to: “become a dealer now!” So I did! This promotion served as Bill Bennet’s introduction of his new Delta Wing Design tow kites to the US. The first ones fea-tured 10-to-13-foot keel bars and didn’t have much glide-ratio. Before long, some of us were towing up, using a 2,000-foot line and launching from behind cars and boats.

But most everyday flying at that time was off of 500-foot tow lines; the kites had grown to 15 ft 6 inches. Jeff Jobe of Redmond, WA was the first to launch by skiing off the top of a ski area—he got lots of exposure by performing in Warren Miller ski movies. Bill Bennet sent me an 8mm home movie of Bob Wills’ first hang glider flights launching down-hill, into a slight wind. That very day we went out and launched off a 2,100 ft. mountain, even soaring for the first time. When I first encountered big lift, it was freaky watching the land below me get smaller—previously, we were only flying down after releasing. That was around 1970, I think, maybe earlier.

In those early days, was there any connection between flying behind boats and off the slopes of mountains?

BRUCE: I think they were directly related. We did the tow kiting and were releasing and gliding


down. Once Bill came up with his first Delta wing, and we bought that kite and went out to fly it. No one knew what they were doing.

My first foot-launch flight was outside of Sun Valley on a 2,100- foot mountain, when the wind was blowing about 25mph. I was the first to launch, went out and immediately starting going up. It took everything in me to get over the bar and keep the nose down to prevent the kite from stalling. I got my butt kicked all the way down

What other activities were you into at that time? Did any of them contribute to wanting to try powerless flight?

BRUCE: We were doing everything—motorcycling, water ski jumping, trick skiing, alpine skiing, fishing, boating, surfing. If it was fun and adventurous, we were doing it.

Tell me about the name “KAVU” and the company’s promotion to live “Local Worldwide?” Where did the word come from, what does it mean, and how has it become a way of life that hang glider and paraglider pilots aspire to live by? BRUCE: I first learned the word when I was getting my pilot’s license. A CAVU (clear above, visibil-

ity unlimited) day meant we could fly from basically anywhere we desired. I believe Barry translated that term as being environmental perfection and turned it into a way to spread our family philosophy of life.

Barry came up with the term “local world-wide.” It relates to being in tune with special spots and sports of the world. We were doing everything so often that we were the ones who had “local knowl-edge” of most of the places we went. It’s a way of life that can be explained as follows: when you are talking about the last unfound powder chute, you know it as well as the locals, or about where and when to catch fish on a certain tide that usually only the locals know, we fish so much [that] we knew or could figure out where to go. In the case of living KAVU, “local worldwide,” we feel that what we do in our sports would translate anywhere, whether kayak-ing in India, mountain climbing in Chile or scuba diving in Australia.

How did Barry’s upbringing and your influence as parents help instill in him such a contagious life philosophy?

BRUCE: (laughs) We just did it my way; it was all about fun. In our family, we focused on being great people and having the most fun. We believed and taught our kids: be happy whatever you are doing

[opposite, top to bottom]Bruce Barr and a young Barry Barr getting ready to catch dinner. Bruce preparing to get some air behind the ski boat. Barry Barr living a Kavu day. [above] Ski launching from the slopes of Sun Valley. Photo by Bruce Barr.


and the possibilities will be limitless.

Have you ever flown with Barry?

BRUCE: Yes….I think exactly 25 years after I took Barry when he was 4-years old. It was 1999 and Barry had been doing a lot of tandem paragliding. We were in Sun Valley for Christmas, and he had a big Flight Designs tandem wing, which we set up on Limelight at the end of a great day of skiing. The wind was a little cross but once he popped it up, we took four steps and we were off.

The main concern for both of us was that we were a little over gross on the glider with all of our ski gear on. That did not change the feeling; flying off Baldy was great. Our descent rate was pretty fast, being so heavy. Barry handed me the brake lines and let me fly

for a while. We came into the same landing field we used when I flew off Baldy in the 70’s, when I had the Sun Valley Kite School. The role reversal was truly a great feeling. Would I do it again? Yes, but I would make sure I had a harness that fit me. The tandem harness he had was a little small, and I was hanging the entire time, not back in the seat.

Barry, what was it like growing up in your family?

BARRY: Growing up in my family was great. We were always happy and having fun. I don’t remem-ber a day that went by when I saw my parents upset, stressed or bummed out. To them, every day of life is a gift with an expiration date, and you’d better not waste one second of it doing something you don’t want to do.

Other unique qualities were their priorities. My parents’ priorities were to have fun doing outdoor ac-tivities and sports, not to climb the corporate ladder or make the most money. Those things weren’t im-portant. It was about fun. My dad’s way of living—doing things “his way”—defined a way of life. He believed in making the most of every day and ending each day with a big smile on his face. There was no time in my family for feeling sorry for yourself; there were just too many fun things to do. So we did…. everything from motorcycling, fishing, hang gliding, rafting, boating, flying [airplanes] and ranching, to having huge weekend athletic parties with all of his friends.

When were you introduced to flight for the first time, how did you end up deciding on paragliding as your preferred method of getting airborne?

[above, top] Bruce Barr foot launching over Monroe, Washington. Foot launching

was still very new at the time. [bottom] Barry Barr

at Torrey Pines during a filming session for Nature

Propelled, The Elements Project. [opposite] Jeff

Shapiro on glide to goal during a practice day in

Laragne, France. Photo by Zac Majors.


BARRY: We all remember dreams of foot-launch flight, flying like superman. When you actually do it, there is nothing like it in the world. I had my first experience with flight when I was 4 years old, while getting duct taped to my dad’s lap and ski launch-ing down a mountain in Sun Valley on a Delta wing hang glider. My mom wasn’t there, and she got really mad when she found out my dad took me flying. (Honestly, I barely remember my first flight off the mountain in Idaho or being duct taped to my dad on the ski launch. I was also roped in.)

I do remember the stories and being around all the gliders when I was a kid. I remember riding in the truck to the top of mountains, bouncing like on a trampoline with ten gliders on top. Another thing I remember was my dad telling me hang gliding was like being a bird; that stuck in my mind forever.

How do the lifestyle of a pilot and the philosophy of KAVU fit so well together?

BARRY: KAVU is actually spelled with a C and is a term we always used. KAVU is a word we used all the time in our family. For example, we woke up early before the sun [came up] and looked up at the sky. My dad would say: “KAVU. Okay, let’s go fishing!” And we would run down to our dock, get in our boat, race out around the west side of San Juan Island and fish until 7:30, catch a few salmon, come back to the house, and I would ride my motorcycle three miles to the school bus. Not a bad start to the day.

For foot launch flight, KAVU makes sense. Every day, we pilots are dreaming of the next flight, checking weather, waking up wondering if today is a “flyable day.” That passion for fun is definitely KAVU. Being a pilot also takes you to so many fun places in the world that you might not ever go if you didn’t fly. These places are not only wonderful for flying but also for so many other great outdoor activi-ties, whether it’s hiking, camping, mountain biking, etc. These are all things that I think about when I head off on a flying vacation: what else can I do to have fun when I am not flying?

The KAVU brand makes clothing for the KAVU lifestyle, which fits pilots, surfers, world travelers, skiers or just anyone who wants to have fun. Our clothes are rugged and fit in with the environment and mentality of people who are having fun. One of our sayings, “local worldwide,” means that wher-ever KAVU customers are wearing KAVU clothes, they do not stick out as tourists but blend in like locals. We also have another saying, “Busy Livin’.” That’s what we are doing. Even if we have to work, we are Busy Livin’, having the most fun we can doing whatever we’re doing.


words by Nate Scalesimages by David Ohlidal

At the end of August, the travel-ing circus that is the US compe-tition paragliding scene came to

Sun Valley, Idaho, for round two of the US Paragliding National Championships. The combination of big mountains (lots and lots of them), chairlift access to take-off, desert climate, and a picturesque small town make this the best place on earth to fly and race paragliders. The conditions are strong, the scenery is breathtaking, and there are an unlimited number of ac-tivities if it’s not flyable.

Expectations ran high. The first round of the Nationals in Chelan, Washington,

had provided us with six epic tasks. And the meet organizer for Sun Valley, Mike Pfau, had put in innumerable hours over the summer preparing for the contest.

All that was needed was good weather. I had hoped for five days, expected four days, and figured worst case scenario would be three days. The weather gods chuckled at my vanity and only gave us two days, but they were epic, and the organization did everything possible to make sure people had fun, even if they weren’t flying.

The competition started with the first snow of the season. Although the white- capped peaks were beautiful, the flying conditions were terrible. Fortunately, the organizer had arranged for the pilot meet-ings to be held in the lodge on top of the

mountain, so we had an inviting warm place to hang out and enjoy the view. The task committee set tasks on the first two days, but the safety committee canceled the days before anyone was able to get in the air.

Day three dawned with light winds and no chance of precipitation in the fore-cast— perfect. A race was set to Stanley, over 50 miles away in the Sawtooth Valley. There were no turnpoints, so the route options were wide open. Pilots chose lines ranging from deep and direct across the back of the low angled, tree-covered Smokey Mountains, to following the road above the spine of the majestic Boulder Mountains for the first section of the course up the Wood River Valley. No line

The Best

on EarthFlying


offered a distinct advantage. Pilots from all the routes converged on Horton Peak for the final sprint down the magnificent White Cloud Mountains into goal.

Nick Greece won the day, leading almost 40 pilots into the goal in Pioneer Park in the beautiful Sawtooth Valley. Everybody who made it to goal was super-excited, and even those who landed short were not too disappointed, as the flying had been as promised—spectacular.

Day four the conditions looked even better—the same light wind, with base lifting to over 16,000’ in the afternoon. The task committee called a race over Trail Creek Summit and out of the valley to the east. The first turnpoint was 50 miles away, a 5km radius around Dickey Peak at the north end of the Big Lost Mountain Range, and then into goal 20 miles further north on the edge of Challis. The task was again set with the goal of keeping pilots relatively close to the road, but also giving them as many options as possible for how to get there.

Conditions above take-off, before the start, were light lift and abundant wind, offering a less than ideal start. As pilots

managed to get away from Baldy and into the big mountains, the flying rapidly improved. This time pilots had a choice between flying deep into the Boulder Mountains on the north side of the road or flying the relatively steeper terrain of the Pioneers to the south. Similar to the previous day, no line proved to be deci-sively faster, and the lead pilots came to-

gether over the turnpoint for the final race into goal.

Eric Reed won the day, leading more than 20 pilots into goal under an epic sky. The organization had vans and cold beer waiting.

Unfortunately, the next day the wind returned, and there was to be no more racing. The forecast was so bad that the organization cancelled the last two days and moved the awards party up one day to give everyone a chance to return home early.

Meet Director Mike Pfau continued to work his magic, reorganizing an awesome awards ceremony 24 hours earlier than originally planned. After a week of giving almost everyone prizes at the daily pilots’ meeting, he continued the trend at the awards. Many participants were pleased to receive a great selection of prizes, in-

on Earth

[left] Martin Orlik coming into goal near Challis, Idaho. [below left] (left to right) Hayden Glatte, Matt Dadam, Nate Scales, Eric Reed, Nick Greece, Brad Gunnuscio, Cladio Mota, and Jack Brown are all happy in goal. Because as Scales says, "goal is better than Christmas." [below] Pilots setting up at the Sun Valley Ski Resort.


cluding GoPro HD cameras, beautiful trophies and cash.

Eric Reed won first place in the Sun Valley meet. Jack Brown came in second and Nick Greece, third. Ty Sporrer won both the serial and sports class, flying a Nivuik Artik 2, and Melanie Pfister was the women’s winner.

The Sun Valley meet completed the second round of the US National Championships, Jack Brown won first

place, after a year of incredibly consis-tent flying. Nick Greece placed second, and Brad Gunnuscio (last year’s national champ) came in third. Melanie Pfister, flying to an impressive 16th place overall, is the 2010 Women’s National Champion.

Unfortunately, the 2010 comp season is over, but it is never too soon to start getting excited about next year. If you made it to a contest this year, congratula-tions. If not, I hope you will try one next

year, because I can honestly say there is nothing more fun than racing nylon and strings around the sky with your friends. And getting to goal is even better than Christmas!

[above] Martin Orlik flying out towards the Bouder Mountains from Sun Valley launch. [opposite] Mike Pfau, the meet organizer, congratulates Eric Reed who took first, Brad Gunnuscio second, Nick Greece third.


http://www.skywings.org.uk

DIALING IT DOWN Thoughts about Becoming a Former Hang Glider Pilot

by Bill Finn

Am I starting to put myself in a position where I’m going to get hurt? Do I still have the strength

and stamina to tow up through mid-day thermals and core those little bullets that I still long for? Am I kidding myself into thinking that, at 73 and having been flying hang gliders for more than 27 years (yes, I didn’t start to fly hang gliders until I was 46 years old), my body will still respond to my commands and keep me flying safely?

These thoughts have been with me for a while now, and yesterday they were back in spades. It was turning out to be a pretty good day at Enjoy Field, just south of Chicago. The first five or six pilots towed up into the blue, cloudless sky without much success, but the sled rides were get-ting longer and some of the thermals were starting to get workable. I decided to wait

another half-hour, when things should be really cooking, and then give it a go. After all, getting high and, for some, going far, is the name of the game. But obviously, when you want to tow up to the good stuff, you have to tow through all of that low and mid-level thermal turbulence. And yesterday, it was all I could do to stay on the line.

The air on tow was turning me every-which-way-but-loose, and I was sure that my weak link would break at any second. I’ve often thought that if we could see what the air was up to, we wouldn’t want to fly in it. That was certainly true for me yesterday. When I released at about 1,800’ AGL, I was exhausted and a little spooked! That tow just plain wore me out.

I got off in a thermal with a small, solid core, but keeping centered in it was lots of work. I got dumped out of it several times on the way up to the top of the inversion

at 4,600’AGL. The drift was pretty strong, so after topping out, I flew back up-wind to look for more lift. Yes! There I was: sweating, exhausted and kind of worried about getting tossed around by the very active air I was flying through. What the hell was I doing—looking for more lift? I should have been coring the abundant sink and getting my butt back down on terra firma. For some strange reason, I found myself being a glutton for punish-ment.

When I started flying at LMFP back in '83, I had the stamina of a 20-year-old. Once, I flew for 6 ½ hours all over that valley, having a ball. More recently, soar-ing locally in good, strong lift has been my goal. An hour or two, at the most, is usually my limit. Yesterday, though, that 30-minute flight absolutely wore me out. After landing, I could barely carry my glider the 100 yards back to the break-


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Thoughts about Becoming a Former Hang Glider Pilot

down area. I just parked it and rested about an hour before attempting to break it down and put it back on my truck.

So here I sit, thinking about this little dilemma of mine. For the last several years, my stamina has been slowly dimin-ishing. I love being in the air—yet yester-day’s flight is begging me to reassess my flying. I’ve flown airplanes and sailplanes, but they just don’t satisfy me in the same way that flying a hang glider does. I like flying my little single-seat trike. It gets me plenty of airtime, but nothing is quite like the magical, almost spiritual, flying expe-rience of hang gliding. How can I possibly think about giving that up?

What do I do? Do I keep testing my en-durance limits in big air? Do I step down from my lovely U2 to a single-surface floater? Should I learn to become satisfied with flying in ridge lift or to limit myself to sled runs? Should I (could I) just walk

away from hang gliding and find some-thing else to replace my long-time pas-sion?

And if I try to walk away from hang gliding, what will I lose? For the longest time, when people have asked me what I do, I tell them I fly hang gliders. That’s it. That’s what I do. It’s how I define myself. I can’t imagine becoming a former hang glider pilot.

This situation will eventually present itself to almost every one of us. Most of us probably haven’t really thought about it. For the longest time, I certainly didn’t. Of course, I was aware that I couldn’t keep flying hang gliders forever, but I hadn’t really confronted that idea directly. It was just a vague concept lingering in the background that I didn’t have to face. Now, it’s real, and I’m facing it and strug-gling with it.

I’ll have to make some changes!


CLINICS & TOURS

November 13- APrIL 9 Valle de Bravo, Mexico. Yet again we offer week-long packages for all levels of HG and PG pilot. Winter flying fun and excitement with the longest running tour operator in Valle de Bravo. We’ve helped pave the way for the others but our knowledge can’t be beat. More Information: Jef-frey Hunt 512-656-5052, [email protected], or www.flymexico.com

DeCember - APrIL Yelapa, Mexico. Come TOW in paradise. We are offereing siv/acro clinics during the winter months in beautiful Yelapa. We have a great line-up of world class instructors, and state of the art equipment. Also a great place for non-flyers. More Information: Les Snyder, +52 322 209 5174, [email protected], or www. ascensolibre.mx.

DeCember 12-13 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 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.

DeCember 12 - JANUArY 30 Valle de Bravo, Mexico. Fly south this winter! Improve your thermal and x-c skills with U.S. record holder David Prentice. Seven to fourteen day trips flying one of the most consistent flying sites in the world. Airport pick-up/drop off, lodging, transportation, guiding, x-c retriev-als included. To sign up or for more info [email protected], or call (505)720-5436

DeCember 19 - 31 AND JANUArY 1 - 15 Cape-town, South Africa. Join Charles Kirsten and Craig Papworth on safari in South Africa, flying the legend-ary sites of Cape Town, The Wilderness, and Graaff Reinet. 14 days and 13 nights. All accommodation with breakfast, ground transport, retrieves, airport pick up and guiding. Pilots $1990 and $1550 non pilots. Contact Charles at [email protected] or Craig at [email protected] or www.para-worth.com.

JANUArY 1 - APrIL 7 Costa Rica. Come para-glide in Costa Rica with Advanced Instructor and veteran guide Nick Crane. Week long tours run from January to early April. Small groups, great fly-ing More Information: Nick Crane 541-840-8587, [email protected], or www.costaricaparaglid-ing.com.

JANUArY 5 - 15 Governador Valadares, Brazil. One of the best known world class flying sites. Fly GoVal for 999$ for ten days. All your flying needs pro-vided by Bi Wingual and Bi Lingual Adventure Sports Tours. Master rated advanced instructors make your trip worthwhile. Whatever your goals from novice to competition, it’s available. Best times to fly are Jan-May. The 5th through the 15th of each month we will have tours. GV is a fun, flying friendly town with all the conveniences. Accommodations to suit your in-dividual lifestyles are also available. For specific info, dates, times and group rates contact: Ray Leonard at [email protected].

JANUArY 2-9 Manzanillo, Mexico. P3 pilots join us for thermal flying, ridge soaring and beach landings. Great place to bring the family as they can enjoy the beach while you fly in shorts and t-shirts. Airport pickup, private hotel room, breakfast, and guiding & coaching during 6 days of flying for $1,500. Details at http://www.parasoftparagliding.com/travel/iguala%20 _ mexico.php

JANUArY 9-16 & 16-23 Valle de Bravo, Mexico. Come join adventure paragliding for an unforgettable week long trip in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. We will focus on xc and thermal skills for beginner to advanced pilots. 1600 dollars includes airport transport, breakfast and dinner, accommodation in a very luxurious lake house with pool, transport between sites, and instruction. We have 12 years of flying expierience in Valle. Please contact Pine at 970-274-1619, or visit www.adventureparagliding.com.

febrUArY 2-7 Southern Cal. flying trip. Join ken Hudonjorgensen on a trip to thaw out your bones and get your flying brain cells activated and ready for the new flying season. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More info: www.twocanfly.com.

DeCember 15 - febrUArY 28 San Juan Cosala, Mexico. FlyBC’s Mexico Winter Tours start in Gua-dalajara and surrounding sites. Weekly tour pack-ages for Beginner though to Advanced PG Pilots. Train to become a Novice/P2 pilot in sunny Mexico on your vacation with an Advanced USHPA Instruc-tor with 15 years experience. On alternating weeks we provide Guiding and Intermediate to Advanced Instruction at some of the most beautiful sites in Mexico. More info: www.flybc.org/tours.htm, or call Jim at 604-618-5467.

FLEX WINGS

Wills Wing Falcon Tandem 225 Hg - White/Yellow, less than 50 hours, excellent condition, keel is reinforced for trike. Flys awesome,never crashed. $1795. 714-350-7860 [email protected]

a gReaT selecTion oF Hg&Pg glideRs (ss, ds, pg) -HARNESSES (trainer, cocoon, pod) -PARA-CHUTES (hg&pg) -WHEELS (new & used). Phone for latest inventory 262-473-8800, www.hangglid-ing.com

BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT

insTRucToRs needed - Full or part time basic/advanced hang glider instructors. Lodging available. Please contact Greg at Mountain Wings in Ellenville, NY 845-647-3377 [email protected]

liFe insuRance FoR PiloTs - Inexpensive life insurance is indeed available to U.S. Residents that will protect your loved ones with complete coverage, Term or permanent life. Includes coverage while Hanggliding or Paragliding without exclusion. Call 619-721-3684 or email [email protected] for more information. Ca. ins lic 0b18364

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


PARAGLIDERS

2009 icePeak 3 - 29 meter comp wing - less than 50 hours. $1695. Awesome glider. White/Gray 714-350-7860 [email protected]

SCHOOLS & DEALERS

ALABAMA

lookouT mounTain FligHT PaRk - The best facilities, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more. Wide range of accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543, hanglide.com.

CALIFORNIA

aiRJunkies PaRagliding - Year-round excellent instruction, Southern California & Baja. Powered paragliding, clinics, tours, tandem, towing. Ken Baier 760-753-2664, airjunkies.com.

eagle PaRagliding - SANTA BARBARA offers the best year round flying in the nation. Award-winning instruction, excellent mountain and ridge sites. www.flysantabarbara.com, 805-968-0980

FlY aBoVe all - Year-round instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara! USHPA Novice through Advanced certification. Thermaling to competition training. Visit www.flyaboveall.com 805-965-3733.

FlY aWaY Hang gliding - Santa Barbara. Best hill/equipment, glider shuttles up hill, tandems, sales, service, 20 years experience, Instructor Administrator Tammy Burcar. 805-403-8487, www.flyawayhanggliding.com.

THe Hang gliding cenTeR - PO Box 151542, San Diego CA 92175, 619-265-5320.

mission soaRing cenTeR llc - Largest hang gliding center in the West! Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment: Wills Wing, Moyes, AIR, High Energy, Flytec, Aeros, Northwing, Hero wide angle video camera. A.I.R. Atos rigid wings- demo the VQ-45' span, 85 Lbs! Parts in stock. We stock new and used equipment. Trade-ins welcome. Complete lesson program. Best training park in the west, located just south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Pitman Hydraulic Winch System for Hang 1s and above. Launch and landing clinics for Hang 3s and Hang 4s. Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and custom training harnesses. 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035. 408-262-1055, Fax 408-262-1388, [email protected], Mission Soaring Center LLC, leading the way since 1973. www.hang-gliding.com

ToRReY Pines glideRPoRT - This historic site, established in 1928, offers all of the services you need. We provide USHPA certified instruction, advanced training, equipment sales, tandem flight instruction, paramotor instruction, SIV clinics, cross country clinics, tandem instructor clinics, paragliding instructor clinics, and a fully staffed cafe. We also have an extensive glider sport shop offering parachute repacks and full-service repairs. We are importers for Paratech, Ozone, Skywalk, Independence gliders and are dealers for all brands! We also carry an extensive certified used inventory of gliders and harnesses. We are the primary Ki2Fly dealer, and also carry AustriAlpin, Crispi, Black Hawk Paramotors, and too much more to list! Check us out online at: www.flytorrey.com, or give us a ring at 1-858-452-9858.

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

COLORADO

gunnison glideRs – Serving the western slope. Instruction, sales, service, sewing, accessories. Site information, ratings. 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230.Call (970) 641-9315, or (866)238-2305.

FLORIDA

FloRida Ridge aeRoToW PaRk - 18265 E State Road 80, Clewiston, Florida 863-805-0440, www.thefloridaridge.com.

gRaYBiRd aiRsPoRTs — Paraglider & hang glider towing & training, Dragonfly aerotow training, XC, thermaling, instruction, equipment. Dunnellon Airport 352-245-8263, email [email protected], www.graybirdairsports.com.

lookouT mounTain FligHT PaRk - Nearest mountain training center to Orlando. Two training hills, novice mountain launch, aerotowing, great accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543.

miami Hang gliding - For year-round training fun in the sun. 305-285-8978, 2550 S Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133, www.miamihanggliding.com.

QuesT aiR Hang gliding - We offer the best instruction, friendliest staff, beautiful grounds with swimming pool, private lake and clubhouse, lodging, plus soaring in our super-famous, soft, Sunshine State thermals. Come fly with us! 352- 429- 0213, Groveland, FL, questairforce.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

http://www.flytec.com

http://www.moyesusa.com

http://hanglide.com


GEORGIA

lookouT mounTain FligHT PaRk - Discover why 5 times as many pilots earn their wings at LMFP. Enjoy our 110 acre mountain resort. www.hanglide.com, 1-877-HANGLIDE, 1-877-426-4543.

HAWAII

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

INDIANA

cloud 9 sPoRT aViaTion - See Cloud 9 in Michigan

MARYLAND

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

MICHIGAN

cloud 9 sPoRT aViaTion (hang gliding equipment), North American Soaring (Alatus ultralight sailplane and e-drive systems), Dragon Fly Soaring Club (hang gliding instruction), at Cloud 9 Field, Webberville, MI.More info: (517) 223-8683, [email protected], www.DFSCinc.org.

TRaVeRse ciTY Hang glideRs/PaRaglideRs Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450’ sand dunes. Full-time shop. Certified instruction, beginner to advanced. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. Visa/MasterCard. 1509 E 8th, Traverse City MI 49684. Offering powered paragliding. Call Bill at 231-922-2844, [email protected]. Your USA & Canada Mosquito distributor. www.mosquitoamerica.com.

NEW JERSEY

PennsYlVania PaRagliding - Best paragliding instruction in the NE. 1.5 hours from NYC and Philadelphia. Training hill and towing. 17 Years of combined experience. www.pennsylvaniaparagliding.com( 610)392-0050.

NEW YORK

aaa mounTain Wings inc. - New location at 77 Hang Glider Road in Ellenville next to the LZ. We service all brands featuring AEROS and North Wing. Contact 845-647-3377, [email protected], www.mtnwings.com,

FlY HigH, inc. - Serving New York, Jersey, and Connecticut areas. Area’s exclusive Wills Wing dealer. Also all other brands, accessories. Area’s most INEXPENSIVE prices! Certified instruction/service since 1979. Excellent secondary instruction! Taken some lessons? Advance to mountain flying! www.flyhighhg.com, 845-744-3317.

leT's go PaRagliding llc - Paragliding flight school offering USHPA-certified instruction for all levels, tandem lessons, tours, and equipment sales. www.letsgoparagliding.com, 917-359-6449.


PlaneT PaRagliding - New York City area's finest instruction. Come fly with us. Beginner through advanced instruction. Best prices on new gear. Bill 203-881-9419, 203-206-3896, www.planetparaglidingtours.com.

susQueHanna FligHT PaRk COOPERSTOWN, NY. 160' training hill with rides up. Mountain site. Bunk house. Camping. Contact info: home (315) 866-6153 cell (315) 867-8011. [email protected], www.cooperstownhanggliding.com.

NORTH CAROLINA

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

OHIO

cloud 9 sPoRT aViaTion - See Cloud 9 in Michigan

PENNSYLVANIA


PUERTO RICO

FlY PueRTo Rico WiTH Team sPiRiT Hg! - Flying tours, rentals, tandems, HG and PG classes, H-2 and P-2 intensive Novice courses, full sales. 787-850-0508, [email protected].

TENNESSEE

lookouT mounTain FligHT PaRk - Just outside Chattanooga. Become a complete pilot -foot launch, aerotow, mountain launch, ridge soar, thermal soar. hanglide.com, 1-877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543.

Costa Rica Paragliding ToursParaglide Costa Rica, the Ultimate Canopy Tour!

"If you love to fly, book a trip to Costa Rica, take a tour with Nick Crane"

(advice from the locals!)

Week long tours from Jan-March 2011small groups, great flying

www.costaricaparagliding.com

http://www.parasupply.com


http://www.costaricaparagliding.com


TEXAS

FlYTexas / JeFF HunT - training pilots in Central Texas for 25 years. Hangar facilities near Packsaddle Mountain, and Lake LBJ. More info: www.flytexas.com, (512)467-2529

UTAH

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

suPeR FlY PaRagliding – Come to world famous Point of the Mountain and learn to fly from one of our distinguished instructors. We teach year round and offer some of the best paragliding equipment available. Get your P2 certification, advanced ratings or tandem ratings here. We have a full shop to assist you with any of your free flight needs. 801-255-9595, [email protected] , www.superflyinc.com.

Wings oVeR WasaTcH Hang gliding - Salt Lake / region 4 area. Certified HANG GLIDING instruction, sales, service. World class training hill! Tours of Utah’s awesome mountains for visiting pilots. DISCOUNT glider/equipment prices. Glider rentals. Tandem flights. Ryan Voight, 801-599-2555, www.wingsoverwasatch.com.

VIRGINIA

Blue skY - Full-time HG instruction. Daily lessons, scooter, and platform towing. AT towing part time. Custom sewing, powered harnesses, Aeros PG , Flylight and Airborne trikes. More info: (804)241-4324, or www.blueskyhg.com

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.FLYLASALINA.com. by www.BAJABRENT.com, He’ll hook you up! site intros, tours, & rooms [email protected], 760-203-2658

cosTa Rica - Grampa Ninja's Paragliders' B&B. Rooms, and/or guide service and transportation. Lessons available from USHPA certified instructors. USA: 908-454-3242. Costa Rica: (Country code, 011) House: 506-2664-6833, Cell: 506-8950-8676, www.paraglidecostarica.com<http://www.paraglidecostarica.com>

medellin, colomBia-- Join Ruben Montoya the pioneer pilot in Colombia and fly in the city of eternal spring. More than 7 flying site options, Inflight views of 5 waterfalls. Launch from 5000 feet above the LZ. Great thermals, XC possibilities,valley release. More Info: www.paraglidingmedellin.com

mexico - Valle de BRaVo and beyond for hang gliding and paragliding. Year round availability and special tours. Gear, guiding, instruction, transportation, lodging - all varieties for your needs. www.flymexico.com 1-800-861-7198 USA

PARTS & ACCESSORIES

all Hg glideRBags, harness packs, harness zippers and zipper stocks. Instrument mounts and replacement bands. Mitts, straps, fabric parts, windsocks, radios. Gunnison Gliders. Contact at (866)238-2305

FligHT suiTs, FligHT suiTs, FligHT suiTs, Warm Flight suits, Efficient Flight suits, Light weight Flight suits, Flight suits in twelve sizes. Stylish Flight suits. More info: www.mphsports.com, (54) 702-2111

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

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.

oxYgen sYsTems – MH-XCR-180 operates to 18,000 ft., weighs only 4 lbs. System includes cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula, and remote on/off flowmeter. $450.00. 1-800-468-8185

sPecialTY WHeels for airfoil basetubes, round basetubes, or tandem landing gear.(262)473-8800, www.hanggliding.com.

PUBLICATIONS / ORGANIZATIONS

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

SERVICE

cloud 9 RePaiR dePaRTmenT - We staff and maintain a full service repair shop within Cloud 9 Paragliding; offering annual inspections, line replacement, sail repair of any kind (kites too!), harness repairs and reserve repacks. Our repair technicians are factory trained and certified to work on almost any paraglider or kite. Call today for an estimate 801-576-6460 or visit www.paragliders.com for more information.

geT YouR annual insPecTion, repair or reserve repack done quickly and professionally. Super Fly does more inspections, repairs and repacks than any service center in North America. Call or email for details and more information. 801-255-9595, [email protected].

Rising aiR glideR RePaiR seRVices – A full-service shop, specializing in all types of paragliding repairs, annual inspections, reserve repacks, harness repairs. Hang gliding reserve repacks and repair. For information or repair estimate, call (208) 554-2243, pricing and service request form available at www.risingair.biz, [email protected].

WANTED

WanTed - Used variometers, harnesses, parachutes, helmets, etc. Trade or cash. (262) 473-8800, www.hanggliding.com.

WanTed - New or used apparel with old USHGA logo / artwork. Size L. Please contact Theodore at (530) 222-2447

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS

sTolen 9/18/10 - dRaPeR, uT. Gradient Aspen PG, Black harness, white helmet and Flytec vario. Please call: Chris: 209-267-5090 , or Aaron: 916-471-9695.

sTolen - Dual Tow System - Stolen from my home (Tuscon, AZ) in May, system was mounted on a trailer. Scooter tow system is powered by a 150 Honda engine, removed from the original scooter, mounted in a two inch square tubular frame. Fair lead is mounted on three feet of 2” square tubing and is removable. Handle bars are removable they mount on a plate and tubing standoff. Platform tow system has an aluminum hub, belt drive electric rewind motor, flexible hydraulic line to pressure gauge/release, mounted on a plate. Both systems have purple spectra line on them. If you need more info give me a call , I have pics. Vehicle seen leaving the area silver/gray Ford expedition. Trailer was recovered systems were not. Any help finding my Tow System would be greatly appreciated. Eric 520-405-3814


Ascenso Libre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Costa Rica Paragliding . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Flytec - Blueeyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Flytec - 6020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Flytec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Foundation for Free Flight . . . . . . . . . . 30

Gradient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Hall Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Kitty Hawk Kites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Lookout Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Moyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

North Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Ozone Paragliders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Parasupply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Parque Aventuras La Ceja . . . . . . . . . . 13

Sky Wings Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Soaring Society of America . . . . . . . . . 72

Sport Aviation Publications . . . . . . . . . 10

Superfly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Thermal Tracker Paragliding . . . . . . . . . .11

Torrey Pines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

US Parachuting Association . . . . . . . . . 48

Wills Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

USHPA | 2011 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 49

USHPA | Visa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

ADVERTISERS

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H-1 1 Eric Bryan Everett WA James FieserH-1 2 Jason Frankl San Ramon CA David YountH-1 2 Tomas Rodriguez Jr Sunnyvale CA David YountH-1 2 James Geer Martinez CA David YountH-1 2 Steven Forster San Jose CA David YountH-1 2 Christopher Hogue San Carlos CA David YountH-1 2 Heather Zischka Livermore CA David YountH-1 2 Alexandre Rocha San Francisco CA David YountH-1 3 Wayne Craft Santa Barbara CA Tammy BurcarH-1 3 Kevin Williams Apple Valley CA Rob MckenzieH-1 3 Bob Levy Los Angeles CA Joe GrebloH-1 3 Lloyd Albright Iii Playa Del Rey CA Joe GrebloH-1 4 Brian Plummer Draper UT Ryan VoightH-1 6 Evan Davis Omaha NE Bart WeghorstH-1 7 Christopher Kroll Lake Mills WI Rich CizauskasH-1 7 Mark Dando Richland MI Tracy TillmanH-1 7 Josh Kennedy Grand Rapids MI Tracy TillmanH-1 7 Ryan Anil James Higgins Bloomington MN Gordon CayceH-1 8 Ryan Metzger Wilmington MA Adrian WitcombH-1 8 Zachary Jennings West Kingston RI Michael AppelH-1 9 Michael Bauman Mechanicsville MD Steve WendtH-1 9 Joie Chang Germantown MD Zack MarzecH-1 9 Kari Warpinski Huntingdon PA Paul VeneskyH-1 9 Anne Marvin Annapolis MD Adam ElchinH-1 9 David Simms Arlington VA Steve WendtH-1 9 Brian Blagg Midlothian VA Gordon CayceH-1 9 Paul Vernon Wilmington DE Adam ElchinH-1 9 Benjamin Walker Haymarket VA David WilliamsH-1 10 Richard Thoms Spring Lake NC Gordon CayceH-1 10 Kristina Straumfjord Madison TN Gordon CayceH-1 10 Andy Harper Rising Fawn GA Gordon CayceH-1 10 Jessica Furby Lucedale MS Gordon CayceH-1 10 Jonathan Cocker Chattanooga TN Gordon CayceH-1 10 Thom Brown Atlanta GA Gordon CayceH-1 10 Jerry Farr Lawrenceville GA Gordon CayceH-1 10 Amy Conarroe Salisbury NC Douglas JohnsonH-1 11 Christopher (kit) Martin North Richland Hills TX Jeffrey Hunt

HANG GLIDING

H-1 11 David Mcghee Cleburne TX Jeffrey HuntH-1 12 Tom Nagy Sparta NJ Andy TorringtonH-1 12 John Schultz Wurtsboro NY Greg BlackH-1 12 Joshua Mcmillan Brooklyn NY Greg BlackH-1 12 Steve Webb New Windsor NY Tony CovelliH-1 12 Razvan Ducu New York NY Bryon EstesH-1 13 Art Cox Blue Mountains, Ont Gordon CayceH-2 1 Eric Bryan Everett WA James FieserH-2 2 Keegan Brown San Jose CA Harold JohnsonH-2 2 Phillip Fisher San Ramon CA Michael JeffersonH-2 2 George Garibay San Jose CA Harold JohnsonH-2 3 Wayne Craft Santa Barbara CA Tammy BurcarH-2 3 Kevin Williams Apple Valley CA Rob MckenzieH-2 3 Dennis Duvall Crestline CA Steve StackableH-2 3 Stan Albright Huntington Beach CA Joe GrebloH-2 4 Brian Plummer Draper UT Ryan VoightH-2 6 Evan Davis Omaha NE Bart WeghorstH-2 7 Krunoslav Drozdek Chicago IL Daniel HartowiczH-2 7 Christopher Kroll Lake Mills WI Rich CizauskasH-2 7 Ryan Anil James Higgins Bloomington MN Gordon CayceH-2 8 Nathan Fitzgerald Cambridge MA Steven PrepostH-2 9 Jesse Yoder Arlington VA John MiddletonH-2 9 Paul Mazzoni York PA Jon ThompsonH-2 9 Brian Blagg Midlothian VA Gordon CayceH-2 10 Stephen Norton Cary NC Gordon CayceH-2 10 Gary Durham Stuart FL Gordon CayceH-2 10 Hunter Deakle Raleigh NC Jon ThompsonH-2 10 Jeff Parrott Raleigh NC Jon ThompsonH-2 10 Gregory Eaddy Nags Head NC Jon ThompsonH-2 10 Richard Thoms Spring Lake NC Gordon CayceH-2 10 Kristina Straumfjord Madison TN Gordon CayceH-2 10 Andy Harper Rising Fawn GA Gordon CayceH-2 10 Jessica Furby Lucedale MS Gordon CayceH-2 10 Jonathan Cocker Chattanooga TN Gordon CayceH-2 10 Thom Brown Atlanta GA Gordon CayceH-2 10 Jerry Farr Lawrenceville GA Gordon CayceH-2 11 Christopher (kit) Martin North Richland Hills TX Jeffrey Hunt

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RTng Regn name ciTY sTaTe RaTing oFFicial


P-1 1 Micahel Boomen Kirkland WA Lan ChiricoP-1 1 Shannon Moyle Issaquah WA Lan ChiricoP-1 1 Justin Boer Aloha OR Paul SomersetP-1 1 Michael Brown Wasilla AK Wil BrownP-1 1 Christel Cherry Kirkland WA Douglas StroopP-1 1 Jeff Slotta Issaquah WA Lan ChiricoP-1 1 Jaime Horn-sinnott Williams OR Kevin LeeP-1 1 Tisha White Issaquah WA Lan ChiricoP-1 1 Covey Baack Gold Hill OR Kevin LeeP-1 1 Joseph Gillispie Olympia WA Lan ChiricoP-1 1 William Trimble Lake Stevens WA Douglas StroopP-1 2 Rebeca Rifenberg Palo Alto CA Wallace AndersonP-1 2 Man Kam Fai San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Brian Cadwell Stateline NV Mitchell NearyP-1 2 Mike Lanni San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Hung Wai Lai San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Peter Lasa San Francisco CA Klaus SchlueterP-1 2 Kenneth Aber Oakland CA Klaus SchlueterP-1 2 Kimberly Irish Oakland CA Klaus SchlueterP-1 2 Johnny Ho Yin Leung San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Kong Wing Chiu San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Choi Lai Yin San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Tik Fun Cheng San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Ron Andresen Etna CA Nick CraneP-1 2 Stephen Smith San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Paz Eshel Santa Clara CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Nathan Burley Sacramento CA Denise ReedP-1 2 Jose Alexandre De Lacerda Incline Village NV Ray LeonardP-1 3 Arthur Fabert Westminster CA Marcello De BarrosP-1 3 Parixit Aghera San Diego CA Roy ZaleskiP-1 3 Charlie Koryn Delmar CA Roy ZaleskiP-1 3 Karl Vinokur Sylmar CA Rob MckenzieP-1 3 Mark Meyers San Diego CA Max MarienP-1 3 Jewan Jernaill Kahului HI Robert EdwardsP-1 3 William Hise San Diego CA Max MarienP-1 3 Mark Macwhirter Simi Valley CA Philip RussmanP-1 4 Richard Rallison Paradise UT Chris SantacroceP-1 4 Mark Pehrson Layton UT Jonathan JefferiesP-1 4 Carlos Cox Albuquerque NM T Lee KortschP-1 4 Benny Abruzzo Albuquerque NM Charles WoodsP-1 4 Richard Mcneil Ft Collins CO Granger BanksP-1 4 Matt Burchett Draper UT Mike SteenP-1 4 William Beninati Sandy UT Brad GunnuscioP-1 4 Robert Kittila Boulder CO Alejandro Palmaz

PARAGLIDING


P-1 4 Kurt Knuth Breckenridge CO Etienne PienaarP-1 4 Sarah Chapman Salt Lake City UT Kevin HintzeP-1 4 Luis Alvarado Boulder CO Granger BanksP-1 4 Matt Bickley Vail CO Etienne PienaarP-1 4 Nate Johnson Salt Lake City UT Ken HudonjorgensenP-1 5 William Smith Jr Missoula MT David HanningP-1 5 Mark Mol Wilson WY Scott HarrisP-1 6 Marshall Gross Collinsville OK Ron KohnP-1 8 Ronald Santos Bridgeport CT Heath WoodsP-1 8 Michael Faison New Haven CT Bruce KirkP-1 8 David Mcnulty Bangor ME Mike SteenP-1 8 Diana Mcnulty Bangor ME Stephen MayerP-1 8 Lauren Rudy Arundel ME Stephen MayerP-1 8 Rafael Klipp Borges Marlborough MA Heath WoodsP-1 8 Alec Goldschmid Dummerston VT Heath WoodsP-1 9 Emily Mistick Sewickley PA Charles SmithP-1 9 Mick Knutson West Chester PA Christopher GranthamP-1 9 Axel Kirstetter Rockville MD Mike SteenP-1 9 Christopher Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-1 9 Matthew Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-1 9 Roselyn Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-1 9 Timothy Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-1 9 Andrew Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-1 9 Jonathan Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-1 10 Carter Fairchild West Palm Beach FL Steve RotiP-1 10 Lauren Ritzen Franklin TN Charles SmithP-1 11 James Eaton El Paso TX Hadley RobinsonP-1 11 Ed Sherwood Lago Vista TX Stephen MayerP-1 12 Shiann Chia Edison NJ Benoit BruneauP-1 12 Bence Szasz New York NY Benoit BruneauP-1 12 Caitlin Hardie Lansing NY Charles SmithP-1 12 Donald Moores Red Bank NJ Benoit BruneauP-1 13 Neil Metcalfe Banbury Jurgen Von DueszelnP-1 13 Jorge Duque Ibarra Lan ChiricoP-1 13 Bradford Hillam Stanley Steven YanceyP-1 13 Christoph (michael) Riethmueller Central Steven YanceyP-1 13 Douglas Thomson Linlithgow Steven YanceyP-1 13 Maurice Chiu Kwok Chu Tseung Kwan O Steven YanceyP-1 13 Annie Levac Nt Steven YanceyP-1 13 Kee Lok Yeung Nt Steven YanceyP-1 13 Chandima Aravinda Sydney, Nsw Steven YanceyP-1 13 Mike Yeung Nt Steven YanceyP-1 13 Mark Collins Happy Valley Steven YanceyP-1 13 Boutry Guillaume Shenzhen Steven YanceyP-1 13 Sahin Sahin Kas, Antalya Murat TuzerP-1 13 Sinan Demirtas Kas, Antalya Murat TuzerP-2 1 Micahel Boomen Kirkland WA Lan ChiricoP-2 1 Micah Bartron Beaverton OR Maren LudwigP-2 1 Jonathan De La Motte Tualatin OR Kelly KellarP-2 1 Brett Faike Hood River OR Kelly KellarP-2 1 Justin Boer Aloha OR Paul SomersetP-2 1 Michael Brown Wasilla AK Wil BrownP-2 1 Christel Cherry Kirkland WA Douglas StroopP-2 1 Jeff Slotta Issaquah WA Lan ChiricoP-2 1 Jaime Horn-sinnott Williams OR Kevin LeeP-2 1 Tisha White Issaquah WA Lan ChiricoP-2 1 Covey Baack Gold Hill OR Kevin LeeP-2 1 Joseph Gillispie Olympia WA Lan ChiricoP-2 1 William Trimble Lake Stevens WA Douglas StroopP-2 2 Paul Middleton Daly City CA Wallace AndersonP-2 2 Jeffrey Sanchez San Francisco CA Wallace AndersonP-2 2 Jonathan Hart San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-2 2 Man Kam Fai San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-2 2 Frank Edwards San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-2 2 Marty Braselton Midpines CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-2 2 Hung Wai Lai San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-2 2 Peter Lasa San Francisco CA Klaus SchlueterP-2 2 Johnny Ho Yin Leung San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-2 2 Kong Wing Chiu San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-2 2 Choi Lai Yin San Francisco CA Jeffrey Greenbaum

H-2 12 John Schultz Wurtsboro NY Greg BlackH-2 12 Bo Lundy Glenbrook NY Gordon CayceH-2 12 Steve Webb New Windsor NY Tony CovelliH-2 12 Razvan Ducu New York NY Bryon EstesH-2 13 Art Cox Blue Mountains, Ont Gordon CayceH-3 1 Eric Ollikainen Vancouver WA John MatylonekH-3 2 Victoria Knight Albany CA Scott SeebassH-3 2 Christopher Cook Belmont CA Eric HinrichsH-3 3 Adam Fischbach Oceanside CA John HeineyH-3 3 Benjamin Strand Van Nuys CA Joe GrebloH-3 4 Brian Plummer Draper UT Ryan VoightH-3 4 Andrew Ide Phoenix AZ Jeff ShapiroH-3 8 Louis Di Valentin Charlestown NH Steven PrepostH-3 10 Jerry Carroll Fort Myers FL James TindleH-3 10 Osama Idlibi Harrisburg NC Gordon CayceH-3 12 John Schultz Wurtsboro NY Greg BlackH-4 4 Daniel Moser Sandy UT Ryan VoightH-4 4 Jeffrey Sharp Salt Lake City UT Miller StroudH-4 4 John Glime Salt Lake City UT Ryan VoightH-4 10 Bob Belshan Memphis TN Miller StroudH-4 12 John Schultz Wurtsboro NY Greg Black


A U G U S T 2 0 1 0 RATINGSRTng Regn name ciTY sTaTe RaTing oFFicial RTng Regn name ciTY sTaTe RaTing oFFicial

P-2 2 Tik Fun Cheng San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-2 2 Ron Andresen Etna CA Nick CraneP-2 2 Nathan Burley Sacramento CA Denise ReedP-2 2 Jose Alexandre De Lacerda Incline Village NV Ray LeonardP-2 3 Arthur Fabert Westminster CA Marcello De BarrosP-2 3 Kevin Zick San Diego CA Robin MarienP-2 3 Parixit Aghera San Diego CA Roy ZaleskiP-2 3 Charlie Koryn Delmar CA Roy ZaleskiP-2 3 Chris Buening Rancho Santa Marguri CA Bradley GearyP-2 3 Laurie Phillips La Jolla CA Bradley GearyP-2 3 Alex Katzfey Encinitas CA Max MarienP-2 3 Karl Vinokur Sylmar CA Rob MckenzieP-2 3 Mark Macwhirter Simi Valley CA Philip RussmanP-2 4 Richard Rallison Paradise UT Chris SantacroceP-2 4 Derek Redd Vail CO Gregory KelleyP-2 4 Mark Pehrson Layton UT Jonathan JefferiesP-2 4 Carlos Cox Albuquerque NM T Lee KortschP-2 4 Richard Mcneil Ft Collins CO Granger BanksP-2 4 Matt Burchett Draper UT Mike SteenP-2 4 William Beninati Sandy UT Brad GunnuscioP-2 4 Robert Kittila Boulder CO Alejandro PalmazP-2 4 Kurt Knuth Breckenridge CO Etienne PienaarP-2 4 Sarah Chapman Salt Lake City UT Kevin HintzeP-2 4 Luis Alvarado Boulder CO Granger BanksP-2 4 Matt Bickley Vail CO Etienne PienaarP-2 4 Nate Johnson Salt Lake City UT Ken HudonjorgensenP-2 5 William Smith Jr Missoula MT David HanningP-2 5 William Baker Jackson WY Kirkeby DeffebachP-2 5 Derek Zohner Pocatello ID Scott HarrisP-2 5 Mark Mol Wilson WY Scott HarrisP-2 6 Donald Davies Ada OK Ron KohnP-2 6 Marshall Gross Collinsville OK Ron KohnP-2 8 Dermot Ryan Merrimack NH Jeffrey GreenbaumP-2 8 Michael Faison New Haven CT Bruce KirkP-2 8 David Mcnulty Bangor ME Mike SteenP-2 8 Diana Mcnulty Bangor ME Stephen MayerP-2 8 Lauren Rudy Arundel ME Stephen MayerP-2 8 Alec Goldschmid Dummerston VT Heath WoodsP-2 9 Emily Mistick Sewickley PA Charles SmithP-2 9 Mick Knutson West Chester PA Christopher GranthamP-2 9 Axel Kirstetter Rockville MD Mike SteenP-2 9 Christopher Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-2 9 Matthew Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-2 9 Roselyn Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-2 9 Timothy Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-2 9 Andrew Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-2 9 Jonathan Ilgenfritz Carlisle PA David HanningP-2 10 John Ullrey Sumter SC Luis RosenkjerP-2 10 Carter Fairchild West Palm Beach FL Steve RotiP-2 10 Lauren Ritzen Franklin TN Charles SmithP-2 11 Mark Bryan Austin TX Patrick JohnsonP-2 11 Jessica Bryant Round Rock TX David PrenticeP-2 11 Ed Sherwood Lago Vista TX Stephen MayerP-2 12 Shiann Chia Edison NJ Benoit BruneauP-2 12 Bence Szasz New York NY Benoit BruneauP-2 12 Caitlin Hardie Lansing NY Charles SmithP-2 12 Donald Moores Red Bank NJ Benoit BruneauP-2 13 Neil Metcalfe Banbury Jurgen Von DueszelnP-2 13 Jorge Duque Ibarra Lan ChiricoP-2 13 Maurice Chiu Kwok Chu Tseung Kwan O Steven YanceyP-2 13 Annie Levac Nt Steven YanceyP-2 13 Kee Lok Yeung Nt Steven YanceyP-2 13 Chandima Aravinda Sydney, Nsw Steven YanceyP-2 13 Sahin Sahin Kas, Antalya Murat TuzerP-2 13 Sinan Demirtas Kas, Antalya Murat TuzerP-3 1 Theodore Sopher Renton WA Lan ChiricoP-3 1 Kayoko Gray Issaquah WA Douglas StroopP-3 1 Michael Fleming Joseph OR Douglas StroopP-3 1 Justin Boer Aloha OR Paul SomersetP-3 1 Jeff Slotta Issaquah WA Lan Chirico

P-3 2 Boyd Stratton Philo CA Max MarienP-3 2 Chris Nystuen San Mateo CA Max MarienP-3 2 Marcel Weiher Mountain View CA Douglas StroopP-3 2 Harris Hancock Fremont CA Ann SasakiP-3 2 Chip Greel San Jose CA Wallace AndersonP-3 2 Mikhail (mike) Danilov Mountain View CA Kim GalvinP-3 2 Man Kam Fai San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-3 2 Hung Wai Lai San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-3 2 Johnny Ho Yin Leung San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-3 2 Kong Wing Chiu San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-3 2 Choi Lai Yin San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-3 2 Tik Fun Cheng San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-3 3 Carmen Devietti Ventura CA Marty DeviettiP-3 3 Wendy Hunter Solano Beach CA Gabriel JebbP-3 3 Bryan Rice Santa Barbara CA Rob SporrerP-3 3 Arthur Fabert Westminster CA Marcello De BarrosP-3 3 Kevin Zick San Diego CA Robin MarienP-3 3 Karl Vinokur Sylmar CA Rob MckenzieP-3 4 Dennis Joyce Frisco CO Gregory KelleyP-3 4 Laurie Delaney Glenwood Springs CO Jonathan JefferiesP-3 4 Paul Oddou Salt Lake City UT Jonathan JefferiesP-3 4 Blake Pelton Colorado Springs CO Kevin HintzeP-3 5 Aaron Palmer Jackson WY Jonathan JefferiesP-3 7 Scott Baxter Minooka IL Alejandro PalmazP-3 7 Andrew Dahl Minneapolis MN Etienne PienaarP-3 8 Mike Sherwood Arundel ME Mike SteenP-3 10 Carter Fairchild West Palm Beach FL Steve RotiP-3 11 Thomas Henkel Houston TX Jonathan JefferiesP-3 12 Katrin Parsiegla Fairport NY Douglas StonerP-3 12 Karl Link Fairport NY Douglas StonerP-3 13 Jorge Duque Ibarra Lan ChiricoP-3 13 Sahin Sahin Kas, Antalya Murat TuzerP-3 13 Sinan Demirtas Kas, Antalya Murat TuzerP-4 1 Paul Moyes Seattle WA Marc ChiricoP-4 1 Ralph Boirum Mill Creek WA Marc ChiricoP-4 2 David Prevost Alameda CA Phil NeriP-4 2 Wai Kit Yuen San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-4 2 Reavis Sutphin-gray Santa Rosa CA Chad BastianP-4 2 Man Kam Fai San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-4 2 Hung Wai Lai San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-4 2 Johnny Ho Yin Leung San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-4 2 Kong Wing Chiu San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-4 2 Choi Lai Yin San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-4 2 Tik Fun Cheng San Francisco CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-4 3 Aaron Price Pasadena CA Jason ShapiroP-4 3 Nikolaus Schuhl Mammoth Lakes CA Rob SporrerP-4 4 Muzaffer Dundar Denver CO Mike SmithP-4 13 Jorge Duque Ibarra Lan ChiricoP-4 13 Sahin Sahin Kas, Antalya Murat TuzerP-4 13 Sinan Demirtas Kas, Antalya Murat Tuzer

The “flyest” tow rig in Minnesota. | photo by Chad Spencer.

1971 - 1973 Low & Slow1972 - 1976 Ground Skimmer1976 - 2003 Hang Gliding1993 - 2003 Paragliding2003 - 2008 Hang Gliding & Paragliding

CompleteMAGAZINE

COLLECTION

1971-2008

You hold the history of our sport, from the earliest days of bamboo and plastic to the present. Within these pages you’ll fi nd the evolution

of foot-launched fl ight from the fi rst days of bamboo dune-skimmers to the modern variety of hang gliders, paragliders and rigid wings. Each PDF fi le is one complete magazine, just

as originally published. Pages with color have produced as color scans,

the rest scanned as black and white images. Blemishes or imperfections are present in the original source magazines, some of which were the only known copies remaining.

MA

GA

ZIN

E C

OL

LE

CT

ION

19

71-

20

08

Future issues will be available on an update disk. Compilation copyright. 1974-2008, US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association. All rights reserved. Other material republished by permission of copyright holders. Please don’t dupli-cate or reproduce this work without permission. For limited reprint permission (club newsletters, etc.) contact the USHPA offi ce at 1-800-616-6888 or E-mail: [email protected] Pages scanned and indexed by Scandoc, Inc. of Aracata, CA. www.scandoc.com. Cover design by Gregory Gillam, [email protected].

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

1972 - 1976 Ground Skimmer

2003 - 2008 Hang Gliding & Paragliding

1971-20081971-20081971-2008

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PARAGLIDING - PILOT'S TRAINING MANUAL | $39.95

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RED BULL X-ALPS 2009 DVD | $42.95LIFTING AIR | $39.95

RED BULL X-ALPS 2007 DVD | $45.95WEATHER TO FLY DVD | $39.95

PERFORMANCE FLYING DVD | $42.95

THE ART OF PARAGLIDING | $34.95 !

Excellent illustrations and a

companion DVD make this

paragliding tome a must-

have in any pilot's library.

As an introduction or a

refresher reference you'll

find what you're looking for.

You'll read Dennis Pagen's

ultimate weather book again

and again as your brain at-

tempts to wrap itself around

one of the most complex

topics in the history of

topics. A must have–period.

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.

It's here! The latest edition

has cool extras including

athlete profiles and a Team

Camera featurette. You

can't live without this DVD.

This DVD features great footage

of soaring flight over the rolling

hills of Washington. Dixon White

talks you through climbing and

taking that first cross country

leap. An excellent refresher or

introduction.

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.

Dixon White left a powerful

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it. He explains weather

concepts in an approach-

able way. If you take your

weather seriously, you'll

want a copy of this DVD.

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..."

This thorough guide by Dennis

Pagen is a must have for any

paraglider's library. Get started,

keep flying, or go back and

review. An excellent reference.

B O O K S | F I L M S | A P P A R E L Call 1-800-616-6888 or order online at www.USHPA.aero/store

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Join Enleau O'Connor and

friends as they examine the

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Get out your airsick bag and

call the attendant because

you're in for a ride. A full 2

hours and 20 minutes!

Hero Worship78 |


by Steve Messman

When I was a young boy, I used to race home from school just to watch them on that steel boxed,

black and white television set. Superman or Tarzan; both if I was lucky. Heroes who were larger than life: able to stop trains, see through walls, communicate with elephants, and defeat charging lions

with only a knife and the strength of their ample muscles. Fantasies, I know, but heroes just the same.

Those mythical giants were important to me then, and the values they instilled at that young age still help shape the im-pressions and opinions I hold today. In those early days, fantasy heroes helped define the kind of person I wanted to be. Those people were strong. They were intelligent. They were good. They stood up for the underdog, and they made sure they were always on the side of right.

So today, at the ripe old age of 60ish, I still look to heroes; however, I find them in the specific reality of flying. A bit more solid than my fantasy heroes of yesteryear, I now look to real folks, and I find as my heroes those who can teach, those who can lead, and those who help guide others from where they are to where they want to be. I look for real mentors. Real people. Real heroes.

I don’t have to look far to find them. In fact, I need look only as far as my own flying community. When I look, and when I listen to others, it is clear that everyone needs heroes. I find it particu-larly interesting that most do not define a hero by his or her ability to fly. A pilot might be able to fold his wing into the shape of an origami box and fall out of the sky only to re-inflate at the last mil-lisecond before nimbly landing on a tree stump, but those skills, by themselves, do not make one a hero. Instead, most be-lieve that skillful heroes also need a large dose of humility. Heroes won’t challenge you to follow in their slipstream, but in-stead, caution you. They understand that flying is a very personal art form. They challenge you to follow your own intu-itions, your own feelings, and your own desires. Heroes demand that you define your own goals and needs as a pilot, and they inspire you to become great in your own right.

To be sure, there are many kinds of heroes, and like Superman and the Lone Ranger, they all have different powers. Certain heroes, while being what you

might consider “average” pilots, might tend to over-think things: the weather, the clouds, the high and low pressure areas, the winds aloft, the mood of the group, what they want, or what they don’t want. But the thinking, or the over thinking in this case, is very important. These pilots tend to teach that in order to understand the shallows, you need to also understand the depths. They teach that in searching for depth of understanding, you will dis-cover persistence and patience. They show that patience is often the simple answer to the most difficult of questions.

Some heroes thrive in a life full of challenges. They never take “no” for an answer, and instead, find strength in finding those who will eventually say yes. Somehow, in spite of mountains of adver-sities, these heroes hang on until they win. They value tenacity and doggedness, and they teach that every mountain’s prize is found not at the top, but in the climb.

Some heroes are transformers. They can be a shapeless shadow for weeks, then as solid as ground when needed: invisible, then vibrant: quiet, then outspoken. They know and teach that the flying commu-nity is a living creature that, at one time or another, needs the active participation of every member in order to grow. They teach that one doesn’t have to be an activ-ist every day, but when the time comes, stand up and make yourself count.

My favorite hero is the quiet one. He exudes confidence in his very presence, dispenses wordless wisdom with a twin-kle of his eyes, and on the mountaintop, he creates a cautioning pause with little more than a smile. This hero has been around for a long time, and he wants you to be around for a long time, as well.

There are many kinds of heroes: those that teach, those that mentor, those that look out for your safety, those whose sole endeavor is group cohesion, and those whose most intimate desire is to do some-thing for the greater good. Luckily, the choices I have made in life have led me here, to this sport of free flight, to these people. To real heroes. B

ill K

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by M

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http://flytorrey.com

hang gliding & paragliding vol40/iss12 dec 2010

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