hang gliding & paragliding vol40/iss08 aug 2010

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero

www.USHPA.aero

AUGUST 2010Volume 40 Issue 8

$6.95

http://www.flyozone.com

MAGAZINE STAFFPaul Montville, Publisher: [email protected]

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

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

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

OFFICE STAFFPaul Montville, Executive Director: [email protected]

Martin Palmaz, Director of Business Operations : [email protected] Jones, Information Services Manager : [email protected] Hollendorfer, Member/Instructor Services Administrator:

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

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

Mark Gaskill, Vice President: [email protected] Rich Hass, Secretary: [email protected]

Mark Forbes, Treasurer: [email protected]

REGION 1: Rich Hass, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Dave Wills, Urs Kellenberger, 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, Brad Jezek flying to Gooseberry Mesa, Utah | photo by Nick Greece. Nathan Pertuset launches at the South Side, Point of the Mountain, Utah | photo by Neil McGarry.

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.

by John Robinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

by Burkhard Martens, Interview by Bob Drury . . . . . . . 50

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

by MD Tennant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

by Patrick McGuiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

by Ricker Goldsborough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

by Vince Endter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

EDITOR

PILOT BRIEFINGS

ASSOCIATION

AIRMAIL

FOUNDATION

SAFETY BULLETIN

CENTERFOLD

TANGENT

DISPATCH

RATINGS

USHPA STORE

PAGE 78

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STATE OF THE ART SIV

THERMAL FLYING

CLOUD CONSCIOUS : PART IX

SHARE AND SHARE ALIkE

MIND OVER MATTER

ROB kELLS MEMORIAL COMPETITION

THE VINCE REPORT

Tow me up please

Part IV : Cloud Streets

Shears and more

The North Side of Point of the Mountain

Improving your performance as a pilot

and the Flytec Race and Rally 2010

Vince goes to St. John

2010AUGUST

by Mike Pfau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

SUN VALLEYPast, present and future.

GALLERY

54

http://www.willswing.com

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero6Tegelberg, Germany | photo by Nick Greece

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero 7

The summer has once again provided USHPA members with many events scattered across the country. Whether you have attended fly-ins, mentoring competitions, or sanc-

tioned race-to-goal or open-distance competitions, you surely have some great tales to tell of a well- spent weekend.

I was fortunate in starting my season by attending the lon-gest continually held free flight competition in the world— the Kitty Hawk Spectacular. A truly wonderful event focused on fun, with a ground proximity contest thrown in, this competi-tion opened my eyes to the thriving community where flight began, as well as to the amazing historical event that keeps true to its roots.

All of the Spectacular participants were fortunate in being present to watch Bob Trampenau’s induction into the Rogallo Hall of Fame for his incredible contributions to the devel-opment of hang gliding. Trampenau’s innovations include fiberglass curved wingtips, wire-braced washout struts stability systems, enclosed crossbars, low-twist sails with defined root reflex, and wrap-around Mylar leading edge sail pockets (to name a few).

Next, the USHPA staff met at the AAA Sprints in Salt Lake City, Utah, to give a hand to a great ACE accredited mentoring competition, hosted by the Utah Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. USHPA volunteers and staff have worked hard to pull together a support structure to help members interested in putting on events of all sizes in their regions. The ACE program, which is discussed in this issue’s Association Section, is a solid achievement which will help communities provide events of all sizes for members to enjoy in the coming years. Events like the Spectacular, the AAA Sprints, and the US Nationals are all great places for people to come together and enjoy learning, flying, and sharing experiences.

This issue’s theme is dedicated to free flight or “biwingual-ism.” As I continue learning how to fly both paragliders and hang gliders, I can’t get over the many similarities in our sports and how special the people are who take part in them. As big brothers sometimes wrestle with their love for little brothers, some communities’ pilot populations also face ups-and-downs, but the truth remains that the sports are closely related, and the people who are drawn to leaving the ground sans power have so much in common.

With this in mind, USHPA Magazine has gathered material that crosses wing choice and highlights our similarities—some-thing the “silent majority” already knows, but something we found to be an irresistible theme for this issue. From Dennis Pagen’s and Burki Martens’ pieces on utilizing meteorological knowledge to get the most out of day, to Patrick McGuinness’ look into how to improve your performance as a pilot through psychological examination, this issue is packed with works dedicated to free flight.

7

Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA.aero8

AIRCROSS USAParaglide Vail in Colorado is

the new importer to the US

for AirCross high perfor-

mance paragliders. The

gliders are manufactured in

the Gin Factory.

AirCross has three gliders

in their quiver. The first, the

U-Fly which is an entry level

LTF 1-2/ EN B. This glider is

perfect for a new pilot to

intermediate pilot. "Easy to

launch and fly, this glider will

let your skills develop com-

fortably and confidently."

The U-Sport is their LTF

2-3/ EN D. This glider is for

ambitious cross-country

pilots that want high perfor-

mance, but with the safety

of the serial class.

AirCross also has a com-

petition U-Sport with skinny

lines and trim tabs, which is

uncertified.

The U4 2010 is their

competition performance

ship. This glider has proven

to be competitive, and is

designer Herve Corbon’s

(Gibus) proven high perfor-

mance competition wing.

This glider is continually

being modified, and is at

the cutting edge of future

performance. AirCross USA

has some demos available.

Check out the Aircross

website at www.aircross.

eu. More info at www.par-

glidevail.com, or (970)376-

0495.

OZONE'S FLX.3Ozone’s latest Felix

Rodriguez Pro Model is now

in production. Felix and

the Ozone Test and Design

Team say that the FLX.3 is

perhaps the easiest wing

to learn the Infinite Tumble

with, and also performs

equally well in negative ma-

neuvers such as the helicop-

ter and all related spin tricks.

Felix has been working hard

on this wing for two years

now and is very happy with

the result. An all new wing

profile, generated by the

same software that created

the BBHPP and R10 profiles,

has allowed vast improve-

ments over the FLX.2.

GRADIENT GOLDEN3 22 Gradient's new intermediate

glider Golden3 passed cer-

tification in the smallest size

22. The full Golden3 glider

range is now certified with

EN B/ LTF B. With a take off

weight range of 62-77 kg the

Golden 3 22 is optimal for

smaller pilots. Gradient pro-

duced a short movie about

the new Golden3. It was

shot on Madeira, Portugal

and can be viewed online:

Youtube.com/Gradient

Golden3 www.gradient.cx

US: www.atlantaparagliding.

com

GRADIENT AVAX XC3Gradient’s new High per-

formance wing Avax XC3

is on the market. The new

XC glider passed the EN-D

certification in size 28. The

main part of the XC3’s

development and testing

took part in South Africa.

According to Gradient direc-

tor Ondrej Dupal it was a

great joy to work on a high

end competition wing for

the serial-class. In com-

parison to the predecessor

model XC2, the XC3’s target

is higher performance. The

Avax XC3 is the tool for

cross country and competi-

tion pilots who want the

most a certified wing can

offer. www.gradient.cx USA:

www.atlantaparagliding.

com

OZONE'S DELTA MOzone is very excited to

announce that the Delta M

is now in production and

(as of June 1) shipping out

to pilots all over the world.

Ozone claims that the Delta

will redefine the EN C class

and features unprecedented

glide performance along

with a totally comfortable

and stable feel in real XC

conditions. The Delta in-

corporates BBHPP and R10

technology in the profile

and leading edge, and has

an incredible 33% drag re-

duction over the Addict 2.

XC SkIES VERSION 2 Earlier this spring XC Skies

released a new and im-

proved version (V2) of their

soaring forecast products

and tools. In a goal to

migrate all components

to open source technol-

ogy, from programming

language to map layers, XC

Skies is dedicated to provid-

ing the most flexible and

cost-effective infrastructure

of soaring forecasts by rely-

ing on the soaring communi-

ty to help shape its direction.

XC Skies is a project created

by pilots, for pilots.

Features of the new V2

include a web-based Map

application which now

integrates 3-day- point

forecasts for virtually any

location on the planet, as

well an improved route tool

that allows pilots to explore

potential routes across any

region and time. Pilots can

also set start-and-end times

for a flight and see how the

day evolves along that route.

The route tool can be used

to review the evolution of

PilotBRIEFINGSNew | Improved | Buzzworthy


the day for a single location

by creating two waypoints

very close to each other.

With these new tools in-

tegrated into the existing

XC Maps’ layers of soaring

parameters, XC Skies is

continuing to raise the bar

on innovative and creative

interactive ways to get the

most out of forecast data.

In addition to the full-fea-

tured Web application, users

can now use the iPhone

version of XC Maps by point-

ing their Sarafi browser to

http://m.xcskies.com. This

mobile version is optimized

for the iPhone and allows

viewing of all saved profiles,

XC QuickCast items, as well

as full-featured point-and-

route forecast functionality.

Make sure to check out this

cool new Web App if you

have an iPhone handy.

Future development

is going strong, and new

products and improvements

will continue to be rolled

out throughout the season.

Notable items include an

App for Android-based

mobile devices, allowing

pilots to download all soar-

ing forecast information

for a given region to their

device locally, and then

access the data without the

need of a data connection

from their launch site or HQ

during competitions. The

success of this App will lead

to an iPhone equivalent

shortly thereafter.

Waypoint management

in user accounts to create

routes for competitions will

be introduced this season,

along with user-defined pa-

rameters that are monitored

with each model run to alert

the pilots when certain de-

sired conditions are on the

horizon— letting you know

when to call in sick and get

to the hill.

Other features on their

development list include:

Skew-T plot compari-

sons against all models

on a single page for the

diehard, raw data review

of morning and forecast

soundings. Mobile version

of XC Maps for Android

and BlackBerry devices

with full-featured brows-

ers, identical to the iPhone

version. Collaboration with

the Leonardo Global flight

database to provide free

available forecast infor-

mation relating to each

flight posted, along with a

tracklog analysis against the

forecast for the day. This

collection of data will be

an enormous resource for

future flight planning and

weather pattern matching.

And so much more…

If you haven’t given

XC Skies a look, it’s time

to. Anyone can join and in-

stantly receive a free 30-day

subscription. Kick the tires

and evaluate whether or not

these soaring forecast tools

can augment your flight

planning to seize the day.

There are no obligations;

users can cancel subscrip-

tions whenever they want.

Visit http://www.xcskies.

com to read more about

the world’s largest soaring

forecast project.

http://www.skywings.org.uk


GOT ACE? There’s nothing like getting a good flight and then hanging out with others who were right there in the sky with you. Better yet, there’s really nothing like going somewhere for an organized flying event, where your flying skills can be chal-lenged and you get to meet others like you, others who have not already heard your flying tales a dozen times. These organized events might include fly-ins, equipment demo days, public relations or promotional demonstrations, fun or development com-petitions, league meets, clinics, and a vari-ety of other events we haven’t even thought of …... Maybe a naked fly-in sponsored by Crisco and Saran Wrap ;)

These activities serve several worthy roles in our sport and within the USHPA. They promote sport and camaraderie among pilots as well as skill development and re-tention. Also, these activities, especially the fun and developmental competitions, provide a less intimidating environment for those pilots not yet ready to fly with the big dogs at the national level. This includes the vast majority of the flying community.

Unfortunately, organizing these events can be a tedious, stressful, and risky ven-ture for those inclined to do so. Most events seem to be loosely organized and held inconsistently. One thing is certain: we need more opportunities to gather as a community of pilots. The USHPA Board of Directors has been working on this chal-lenge for some time now.

At the spring Board meeting, a program was approved that we believe is a giant step in the right direction—ACE. ACE stands for Accredited Events. This program is designed to support and get tools into the hands of people who may want to put on a fun or development competition, a fly-in, a naked pilot aerobatic demonstration, or whatever.

The benefits of the ACE designation are many and growing. First, and perhaps most important, the event can now be insured for a reasonable fee. Second, the USHPA is in the process of putting to-gether a variety of resources to make the organization of these events as easy as pos-sible—kind of a comp/event in a can. The BOD has made the process of getting your ACE approved and insured as easy as pos-sible. The following link will take you to short manual/directions and three simple forms to fill out, which should take 20-30 minutes max. http://www.ushpa.aero/doc-uments/packets/pkt_ACE-Accreditation_Manual_Application.pdf

To help get this program off the ground, the Foundation for Free Flight (http://www.foundationforfreeflight.org) has put up $5,000 to cover half of insurance pre-miums for ACE events in 2010. Let’s not let this money go unspent. Get your ap-plications in ASAP.

If you have any questions whatsoever about the ACE program, please contact Mike Haley or Mark Gaskill.

Membership | Policy | Involvement

TheASSOCIATION by Mark Gaskill ACE EVENT INSURANCEI am very pleased to announce that USHPA’s event insurance has been significantly upgraded and now offers the kind of value and protection that we’ve wanted for a long time. With the ad-vent of the ACE program (and through the work of the Competition Committee and its working groups), we were able to work with our insurance brokers and underwriters to broaden the “safety net” for events and competitions in a meaningful and cost-effective way.

In years past, our event insurance only extended third-party Liability (3PLI) to USHPA members and additionally named landowners for compe-titions and flying events. This is no longer the case.

Effective in April of this year, all of the event or-ganizers, volunteers and landowners who work in support of sanctioned and/or accredited events are covered by our 3PLI policy...whether they are USHPA members or not.

This new coverage applies to ALL USHPA-sanc-tioned and accredited events, from national championships and world team trials to local weekend fly-ins... and everything in-between. The cost of the new event insurance is included in the ACE package, 50% of which will be paid by the Foundation for Free Flight in 2010. The event insurance premiums for sanctioned events will stay at the same level as last year for 2010. I cannot overstate the importance of this new ser-vice. We owe our thanks to the hard work of the competition community and the willingness of our insurance partners to improve their product offerings.

EVENT 3PLI POLICY GUIDELINES*Master policy for all members in good standing. For bodily injury or property damage caused by members, accredited and/or sanctioned event volunteers, organizers and/or landowners while participating in the sport of non-motorized hang gliding and paragliding.

$1,000,000 bodily injury & property damage (per occurrence)

$2,000,000 max. during policy period (aggregate)

$1,000 deductible

Premium is included in ace event fees, optional/additional for sanctioned events.

Please review the general policy guidelines. All coverage is subject to policy terms, which are subject to change. The policy language is available at www.ushpa.aero/member_insurance for your reference. If you have any questions

regarding event insurance coverage, please feel free to call USHPA headquarters and we’ll provide you with the information you need. Have a great – and safe –

flying season! - Paul Montville, USHPA Executive Director


PILOT CONNECT Dear Editor, I just re-alized that I have not been a part of the USHPA’s “PilotConnect” system. I was checking my “member information” page and saw that my e-mail preferences box was not checked for PilotConnect.

It is unfortunate that we can no longer call headquarters and ask for some-one’s phone number, but those days are gone forever. Now, you can still find old flying buds through this great idea of PilotConnect. Be sure to check your e-mail preferences in the “Members Only” section. Click on the “Udate Your Info” tab at the top, set your preferences, and then click “update your info” button.

People can always find me at johnhein-ey.com, but I like that USHPA is facilitat-ing a our ability to look up old friends too. I hope everyone will opt into this system.

Upward wishes, John Heiney

JUNE, OH! Love the June Issue. The ads for the competitions are FANTASTIC! Good to see the article and reviews of the Freedom 170, the Michael McGrady article, and the Bella Reibling article. Thanks.

Davis Straub

CORRECTION The URL listed in a piece about the Tennessee Tree Toppers (TTT) was www.Treetoppers.org, while this will get you to our website we prefer the TTT URL be published as: www.Tennesseetreetoppers.org. Thanks!

Buddy Cutts, TTT Webmaster

AirMAIL

The opinions expressed in the letters published in this column are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the magazine staff or

USHPA officials. While every effort is made to verify facts stated in letters, readers are urged to check the accuracy of any statement before taking

action or forming an opinion based on the contents of a letter.

Letters to the Editor

USHPA NOTICE TO MEMBERSUSHPA occasionally makes important changes to the Association’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) and other documents, espe-cially documents used in the rating system. This column appears in the magazine to notify the members when important changes are made. Please review the latest documents in the Members Only sec-tion of the USHPA web site. If you have any questions about these changes, please contact your Regional Director.

ALL AEROTOW INSTRUCTORS AND PILOTSThe Board of Directors approved changes to SOP 12-02 which sig-nificantly changes the demonstrated skills for the aerotow rating. The new requirement replaces the five solo aerotow flights with three solo aerotow flights and two tandem aerotow flights performing ‘cross’ and ‘diamond’ maneuvers during tow. Please read the appropriate sections of SOP 12-02, Pilot Proficiency Program.

ALL HANG GLIDING TANDEM ADMINISTRATORSA correction has been made to SOP 12-02 regarding the number of flights required for Tandem 2 and Tandem Instructor ratings. The re-quirement has been 25 flights of 500’ vertical or 2 minutes in dura-tion. This has now been updated in SOP 12-02. Please read the ap-propriate sections of SOP 12-02, Pilot Proficiency Program.

FALL BODOctober 21 - 23

Fall USHPA Board

Meeting to be Held

in Bend, Oregon

at the Phoenix Inn

& Suites, 300 NW

Franklin Ave, Bend,

OR 97701. The hotel

can be contacted at

888-291-4764 / 541-

317-9292.

In order to book

a room at the group

rate of $99/night

(1 king) or $109/

night (2 queen),

please use the fol-

lowing link. https://

gc.synxis.com/rez.

aspx?Hotel=18407

&Chain=7345&pro

mo=USHPA Or call

1-888-291-4764 and

reference our group

(USHPA).

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


ANCIENT HISTORY Back in the mid-80s, a hang gliding site in northern Colorado was threatened by encroaching power lines. Local pilots scrambled to secure funds to cover the cost of routing the power lines underground, and figured that making donations tax-deductible would provide potential donors with added incentive for giving to the cause. USHGA didn’t seem to qualify for 501(c)(3) status, so the USHGA leaders formed a sister or-ganization, filed the requisite paperwork with the IRS, and the United States Hang Gliding Foundation—USHGF—was formed. (Please remember that USHGA didn’t become USHPA until 2006; no slight of paraglider pilots is intended by the use of the outdated acronym.)

The Foundation’s founders expected to use this new organization to handle FAI competition and record-attempt fees as well as site-preservation funds, but USHGA was experiencing numer-ous administrative challenges back then, and without a dedicated champion, the Foundation never managed to make it

onto USHGA’s priority list. Somewhere along the line the annual paperwork to retain the 501(c)(3) status wasn’t filed, and eventually everything USHGF-related was stowed away and pretty much forgotten. For more than a decade the Foundation languished, neglected and es-sentially defunct.

Fast-forward to the 21st century: Luckily for all of us, about a decade ago USHGA directors Randy Leggett and Doug Sharpe got to wondering what had become of that tax-sheltered “foundation.” A thorough search of the USHGA office in Colorado Springs unearthed a shoe-box (really!) in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet; inside was a bunch of check stubs, a bank statement showing a balance of $487 and the original paperwork for the Foundation’s foundation. Doug and Randy, along with USHGA president David Glover and his successor, Jim (JZ) Zeiset, recognized the potential value of the original concept represented by the ephemera in this treasure box, and the re-vitalization of USHGF began.

Ten years ago, the Foundation was a good idea in need of a strong support team. A handful of pilots who had the foresight to envision the needs of the flying community in the 21st century set about reworking the structure of USHGF to bring it up to the standards of modern-day charitable organizations. Along the way, USHGF separated its governing body and finances from USHGA, eventually emphasizing this separation by changing its name to the Foundation for Free Flight, the FFF. Today’s Foundation is a vibrant organization with a well-defined purpose and a group of officers and trustees who are passionate about flying and dedicated to providing pilots with resources to keep hang gliding and paragliding alive and thriving in these challenging times.

With the FFF no longer closely connect-ed to or governed by the USHPA, what’s to keep the Foundation trustees from adopting—and financing—an agenda that’s not quite in synch with USHPA’s? In March of 2004, the Foundation’s by-laws were amended with the addition of this sentence: “However, no part of Article III of the By-Laws “General Purpose” or

TheFOUNDATION by C.J. Sturtevant

Education | Preservation | Competition Excellence

http://www.ushgf.org

Article XII of By-Laws ‘Amendments’ shall be amended without consent of the United States Hang Gliding Association, as duly authorized by the majority vote of the Board of Directors of United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc.” (The entire text of Article III is included in a sidebar to this article.) So, even though USHPA and the FFF are legally not con-nected, the boards of both organizations have ensured that Foundation funds will always be directed towards the needs of the hang glider and paraglider pilots who elect the directors of USHPA.

And now? Over the past 10 years, the Foundation has become increasingly able to provide financial support for the proj-ects near and dear to the hearts of hang glider and paraglider pilots throughout the country. You probably know someone or some site that has specifically benefited from a Foundation grant. Well-known sites such as Marshall in southern California or Mingus in Arizona have made vast improvements and added amenities with funds provided by the FFF. But name rec-ognition isn’t a requirement for receiving a Foundation grant; pilots who fly rela-tively obscure sites such as Bidwell Park

in California, Kirkridge in New Jersey and West Rutland in Vermont requested and received financial aid for dealing with issues that threatened their local flying. In a typical year, the FFF provides more than $20,000, mostly in “matching” grants, to clubs and pilots whose needs fall within the Foundation’s mission.

Where does all this money come from? Basically, the Foundation’s funds come from the generosity of pilots who resonate with and want to support the Foundation’s goals. A few pilots are able to make large donations, but the majority of us just don’t have that option. USHPA will match a pilot’s donation to FFF (up to $500) made at the time of USHPA mem-bership renewal, and many employers will match contributions to a 501(c)(3) charity, which the FFF is. Give if you can; details on how to do it are here: http://ushgf.org/donate.html.

What’s in it for you? If your local group has been trying to figure out how to fi-nance a site improvement, or pay a lawyer to deal with a legal issue, or finance any activity that falls within the Foundation’s mission (see sidebar), you can file a request for funding. The FFF trustees WANT to

spend money, and have made the grant-request process far less painful than a rained-out fly-in. To determine if your project qualifies, and to download a grant application, go to the Foundation’s web-site grant page: http://ushgf.org/getagrant.html. Even if all’s well right now at your local sites, it’s comforting to know that should a financial need arise, the FFF’s resources may help avert disaster.

ARTICLE IIIPurpose

Section 3.01.

General Purpose.

The purpose of the Foundation shall be to carry on any lawful

activity and to receive, invest and disburse funds, to hold prop-

erty for the purposes of the Foundation, and such other lawful

business purpose as may be conducted on a not-for-profit

basis, including but not limited to the following:

Education and Competition

Establish, support and maintain programs and participation in

programs for the development of hang gliding activities (de-

fined as foot launched, non- powered heavier than air aviation

devices) and related education and competitions;

Stimulate and support research programs for hang gliding

activities, related education and competition;

Provide and advance educational opportunities to the public

concerning hang gliding and related aviation, competition and

safety issues;

Assist and encourage literary efforts and publications advanc-

ing hang gliding and related aviation, safety and competition

issues;

Establish and preserve a museum facility to exhibit historical

and educational displays related to hang gliding and related

aviation issues and to provide general educational opportuni-

ties.

Preservation of Open Spaces

Acquire, preserve and protect open space and access to open

space for the purposes of hang gliding and related activities by

the public;

Support, encourage, advocate and assist in the preservation,

protection and access to open spaces.

The identification of the Foundation’s purposes as set forth in

subparagraphs (a) and (b) in such order above is not intended

to indicate priority of purpose.

Section 3.02.

Charitable Restrictions.

No part of the income or assets of this Foundation shall inure

to the benefit of any private individual. This Foundation shall

have no capital stock, its object and purpose being solely of a

benevolent character and not for individual pecuniary gain or

profit to its members.

“If your local group has

been trying to figure out

how to finance a site im-

provement, or pay a lawyer

to deal with a legal issue,

or finance any activity that

falls within the Foundation’s

mission, you can file a

request for funding.”


DEPLOYMENT Good decision making is crucial component of safe and suc-cessful paragliding. The length of time an individual has to make decisions can vary greatly. “Should I upgrade my wing?” is likely to be a decision made over several months. “Should I launch in these conditions?” may take 30 min-utes. “Should I turn in this weak lift or continue, hoping for something better?” needs to be made in less than a minute.

In all these cases, you have time to weigh the pros and the cons. In many cases you can use your past experience and seek advice from instructors or other pilots.

But there is one decision in paraglid-ing that needs to be made almost instan-taneously, because spending time trying to gather the relevant data may cause you to make it too late. That decision, of course, is whether to throw your reserve.

Very few pilots have had to deploy. Hopefully, it is a decision you will never have to face. But if you do need to make

that call, you will probably have to do it very quickly. Thinking about the deci-sion ahead of time may help. So in this article we will look at some reserve de-ployments over the last two years and try to learn some lessons from them.

DEPLOYMENT 1 – 2009The pilot launched with some knots on one side of his wing. He tried, too hard, to pull out the knots while near the hill, putting his wing into a flat spin. He says,

“I threw the reserve when I was about 75ft above a large boulder-field and, just as I was diving towards a massive boul-der, the knots released, and I started to fly out with serious energy. My reserve opened about 10ft above the ground.”

This deployment has several unusual aspects. First, the pilot probably never got high enough above the ground for a normal deployment. Second, the pilot threw his reserve low, when he had almost no alternative, and his strong throw helped the quick inflation. Third, the knots released and the wing was be-ginning to fly just as the reserve opened. It’s not unusual for the wing to recover just as a pilot throws his reserve, because he lets go of the controls and allows the wing to surge. The pilot was badly in-jured in his landing but recovered; with a later throw, his situation could have been much worse.

DEPLOYMENT 2 – 2009This accident happened at a site re-nowned for strong conditions, but at the very end of the season on what seems to have been a mellow day. Five out of seven pilots who launched, sunk out. The acci-dent pilot had around 35-hrs experience. The pilot who reported the incident was the only witness and missed the start of the accident sequence.

The accident pilot seemed to suffer a spin at around 800ft AGL, followed by a cascade of events, and deployed the reserve too late. The accident pilot “hit the ground just [at] line extension but not the full inflation.” Tragically, despite immediate and expert assistance in diffi-cult circumstances, the pilot died shortly afterwards. It’s hard to avoid the conclu-

sion that an earlier deployment might have changed the outcome.

DEPLOYMENT 3 – 2010Early in the year, a very experienced pilot was flying a thermic site in Southern California. Maybe crucially, this was the pilot’s first thermic flight of the year. The flight didn’t last long… “I flew straight out for about 20 seconds, entered a ther-mal and continued flying straight for about 5 seconds and then initiated a 360- degree turn to the right.” But the glider took a deflation and surged dra-matically forward. The pilot “made one attempt to regain control and stop the turn, then went hands-up to see if it would resume normal flight on its own.” When the glider didn’t resume normal flight, the pilot deployed and landed without injury.

It is interesting to try to get an idea of the timing: 25 seconds into the flight the pilot turns in a thermal, a few sec-onds later a collapse and big surge, one attempt to sort it out without success, hands up to see if the glider would sort itself out, and, finally, reserve toss and soft landing.

The pilot’s estimates of heights are at 250 feet AGL “first surge and deflation,” 150 feet AGL “let go of brake handles and started to deploy,” and at 100 feet AGL “felt tug of reserve opening.”

DEPLOYMENT 4 – 2010This deployment occurred in the Rockies when an intermediate pilot (around 31 hrs experience) was flying in strong con-ditions as a cold front passed through. The pilot was struggling to penetrate to the standard LZ and was unaware of an alternative LZ.

Using speed-bar, the pilot suffered a collapse that cascaded and left him in a spiral. To quote the report: “After a 360 degree, 300’ spiral dive [the pilot] didn’t hesitate and reached for the reserve. [The pilot] fortunately got it on the first pull and could see it come out and deploy properly. [The pilot] felt a sudden jerk from the reserve, and about 1-2 seconds later hit the ground.”

The pilot was essentially uninjured and able to walk away.

Analysis | Preparedness | Incidents

SafetyBULLETIN

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- Great Family Destination

- Launch 6,000 feet above the Sea- Thermal above the clouds

www.paraglidingtrips.com

October2010

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DEPLOYMENT 5 – 2010This deployment occurred in May in the front range of the Rockies when an intermediate pilot (around 25hrs experi-ence) was flying in strong conditions that were predicted to strengthen. During a long flight, at which time the strength of the conditions must have been obvious to the pilot, an initial collapse cascaded. The pilot says: “My wing [was] going in front and below me, blue sky and then rocks coming towards me. I am thinking at this moment that this is unrecoverable, so I deployed my reserve.”

The pilot landed fine, without any fur-ther problems. The pilot estimates he was 400 ft AGL when he suffered the initial collapse and was between 300 ft and 200 ft when he deployed.

DEPLOYMENT 6 – 2010This deployment occurred in May when a reasonably experienced pilot was flying at a thermic site in Southern California. Conditions were strong and, while well clear of the terrain, the pilot suffered a frontal collapse, followed by a cascade of events. As his risers began to twist, he

deployed, still with plenty of altitude.The deployment and landing were

fine, but the pilot suffered slight inju-ries, and his equipment sustained some damage as he was dragged by the wind upon landing.

OBSERVATIONSA reserve offers you a second (or third or fourth) chance. You can make a series of mistakes in a flight, but everything can be salvaged by a timely deployment. If you deploy your reserve on time, you can walk away uninjured.

Alternatively, if you persist in trying to sort out a problem below reserve de-ployment height, you can run out of op-tions.

While a throw is not guaranteed to be successful or result in an injury-free landing, statistically it appears that late throws or failures to throw result in many more serious injuries than timely deployments that didn’t work or worked imperfectly.

MAkING YOUR DECISIONBe aware of your current AGL. If an in-

cident occurs, having this information instantly available can help you to make the best decision quickly.

Ground clearance is a precious re-source; if you can minimize your time near the ground, especially in strong conditions, you’ll have more options to deal with any problem.

It is very hard to put a limit on when you should deploy. Most experts quote

“You can make a

series of mistakes

in a flight, but

everything can be

salvaged by a timely

deployment. If you

deploy your reserve

on time, you can

walk away uninjured.”

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somewhere between 500 ft to 250 ft as a reasonable limit.

As you reach this vague “threshold to deploy,” it’s hard to justify not deploying, unless you fully understand and have almost resolved the problem. If you don’t know what the problem is as you reach the threshold or you don’t know your AGL, just deploy.

If you have altitude and you know why your wing is not flying and how to sort it out, then work on it until you need to throw.

If you have altitude and don’t know why your wing isn’t flying, try going

hands up or at shoulder level. That may either sort it out or make the problem easier to diagnose.

If your wing is not flying, but you are descending relatively slowly (e.g. your wing is in parachutal stall), you may be better-off not throwing. But bear in mind that if your wing recovers at the wrong moment, you could hit the ground hard.

If you are winding up in a spiral, it might be better for you to deploy, in case the G forces prevent you from doing so later.

“If in doubt, whip it out”.

THE THROw ITSELFThere are two ways you can greatly im-prove your chances of making a good throw.

The first one is practice. By far the best way of practicing is to attend a reserve clinic where you can get feedback from instructors and fellow attendees. Every year, in the dead of winter on a non-flyable day, I attend a clinic and practice throwing my reserve before having it re-packed. I always get lots of feedback! I feel I improve a little each time and will be better prepared to “throw it for real.”

Almost every time, someone attend-

ing the clinic has had a mechanical prob-lem—a bit of Velcro that was too sticky, a reserve that became jammed in the harness, etc. All these problems can be sorted out painlessly at a repack clinic.

The second way to improve is visual-ization. In a simple flight, look at your reserve handle, feel it, imagine yourself throwing it. Or (when not flying) close you eyes and imagine yourself throw-ing your reserve; looking for it, feeling it, pulling it free with a little wiggle, throwing it hard into the air-stream, pos-sibly pulling in your bridle (if it doesn’t inflate), disabling your glider, landing with a PLF, and writing your accident/incident report.

REFERENCESFor more information about reserves and when and how to throw, go to the internet. The best bit of instructional material I’ve seen is at: http://www.para-excellence.co.uk/reserves.html

Finally, seeing a video often seems more “real” than reading about it. So, if you want to see how even a low throw can save a bad situation, look at: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=186327.

“If you have altitude

and you know why

your wing is not

flying and how to

sort it out, then work

on it until you need

to throw.”

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QUIET HEROES I was only expecting a little pocket change. It was the last night of the Rat Race Competition, and Mike Haley handed me the microphone so I could make a quickie mention of The Cloudbase Foundation. I rambled ner-vously about the new HG/PG nonprofit’s efforts to help children in Ecuador, Ghana, and in the U.S. and about how lucky we pilots are to get to travel around and fly. I left it to an energetic pilot named

“Sundance” to make The Big Ask. He hap-pily cruised the crowd extending the do-nation bucket.

When he gave the bucket back to me, it was full of twenty-dollar bills. I teared up.

I think I was particularly moved by these donations because it was so unex-pected. It was late, getting dark, and the comp pilots were exhausted by a week of intense flying. There was not a lot of glory or recognition in anonymously slipping some cash into the bucket in the dark of night, but so many people did. While I’ve always admired the bravado of people who chain themselves to old-growth trees or take to the streets to put their concern on display, this kind of humble caring really moved me. A quiet kind of heroism.

Thank you to all the Rat Race pilots that donated money that night.

On the subject of quiet heroes, Woodrat Mountain instructor Kevin Lee is now auctioning off a two-week long P-2 course to support education for low-income chil-dren in Ecuador. After years of leading paragliding trips to the country, Kevin feels a growing connection to the culture and a desire to help out. I mentioned the school--Escuela Bilingue Los Algarrobos-

-several months ago in my profile of Alicia Harmon, a PG pilot who is a volunteer

teacher there. The school is always in a struggle to stay afloat financially, but is rich in community support and parent involvement. The money from Kevin’s P-2 auction will go a long way at the school: just $250 can cover a student’s tuition for a year, $3,000 hires an instructor!

Please tell your pilot-wannabe friends about the online P-2 auction. Southern Oregon is a great place to learn, and Kevin’s teaching skills earned him “Instructor of the Year” designation from USHPA. Retail value for the course is $1800.

To follow-up on some of the past Pilot Project profiles, Alicia Harmon will return to Canoa in July to volunteer for the school again. While there, she’ll build her house, and set into motion her plans for a monkey reserve that she hopes to tie in with the school. In a recent email she wrote:

"Pilots and friends who come to Canoa

not only have two amazing launches a

ten-minute walk from my place with

miles of ridge soaring, but also the op-

tions of kiting, surfing, horse-riding and

most importantly, the chance to vol-

unteer their time with the kids. Canoa

PilotPROJECTSMaking a Difference

by Christina Ammon

[above] Anita and Åsa of The Flying Effect sight-seeing in Paris, France. They are on a mission to find and document

the meaning of freedom to women around the world. [right] Founder James Dean Byrd gathers with children

from Escuela Bilingue Los Algarrobos, a school for low-income children in Canoa, Ecuador. Paraglider pilots are

encouraged to visit Canoa to enjoy the amazing ridge soaring and volunteer at the school.


is more than a vacation; it’s real life in

paradise."

The Flying Effect gals from Iceland are still on a mission to find and docu-ment the meaning of freedom to women across the world. They have now trav-eled through and flown in Nepal, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and France. They’ve met and interviewed many women along the way, and are now taking a time-out to do some writing, organizing, and

editing of all of their photos and videos. They’re also trying to earn some money for the next leg of their trip, which includes a paratraveling stint through the Americas. For now, Åsa is hanging out in their home country of Iceland. She recently wrote me an email about her return:

"Due to the volcano eruption earlier

this year, the ground on the South coast

is covered in ash, which blows over the

country with the wind. We see traces

of ash on our gliders just after a little

ground handling session."

And, finally, after reading about Isabella Reibling’s efforts to help a Nepali girl named Sarita, pilots responded with generous donations. She wrote me an email soon after the article appeared:

" I have been so touched by the re-

sponse. When I saw the donations in my

Paypal account I just burst into tears--

that people who I’ve never met and who

have never met the family were moved

to be so generous just floors me. The

whole experience reaffirms that you

always get back more than you give.

There are a lot of wonderful pilots out

there."

Again and again, I hear people mention how amazing it feels to leverage our pas-sion for flight in support of good causes, and how much good karma it creates for our sport in the places we love to fly. If you are thinking of starting a project or

donating money, please do it! There are many reasons to help out,

some self-interested, some altruistic. I’m not really sure it matters that much what our motivations are. If our egos swell when we give, great! If we are doing to offset some guilt about spending so much time having fun in the sky, that’s cool too. To the kids in Ecuador, to Sarita and her family, or to our friends in Ghana—I don’t think they really care why we’re doing it. They’re just glad we are.

Pilot Projects is a regular feature of USHPA magazine . You can help with this column by sharing your ideas . Have you come across do-gooder pilots in your travels? Do you have a project, or ideas for traveling more ethically? Don’t be shy . You have no prob-lem bragging about your sick XC flights and Rhythmic SATS . Time to throw down some good deeds . Send them to Christina Ammon at: flyinghobogirl@gmail .com

THE FLYING EFFECT

www.theflyingeffect.wordpress.com

Contact:[email protected]

ESCUELA BILINGUE LOS ALGARROBOS

www.jamesdeanbyrdfoundation.org

Contact: [email protected]

ISABELLA REIBLING


THE CLOUDBASE FOUNDATION

www.thecloudbasefoundation.org


FLY FOR ECUADORAUCTION

www.flyforecuador.wordpress.com

Auction ends August 31, 2010


[this page] Kevin Lee has taught paragliding for over 14 years, receiving the USHPA’s “Instructor of the Year” award in 2006. He is now auctioning a P-2 paragliding course to benefit Escuela Bilingue Los Algarrobos, a school for low-income children in Canoa, Ecuador.


At the Rob Kells Memorial Hang Gliding Competition this year, new competition pilots were en-

couraged to participate in the Sport Class. The seasoned pilots who assisted the new-bies were very impressed. Weather was not the best, but it allowed all of us time for good ground schooling and social bond-ing when we weren’t flying.

Some of the top pilots in the USA and world were in attendance, including the number one and number two world-ranked leaders.

Cloudbase Foundation Logos were seen on many of the top pilots’ wings, in-dicating their support for this charity and desire to help needy children in locations where they fly.

The performance of the tug pilots and

their equipment was nothing short of pro-fessional. I am always amazed at how well the tug pilots do and how flawless their important part of the competition is. I am certain that a lot of work goes into making sure that the planes run reliably. This expertise is also displayed by the event supporters, staff, volunteers and primary coordinator. The energy and commitment of Jamie Sheldon, Steve Larson and others are a large part of why this sport is here for us to enjoy. A simple thank you just is not enough.

The nature and beauty of Florida was blooming, due in part to the large amounts of rain they had received prior to, and during, the event. This weather added an additional level of challenge when landing out. However, Larry Bunner found a nice

shady spot in the middle of nowhere to land and relax after a challenging flight.

(photo H: Larry Bunner after landing, relaxing in his newly found piece of para-dise, photo I : Some were not so fortunate in picking a good place to land.)

I have always been impressed by the support pilots give each other. Need your wing transported from the west coast to the east coast? Sure, no problem, just ask. Need to fix a broken part on your wing? No problem, just ask someone. Need a ride or a flat fixed? Well, you may have to fix your own, but I am sure that someone will at least take pictures of the event.

So, was it fun and worth the trip? Absolutely! All you need is one good flight, one good story to tell, or a series of per-sonal bests during the event to justify all

Hang Gliding Competition

Race and Rally 2010

&

Rob Kells Memorial

Flytec

2010 at Florida Ridge

by RickerGOLDSBOROUGH


that it takes for one to attend. For this author it was all three, but I won’t bother with the details other than the good story. This incident took place on the first day of the Flytec Race and Rally.

This is a story about a man named Jed, working hard to keep his family fed…. Ok, maybe not. However, I thought you might get a kick out of something funny that took place during the first day of the Flytec Race and Rally.

Day #1. A tough task in very light con-ditions was called for the day with 15 to 20 mph winds drifting us to goal.

I was well on my way to making it, but at ten miles out I found myself low and drifting in 0 sink. As I searched for lift and a safe place to land, I could see in the distance, downwind, a levy filled with water. On the other side there were few roads but NO swamp that resembled what I had been flying over for the past hour-o- so. As I began my landing procedure in a field that would put me a bit closer to goal, I changed my mind and decided to land in a safer area, near a small farm and road, for an easy retrieve. I lined up, performed a series of “S” turns, as I lost the remaining 100’ of altitude, and landed near the fence, safely on the ground.

A farmer approached me from the dis-tance. I waved to him, indicating I was ok and briskly walked in his direction. I in-

[top] Ben Dunn arriving at Quest with a load of wings. [bottom] Mike Barber providing some training for the Sport Class Pilots at the Rob Kells Memorial Hang Gliding Competition.

http://santacruzflatsrace.blogspot.com


t roduced myself while shaking his

hand and thanking him for the use of his field. After I began breaking down my wing, I spotted a rigid wing in the dis-tance, low and heading my way.

As the wing approached, I saw that the pilot was my friend, Eric Paroulx, on his VQ. Then I heard him shout at me,

“Which way is the wind blowing? Show me which direction the wind is blowing.” I could not help laughing. Even to the point of not being able to stand up straight.

Why was this so funny? Because we had been in the air for over two hours, low and moving fast across the ground, due the constant 15+ mph winds. The drift was obvious, but, for some reason, Eric wanted me to confirm it. I have to hon-estly say that I was tempted to indicate that the wind was 90 degrees cross, just to mess with him. I decided this might not be a good idea, so I composed myself and indicated the true wind direction for Eric. However, I was still laughing.

Eric landed safely, we began break-ing down together, and the farmer arrived with two cans of Dr.Pepper. Not a beer, but at this point it was refreshing and a very good indication that we were not going to get in any trouble for landing in his field.

A special thanks to all the people who do so much to make these events such a success. Good or bad weather, it’s always nice to see flying buddies, make new friends, and hang out with some of the best pilots in the country.

Congratulations to all the winners of each event! To borrow a statement that’s used at Lookout Mountain: “If you’re grinning, you’re winning.” Many smiles were seen in Florida during the two weeks of flying.

[top] Jonny Durand wing with logo. [opposite, bottom]Jonny Durand, Winner of the Rob Kells Memorial Hang Gliding Competition.

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Mind over MatterImproving your performance as a pilot

by PatrickMcGUINNESS


Arriving at the launch site, you step up to the area surrounding the platform and set your glider

down. The gust differential is strong, and you hear local pilots describing the best angle of attack for a cross-wind landing. Today your “A” game is required. You have that familiar feeling of butterflies in your stomach as you begin to orient yourself to a new location. While devel-oping a flight plan, you watch airborne pilots enjoy soaring, while intermittently battling turbulence. You complete your pre-flight check; your skills and experi-ence are appropriate for the conditions. Everything seems to be in order, yet something doesn’t feel quite right. You’re distracted, anxious and beginning to have doubts about your own ability.

This is the time when you must ad-dress the mental aspects of flying.

Every pilot experiences moments like this at some point in his/her flying career. What do you do next? Do you use adren-alin to help you focus and have one of your best flights ever? Or do you take a chance and possibly choke, putting your-self at risk? When you’re in this situation, having an understanding of the mental aspects of performing at a high level will help.

How Can You Benefit from Sports Psychology?

After reading the article by editor, Nick Greece, on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of the optimal psychological state for performance called flow, I was inspired to share other central concepts about sports psychology. Understanding these principles and implementing them as part of your ongoing training can help you prepare for optimal performances when flying.

Whether you are a beginner, ad-vanced, or competition pilot, you should constantly work toward understanding yourself and mastering your psychologi-cal experiences related to flight. Doing so will improve your flying and overall character. The three concepts discussed in this article are confidence, anxiety, arousal or energy level, and concentra-tion, focus or attention.

Mastering ConfidenCe to

MaxiMize Mental PerforManCe.

Confidence while performing is defined as the belief that you can successfully per-form a desired action or behavior. Pilots with a high degree of confidence expect to be successful when they are launch-ing and landing in adverse wind condi-tions, entering a competition, or picking up a glider for the first time. Confident pilots tend to work harder at improving their performance, because they are con-vinced they will achieve their goal with the appropriate training, hard work, and experience. Confidence can also serve to minimize unnecessary worry.

ConfidenCe vs.

overConfidenCe

Overconfidence can be dangerous. When confidence exceeds ability, a pi-lot’s judgment should be called into question and addressed. Research shows that overconfidence can actually de-crease performance, because the athlete doesn’t believe he needs to prepare or exert himself at a level that matches the task at hand. To combat the phenom-enon of being overconfident, you must have a realistic understanding of your current skills and abilities. If you have a tendency to be overconfident, get feed-back from an instructor or trusted peer about your goals. Make sure your skills [left] Flo Choudry flying Nepal | photo by Nick Greece.


are at the appropriate level for the types of challenges you undertake.

Conversely, being under-confident can detract from performance by interfering with concentration, increasing anxiety and creating self-doubt. Stephan J. Bull, et al., found in their work with athletes of all ability levels that lack of self-confidence is the most common area in need of im-provement. They discuss this in their book, The Mental Game Plan: Getting Psyched for Sport.

three strategies for Boosting

ConfidenCe levels.

One strategy used to enhance confidence includes reviewing your “best ever” perfor-mances. If you are an experienced pilot in need of a confidence boost, take a moment to yourself, pre-flight, to review some of your greatest moments of flying. If you are a beginner pilot, think back to other ac-complishments: for example, the day you pitched a no-hitter in high school or the presentation you made that was received well by the board of directors. Remember how you felt and take that feeling with you as you stand up with your glider and pre-pare to launch.

Another strategy is monitoring self-talk or the ongoing conversation in your head. If you catch yourself saying things like, “I’m not good enough to be at this new launch site,” or “I can’t compete at this level,” then it’s time to be frank with yourself. Review how realistic this state-ment is. If your instructors have evaluated your abilities and given you the go-ahead, or if you have qualified to enter a compe-tition, you should consciously change the internal dialogue to: “I have training,” “I can do this,” or “I deserve to be here.”

Finally, the third strategy to boost your confidence levels is to use modeling. This strategy can be extremely helpful and in-volves thinking of a pilot you respect and admire. Consider how this person would behave, adopt that person’s mindset and play the role.

Mastering anxiety to MaxiMize

Mental toughness.

Anxiety is an emotional experience we have all faced. Anxiety affects our thoughts, beliefs, emotions and body. There’s a dif-ference between an anxious thought and a negative thought. An example of an anx-ious thought is, “What if something goes wrong?” An example of a negative belief is, “I’m not good enough.” The emotion accompanying anxiety is usually a feeling of apprehension. Physically, you may expe-rience butterflies or amplify minor injuries. Facing adverse wind conditions, launching from a new site, competing, or being ob-served by a group of instructors can raise your level of anxiety. Anxiety is not neces-sarily a bad thing. In fact, it means you care about what you are doing. Anxiety is a form of internal arousal that can actu-ally improve your performance. The best performances often come when, because we are confident in our abilities, the stakes have been raised, giving us butterflies in our stomachs. Anxiety is only a problem when it reaches a level that becomes over-whelming.

ConsequenCes of feeling

overwhelMed.

When you feel overwhelmed, you lose focus and get further away from the flow state that you want. Overwhelming anxiety leads to choking. When choking occurs, an athlete is so preoccupied with negative thoughts and feelings that he is unable to accomplish even the most rou-tine tasks successfully.

If you are feeling overwhelmed pre-flight, it is best to back off and rethink your decision to fly. Take a break and see if you can return with the proper head space. If not, take these two words to heart: Don’t Fly. Choking is known by Sport Psychology professionals as the catastro-phe effect, and unlike bowling or golf, a catastrophe in hang gliding or paragliding does not result in ending the day with a beer at the 19th hole. It is more likely to end up with you in the hospital or in the morgue.

[top]Jeff O'Brien kiting with confidence at the South Side. [bottom]Speed wings on top of the North Side. Photos by Nick Greece.


transforMing Choking into a

Best PerforManCe.

One factor that often makes the differ-ence between choking and performing your best is how you interpret your body’s responses to stress. Stop and think about this for a moment. When you feel a surge of adrenalin, do you interpret the feeling as a sign that you are “pumped up” or do you take it as evidence that you are challenged beyond your ability? How you attribute meaning to your body’s response will have a strong impact on how you perform.

Mastering ConCentration

and foCus to MaxiMize one’s

PsyChology.

The final concept to consider is focus, at-tention or concentration. Some examples of poor focus are becoming aware of a nearby conversation while preparing to launch, letting the pressure of other pilots adversely impact your decision making (e.g. considering launching when your wings are quite level because there are sev-eral others waiting to launch) and being distracted by obstruction fixation

When acting in response to obstruc-tion fixation, the pilot focuses on an obsta-cle near the landing zone, taking the focus away from what is more relevant. Pilots are trained to look where they want to land rather than the obstruction. Our ability to do this requires an ability to control our attention.

Concentrating successfully requires fo-cusing on the most important elements of your flight at the right times and avoiding distractions.

How Experienced Pilots Maximize Their Focus and Concentration.

Concentration is the ability to focus on relevant environmental cues. Given the many variables you must attend to from the time before you pick up your glider until you begin breaking down, it is important to monitor your ability to focus on what is most important at a given time. This in-cludes wind direction, wind strength, gust differential, landing zone, looking at the target and adjusting your flight

Additional factors to consider are dif-ferent types of focus. An experienced pilot will naturally alternate between a broad focus and a narrow focus. An example of

a broad focus is noticing how the weather is changing several miles into the distance. A narrow focus relates to noticing bar pressure or immediate changes in wind speed turbulence. Effective focus means alternating between these two effectively or attending to the right thing at the right time.

staying in the Present.

Yet another aspect of distraction is the type that arises within you. Thinking about a previous mistake made while landing, an injury, or the importance of your current standing amongst fellow competitors are all examples. Strategies for improving your focus include the following:1) identify specific attentional demands 2) use cues to remind you to focus on ap-propriate things 3) use visualization pre-flight to review what factors are crucial to attend to during a flight.

Creating your winning

strategy to Master the Mental

asPeCts.

To incorporate these principles into your training, first reflect on the concepts de-scribed here. Then apply them to your own flying experiences. Determine your strengths and weaknesses in these three categories and make a plan to improve in those areas that will help your flying the most. Your plan should include a care-ful analysis of where you struggle. Make a conscious effort to use a variety of mental skills or strategies for improving. Discipline yourself to practice these strate-gies regularly when you fly. If you make a conscious effort to use the skills, they will eventually become second nature.

Pat McGuinniss is hang glider pilot trained at Morningside Flight Park in Charlestown, New Hampshire. He has a Masters Degree in Applied Psychology, works as a life coach specializing in performance enhancement and is a professional speaker. As the principal of Mountain View Consulting he focuses on helping individuals and organizations achieve results through human transformation. To read more go to: www.mountainviewconsulting.com

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by Dennis Pagen

It’s been a while since we explored the cloudy skies in these pages, but now we’ll discuss some more nu-

ances in the shape, form and behavior of our fellow floaters. This time we begin to look at shear clouds to help understand some of the more rare or subtle effects in the air. Clouds relating to shear may be less common than, say, thermal clouds, but when we are influenced by their be-havior, or the flow that determines their form, they are the most important clouds for a time.

SHEAR TERROR AND TURBULENCEMost of us know that the air can move in large flows, and there can be two or more flows near one another moving in dif-ferent directions, with different speeds. When different masses rub together they produce ripples, swirls, eddies and other disruptions along the interface—the area between the two moving masses. In flight we feel these disruptions as turbulence—a type called shear turbulence. In truth, all turbulence in the air is shear turbu-

lence, for when air moves by a ground object there is a shearing (that is, tearing action), and thermals are simply vertical air currents pushing upward through the surrounding air, thereby causing shear-ing.

But here we are interested in horizon-tal shears—those that involve two layers of air moving against one another.

Shears can exist without the presence of clouds, of course, but clouds help us see and understand the undulating flow of air near a shear. Look at photos 1 and 2. I took these photos after landing at a site known as the Superbowl. Four of us had launched into 10-to-12 mph winds that weren’t particularly gusty. But we all found the same thing: continuous turbulence flinging us every which way, no matter how high we were or where we were on the ridge. We all ended out flights in less than 20 minutes because it simply wasn’t fun.

Considering how mild the wind was, the constant virulent turbulence was sur-prising, but examining the sky told the story. Clouds had moved in, and they showed clear evidence of a shear layer,

about a thousand feet above the moun-tain. We were being buffeted by turbu-lence extending downward from this layer. Photo 1 shows some billow clouds and general unsettled sky—sure signs of a shear layer. Photo 2 was taken 12 min-utes after the first photo, indicating how rapidly the sky was changing.

A similar situation occurred a few years back at the Whitwell launch in the Sequachie Valley during a Team Challenge. Three pilots had launched and were easily soaring a couple hundred feet over. But it was apparent they were being tossed around, and eventually they called down that it was turbulent, and went out to land, despite being in a con-test. I looked at the windsock and saw that although the wind was mild, the sock exhibited frequent sudden shifts and occasional 360s. The shifts weren’t related to thermal cycles, so that’s a pretty good sign that shear turbulence was the culprit. We waited for an hour or two, noticed the sock had settled down, and launched. Conditions were back to normal, we thermaled high and went far.

In both of the cases above, a warm

Cloud Conscious : Part IX

Shears and More


front was approaching and warmer air was riding over the lower, cooler air. The rubbing layers produced the turbulence.

What can we learn form these experi-ences? First, be aware that a continuously rapidly switching windsock is probably not switching from thermals, but some form of quickly changing swirls. Sure, a passing thermal can make a sudden change in a sock or streamer, but usu-ally it then settles down into a flow in a

fairly constant direction until the ther-mal cycle is over.

Secondly, we can generally say that as long as the wind at takeoff is moderate to light and is steady enough to allow a safe launch, conditions in the air will be manageable, if uncomfortable. In other words, even if we are surprised by a shear after launch, we should be able to control our glider enough to at least go out and land. This guideline has always been the

case in all the shear experiences I have had in decades of flying. Of course, this guideline doesn’t apply to the shear in a thunderstorm gust front or a rapidly moving cold front. We should always be aware that the sky reserves a right to sur-prise unwary pilots or those who live in house trailers. Let the flyer beware.

The final thing we should have in mind is that shears, like thermals, waves and convergence, may move and change.

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Since they are part of a layer system, they are not as agile as thermals, but over the period of an hour they can appear or disappear. Disappear isn’t bad, appear is. In general, the way to get out of shear turbulence is to change altitude. Usually getting above the shear isn’t an option, while getting below is. When we went out to land in the shear at the Superbowl, things smoothed out about 500 feet above the ground. No doubt in some cases shear turbulence can extend all the way to the ground, but, hopefully, the slower winds near the surface diminish its effect.

One of the first weather curiosities I was called upon to offer an opinion of—way back in the fall of 1975—oc-curred in the San Diego area where pilots had been soaring, then flew out to land. As they approached the field, they

saw the windsock turn 180 degrees to blow away from the hill, and then they passed through a strong layer of turbu-lence before it smoothed out close to the ground, and they landed pointing at the hill. The conclusion then, which has been confirmed by a warehouse full of accu-mulated experience in the 35 years since, is that cool air, accumulating in a nearby canyon with the lowering sun, suddenly flowed across the landing field. With an injection of cool air in this manner, a layer of shear can be produced where the cool meets the warm as the former slides under the latter.

STRONG SHEARThe situations described above involve what we can call mild shear. In fact, we’ll venture a definition: any shear turbu-lence in which you can safely maintain

control is mild shear. Certainly the op-posite can exist. Strong, serious, severe shear definitely exists up there in the wild blue. Jet stream turbulence—which is strictly shear turbulence—has torn apart well-designed, maintained and pi-loted airplanes.

What follows is a series of photos indicating strong shearing in the atmo-sphere. Photo 3 shows a cumulus cloud with a curl on the upwind side. This curl is caused by wind deflecting upwards by the rising thermal at the upwind edge of the cloud. The wind and the cloud it en-trains curls behind the blocking thermal, just like a rotor behind a hill. From the tilt and general shape of all the clouds in the photo, we can tell there is a lot of wind at cloud level. Often when we see such a curl on a cummi, there is an in-version at cloud level, and this inversion may confine the stronger wind to the region above it.

Look at the clouds in the photo, and you will see they are quite spread out and also have little vertical development. These are signs that the thermal is pen-etrating into an inversion. Where there is an inversion, we should expect a change in wind velocity and also some shear tur-bulence.

The next two photos show an even stronger shearing action. Photo 4, by Bob Beck, shows small waves, known as Helmholtz waves, at an inversion. The air above the inversion is moving faster than the air below the inversion and, thus, causes this wavy action. Photo 5, by Jeff

“No doubt in

some cases shear

turbulence can

extend all the way

to the ground,

but, hopefully,

the slower winds

near the surface

diminish its effect.”


Goin, shows evidence of strong shear. The waves in the background are break-ing like the waves at Malibu. You can see their curl as the air rolls over. This effect is evidence of serious shear and serious turbulence. For our light wings, there is one wise policy: steer clear.

Our final shot, photo 6, is one I shot out my back door about a year ago. It shows many close waveforms aloft. A ridge upwind a few miles may be initi-ating the waves, but their closeness and

general mixture indicates that a layer of strong wind aloft governs them. We can note by the trees (and I can verify from memory) that there is little wind at the surface. Usually in waves there will be more significant wind if a strong inver-sion doesn’t confine the wind to a certain height. Expect some shearing and, thus, turbulence at or near the wave level.

What lessons do we take from these examples? Shears of a wide variety of strengths occur in the air we navigate.

We should expect them any time there are inversions in the area or strong wind aloft. The presence of clouds helps us see and visualize shears, but shears can—and do—occur frequently without clouds. An awareness of shears and what they feel like in the air helps clear up some of the mysteries of unexpected turbulence, as described above at the Superbowl. The more we are aware, the more we are able to deal with the unexpected and, thus, avoid shear terror.

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SIVState of the Art

A Student's Perspective


The surprisingly thin Spectra tow-line is nearing the end of its 5000 ft. payout. When the little speck

of a boat far below me makes an abrupt ninety-degree turn and slows to a stop, I recognize my cue. I tug the release and my glider shrugs as it shakes free of the umbilical. It feels good to be unfettered. I stow the tow bridle, stuffing the ends into my life vest, and get settled in, 3500 feet over the water. After a few seconds of si-lence, Brad’s in my ear, reminding me of the details of performing the maneuvers for this flight.

It’s late September, and I’m at Lake Berryessa in northern California. I’m

taking an SIV course given by Eagle Paragliding of Santa Barbara. The instruc-tor is Brad Gunnuscio, and I’m joined by five other students.

SIV stands for the French acronym Simulation d’Incident en Vol. In English it basically means “simulating incidents in flight.” The idea, of course, is to learn to manage various wing scenarios in a con-trolled environment. SIV courses, which are offered all over the world, have been an important part of pilot improvement for many years. The courses are conduct-ed over a body of water, and, no, you don’t have to land in the water, but it’s there if you need it! SIV courses have become more sophisticated over the years and, at the hands of an expert instructor, provide a very high level of effective training.

“Now for this flight, as you know, we will be introducing wing deflations with speed bar fully engaged.” It’s Brad, calmly speaking to me through the ear speakers mounted in my helmet. He has directed the boat to position me over the current

“play box,” that is, the adjacent part of the lake over which our maneuvers will

be carried out. This position will change throughout the day, as wind speed and direction varies. The instructor makes certain that one will land in the water if anything goes amiss.

“That’s right; let’s introduce a 50% de-flation on the left side…keep that speed bar all the way on…hold your course…a little more opposite weight shift…stick your head out beyond the risers...that’s it…hold the deflation…now let it dive in the direction of the deflation…now apply cor-rective inputs…,” and on it goes. There’s no wasted altitude. Brad has me work-ing on different aspects of the planned maneuvers until it’s time to land. He de-mands a spot landing in the launch area, and I try my best to deliver.

The SIV day starts early, at a farm ten miles away. Eagle Paragliding has arranged for us to stay at the ranch, with the use of a camper and other facilities. The course participants have brought tents which we have erected among the pines. Brad stays at the ranch, too, as do John and Tim, our excellent tow-boat operators. A feeling of camaraderie quickly develops. My mates,


none of whom I had met before, are from all over, and represent the amazing spirit that I have come to find within the para-gliding community. They’re bright, gener-ous, helpful, imaginative, and fun-loving. And they’re serious about becoming ever better pilots. Two of them have taken an SIV course before, and I soon realize that such a course is not a take-it-once-and-you’re-done kind of thing. There is just so much to learn, that I can envision taking an SIV clinic on a regular basis.

“Now reach up and grab the B risers. Be sure you’ve got the B’s. Pull down hard, evenly, and smoothly. Watch the wing. Let it settle into a B-line stall. The wing is not as solid as you want it…let up a little bit. That’s it.” We progress through the maneuvers precisely and methodically over the course of our three days together. An experienced instructor like Brad can anticipate common mistakes one is apt to make and can smoothly progress the stu-dent through the different maneuvers in a sequential way. Every student progresses at a slightly different rate, and the instructor takes this into account. He doesn’t move a student on to the next exercise until the current one is well-grasped.

“Coach” Gunnuscio tells us that his primary concern is the “big picture.” He wants his students to learn and practice

“real life stuff,” the things from which we are most apt to benefit. For example, we spend a lot of time and effort learning how to manage deflations, as they are a common source of accidents, especially when we don’t have what Brad calls T.C., terrain clearance. We exhaustively prac-tice asymmetric deflations in all kinds of variations—with and without speed bar, turning towards and away from the deflation, and, in general, becoming com-fortable flying the glider in such a highly compromised configuration. So, the goal is to increase our enjoyment and safety of our normal everyday flying, as well as to expand our paragliding horizons in gen-eral.

We students quickly learn, with our instructor’s encouragement, that efficient teamwork during the day can make the difference between getting two tows a day and getting three or four of them. There is no down time; everyone helps move the process along. There are duties, such as towline drogue retrieval from the shore,

hook-up of the pilot on deck, launching of that pilot, preparation of the pilot next up (the one “in the hole”), getting briefed and debriefed by the instructor, and keep-ing fed and hydrated. My group has a long way to go before we can be considered a

“well-oiled machine,” but we do pretty well and certainly have fun while we’re at it.

Another consideration at our SIV site is the heat. It gets to over 100 degrees F every afternoon, so keeping well-watered is critical. But, hey, like they say, it’s a dry heat! The lake water is cool and in-viting and entices us to dip in frequently throughout the day.

“OK, you’re going to grab your risers firmly and introduce a full twist…that’s right…now twist again...hold it there…look up at the wing…now reach up and find the D lines and steer the glider. Turn ninety degrees to the left…” It’s another day, and full riser twists and pitch oscil-lation exercises are on the agenda for this flight, with various induced deflations thrown in as well as altitude allows.

The days go by. And yes, some of the maneuvers are a bit unsettling! Brad now has me practicing spirals and experiencing more g-forces than I have ever known (OK, that might not be saying much) which is extremely instructive. The asymmetrical spirals we practice during the next flight are fascinating and tricky to do just right. It takes great concentration to apply input just when and how Brad tells me to, but I can soon feel it. “Watch the wing!” coach reminds me, and soon I’m getting it.

Running an SIV clinic, I learned, is very demanding logistically. The orga-nizer must locate an excellent location for the course, help arrange for accommoda-tion and transportation for the students, secure a reliable towboat and excellent boat and winch operator team, deal with a myriad of gear issues, such as tow bridles and helmet radios, and ensure the safety of the students. The list goes on and on. I have a high degree of respect and appre-ciation for the folks who made our course happen. It takes a lot of work!

“Stow your bridle and relax. Take in the view…look over the mountains to the east…nice, huh?” Brad’s right. I’m way over the lake on my last tow of the course, and it is, indeed, beautiful. During all the frenetic activity of the last few days, I almost forgot about the pure magic of free

flight. In the breezy quiet I contemplate how great this course has been, not only the instruction but also getting to know all of the amazing people involved. Brad disturbs my brief reverie. “Yeah, we’re hucking the reserve this time, so let’s make this last flight a good one!” He has me run through a number of maneuvers until I’m 1000 feet or so above the water.

“OK, disable the left wing entirely and let it dive. Don’t correct.” Down I go, like a wounded kestrel. “You’re in trouble! Huck that reserve! Toss it!” says Brad, in mock panic. I do just that, in the sequence that I was taught. I throw the handle and re-serve pack in one awkward pitch, and a second later I hear a pop and feel a com-forting tug behind me.

I’m in the water now. I release my har-ness buckles and gingerly swim free of the tentacles of line threatening to engulf me. I am excited, elated. The boat arrives, and Tim extends his strong arm to help me aboard as John gathers my wing and reserve. On the brief ride back to shore, I gush my excitement and thanks to the boat crew, then I lay back and close my eyes and feel the warm sun on my face as time seems to briefly stand still. Soon we’ll be wrapping things up as the last afternoon of the course comes to a close. This little group from which I’ve learned so much will disband, and we’ll go our separate ways. But what we have shared here will be remembered for a long time. I strongly recommend to all a state-of-the-art SIV course!

“An experienced

instructor like Brad

can anticipate

common mistakes

one is apt to make

and can smoothly

progress the student

through the different

maneuvers in a

sequential way.”


by Vince Endter

This is a Vince Report from August 2nd, 2009, when the air was full of smoke from a lot of fires burning in

Northern California. There were times it was so bad that you could not see the bail-out LZ at Elk from launch (3 miles). The smoke finally cleared enough to fly, just in time for the Sonoma Wings annual St. John fly-in.

Since I really like flying St. John, I was looking forward to the trip. Rich’s wife, Linda, last names agreed to drive for us, in spite of working 80 hours a week on

costumes and sets for a theater group she belongs to. Lots of pilots signed up, so we expected a big turnout. The price was a great bargain—$35 for the fly-in, a T-shirt and BBQ. Rich took over 500 pictures in flight for this report, and my wife took 60.

Leo Jones acted as this year’s meet or-ganizer. He went above and beyond the call of duty, even designing the T-shirts and having them printed. Lots and lots of prizes were donated. I heard that every company that was asked to donate cooper-ated. Charley, Donna, Ernie last names? and many others also spent considerable time getting things ready for the fly-in.

Leo asked me to be the weather forecaster for the meet, and I accepted. Thanks to a point-out by Ron Gleason, I started using a weather forecasting pro-gram called XCSkies. It uses some of the same models as Dr. Jacks, but the forecasts are laid over Google Earth so they are easier to view. They also have something called a three-point forecast that gives

a three day forecast for any point on the map you click. The three-point forecast for Saturday was right on.

This season I purchased a helium bottle and some balloons, so I could see what was happening over launch. The weather for Saturday was predicted to have good lift, about 5,000’ to 6,000’ lift above ground level (not MSL). This meant if you were over St. John, you could expect to get close to 11,000’ and over the flats (which are about 300’ MSL) you could get close to 6,000’. The report also showed the lift ex-tending out into the northern Sacramento Valley (nicknamed the Sinkromento Valley). This does not happen very often. With the lift in the valley, I predicted there would be at least four 100-mile flights Saturday.

Thirty-one hang gliders flew in the meet this year, as well as five paragliders (who flew from Potato Hill). After launch, Rich and I climbed out quickly from a thermal, coming up just left of launch. We did not have to go to the switchbacks as we nor-mally would. The lift was about 400 fpm. It was still early. We launched at about 12:30, as we wanted to go big.

THE VINCE REPORT

[above] Me launching St. John. As you can see from the glider behind me still on the launch ramp, the ramp is only about 20’ long and ends in a lava field. [opposite

top] Gliders set up around launch. [bottom left] There is a rigid wing on the ramp waiting to launch in the lower

left of the picture. Kurt launching. [bottom right] Me giving my weather report and launching a helium balloon

to check for wind direction


We climbed to about 9,000’ over St. John. We could have climbed higher (some pilots later in the day got close to 11,000’), but we wanted to get out on course and get some miles. I should men-tion that my radio was not working prop-erly. I could transmit, but I could not hear anything. In addition, my PTT switch on my left hand got interference from my

vario. I have not had radio problems for over four years, but this flight made up for it. Even with these problems, I was not about to give up on a great flying day. I just had to stick with Rich so I could get a retrieve. It was hard on Rich, because on this flight I was usually flying above and behind him to keep him in sight. He had trouble seeing me and spent a lot of time

looking. After leaving St. John, Rich decided to

go on a sightseeing trip. He flew a couple of miles left of our normal course, deep into the mountains. Since I could not hear him, I had no idea what he was doing, and it made me a little nervous. I stayed about halfway between him and the course line. I did not know what was going on with


the other pilots who launched, due to my radio problems. Over Felkner Ridge (about 5 miles from launch), I climbed to over 10,000,’ higher than I ever had at this location. Kurt came in under Rich and me, but we moved on before he climbed up.

Just past Red Mountain, Greg caught up with us. I was glad to see him. I thought it would be better to have three gliders working together. We did not get any lift at Red. When that is the case, the waterfall is usually working (about two miles north of Red Mt.), which it was. I climbed about 1,500’ there. I could see Greg looking for the lift, but he was too far east. I radioed him to go west a bit, but I don’t think he heard me. He headed east and never caught up. Looking at his track log, I saw that he was only one thermal behind for the next 30 miles, until he got lost in the smoke and haze and ended up about ten miles east of the course line.

As we headed northeast, the smoke and haze got worse. Just to the left of the course line at the 50 mile mark, the sign looks like highway 5. It is actually a rail-road track. Some parts along it have no retrieve road. Highway 5 is more to the east. ( I almost fell for this the first time I flew in this direction.)

At the 68-mile mark from St. John, the Sacramento River crosses the course line. There is a large irrigated area about four miles wide on each side of the river. This causes an eight mile wide sink hole. We have never gotten much more than a bubble of lift across this section. About ten miles before this section, we climbed to almost 8,000’ (the ground was 300 msl), the highest I have ever been in this area. We saved most of that altitude and started across the green spot at 6,000’.

We were down to 2,600 agl after cross-ing the green spot. We found lift two miles northeast of the green area. The power lines in this area lead directly to Round Mountain and indicate the course line.

The smoke and haze got pretty bad after the 77-mile mark. The lift was a lot weaker than what we had been getting.

[top] A satellite view of our track logs. [middle] An LZ next to Oak Run road, 100.5 miles from St. John. It is the green one in the upper right of the picture. [bottom] Me breaking down my glider in front of the hangers as Fall River Mills airport.


We had to slow down and spend a lot more time climbing. The tailwind was good, averaging about 8 mph during the flight. That helped, since we would drift a mile or two in each thermal. At the 85-mile mark there are lots of LZs, but only two roads in the area. One, highway 44, cuts across east-west. The other, Oak Run, is near the power lines. Once past the 90-mile mark, the LZs get a lot sketchier.

There are a couple of possible LZs at the 94-mile mark. I have never landed in any of them. but they look good from the air. They are a little back from the road and surrounded by trees and possible ir-rigation canals. An LZ I landed at sev-eral years ago at the 96-mile mark from St. John is small, surrounded by trees, and only 50 yards downhill from the road. Another LZ is 100.5 miles from St. John. I have never landed there, but I would if I had to. At this point of the flight, we were getting light lift every couple of miles. We could not tell what we were going to get next, so we stopped at every indication of lift, further slowing us down.

At the 100-mile mark we got under a layer of smoke from a fire. I was able to see a dome in the smoke that indicated an area of lift. We flew under this section and were able to climb to 9,500’ in a series of thermals. Our original intention was to fly to the right of this location. Without the smoke, we would not have found this lift. About 20 miles to the north, a cloud street extended as far as the eye could see in both directions. Some time in my life I hope to hook into such a cloud street and make it to Lakeview, OR (over 200 miles). I have seen such cloud streets three times in the last eight years, but have not been able to work it out... yet.

At 116 miles is the town of Burney with lots of LZ around the town. From Burney, there are ten miles of trees to cross, then a canyon, to get to the next town, Fall River Mills. In between Burney and Fall River Mills is a cinder cone about 300 feet high, so when you are over Burney, you cannot see what is on the other side. Last year, I spent some time on Google Earth and looked over the area. I saw what looked like a good LZ on the other side of the cinder cone. The image was from 2005, so we could not be absolutely sure it was still there. In the worst case I figured we could land on the side of the cone. We

normally would fly over to the fields left of Burney, but in the past we found them to be sink holes. This time we set our vario waypoints for the altitude of the cinder cone. As we crossed Burney, our varios in-dicated we had reached the cone by 2400’. As we approached the cone, the indication dropped to only 1400’, but we hit a nice little thermal about two miles before the cinder cone that was enough to get us up and over it.

Once over the cone, we still had six miles of trees to cross. We were only 3,500 agl when we hit another thermal that took us up another 1,000’ to 7,000’ (3,500 agl). We also drifted another two miles in the now 20 mph tailwind. We would be able to make it across from here. I did not like this section. When I saw we could make it across, I was finally able to unclench my cheeks.

We flew to the left of the highway, hoping to get some lift off the pass. I crossed the hill to the left of the pass by about 300’, but never hit any lift. The air was smooth all the way to the Fall River Mills Airport. The wind was over 20 mph and we had a ground speed over 60 mph on this final glide. When I landed, the wind on the ground at the airport was about 15 mph and smooth. I had a great no-stepper landing just in front of the hangars. When Rich landed two minutes after me, the wind started gusting and he ended up running out his landing for about 20 yards.

After landing, I looked at my GPS; it read 128.6 miles from St. John. This was my second best flight from St. John. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to get a 100-mile flight this year. Our best flights are usually in July. Linda had stopped to pick up Greg. He made it 73 miles. She still made it to pick us up before we had packed up.

When we got back to camp at the top of St. John ( around midnight), I was disap-pointed to find out that no one else had gone 100 miles. Several other pilots had chosen to try out-and-return flights. I can’t blame them. With the high cost of gas, long flights can get expensive. In ad-dition, the meet was set up so that pilots could earn double mileage points for every mile they made it back from the turnpoint. This gave them 90 points for a 30 mile out-and-return.

http://www.kittyhawkkites.com


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SUN VALLEYThe Grand Dame:


SUN VALLEY

Paragliding's Forgotten Siteby MikePFAU


On a cold January day in 1936, the sleepy town of Ketchum, Idaho, was about to be trans-formed forever. The once booming mining

town was feeling the effects of the mining bust. Besides the Basque sheep herders, who seasonally ushered their flocks through the valley, the popula-tion had dwindled to a mere 100 fulltime residents.

Hired by then-Union Pacific’s Chief Executive and future Governor of New York, Averell Harriman, Count Felix Schaffgosch was on a mission. Harriman had sent the Count to the West in search of America’s first destination ski resort. Harriman had a strict set of criteria for his employee. In his effort to drive more passengers’ train travel west, and as an avid skier himself, Harriman wanted something that captured the charm and grandeur of the European Alps.

After months of scouring the countryside, pass-ing up sights like Aspen, Yosemite, and Rainier, a discouraged Count was about to wire his employer in disappointment, when he heard rumors of a small town nestled in the mountains of South Central Idaho. Upon arriving in Ketchum, the Count knew he had found America’s Shangri-La.

He contacted Harriman immediately: “Among the many attractive spots I have visited, this area combines the more delightful features I have seen in the United States, Switzerland, and Austria for a winter ski resort.” Within seven months, the lodge was completed and Sun Valley was born.

Since its opening in 1936, Sun Valley has been touted as many things: Home to the Stars (Gary

Cooper and Ernest Hemingway often referred to Sun Valley as home), the Grand Dame of Ski Resorts, and the grandest of Idaho’s gems. Also, Sun Valley has always been an innovator in the resort experi-ence. For example, the inception of the world’s first chairlift, an invention Harriman thought of to lift his clients to the top of the mountain in high fashion, was brought to fruition by his engineers imitating banana hoists from plantations in Central America.

Why do I care about this place, and its history??Well, come a little closer, kids …Sun Valley has more to offer than caviar and

Bruce Willis playing harmonica at his nightclub. Oh no, no, no, don’t be fooled. Sun Valley offers some of the best high desert mountain flying this country has to offer. As some of my friends say, “Welcome to Sun Valley: now prepare for your beating!”

Tucked away in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA), the summit of Bald Mountain lies within striking distance of eight dif-ferent mountain ranges. These ranges offer up Idaho’s highest peaks, as well as the Continental Divide.

Since the early years of American paragliding, Sun Valley has created some of the finer pilots in our little community. John Bouchard, Robbie Whittal, Chris Santacroce, Nate Scales, Honza Rejmanek, Dave Bridges, Chuck Smith, and Matt “Farmer“ Beechinor have all called Sun Valley home.

Local resident Nate Scales has been a national team member, competed in the Red Bull Xalps, and held the state record until the summer of 2008.

SUN VALLEY

[previous] Nate Scales flying in the Pioneer

Mountains after launching from Sun Valley. [opposite]

Jamie Messenger over the Big Lost. [next page]

Jamie Messenger on a cross country flight from Sun Valley. Photos by Honza

Rejmanek.


When asked about his home flying site, Scales re-plied: EPIC is the one word I would use to describe the flying in Sun Valley. We have some of the stron-gest, most technical flying on earth. There are hardly any people here, so pilots must be both creative and self-sufficient. Factor in that our launch is at 9000ft on the edge of the desert, and you have super-tech-nical routes with booming conditions. It’s the per-fect training ground to foster some of the best pilots around.”

Matt Beechinor reminisces: “ In the summer of 2005, on an unforgettable XC flight I had from Baldy, I landed 92 miles out near Salmon, Idaho. Halfway through the flight, I cranked it up wingtip to wingtip with my good friend Nate Scales—getting blasted to a height I thought was reserved for astronauts. That smooth lift will forever be seared in my mind.”

Honza Rejmanek placed third in the Red Bull Xalps in 2009 and also holds the current state record at 138.9 miles (223.5 km.) He and Nate have had a friendly ongoing competition for the state distance record. They have exchanged the title several times over the past decade, continuing to push the limits of their potential.

When questioned about the possibilities for XC flights, Honza says: ”There are many great days awaiting the 150-mile-plus flight here. As long as the

wind is not insane and the top of lift is above 16,000, it is a great day. I have had 100-plus miles at Sun Valley without a cloud in the sky! There is always much inner happiness after a long flight. Setting a record or trying hard to beat one is always a lot of fun.”

As the summer sun warms the desert of southern Idaho, the mountains awake. They begin to draw this warm beast into their numerous valley systems. The hillsides release warmth into a rising crescendo that can carry a willing soul to elevations exceeding 17,000ft. On one summer’s eve in 2009, a glass-off ushered its guest to 17,000ft at 8:00pm!

The exhilaration one finds on a night like that or during a personal “best” flight is an experience most will spend their lifetime searching for. We are fortunate individuals, holding our breath in that moment of unyielding anticipation, as we set forth on this journey, surrendering all worries of ego into the rising air.

Sun Valley will be hosting Round Two of the Nationals Series this summer from August 30 to September 5. This competition offers another chance for America to host a PWC , as it will be a pre-PWC.

I hope you will come find your own piece of Idaho above a little place I am proud to call home!


SUN VALLEY


by MD Tennant

Salt lake City, Utah! Home of great winter skiing and my favorite—salt water taffy or, rather, my second fa-

vorite. My first is flying at Point of the Mountain in Draper, Utah, North Side. Since my previous article outlined the many benefits of the south side, it is only

fair to do the same for the north side. One can start the day at the south side

by brushing up on top landings, spot land-ings and kiting, as a paraglider, and take-offs, approaches, and landings, as a hang glider, then, put in a full day’s work and prepare for the North Side Sunset Tour.

What makes POM a premier flying site is the remarkable weather conditions that

switch from south-to-north to north-to-south almost every day. (Try saying that three times). Just around the corner from the south side flying site—about four miles—is North Side.

North Side is a county park. It has a few rules that are different from the south side. However, the local club is the gov-erning body for both sites. The north side


is an evening site because of its north-fac-ing direction and prevailing winds. One of the many benefits of flying there is the availability of weather reports from the local airports just up the valley, since what occurs there usually hits the north side 30 minutes later.

For the student and novice pilot, flying the north side is like graduation day. Having successfully mastered landings, traffic patterns, kiting, and takeoffs, it’s time to join the big dogs.

A skill that’s useful for both hang glid-ers and paragliders at the north side is benching up. Since the site is located on a bench of land formed by the receding waters of a prehistoric lake, the funda-mental skills associated with benching up can be honed there day-in and day-out.

It begins with a launch off the grass-covered site and some skillful ridge soar-ing. The bench is approximately 300 ft above the valley floor and develops lifts that soon allow one to get several-hundred feet up. Then it’s turn and run for the hills. The POM slopes down behind the bench, and the lifting effect from the valley flows up and over the bench, continuing up

the mountain another 1300 ft above the valley overlooking Salt Lake City.

Flying alongside the mountain and riding the ridge requires practice, patience, and passion, the three P’s of paragliding. However, once achieved, the pilot can expect a memorable view and a several-hour flight upward of 2000 ft, followed by a magnificent sunset that gets better every day. Landing at the launch site, just a few feet away from one’s car, is the perfect way to end the day.

Like all sites, benching up depends on the weather and, consequently, is not always an option. The north side bench alone is a great soaring site and has a lower landing zone for those who sink out. A trail up the mountainside, avoided by local goats, is used frequently by adventur-ous pilots. Local instructors can provide a roundabout ride and four-wheel excursion to the top of the mountain on those days when conditions favor ridge soaring at the top.

This site also provides student pilots with a memorable sled ride—a favorite with local tandem pilots. Many a new paraglider has started his/her passion

here with an introductory tandem flight. The hang gliders went to a considerable amount of time and expense to install setup and teardown spots complete with concrete-lined and rubber-padded pits.

The county did a great job of installing historical markers at the site, along with rules and detailed drawings outlining the takeoff and landing zones. The setup and landing area recently had sod installed and is maintained in superb condition. As always, both members of the sport share the site; it’s share and share alike.

For more information on Point of the Mountain, instructors, and facilities, check out the following:

www.uhgpga.org www.paragliders.com/

www.wingsoverwasatch.comwww.twocanfly.com/

www.birdmanacademy.netwww.utahparagliding.com

www.superflyinc.com www.paraglideutah.com

www.ushpa.aero

http://www.thermaltracker.com


CLOUD STREETS IN MOUNTAINSA long sun-facing ridge may have an almost uninterrupted cloud street sitting above it for hours. XC pilots love this view, because it means going fast with little or no need for thermalling for long distances at a time.

CLOUD STREETS OVER FLATLANDS: If the conditions are right, cloud streets may form over flatlands. Just as in the mountains, these are the days when the lucky pilot can really go far in a short time.

The necessary conditions for cloud street formation in flatlands are as fol-lows:

Thermal FlyingPart IV : Cloud Streets

from the book by BurkhardMARTENS

Choice cuts from

the best-selling

technique book

on cross country

flying.

[above] Classic cloud-street, Carpinteria, Argentina | photo by Hans Bausenwein. [opposite] These two pictures were

taken within two seconds of each other. Notice how far the cloud has drifted in the second shot by looking at the treetops at the bottom. The wind is far too strong

for flying, and if it is still quiet at ground level, it is only because the wind has not come down there yet.

[Illustration 1] The planned direction (red) and the most efficient line (green). The gaps in the cloud streets are

used to change streets and move in the desired direction. Big gaps in cloud streets are also better negotiated by

changing streets than by attempting to cross large blue holes. [Illustration 2] A simplified illustration of the air

movement around cloud streets. This illustration also serves to illuminate why the jump from one cloud street to the next should always be done perpendicular to the wind

direction (as shown in Illustration 1) to avoid spending more time than needed in the sink between the streets.


While the wind direction must remain pretty constant at all levels, the wind speed should increase with altitude.

The wind strength should be highest in the upper 1/3 of the space between the ground and the top of the cloud.

There should be an inversion present at an altitude corresponding to the cloud base; the clouds must have vertical room for a healthy development, but they cannot be allowed to grow too big. An inversion around 3000 feet above the condensation level is probably right.

When all these conditions are met, we can expect the distance between the cloud streets to be 2.5 to 3 times the distance of ground-cloud top. If the clouds grow to 9000 feet above ground, the next cloud street will probably be approximately 4-7 miles away, and the cloud streets will be aligned with the wind.

DOLPHIN FLYING UNDER CLOUD STREETS:Dolphin flying, or dolphining, is the fast-est and most efficient way to put some ki-lometers behind us when flying xc. When dolphining, the pilot simply flies straight, braking in lift and accelerating in sink. The trick is to adjust the speed exactly, so that the net altitude remains the same over time. This is something that takes a lot of practice.

Near cloud base we speed up and in-crease our sink rate so that we avoid getting sucked in. Lower down, we may choose to fly closer to minimum sink in order to get the most out of the lift at hand. By con-stantly changing the amount of speed bar we push or even the amount of brake input, we attempt to remain roughly within the area of the best climbing, normally quite close to the cloud base. Once we have this dialled in, we can experience some very

satisfying flying.

Thermal Flying is a 272-page color book brimming with all the latest techniques and

tips from one of Germany’s most experi-enced cross-country pilots . Thermal flying is

available from www .ushpa .aero/store .

TIP Two things to consider when

utilising cloud streets to fly in flat-

lands:

• If the gap between two clouds in a

street is greater than the distance to

the next parallel street, it is probably

wiser to change streets.

• If your bearing is at an angle to the

cloud streets, it pays to go as far

as possible along the streets and

change streets when a gap in your

current street appears.

TIP The distance to the pilot you’re

looking at is much shorter than you

think! As a rule of thumb: he is half-

as-far-away as you think and then

still a bit closer!


Bob Drury talks to Burkhard Martens about his life as a cross country pilot and his best selling book Thermal Flying. Thermal Flying has been printed in German, French and English and so far sold over 10,000 copies worldwide

When German XC hound and flying instructor Burkhard Martens sat down to put his

years of experience down on paper he had no idea how well it would be received. Thermal Flying has become a best seller, ranking Burki alongside the likes of the legendary American writer Dennis Pagen and making him arguably the bestsell-ing author of educational flying books in recent years. Thermal Flying has been printed in German, French and English and so far sold over 10,000 copies world-wide.

Who is Burkhard Martens?I was born in north Germany in 1962, but moved to south Germany to work after I finished my chemical engineering degree.

I started flying in 1989. The first time my feet left the ground I knew it was my sport. Flying is the best thing I’ve ever done. After four years constructing water treatment plants I quit work. Flying was getting more and more important. I went to work for four years for UP and Airea, then set up my own paragliding school which I ran for seven years. Eventually I quit running the school to concentrate on

writing my books. From the moment I took up flying I

was very interested in everything I could learn. I flew for four years in the PWC and a long time in the German paraglid-ing league. In the last five years I was three times German cross country champion. I also won the German Flatlands comp in Berlin, the XC-Camp in Levico Terme, Italy the last two years and the 2009 Bavarian Championship. I’ve also had a few world and national records over the years, some of which are still valid.

How long did Thermal Flying take to write?The German version of the book ‘Das Thermikbuch’ took three years to plan, research and then gather all the photos together. The structure took me three months to get clear in my head. It then took a year to write. I did everything on my own. There was no publishing house. Mads Syndergaards translated the German second edition to make the English ver-sion ‘Thermal Flying’. I did the layout and printing, which took another year.

Who did you write the book for and why?Thermal Flying is for anyone who flies in thermals. Everyone should be able to find something of interest for their level. Some things are too complicated for be-ginners, but then experienced pilots love those parts.

The main reason I wrote Thermal Flying was because when I started flying I

wished I’d had a book like it. My favorite book at that time was a book about flying thermals. There was only text, no pictures, it was a good book, but very hard to un-derstand. Than I realized that 90% of the people learn like me: see a picture, read a simple sentence and understand! That’s what I set out to give to pilots, and it seems that simple concept works for most people too.

My second reason may sound a little strange, but I thought to myself, “I know so much [about flying] that I can pass on to other pilots. If I die all my knowledge will have gone.” I’d been writing articles for magazines for twelve years. One was a series of 18 articles in the paraglid-ing magazine Gleitschirm, now called Thermik. Lots of pilots told me to take the articles and make a book. It was only years later, after I sold my school, that I found the time to realise this long and dif-ficult project.

Which section of Thermal Flying was the hardest to write and why?The weather. Thermal Flying has every-thing in that I think you need to know to fly well. Air law, navigation, knowledge of equipment are all important, but not as important as your understanding of the weather. I know a lot about the weather, but not enough to make sure everything a pilot needs to know was in Thermal Flying. I took the help from a meteorolo-gist to write the section on weather.

Talking toBurkhard Martens


What’s the best advice you could give a hungry pilot?Fly a lot, and at lots of different sites. Fly for as long as you can and fight as hard as you can to stop yourself going down.

When you begin to fly cross country and competitions, think after every out-landing why you’ve gone down short of goal or not gone as far as you thought you would. If others have, then ask yourself what they did that you didn’t. Careful self-analysis is the best road to quick learning.

Safety-wise, never underestimate the power of the seemingly light air. Nature is more powerful than you are and strong rotor is absolute horror.

What are the most common mistakes new pilots make?People get too euphoric about flying and don’t realize the dangers of flying. Plus they don’t know where the leeside and dangerous rotor is.

Where do you fly most?About 5% of my airtime is at my home mountain, the Brauneck, 50 km south of Munich in Germany. Around 80% is all over the Alps and the last 10% all over the world.

What wing do you fly?In competitions the Gin Boomerang, but I have started flying lower level wings for my film projects. In them I fly gliders from many different companies, mostly LTF 1-2 or 2 certified.

What about the rest of your equipment?For competitions and cross country the genial Advance Impress 2, for filming and travelling the light SupAir X-Alps. The Bräuniger Vario IQ-Compeo and the Garmin GPS 60 CSx are my perfect in-struments.

What’s the best flight you’ve ever had?1995 I did a little 40 km FAI triangle. One turnpoint was the 4,274 m high Finsteraarhorn peak in the Swiss Alps near Fiesch, which is a mountain surrounded by glaciers. I soared right over the top of it and was extremely impressed.

My longest flight was over 10 hours and 245 km in the Alps.

And the worst?My first attempt at cross country in St. Andre in the southern French Alps. I soared up to the top of the hill and was happy to be finally doing 360s above the ridge. Then I realized that the wind was blowing at nearly 40 km/h and I was already behind the ridge and flying backwards into the lee side. After 400 m of nearly free fall with extreme collapses I recovered and soared on to the next peak. After two more hours soaring and no landing fields, I didn’t know what to do. So I landed on a small street with my wings tips stuck in the trees either side of the road and my wing lying over a cable. Luckily it was a phone line and not a power cable. That was my first XC. I still think a lot about that flight and how stupid I was at that time.

Ever had any accidents or near misses?In 2001, on an overly motivated XC, I flew into some strong valley wind rotor. Nature proved itself to be stronger than me yet again and I broke my back in three places. Luckily there was no permanent damage and I was flying again after six months. The Boomerang 2 wasn’t the reason I crashed, but when I started flying again it was with the Gin Zoom, which was pure fun after the lay off. I also broke the ligaments in my knee another time.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in flying?That nature is more powerful than you. It’s something I tell everyone. Understanding weather, thermals and wind and how it all works is something you never stop learn-ing.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in life?Everybody is accountable for their own life. When I gave up my well paid job as an engineer my father berated me, but it was the right thing to do. I was much happier and happiness is one of the most important things in life. When I’m on my deathbed I want to able to say: “Yeah, that was a good life. I’ve done good things and made myself and others happy”

What’s the biggest challenge left in paragliding?It’s hard to say. It’s so personal. For some

it’s competitions like the Red Bull X-Alps. For others it’s breaking world records. For me it’s just flying in amazing new places, seeing and enjoying life and people.

Where will our sport be in 25 years? I think the development of gliders will never stop. The principle design of wings won’t change - gliders 20 years ago looked simple, but the basic concept is the same today as it was then. The performance in-crease will slow down, but every two or three years there’ll still be a noticeable gain.

I think pilot philosophy towards the wings they fly will change too. In Germany nearly 70% percent of the pilots fly LTF 1 or 1-2 gliders, which is great be-cause most pilots don’t fly well enough to handle higher rated gliders. Lower rated gliders are incredibly safe and have great performance nowadays and flying with them is great fun. Safe, fun flying is really important. In some other countries, pilots feel they have to have a high performance glider to be accepted and respected. It’s a dangerous philosophy, but I think it will change in the next few years.

If you could never fly again what would you do?Interesting question! I don’t know. I love mountain biking, ski touring, snorkelling and travelling so I guess I’d get more in-volved with these activities. However, a life without flying would be a very poor life to live.

“Nature is more

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Understanding

weather, thermals

and wind and

how it all works is

something you never

stop learning.”

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[top left] JEff O'Brien and his dog | photo by Neil McGarry. [bottom] Photo by Mel Sessa. [above] Zippy in Santa Barbara | photo by Zac Majors.

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The (HAPPY] Flying Widowby Mary Seals

When my husband took a tumble after a rough landing a few months back and broke his arm,

the question on everyone's lips was not: "When will he be able to fly again?” it was "So, are you going to let him keep doing that?"

For me the answer is an obvious one, "Of course!" Though his recovery was long, his injury could have been much worse and was one that could have happened doing any number of outdoor (or indoor) activities. My taking away something he loves to do as some sort of punishment for an accident seemed ludicrous. However, I know many people (especially spouses of those who love sports such as paragliding) don't see it that way.

We tend to want the people we love to take as few risks as possible because we love them. We want their feet firmly planted on the ground, because we want to depend on them and have them around to enjoy as long as possible. Sometimes we go to extremes to control people we love, because we feel that by doing so we are somehow keeping them from danger and extending the time we have with

them. Unfortunately, how long anyone is around is not up to us, and there is a difference between just being alive and LIVING, though I know in that area I'm preaching to the choir when it comes to paragliders and hang gliders.

I don't ever want to be my husband's mother. He already has one, and she did/does a great job as his Mom. Though I have been known to give my opinion now and then, I try to not be in the business of telling him what to do (I said "TRY", honey!). He's an adult and intelligent enough to make all of his own decisions. That isn't to say that he's the exception to the rule; sometimes he appears to still need mothering, like when the dirty clothes are left in a pile within throwing distance of the laundry basket or when I hear "honey, where is my.....?”

Little irritations and bad habits aside, when it comes to his leisure activities and time, which are few and far between, I want him to be in charge. When he rushes home from work and comes in the door early, and I realize it's not be-cause he missed me terribly but because the flying conditions are perfect, I do my best to smile and say,"Have a good time.” When I'm shuttling kids to play dates and

grocery shopping while he is para-waiting on some hillside, I don't fume. When he drops a large sum for a brand new helmet, I don't bat an eyelash. Why, you ask? Why do I not demand more of his free time? How can a mother of four busy little kids spare her husband (their father) AT ALL?? Because I know if the roles were reversed, he'd do the same for me. Happily.

When I wanted to join a painting class, he asked me about it every day until I signed up. I wanted to take up swimming again, he went out and got me every little accessory available. If there is anything that I am interested in doing or having, I only need to say it out loud and my hus-band will make it happen. He makes it obvious through his actions that my hap-piness is paramount in his life.

When my husband decided to take up paragliding, his enthusiasm was nearly contagious. There was no way I could be negative about something he was so excited about when his happiness could only mean more of the same for me. Plus, I can't help but enjoy that little bit of awe that shows up on other men's faces when he tells them he's a paraglider. Perhaps it's the teenager in me, but I just love how COOL it sounds to be able to say "my


husband is out paragliding today," or to be able to watch and be his own personal groupie. I believe I also score some cool points myself when my husband tells other married guys about his hobby and relates that his wife gave him his awe-some helmet cam for his birthday. Plus, I'm hoping that one day my children can also be involved in this hobby and these long days with kids and no husband will turn into long days with plenty of (quiet) time on my hands since they are all hang-ing out on a mountain somewhere. Or perhaps when it's feasible for me, I'll take up paragliding as well, though at the moment my back-log of things I want to do is fairly long and our kids are still very young.

Admittedly, there are some days when his absence frustrates me a bit. Then there are those times when we've been hugging and I realize he's been looking over my shoulder to check the conditions up on the mountain, or he completely missed what I had to say because he was check-ing the weather and searching for his bin-oculars. I'm sure I've had my fill of being called away from what I'm doing to watch another YouTube paragliding video. There have been days where I have needed and

demanded his time and help, and I got the company of a grumpy guy who could only think about being one with his wing. Still, even with these paragliding-on-the-brain irritations, I believe he deserves every minute he spends soaring around the wild blue yonder.

My husband is the kind of guy who gets up each work day and goes off to his job so I can stay home with our kids. Not only that—he's never made me feel as if it's any sort of sacrifice on his part and demonstrates endless amounts of respect for the work I'm doing. He's the guy who will see a necklace in a shop on his way home and think "my wife would like that" and buy it. He's the one who gets up in the middle of the night with cranky babies, takes his son to soccer practice and coaches (even though he never played), and brings flowers for his four-year-old daughter because he can't stand to see her disappointed should he only bring them for me. He doesn't forget birthdays or an-niversaries and when I was pregnant and could only eat Doritos for a week straight, he was my supplier. He has always been there to support me and to give me wings, so it only stands to reason that I should be smiling up at him as I "let him" fly.

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“There are those times when we've been hugging and I realize he's been looking over my shoulder to check the conditions...”

Photo by Mel Sessa


SANCTIONED COMPETITION

RACE TO GOAL

HG august 15-21 Big Spring, TX. Big Spring US Nationals. AT Race to Goal XC. Register Dates: 12/14/09 - 08/15/10. More information contact the Organizer, David Glover, at http://2010BigSpring.blogspot.com, or [email protected].

PG august 28-september 5 Sun Valley, ID. 2010 USA PG Nationals. FL Race to Goal XC. Register Dates: 12/14/09 - 08/28/10. More information contact the organizer, Michael Pfau, at www.usparaglidingnats.com, or [email protected].

HG september 12-18 Casa Grande, AZ. Santa Cruz Flats Race. Francisco Grande Hotel. AT Race to Goal XC. Register Dates: 12/14/09 - 09/12/10 More information contact the organizer, Jamie Shelden, at [email protected].

NON-SANCTIONED COMPETITION

HG PG august 1-7 Boone, NC. Tater Hill Open. XC and race for paragliders and low performance hang gliders w/ concentration on new XC pilots. Handicapped scoring so everyone has a chance to win. More info: www.flytaterhill.com, or contact Meet Director Bubba Goodman at (828)773-9433. Registration opens March 15, $175 includes rides up the hill, retrieve, T-shirt and awards party Saturday night.

PG august 12-15 Montanta. Intermountain League Meets. Open distance, gps scoring. $12 per day. Details: leaguemeet.com.

PG august 20-22 Salt Lake City, UT. Intermountain League Meets. Open distance, gps scoring. $12 per day. Details: leaguemeet.com.

PG august 21-22 Nothern California. Northern California Cross Country League. 2010. The Cross Country league is an informal series of cross country competitions running from March through to October held at flying sites within driving distance of the Bay Area. The league is set to help pilots of all abilities in improving their flying skills by flying set courses with other pilots. These are essentially a ‘fly-in’ with a mission. For more information check out www.SantaCruzParagliding.com or email Jug at [email protected]

PG august 26-29 Sun Valley, ID. Intermountain League Meets. Open distance, gps scoring. $12 per day. Details: leaguemeet.com.

PG september 10-12 Southwest Wyoming (towing). Intermountain League Meets. Open distance, gps scoring. $12 per day. Details: leaguemeet.com.

PG september 11-12 Nothern California. Northern California Cross Country League. 2010. The Cross Country league is an informal series of cross country competitions running from March through to October held at flying sites within driving distance of the Bay Area. The league is set to help pilots of all abilities in improving their flying skills by flying set courses with other pilots. These are essentially a ‘fly-in’ with a mission. For more information check out www.SantaCruzParagliding.com or email Jug at [email protected]

PG september 17-19 Southern Utah. Intermountain League Meets. Open distance, gps scoring. $12 per day. Details: leaguemeet.com.

HG september 19-25 Dunlap, TN. Team Challenge will retain the same successful teaching format we’ve used for several years. Teams of 5 competitors led by advanced XC pilots will focus on improving soaring and cross country skills. Each team will have task and safety committee representatives select each day’s task. All flights are reported on the honor system and scored by a program developed by Jeff Nibler just for Team Challenge. All pilots are encouraged to participate in every aspect of the Team Challenge. We will have nightly seminars, including video launch and landing clinics, led by some of the best teachers and leaders in our sport. Ask the alumni: if you have never participated in a Team Challenge, you’ll be glad you joined us. We’ll have great food all week, fun events and a great awards party. It’s a blast to camp at our Henson’s Gap site with all your friends and fly XC for fun! There is no rush. Flights are not scored for speed, so just have a fun and let your team leader show you the way, as you leave the nest and explore the beautiful Sequatchie Valley! You’ll learn more in that week than in years of flying on your own! The wrap up party will be great and will be followed by the Superman Open! Team Challenge registration fee is just $140! More Information—James P. Anderson (334) 265-4643, [email protected], or TennesseeTreeToppers.org.

PG september 25-27 or oCtober 2-4 Owens Valley. Northern California Cross Country League. 2010. The Cross Country league is an informal series of cross country competitions running from March through to October held at flying sites within driving distance of the Bay Area. The league is set to help pilots of all abilities in improving their flying skills by flying set courses with other pilots. These are essentially a ‘fly-in’ with a mission. For more information check out www.SantaCruzParagliding.com or email Jug at [email protected]

FLY-INS

august 6-8 Maple Falls WA, Silver Lake Group Camp Ground. Black Mountain 34th Annual Hang Gliding Meet of the Canadian & American Hang Gliding Associations. "The Can Am". Come fly one of the oldest sites in the Pacific Northwest. Spot Landing, Speed runs, Fun Fly-in Potluck Saturday night. More information: Della Miller, (360) 421-6995

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


august 13-15 Silver Lake Park, Whatcom County, WA. 2010 Black Mountain Fly-In is scheduled for the weekend of August 13-15. New event organizers and proceeds to support local site maintenance fund. Friday evening registration, pilot’s meeting Saturday 10am. Potluck/BBQ Satuday evening and hosted breakfast Sunday morning. Fee for the weekend, including camping is $35. More Information: Jim Wagner [email protected].

august 14-22 King Mountain, ID. Annual Safari at the King Mountain Glider Park in Idaho. Awesome glass off and cloud bases at 18,000’. Hang Gliders, Paragliders, and Sailplanes all at the base of King Mountain. Campfires, potlucks, star gazing, hiking, mountain biking, and Fishing. Free Camping at the Glider Park just east of Sun Valley. See the pictures from last years Safari in our gallery. Call John at (208) 407-7174. Go to www.kingmountaingliderpark.com for directions and more info.

september 4-6 Ellenville, NY. 20th annual Ellenville N.Y. Labor Day Fun Fly-in. More info: Paul Voight (845)744-3317

CLINICS & TOURS

tHrougH september 19 Rising Fawn, GA. Lookout’s Free Sunday Clinic Series. Each Sunday a new clinic topic. Guest and staff speakers. Check out the clinic topics and meeting locations on the Calendar at www.hanglide.com. Call (706)398-3541 for more information. More Information: [email protected], or www.hanglide.com.

august 1-3 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.

august 11-21 French Alps Paragliding Tour with Eagle Paragliding. This flying location is amazing. Call 805.968.0980, or visit www.paragliding.com to get more information, and view the images from previous tours.

august 21-22 Tandem Paragliding Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. Classroom and practical training at our world class training hill. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.

august 26-28 Utah. Central Utah Thermal and XC Clinic with Stacy Whitmore, Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More info: www.twocanfly.com.

august 27-29 Salt Lake City, Utah. Wasatch Mountain Tour There are few states more synonymous with world-class flying than Utah, and now with the WOW Wasatch Mountain Tour, you can experience all of its greatness for yourself. All within 90 minutes of Salt Lake City, WOW will introduce clinic attendees to numerous sites with epic flying conditions via a guided tour. Flying fun at its best. For more information visit wingosoverwasatch.com

september 3-5 Utah. Thermal Clinic. Utah flying sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More info: www.twocanfly.com.

september 4-6 Provo, Utah. Inspiration Thermal Clinic. Join Wings Over Wasatch for an in-depth instructional review of one of the best sites in the US. This clinic will cover the intricacies of flying Inspiration Point, as well as the various thermal techniques required at such a site. Open to all pilots, from those that have not yet flown “Inspo”, to those that fly it regularly and would like to increase their working knowledge of the site. For more information visit wingsoverwasatch.com

september 6-17 India: Bir Billing, Dharamsala, Manali. Local instructors and guides in India.Includes transportation, accomodation, guide service. Novice/Intermediate/Advanced rated pilots. Side trip to Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama residence. The selection of the sites and take off points will be made according to the skill and experience of the individual pilot. Questions about the trip’s itinerary, difficulty, transportation, accommodations, etc., should be addressed to your trip leader Achim Hagemann, (808) 895-1690, or email: [email protected].

september 9-14 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.

september 16-21 9th Grand Junction, Colorado Ridge Soaring Clinic at Otto’s Ridge and Reader Mesa. Enjoy hours of smooth flying and perfect your top landing skills with Parasoft PG. Details at http://www.parasoftparagliding.com/lessons/ridge _ soaring _ clinic.php

september 25-26 Utah. Mountain Flying and learning how to pioneer a new site in Utah with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More info: www.twocanfly.com.

oCtober 15-17 Owens Valley Thermal and Cross Country Clinic with Eagle Paragliding. Many pilots are sure to get personal bests. View photos and videos from our last clinic at www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.

november 5-7 Instructor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. This three-day clinic is open to basic and advanced Paragliding Instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.

november 8-9 Tandem Paragliding Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. Classroom and practical training at our world class training hill. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.

6020

http://www.flytec.com

http://www.moyesusa.com

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november 9-16 &/or nov 18-25 Iquique, Chile. Join Ken Hudonjorgensen, and local guides. A great trip to what many pilots consider to be the best place to fly in the world, certainly more consistent than any place I have ever flown. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email [email protected]. More info: www.twocanfly.com.

november 10-29 Iquique ,Chile. Join Luis Rosenkjer and Todd Weigand to fly the never ending thermals of the Atacama Desert! Soar endless sand ridges high above the Pacific Ocean, then land on the beach next to our 4 star hotel. As Chilean open distance record holders and Iquique Competition Champions, Luis and Todd also have 15 years of combined guiding experience in Iquique! A variety of trips for all levels, plus XC guiding, Acro displays, and master kiting tips! The conditions are so good at this time of the year that we guarantee you will fly everyday or get money back! More Information: www.paraglidingtrips.com.

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.

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.

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

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.

FLEX WINGS

a great selection of hg&pg gliders (ss, ds, pg) -HARNESSES (trainer, cocoon, pod) -PARACHUTES (hg&pg) WHEELS (new & used). Phone for latest inventory (262)473-8800, www.hanggliding.com.

wills wing tandem hang glider - White/Yel-low, less than 50 hours, excellent condition, keel is reinforced for trike. Flys awesome,never crashed, looking for a smaller wing. $2100 OBO or trade. (714)350-7860 [email protected]

PARAGLIDERS

paragliding gear - Windtech Tempus, DHV-1, size Large, grey & gold, only 10 hours of airtime - $1000. Comes with stuff bag and original backpack (which has a few broken buckles). Racer XC Harness, size L, with brand new Large Airwave Reserve - $500. 303-805-7536.

PARACHUTES

reserve parachute - Free Flight Enterprises. L.A.R.A 250 (equal to Quantum 330) 320 sq ft. Newly repacked & in perfect condition. Deployed once during maneuvers course. Always repacked yearly and never been used for emergency deployment. $500 (normally $625-$675 new retail). Call 719-244-2494.

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

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MADE BY PILOTS FOR PILOTS. MPHSPORTS.COM

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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, and 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 (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

apco aviation dealer - COLORADO'S FIRST & ONLY DEALER - Paragliders,harnesess,rescue systems and accessories call Ken (303)775-8676 or email:[email protected]

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

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

florida ridge aerotow parK - 18265 E State Road 80, Clewiston, Florida 863-805-0440, www.thefloridaridge.com.

graybird airsports — Paraglider & hang 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 - Home to the champions—is dedicated to your success, whether you want to learn to fly, are honing your landing skills or hoping to medal at the next World Championships. (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

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 flights, tours, and equipment sales. More information: 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.

TEXAS

austin air sports - Hang gliding, and LSA weight shift control sales, service and instruction. Steve Burns (512) 736-2052, [email protected]. WWW.AUSTINAIRSPORTS.COM.

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.

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

canada - Raven Aviation Hang Gliding Lessons (USHPA certified) and Trike Lessons. One week full immersion courses. Lumby BC Canada. On-site camping. More info: www.RavenAviation.ca, (250)307-7553

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>

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

MISCELLANEOUS

Kootenaytwistedflyers.ca - Handcrafted copper PG & HG models & mobiles that capture the energy & motion of flying. Make great trophies, or home and office accents. More info: www.kootenaytwistedflyers.ca, or (250) 358-2511.

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS

stolen paragliding gear - Van broken into at a truck stop in Buttonwillow, CA and all my paragliding gear stolen. UP Everest med harness, Niviuk Hook wing small s/n DZ1110, Ozone Rush2 wing med s/n R2M-K-33B-005, UP profile reserve 20 parachute, Flymaster B1 variometer, SOL flight deck, Garmin GPS 72, Yeasu FT60 radio, ICOM 2200h 50 watt mobile radio. Contact Forrest Brault at [email protected], or (530) 533-5018.

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


Atlanta Paragliding | Chile . . . . . . . . . . .27

Atlanta Paragliding | Turkey . . . . . . . . . 14

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

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

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

Foundation for Free Flight . . . . . . . . . . 12

Gradient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Hall Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Kitty Hawk Kites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

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

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

MPH Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

North Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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

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

Parque Aventuras La Ceja . . . . . . . . . . .11

Santa Cruz Flats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Sky Wings Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Soaring Society of America . . . . . . . . . 75

Sport Aviation Publications . . . . . . . . . 16

Superfly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Thermal Tracker Paragliding . . . . . . . . . 49

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

US Parachuting Association . . . . . . . . . 29

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

USHPA | 2011 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . .31

ADVERTISERS

South-side-slide | Photo by Neil McGarry


rtng regn name city state rating official

A P R I L 2 0 1 0HANG GLIDINGrtng regn name city state rating official rtng regn name city state rating official

H-1 1 Eric Ollikainen Vancouver WA John MatylonekH-1 1 Douglas Deaver Battle Ground WA John MatylonekH-1 1 Robert Mcdougall Seattle WA Gordon CayceH-1 2 Bill Taylor Willows CA James ReynoldsH-1 2 Adam Huston Las Vegas NV Tammy BurcarH-1 2 Bob Shelton Milpitas CA John SimpsonH-1 3 Michael Bilyk Victorville CA Mark KnightH-1 4 John Williams Kingman AZ Tammy BurcarH-1 4 Bill Gateley Albuquerque NM James TindleH-1 5 Richard Waters Wilson WY Bart WeghorstH-1 6 Tyler Trent Conway AR Jayson HollandH-1 6 Cory Trent Little Rock AR Jayson HollandH-1 6 James Bradford Peculiar MO Gordon CayceH-1 6 Brian Flint Ballwin MO Gordon CayceH-1 7 Clayton Parr Greenup IL Gordon CayceH-1 8 Mason Almeida Boston MA Trebor ClavetteH-1 8 Jeff Galvin Meriden NH Robert MorrellH-1 8 Jon Richard Buddeford ME Paul TjadenH-1 9 Timothy Little Louisville KY Gordon CayceH-1 9 Byron Stevens Hampton VA Matthew PaulsenH-1 9 Christopher Hornberger Odenton MD Richard HaysH-1 10 Austin Tindle Clewiston FL James TindleH-1 10 Nickolas Lopez Kill Devil Hills NC Andy TorringtonH-1 10 Robert Flynn Jacksonville NC Gordon CayceH-1 10 Gary Booker Atlanta GA Gordon CayceH-1 10 Isaiah Clapp Charlotte NC Gordon CayceH-1 10 Kevin Hamilton Mobile AL Gordon CayceH-1 10 Robbie Hamilton Huntsville AL Gordon CayceH-1 10 Joseph Nadwodny Huntsville AL Gordon CayceH-1 10 Krista Straight Augusta GA Gordon CayceH-1 10 John Whitehead Seymour TN Gordon CayceH-1 10 Kenneth Winsor Cortez FL Gordon CayceH-1 11 Robert Morrison Jr New Orleans LA Tammy BurcarH-1 12 Chad Minew Catskill NY Greg BlackH-1 12 Konstantin Vatrenko Brooklyn NY Greg BlackH-1 12 Gregory Slimko New York NY Malcolm JonesH-2 1 Eric Ollikainen Vancouver WA John MatylonekH-2 1 Douglas Deaver Battle Ground WA John MatylonekH-2 1 Robert Mcdougall Seattle WA Gordon CayceH-2 2 Bill Taylor Willows CA James ReynoldsH-2 2 Tim Dyer Henderson NV Tammy BurcarH-2 3 Michael Bilyk Victorville CA Mark KnightH-2 5 Richard Waters Wilson WY Bart WeghorstH-2 6 James Bradford Peculiar MO Gordon CayceH-2 6 Brian Flint Ballwin MO Gordon CayceH-2 7 Clayton Parr Greenup IL Gordon CayceH-2 8 Mason Almeida Boston MA Gordon CayceH-2 8 Jon Richard Buddeford ME Paul TjadenH-2 9 Timothy Little Louisville KY Gordon CayceH-2 9 David Stevens State College PA Randy GroveH-2 10 Austin Tindle Clewiston FL James TindleH-2 10 Robert Flynn Jacksonville NC Gordon CayceH-2 10 Gary Booker Atlanta GA Gordon CayceH-2 10 Isaiah Clapp Charlotte NC Gordon CayceH-2 10 Kevin Hamilton Mobile AL Gordon CayceH-2 10 Robbie Hamilton Huntsville AL Gordon CayceH-2 10 Joseph Nadwodny Huntsville AL Gordon CayceH-2 10 Krista Straight Augusta GA Gordon CayceH-2 10 John Whitehead Seymour TN Gordon CayceH-2 10 Kenneth Winsor Cortez FL Gordon CayceH-2 11 Robert Morrison Jr New Orleans LA Tammy BurcarH-2 12 Dana Nelson Rochester NY James TindleH-2 12 Konstantin Vatrenko Brooklyn NY Greg BlackH-2 12 Gregory Slimko New York NY Malcolm JonesH-3 2 Jason Wolfe San Francisco CA Kurtis CarterH-3 2 J Michael Owens Oakdale CA Christopher ValleyH-3 2 Steve Davy Petaluma CA Michael JeffersonH-3 3 Benjamin Haug Goleta CA Zac MajorsH-3 7 John Souther Northville MI James TindleH-3 8 D Patrick Mcguinness Concord NH Jeffrey NicolayH-3 9 Timothy Little Louisville KY Gordon Cayce

H-3 10 Austin Tindle Clewiston FL James TindleH-3 12 Matthew Bouchard Accord NY Andy TorringtonH-4 3 Alexander Ponomarev Vista CA John HeineyH-4 10 David Miller Wildwood GA Daniel ZinkH-4 10 L Thomas Dwelley Monroe NC Malcolm Jones

P-1 1 Cecil Preuit Salem OR Nick CraneP-1 1 James Sorenson Iii Seattle WA Marc ChiricoP-1 1 Daren Lindley Beaverton OR Maren LudwigP-1 1 Ryan Mader Portland OR Kelly KellarP-1 1 Jim Heinl Woodland WA Kelly KellarP-1 2 Michael Moore South Lake Tahoe CA Ed YoumansP-1 2 Bruce Hachtmann San Martin CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Brian Hachtmann San Martin CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 2 Mara Jennings Menlo Park CA Jeffrey GreenbaumP-1 3 Scott Isbell Ladera Ranch CA Rob MckenzieP-1 3 Jim Wickstrom Santa Barbara CA Robert PeloquinP-1 3 Wendy Hunter Solano Beach CA Chad BastianP-1 3 Matthew Geary San Diego CA Robin MarienP-1 3 Kevin Keane Santa Barbara CA Chad BastianP-1 3 Karl Stewart Riverside CA Bruce KirkP-1 3 Shahane Poghosyan North Hollywood CA Chad BastianP-1 3 Mahmoud Amirnovin La Jolla CA Max MarienP-1 3 Eunsuh Ki Fullerton CA Kyoung Ki HongP-1 3 Scott Jepson Calabasas CA Bruce KirkP-1 4 Gabriel Laurita Cedaredge CO Lori FitzgeraldP-1 4 Mustafa Altunbas Denver CO Kyoung Ki HongP-1 4 Chris Arnold Kirkland Afb NM Charles WoodsP-1 4 John Romano Boulder CO William LaurenceP-1 4 Benjamin Perry Flagstaff AZ Tanner PattyP-1 4 Chris Fish Telluride CO Ryan TaylorP-1 4 Brian Sullivan Phoenix AZ Carlos MadureiraP-1 5 William Baker Jackson WY Kirkeby DeffebachP-1 5 Charles Cook Boise ID Chris SantacroceP-1 6 Bob Chelewski Grand Island NE Kevin HintzeP-1 7 Jeffrey Baumgartner Hartland WI Hugh MurphyP-1 7 Frank Baker Roscommon MI Kirkeby DeffebachP-1 8 Dean Slocum Richmond VT Nick CraneP-1 8 Steven Prepost Springfield VT Heath WoodsP-1 9 Rafael De La Hoz Allentown PA Terry Bono

PARAGLIDING

Photo by Neil McGarry


A P R I L 2 0 1 0 RATINGSP-1 9 Raphael Comprone Lawrenceville VA Benoit BruneauP-1 10 Ulric Leblanc Raleigh NC Bruce KirkP-1 10 Ariel Nocella Auburn GA Luis RosenkjerP-1 10 Jeffrey Weiss Daytona Beach Shores FL Roy ZaleskiP-1 11 Suzanne Weber Plano TX Bradley GearyP-1 13 Kim Seeger Roskilde Rob SporrerP-1 13 Nathan Bird Calgary, Alb Kevin HintzeP-1 13 Gerardo Gutierrez San Salvador Chad BastianP-2 1 Cecil Preuit Salem OR Nick CraneP-2 1 James Sorenson Iii Seattle WA Marc ChiricoP-2 2 Michael Moore South Lake Tahoe CA Ed YoumansP-2 3 Scott Isbell Ladera Ranch CA Rob MckenzieP-2 3 Jim Wickstrom Santa Barbara CA Robert PeloquinP-2 3 Wendy Hunter Solano Beach CA Chad BastianP-2 3 Porfirio Esparra Iii San Diego CA Max MarienP-2 3 Matthew Geary San Diego CA Robin MarienP-2 3 Kevin Keane Santa Barbara CA Chad BastianP-2 3 Karl Stewart Riverside CA Bruce KirkP-2 3 Shahane Poghosyan North Hollywood CA Chad BastianP-2 3 Eunsuh Ki Fullerton CA Kyoung Ki HongP-2 3 Scott Jepson Calabasas CA Bruce KirkP-2 4 Gabriel Laurita Cedaredge CO Lori FitzgeraldP-2 4 Mustafa Altunbas Denver CO Kyoung Ki HongP-2 4 Chris Arnold Kirkland Afb NM Charles WoodsP-2 4 John Romano Boulder CO William LaurenceP-2 4 Benjamin Perry Flagstaff AZ Tanner PattyP-2 4 Brian Sullivan Phoenix AZ Carlos MadureiraP-2 6 Bob Chelewski Grand Island NE Kevin HintzeP-2 7 Jeffrey Baumgartner Hartland WI Hugh MurphyP-2 8 Dean Slocum Richmond VT Nick CraneP-2 9 Rafael De La Hoz Allentown PA Terry BonoP-2 9 Ted Fluck Wayne PA Terry BonoP-2 10 Mackenzie Woods Memphis TN Charles WoodsP-2 10 Ulric Leblanc Raleigh NC Bruce KirkP-2 10 Ariel Nocella Auburn GA Luis RosenkjerP-2 10 Jeffrey Weiss Daytona Beach Shores FL Roy ZaleskiP-2 13 Kim Seeger Roskilde Rob SporrerP-2 13 Nathan Bird Calgary, Alb Kevin HintzeP-2 13 Gerardo Gutierrez San Salvador Chad BastianP-3 1 Christopher Roberts Seattle WA John KraskeP-3 1 Mark Thompson White Salmon WA Maren LudwigP-3 1 Nicholas Giguere Bellingham WA Delvin CrabtreeP-3 1 Ryan Mcdonald Entiat WA Douglas StroopP-3 2 Joseph Johnston San Francisco CA Andy MacraeP-3 2 John Dudley Occidental CA Rob SporrerP-3 3 James Boyd Kihei HI David BinderP-3 3 Peter Follett Papaikou HI Christopher LanganP-3 3 Gregory Hunter Solano Beach CA Max MarienP-3 3 Sam Blankenship Oceanview HI Christopher LanganP-3 3 Doug Simpson San Diego CA Roy ZaleskiP-3 3 Porfirio Esparra Iii San Diego CA Max MarienP-3 3 Matthew Geary San Diego CA Robin MarienP-3 3 Eunsuh Ki Fullerton CA Kyoung Ki HongP-3 4 Mustafa Altunbas Denver CO Kyoung Ki HongP-3 4 Darren Payne Morrison CO William LaurenceP-3 4 Victoria Dawson Sandy UT Kevin HintzeP-3 5 Justin Bastiani Bozeman MT Andy MacraeP-3 8 Dean Slocum Richmond VT Nick CraneP-3 10 Ariel Nocella Auburn GA Luis RosenkjerP-3 11 Kent Robinson Plano TX Kyoung Ki HongP-4 1 Richard Young Anchorage AK William RossP-4 1 J Kirk Linton Everson WA Delvin CrabtreeP-4 1 Noah Briller Portland OR Maren LudwigP-4 2 David Royer Redwood City CA Mike SteenP-4 3 Aaron La Plante Santa Barbara CA Rob SporrerP-4 3 Kent Erickson La Jolla CA Bob Hammond JrP-4 3 Jim Simmons Waianae HI Pete MichelmoreP-4 4 Bo Thomsen Crested Butte CO Roy ZaleskiP-4 4 Ben Eaton Crested Butte CO Roy ZaleskiP-4 6 Justin Elliott Monroe City MO Jeffrey FarrellP-4 10 Ariel Nocella Auburn GA Luis Rosenkjer

rtng regn name city state rating official

http://www.ssa.org

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

CompleteMAGAZINE

COLLECTION

1971-2008

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

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

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

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

MA

GA

ZIN

E C

OL

LE

CT

ION

19

71-

20

08

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

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

1972 - 1976 Ground Skimmer

2003 - 2008 Hang Gliding & Paragliding

1971-20081971-20081971-2008

FLEECE JACKET | $35.00 - 45.00

DENIM BRUISER | $30.00

HG & PG MAGAZINE ARCHIVES ON DVD | $30.00 PLAY GRAVITY DVD | $41.95

BIG BLUE SKY DVD | $29.95

FLEECE VEST | $35.00MENS TEES | $16.00 - $18.00

WOMENSAND KIDSTEES | $5.00!

CAPS $20 | OUTBACK HATS $24

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WOMENS $5!CAP NOW $18!

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Now you can wear the

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STAINLESS STEEL MUG | $10.00So you're over at mission control and the launch coordinator sets down his soy chai latte in a little plastic NASA mug. Nice guy for a desk jockey. But he doesn't know what it's like to have a billion pounds of burning thrust under his butt. You don't either, but you're a free flying pilot working a day job as a propulsion engineer in this weird scenario. So you pull out your steel USHPA mug and set it next to his. "Whatcha drinkin' there, birdbrain?" he asks. Your answer – "The right stuff."

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

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THE ART OF PARAGLIDING | $34.95 !

Excellent illustrations and a

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As an introduction or a

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Thermal Flying is a compre-

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260 page book is packed with

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Square Pegs in Round Holes78 |


by Steve Messman

I have always held a special place in my heart for square pegs. Both of my sons are; and of course, I hold both of

them in a very special place. My older son, especially, has always set his own rules. He rode a bike only when he decided that he was good and ready, even though it was clearly obvious that he was fully capable of doing so. He water skied on one ski, but never learned on two. In his later life, he had tattoos inked down to his wrists and, still, he harbors aspirations of work-ing in the corner, top-floor window office of an expensive high rise. He does things his own way regardless of what his father advises. In fact, he will nearly always do the opposite of what I say. I have often referred to him as a square peg living in a world full of round holes. He doesn’t know how much alike we are.

The way I have it figured, it is the square pegs among us who make the world such a great place to live in. Square pegs chal-lenge the norm. Square pegs are never sat-isfied with the status quo. They question accepted truths; they ask why; and better yet, they ask why not. Square pegs always expect that there is a better way, and they actively search for it, find it, or create it. Where would the world be without square pegs? Where would the world be without the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Robert Goddard, the Wright brothers, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, or even Oprah? Where would we be if every one of us believed that “now” is good enough? And what of our heroes? Where would we be if not for David Barish? Otto Lilienthal? Francis Rogallo? And uncountable others? The pilots among us would be lost in a world of square parachutes, bamboo, plastic, and duct tape—if we would be flying anything at all.

It’s my belief that all foot launch pilots are square pegs, at least to some degree. We challenge several norms on an almost daily basis. We choose to ignore those who believe us to be crazy. We consciously take that step off the mountainside and ride invisible currents of air to thousands

of feet above the safety of solid ground. We train ourselves to “read” weather pat-terns, to understand what days will take us higher and farther, to find the right to-pography to help us soar. We choose to look the soaring eagle straight in the eye, and we thrill at counting the wrinkles on the turkey vulture’s flabby neck. More im-portantly, we choose to get better at it: to improve the technology, to fly higher, to fly longer, to flip and roll as people were never intended say some, to challenge the body’s need for even oxygen, or to carry canisters of that precious gas with us—just in case. What round hole would do any of those things? Being a square peg is particularly important. It leads to greater personal challenges, to the advancement of technology and skills, and ultimately, to the betterment of what we all do.

Square pegs are people who turn the impossible into reality. In my own para-gliding club, one member challenged all the naysayers, and he initiated the work that finally resulted in an historical change: the state acceptance of paraglid-ing as a form of recreation in one of its state parks. In every one of these maga-zines, we see advertisements and articles touting improvements in the wings we fly: greater strength, improved stabil-ity, increased glide. In every one of our blogs or email lists, we see pilots who have gone farther, flown higher, set per-sonal bests, broken long standing records. None of these events just happen. They are the result of personal choice. They are the achievements of people who see a changed and better future, who work pas-sionately at being different. These are not the achievements of people who accept the norm. These are the achievements of square pegs.

The dreams of square pegs, together with their passion in making dreams come true, are responsible for taking us to new heights, to allowing us to soar, to opening doors that would, otherwise, have remained closed forever. Stand tall all you square pegs; stand tall and be proud. May you forever be just a little bit different.

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10OCTOBERContent closes 8/15

TRAVEL ISSUE

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10DECEMBERContent closes 10/15

PHOTO ANNUAL

EDITORIAL CALENDAR

Photo by Neil McGarry

http://www.flytorrey.com

hang gliding & paragliding vol40/iss08 aug 2010

Documents

sports of hang gliding

related hang gliding

paragliding association

paragliding activities

paragliding methods

art director

executive director

mark gaskill