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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION OF CANADA • JANUARY 2006 VULCAN, Alta. MOUNT YAMASKA, Que. 2006 NATIONALS HPAC ACVL AIR magazine

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Page 1: HPAC ACVL AIRmagazine · The Web Team continues to improve the database and the features that allow us to provide service to you, the member, in a timely fashion. You can update your

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION OF CANADA • JANUARY 2006

VULCAN, Alta. MOUNT YAMASKA, Que.

2006 NATIONALS

HPAC ACVL

AIRmagazine

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SEASONSGREETINGS

PHOTO BY JAYSON BIGGINS

AIRmagazine

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 3

08

REGULARS

04 From the President05 From the BM06 In Brief

12 Classifieds27 Safety form29 HPAC/ACVL Membership Form

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18

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24

FEATURESSolid Ground Awards This year’s winners

Online contest Stewart Midwinter takes a look at this year’s results

Wedding bells Annelies Browne looks back on a busy fall of nuptials

Border incident An Israeli pilot lands into trouble

The race for second place It came right down to the wire at this year’s Willi XC

Competition update From the competition committee chairman Doug Keller

Flying within our limits Mark Dowsett looks at bound-aries and limits in the air

First year flying by Bob Fletcher

12

Contents AIR Magazine • January 2006 • Volume 19, Issue 04

Cover A scene from the 2005

East Coast Championships at Mount Yamaska in Que-bec. The site has been chosen for the paragliding competi-tion in the 2006 Canadian Nationals

See story, pg14

photo by Myriam Savard

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A scene from the French Pyrenees Mountains. See another great photo on page 17.

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4 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

The end of a great yearA message from the HPAC/ACVL president

P R E S I D E N T

MICHAEL FULLER

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Well, what a great year for flying here on the

East Coast. We’ve had countless days of good coastal flying for the most part and as of this writing in mid-November, it is still going strong as the cooler days bring on the highly anticipated sea thermal con-ditions.

Feel free to drop by. You’ll always be wel-come here on the coast!

The year, too, has been good for the growth of your association, as we are get-ting back to a healthy size with 800 mem-bers from coast to coast.

This growth in numbers reflects in part on our schools turning out new and eager pilots and also to the growing concern of soaring clubs who are keenly interested in protecting their flying sites by ensuring

that each and every pilot who uses their site is covered by HPAC/ACVL third-par-ty liability insurance that is provided with your membership. The number of rogue pilots across the country has declined as the great majority of sites insists on this requirement.

Monitoring membership is an onerous job for site officials, so please try to be on time with your membership renewals so you don’t cause them undue concern and more importantly, so you don’t jeopardize the site for your fellow pilots.

Once a nervous landowner pulls the site from use, it is almost impossible to get it back.

You will see elsewhere in this issue that the board has approved the national com-petitions in hang gliding paragliding for

the 2006 season. It’s great to see that they are spread across the country, with the hang gliding event in Vulcan, Alta., and paragliding at Mont Yamaska, Que.

These new competition sites gives us all a great opportunity to go other places to fly, to meet other pilots and compete The bonus of announcing it now is that we have the time to plan that vacation.

As always, we are looking at ways to bet-ter serve our membership. Your sugges-tions and thoughts are always appreciated and give the committees and the BoD food for thought as we try to keep the associa-tion current and reflect the needs of our membership.

– Michael FullerPresident

The association has implemented a search for a Business Manager to replace the current one when he retires at the end of January.

This position has become critically important as HPAC/ACVL continues to grow both in its serv-ices to the membership and the development of new and exciting ways to further the interests of the organization.

The Board of Directors is looking for an individual who will bring to the position strong skills in organization, financial control, promotion and membership service.

Computer literacy is essential and a working knowledge of French would be an asset.

For complete details including remuneration, time expectations, the future and the job description, please contact the president at [email protected] or call Michael Fuller at 902-254-2972.

The competition closes January 31, 2006

Employment OpportunityH PA C / A C V L B u s i n e s s M a n a g e r

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 5

FROM THE BUSINESS MANAGER

Changes at head officeB U S I N E S SM A N A G E R

J O H N B U R K

The HPAC/ACVL business manager gets ready to step aside

Editor: JAMES [email protected]

HPAC/ACVL OFFICERS

President: MICHAEL FULLER [[email protected]]Vice-president: GERRY GROSSNEGGER

[[email protected]]

Secretary: MICHAEL MILLER [[email protected]]Treasurer: CHARLES MATHIESON[[email protected]]Safety & Accident Review Officer: MARLENE JACOB [[email protected]]

HPAC/ACVL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

British Columbia & Yukon: MICHAEL MILLER

Alberta & North West Territories: BRUCE BUSBY

[[email protected]]

Saskatchewan: CAS WOLAN [[email protected]]

Manitoba & Nunavut: GERRY GROSSNEGGER

Ontario: KEVIN THOMSON [[email protected]]

Quebec: JACQUES BLANCHET

[[email protected]]

Atlantic Canada: MICHAEL FULLER

Business Manager: JOHN BURK [[email protected]]

Éditeur du Survol: SUZANNE FRANCOEUR

[[email protected]]

Competition Commitee Chairman: DOUG

KELLER [[email protected]]

Observer: VINCENE MULLER

[[email protected]]

FAI/CIVL Delegate: STEWART MIDWINTER

[[email protected]] & VINCENE MULLER

Instructors Advisory Council Chair: PETER

DARIAN [[email protected]]

Insurance Committee: GREGG HUMPHREYS

[[email protected]]

Legal Advisor: MARK KOWALSKY

[[email protected]]

XC Records: VINCENE MULLER

Transport Canada Liaison: ANDRÉ NADEAU

[[email protected]]

Web Team: PHIL DEON [[email protected]],

JUDITH NEWMAN [[email protected]], GERRY

GROSSNEGGER & CHARLES MATHIESON

AIR is published four times yearly by the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada/L’Association Canadienne de Vol Libre, and is mailed under Publication Agreement Number: 40735588. Undeliverable copies should be returned to:

120 Ottawa Street NorthPO Box 43082Kitchener, ONN2H 6S9

H T T P : / / H PAC . C A

“Gliders, sailplanes, they are wonderful flying machines. It’s the closest you

can come to being a bird.”

– Neil Armstrong

It is with some regret that I have made the decision to step down as your

Business Manager due to a new business op-portunity that I am involved in.

This position requires a fairly active com-mitment to provide you the member with day to day services in a timely fashion and to keep the wheels turning. It has been my pleas-ure to attempt to provide that service and to work with your Board of Directors and all the other hard working volunteers who keep this organization focused on your behalf.

With the demands of my new partnership, I have some concerns about whether I can continue to provide a high level of service.

So it is time to look for a replacement — see the ad on page 4 for details.

I will continue for the foreseeable future in the position and have not set a firm date for my departure.

Many changes have been made behind the scenes by your excellent Web Team members, which have been evident in the way services and information are provided on a daily basis for the membership.

You will notice some major changes with your membership cards this year and in-structors will see all their expiry dates on the card.

Members in Quebec will soon notice a

change in services offered by HPAC/ACVL as card production will be done under one roof and the option of an online renewal will also be available. We expect this will improve delivery times, however please be patient as we switch over and work out any problems

We are in good shape as an organization — membership is up and I expect no sur-prises in the insurance renewal coming up.

The Web Team continues to improve the database and the features that allow us to provide service to you, the member, in a timely fashion.

You can update your own information and renew on line any time at www.hpac.ca.

Just a note to instructors: renew your first aid course during your off season.

Volunteers are always in demand for vari-ous committees and functions, so if you have some interest drop me a note at [email protected].

As we throw another log on the fire and re-flect on the season past, remember the pilots who left us this year and make a resolution to practice safe flying. We have lost too many friends of late.

Seasons Greetings.

–John BurkBusiness Manager

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6 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

Willi XC: Aug 5 to 11

IN BRIEF

We recently received a note from the FAI with respect to a new committee they

are initiating.The mandate of this committee is to inves-

tigate a greater understanding of the environ-mental concerns that arise from our sport.

This year’s Willi XC in Golden, B.C., will be a unique and relaxed event.

Pick your own task and go at your own pace. Fly the days you want — only your best three flights count.

Bonus multipliers for out-and-return tasks and triangles, and even more bonus-es for successful completion of them.

You also get bonuses for landing in the designated landing fields.

There are different categories for hang gliders and paragliders and also different sub-categories for different levels of pilots.

Golden is a great venue with various par-ties throughout the week, breakfast each morning (included in registration — kids always eat free), and lots of other activities in the area to do when you need a break from flying. Bring your whole family.

Contact: Randy Parkinor visit http://events.dowsett.ca

News briefs, short and sweetDates set for Muller instructors’ courses

Muller Windsports has set the dates of their annual instructors’ course for

2006.The course runs March 31 to April 2.■ Hang gliding senior: John Jansen■ Paragliding senior: Max Fanderl

For more information, contact Vincene Muller at 403-932-6760 or visit www.mullerwindsports.com.

FAI environmental committee started

If you are interested in participating in this important forum please e-mail me directly at [email protected] or the business manager at [email protected]

. . .Michael Fuller, President

SOGA on TV

The Southwestern Ontario Gliding As-sociation had two recent nods from tel-

evision — both from very different places.In the first, the History Channel featured

hang gliders on its series, Things That Move.

Promos for the show billed the begin-nings of the sport as the “first successful emulation of birds involved running down a hill, taking off into the air and gliding down.”

In another small-screen appearance, the SOGA was featured in footage on Much-Music’s Much 911.

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Corinne Orava in Hawaii .

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 7

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8 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

The following is the nomination letter that resulted in LWBC receiving the Solid Ground Award:

The West Coast Soaring Club would like to nominate the staff of the

Land and Water British Columbia, Low-er Mainland Service Centre, for the Sol-

SOLID GROUND AWARDSThe Solid Ground Award is given out annually by HPAC/

ACVL to an individual, organization, official or landowner that has contributed in an outstanding way in Canada to the sports of hang gliding or paragliding — or both.

The award was created as part of a need to recognize to efforts of people who aren’t pilots but who contribute none-theless.

Association members submit nominations and the awards are chosen by the HPAC/ACVL board of directors.

xe nominated by the Southwestern Ontario Gliding Association.

They own the farm where SOGA is based and maintain the runways for SOGA and the Flying Farmers Organi-zation they belong to.

They have leased a Hanger to SOGA for minimal rent and continue to sup-port the free flying community.

■ Jane of Coldstream Ranch

■ Gerry of Flegels

■ Frank and Alice Spoelstra of Palmerston, Ont.

■ The staff of Land and Water British Columbia

■ Donna and Dennis Babineau of Parrsboro, N.S.

This year’s Solid Groundwinners

Frank and Alice Spoelstra

Land and Water BC

id Ground Award.The West Coast Soaring Club has had

a relationship with LWBC or, as it was previously known as, BC Assets and Lands, for more than a decade.

This organization grants us the right to build, maintain and use launch sites on Crown lands in British Columbia. Currently the West Coast Soaring Club has agreements with LWBC for the use of three launch sites and we are more than midway through the process of ob-taining a license on a fourth site.

The sites that we have or will have agreements for through Land and Water British Columbia are: Woodside, Lower Bridal, Upper Bridal and Mackenzie (Pemberton). We estimate that about half of all paragliding and hang gliding flights in our province originate at one of these sites during the course of a year. Because these sites are so heavily used, especially for instruction and tandems, there was a need to make agreements to

secure them, especially in light of pos-sible future land development that may conflict with our use and enjoyment of these sites.

About three years ago a change in management of Crown lands was initi-ated which involved the phasing out of grants of Special Use Permits through the provincial Ministry of Forests and increased enforcement of aspects of the Lands Act. Among these changes was the implementation of a Commercial Rec-reation policy, which could have effec-tively ended instruction of paragliding and hang gliding in our province.

By forging a relationship with staff at LWBC, almost all who work at the Lower Mainland Service Centre, we were able to resolve a variety of concerns. Prima-rily we came to the conclusion that we as a Club could represent all of the in-structors working at our various sites. In this way by becoming members of the WCSC, instructors would be in compli-

SOLID GROUND AWARDS

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 9

BY MICHAEL FULLER

The Solid Ground Award of the HPAC/ACVL was presented to in

November to Donna and Dennis Bab-ineau of Parrsboro, N.S., for their con-tribution to the sport of paragliding and hang gliding there.

The Babineau’s own the landing zone and launch access of the Hidden Falls

ance with LWBC policies and the Lands Act, as opposed to having to go through the process and expense as individuals, to be allowed to use Crown land. Co-operation has resulted in sites becom-ing a little more secure, and the business of instructing is also being protected to some degree.

Through our agreements with LWBC, we have now become recognized as a bona fide stake holder group. This lends itself to us being the first to be informed of developments near our sites. Our agreements also have given us a great de-gree of freedom to do work on our sites.

For instance we recently removed just under an acre of forest from one of our sites with relatively few hurdles to cross, which would have been impossible or very difficult in any other scenario.

Through the Lower Mainland Service Centre it was possible to negotiate an understanding that allows us to operate provincially with $3 million in third-party liability insurance after an initial decision was made not to accept any-thing less than $5 million.

By going to bat for us, at the very least the staff saved us additional insurance costs, and if additional insurance could

Donna and Dennis Babineau flying site. In the last two years, they have cleared this newly acquired property of a derelict house, moved a mountain of debris and levelled the rough terrain to provide the flying community on the East Coast a first-class landing zone for this very important site.

Not only is Hidden Falls, used year round for thermal and dynamic flying, a favourite site of the flying community, it is also used extensively by Pegasus Paragliding as a training site for students

not be obtained, they kept our sites open.

We have had contact with a number of staff at the Land and Water British Co-lumbia, Lower Mainland Service Centre over the years. We have had professional, prompt and courteous service from all of them.

Relative to many of their other clients, we bring in very little income, however we have always been treated with respect unrelated to our size and finances.

– Nicole McLearn, WCSC President– Rob Samplonius, WCSC Site Director

“By going to bat for us, at the very least the staff saved us additional insurance costs, and if additional insurance could not be obtained, they kept our sites open.”

moving beyond the beginner level.The landing zone, about two-thirds

of a hectare, is fully grassed and flanked by the highway and Dennis’ market gar-dens.

Both Dennis and Donna are great sup-porters and spokespeople for the sport in the larger community of Parrsboro. They were nominated for the award unanimously by the pilots of the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Atlantic Canada.

Michael Fuller (left) presents the Solid Ground Award to Donna and Dennis Babineay of Parrsboro, N.S.

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SOLID GROUND AWARDS

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10 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

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BY STEWART MIDWINTER

This year, Brett Hazlett showed us that he’s not only the top-rank-ing member of the Canadian

hang gliding team, but he’s also the win-ner of the hang gliding and paragliding Online Contest.

The contest counts the best three flights, and Brett scored 822, ahead of Doug Keller of Alberta’s 703 points.

Mia Schokker, of B.C., placed third with 447.

Further down the list, we have James Lintott, then Rob Clarkson and myself.

On the paragliding side, Nicole McLearn of B.C. scored 462 points and eclipsed the next closest competitor, Alex Raymont, who had 313 points. Nicole was in fact second in North America, as U.S. World team member Josh Cohn was first with 899 points.

Alex was followed by Annelies Browne, Rob Samplonius, Graeme Her-ring and Mark Dowsett.

On the rigid wing side, Abbottsford pilot Martin Henry whipped the ass of American Davis Straub, with his 2,153 points well ahead of Davis’ 1,967 points.

We also had numerous Swift flights logged on the contest site by Armand Acchione in Ontario, but they didn’t count as he didn’t enter the HPAC contest.

In the United States, on both the paragliding and hang gliding side, we have top world team members partici-pating in the Online Contest: Paris Wil-liams in hang gliding, and Josh Cohn for paragliding.

They’re giving the contest their full endorsement. Also in Canada, we have our top team members, Brett for hang gliding and Nicole for paragliding.

Some other team members however chose not to participate this year, but I hope they’ll reconsider next year.

From my perspective, all flying is good flying, and the XC skills and GPS skills you acquire in the Online Contest will serve you in good stead in any in-ternational competition.

So what is Online Contest, anyway?

If you don’t know by know, it’s the biggest contest in the world, featur-ing thousands of pilots in paragliding, hang gliding and sailplaning.

Unlike expensive national or interna-tional competitions, it costs just $12.50 to enter (or $17.50 if you want to sup-port the national team fund and have your points count for the annual rank-ing).

You don’t have to travel to the other side of the country or continent to par-ticipate.

Instead, just fly at your local site (with a GPS), then after you land, up-load your tracklog to your computer and then to the Online Contest website: online contest.org/holc/.

Every flight, no matter how short, will appear in the daily scores, while flights of 15 km or more will appear in the yearly scores.

If you want more information on how to work with GPS and send your flights

to the Online Contest, there’s a good .pdf presentation on the website.

Go to 2004 Home, then Additional OLC Documents, then Documentation to the OLC rules.

Or get it here: tinyurl.com/bv636You can also find a copy on my

personal website’s page on OLC, at midtoad.homelinux.org/OLC/fi les/ Online_Contest_2004_en.pdf.

If you have any questions, please drop me a line.

The Online Contest runs this year from Oct. 12 (no points are scored be-tween between Sept. 15 and then), so the 2006 contest is already on!

If you travel abroad this winter, record your flights and those can also be submitted; they’ll automatically go into the international contest.

Stewart Midwinter is the Canadian administrator for the OLC. He can

be reached at [email protected]

Canadian Online Contest results

Brett Hazlett, seen here crossing goal in Brasilia, is the winner of the Online Con-test for Canada

ONLINE CONTEST

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 11

I t must have been the year for wed-dings. I attended three this summer and fall, and by the time the last one

arrived, I really thought I could perform the ceremony.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the wedding in Pemberton — that would have been four!

The interesting thing is that everyone who got married was a pilot. I wish each of my dear friends the best as they travel and fly together, exploring new lands and embarking on new adventures. Are we going to have some new you younger pilots joining the skies soon?

Congratulations to:

■ Robin and Grant: They took the plunge on Quadra Island and are on their way to Australia for some surf, sun and skies.

■ George and Jen: They moved to Ot-tawa the next day, though I am sure we will see George back here soon with his glider.

■ Al and Irene: A wedding on launch in Pemberton with a reception at the airport — lots of people, lots of food and Al in a suit!

■ Claudio and Elli: At an art gallery in Victoria, among a small group of friends. They were on their way to Venezuela to meet the other half…

Oh, and I heard through the grape-vine that Herminio Cordido (yes, the same person who put on a tie and tried to crash the high school dance at Cana-dian Nationals) is soon to be married as well — that makes five! Are there more that I’m missing?

And no, I’m not next!Hugs to you all.

Wedding bells in the airAnnelies Browne recalls a busy year for pilots ty-ing the knot

Some of the pilots to get hitched this past year: (left) Claudio and Ellis (below) George and Jen (bottom right) Robin and Grant.

WEDDING BELLS

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12 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

An Israeli paraglider pilot re-cently sparked a cross-border gun battle after accidentally

landing a few dozen metres inside Leb-anon.

Several media outlets reported that no one was injured in the incident be-tween Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah forces, which occurred amid high ten-sions on Nov. 23.

Adam Wechsler of Tel Aviv was fly-ing with a friend from a mountain in northern Israel near Kibbutz Manara. The popular flying site is one of the highest in the country.

Wechsler, a test pilot for paraglider manufacturer APCO, was the first to launch. High winds apparently blew him toward Lebanon. The border is lo-cated just a few hundred metres behind launch.

After unsuccessfully trying to stay in Israel, Wechsler was on the ground in Lebanon less than a minute after tak-ing off.

Hezbollah forces approached in a jeep and exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers on the other side of the border.

Israeli officials opened the border gate, and Wechsler stuffed his paraglider into his bag and ran through.

“I was wondering whether they would

capture me or finish me off,” Wechsler told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Army officials handed Wechsler over to police. He was arrested and spent the night in a police cell.

APCO hired a lawyer and convinced the judge to let Wechsler go free.

“Today Adam is already back at work and we are all trying to put the incident behind us and concentrate on the real tasks at hand,” APCO said in a news release.

The incident was still being inves-tigated. Wechsler said he notified the army he would be paragliding — a

On the wrong side of the fenceAn Israeli pilot found out the hard way what happens when you land on the wrong side of the Israel-Lebanon border

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common practice — but army offi-cials told Haaretz that Wechsler was instructed not fly in the area.

The mishap couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

Just two days earlier, four Hezbollah militants were killed and a number of Israeli troops were injured. It was the heaviest fighting since Israel withdrew from Lebanon.

And just hours before Wechsler drifted across the border, Israeli planes dropped thousands of leaflets over the Beirut area, denouncing Hezbollah forces.

“I was wondering whether they would capture me or finish me off.” – Adam Wechsler on landing in Hezbollah territory

(top) Israeli pilot Adam Wechsler (right) Israeli army Jeeps at the site of the incident.

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 13

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14 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

2006 CANADIAN NATIONALS

Scott Gravelle will host this year’s Hang Gliding Nationals in Vulcan, Alta., with pilots launching over

the Canadian prairies by aero-towing.The town of Vulcan (pop. 1,600) has

all the services and amenities we require with the added bonus of a pool, golf

course, recreation centre and a hospital located 1 km from the airport on the south side of town

As you travel from one end of the county to the other, the landscape will change from flatlands to rolling hills to refreshing valleys, deep blue lakes, ma-

The dates and locations

of the 2006 Nationals

have been set — first in

Vulcan, Alta., for hang

gliding and then over to

Mount Yamaska, Que.,

for paragliding.

2006 NATIONALS

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 15

Fresh off a successful East Coast Championships last year, Eric Ol-ivier will be at the helm for the 2006

Paragliding Nationals. The competition will be held at Mount Yamaska, Quebec, from July 2 to 8.

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Pilots on launch at the 2005 East Coast Championships on Mount Yamaska, Quebec.

ture trees and prairie grass.An entry fee of $175 per pilot is ex-

pected with a tow fee estimated at around $425 for the week. The tow fee will be the cost of bringing in the tugs and opera-tors divided by the number of registered pilots.

Mark Dowsett, Canada’s most experi-enced meet director, will be coming to direct and score. Pilot registration will be done through events.dowsett.ca with early registration open to Canadian pi-lots for the first two weeks followed by

open registration.At this time, registration will be lim-

ited to the first 36 pilots, but more could be accommodated if there is the de-mand. As we are setting up a flight park for a week, pilots who will not be com-peting are invited to come and make use of the temporary flight park to learn to aero-tow and fly the prairies during this week.

An incentive program will be in place for those that volunteer to work the launch.

Our launch director, Bart Weghorst of Cowboy Up Hang Gliding, with his part-ner, Tiki Mashy, have excellent creden-tials. Their experience comes from work as launch directors at the 2000, 2001 and 2002 Wallaby Open.

This, along with using only dragon-fly tugs with pilots that have previous competition experience, will ensure that launched will go as smoothly as possi-ble.

An aero-tow clinic will be running out of Calgary for the week before the meet.

This year’s paragliding competition will be the first time Quebec has hosted the event. It will also be the first nationals in the province since the Hang Gliding Nationals in 1990.

Eric is submitting all of the require-

ments to ensure to competition will ob-tain FAI CAT II and HPAC scanctioning.

Keep your eyes on events.dowsett.ca for more information as it becomes available. Registration will be handled through Mark Dowsett’s event website.

2006 NATIONALS

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16 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

A I R T R A F F I CW e s t L a u n c h , M o u n t P r e v o s t

b y J a y s o n B i g g i n s

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 17

Over the French Pyrenees Mountains

photo by Carlos Olivera

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18 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

Even at the party and presentation on Sunday evening, no one knew who had taken the second-place spot.

With Brett Hazlett way out in front with a commanding lead and Jon Orders hold-ing second with three good flights under his belt, David Koehn from New York was in a very comfortable and threatening po-sition, with only two.

On the last day of the meet in a strong southerly wind, they were the only two left on launch after Doug Keller (also a threat for second) decided to break down.

Both Dave and Jon had been set up all afternoon and watched as, one after the other, every pilot to launch, had not ben able to get above the height of Mount Sev-

en and had bombed out at Nicholson.Both of them knew that if Dave

launched, Jon would be forced to fly to defend his position.

Dave only needed to beat his lowest score of 340 and Jon’s total from his best three flights.

Both knew this worked out to be a 25-km out-and-return to Nicholson.

The race for second place in the advanced hang gliding category at the Willi XC in Golden, B.C., this past sum-mer went right down to the wire.

THE RACE> > > > > > FOR SECOND PLACE

Jon Orders and David Koehn fought a close race for second at this year’s Willi XC.

RACE FOR SECOND PLACE

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 19

Jon needed an out-and-return of 35 km or more to give him enough points to hold off Dave (if Dave flew 25 km and back). There was also the risk that either pilot could return to launch and then go out again, given them continuation points.

Basically, they couldn’t let each other out of their sight if they became air-borne.

Finally, Jon launched from the ramp at 5 p.m., with the intention of tempting Dave into the air and hoping he would bomb out.

He scratched around in front of the bumps, maintaining for about 20 minutes or so. Spotting a paraglider thermalling, he moved over and joined him in front of Mount Seven. This developed and pushed him back towards the bowl and the gravel slope.

Dave then launched and together they both worked the light lift, eventually climbing out over launch together, while Doug and Karen Keller were fixated on launch, watching the duel.

At the height of Mount Seven’s peak, they left together and glided around the front into the south headwind., hitting a leeside ripped on the north face of Pagli-ero to take Jon to 12,000 ft.

Dave climbed out under him, and left early, working the front face of the ridge low and fast.

Both took the lead several times but Jon was high and able to watch Dave turn at the 25 km mark.

He continued on, trying to fly at best glide and turned into big sink at 36 km.

Now, Dave was way out in front, and Jon lost sight of him until he had rounded Pagliero. There were lots of gliders in the air in front of Mount Seven.

Both pilots “tagged” launch before landing, with both over flying the LZ to try and clock up some more distance.

Eventually coming in around 8:30 p.m., with Jon’s nose touching the ground and causing him to lose his landing bonus.

With only 108 points in it, Dave took second by a “nose” from Jon (Jon’s Year of the Nose).

Here they are in the LZ straight after the flight, and both still unaware of who may have taken second. Both agreed it was some of the most exciting flying they had ever done.

Long live the Willi.

The Mount Seven landing zone in Nicholson, B.C.

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BY KAREN KELLER

At the Willi this year I was presented with the Meet Head’s pick - hang gliding Award. Randy gave a little speech that I was helping on launch (I got a bit beat up as a glider flipped on launch) and had offered my home to Charles Warren’s friends after the tragic accident .

For once I was Speechless. As an ex pilot who can’t get the sport out of my system it seems like a small thing to help out.

I started hang gliding in 1978, raised a couple of great kid’s for a while and had been back at it for over 10 years before I retired. In those years many pilots helped me out. I have always been grateful for their support and friendship — both hang glider and paraglider pilots.

I didn’t expect the thank you that Randy presented to me but it very much touched my heart. It felt nice to be appreciated.

I would just would like to say thanks and let pilots know how important it is to ap-preciate the volunteers that help out - whether it be on launch, retrieval or just words of advice and encouragement and even a cold beer.

Flying Golden is a special event full of special people — see you there next year.

AN APPRECIATIVE WILLI XC VOLUNTEER

RACE FOR SECOND PLACE

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20 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

Competition update

The HPAC/ACVL Competition Committee was recently formed to deal with competition related issues of the HPAC/ACVL.

The main task for the committee will be to revise the associa-tion’s competition documents, including the Competition Rule Book and the Competition Points System.

The points system defines how Canadian competitions are sanctioned and how much they are worth towards the pilot ranking system. It also defines the rules for including interna-

tional competitions in the points system.The points system pilot rankings are used in the selection of

the Canadian team for international competitions including World Championships.

It is also used to determine the Canadian Points Champion each year.

The Hang Gliding Points Champion is awarded the Lew Neil-son Award and the Paragliding Points Champion is awarded the Willi Muller Award.

by Competition Committee Chairman Doug Keller

Brett HazlettWill Gadd

The Canadian Points Champion awards haven’t been awarded for several years so here are the winners for this year as well as previous years. Congratulations to the winners:

Lew Neilson AwardHang Gliding Points Champion

Willi Muller AwardParagliding Points Champion

2002 Brett Hazlett2003 Brett Hazlett2004 Brett Hazlett2005 Brett Hazlett

2003 Alex Raymont2004 Will Gadd2005 Will Gadd

COMPETITION UPDATE

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 21

2005 2004 2005 2004 TotalPlace Pilot Best 3 Best 3 60% 40%

1 HAZLETT, BRETT 401.320 463.566 240.792 185.426 426.2182 HERTEN, RALPH 162.977 174.649 97.786 69.860 167.6453 REMPEL, JEFF 132.923 176.850 79.754 70.740 150.4944 HUNTER, ROSS 163.815 115.200 98.289 46.080 144.3695 DOWSETT, MARK 119.534 160.080 71.720 64.032 135.7526 GRAVELLE, SCOTT 118.391 155.307 71.034 62.123 133.1577 MULLER, CHRIS 125.000 111.429 75.000 44.571 119.5718 ORDERS, JON 106.144 130.560 63.686 52.224 115.9109 KELLER, DOUG 115.620 109.511 69.372 43.804 113.17610 HANSON, LEIF 122.861 75.378 73.717 30.151 103.86811 KOWALSKY, MARK 99.692 92.160 59.815 36.864 96.67912 SCOLES, JIM 136.860 0.000 82.116 0.000 82.11613 HANSON, BRUCE 89.300 64.000 53.580 25.600 79.18014 BORRADAILE, TYLER 127.385 0.000 76.431 0.000 76.43115 KEEN, DAN 116.308 0.000 69.785 0.000 69.78516 CLARKSON, ROB 55.790 83.342 33.474 33.337 66.81117 BUSBY, BRUCE 60.923 69.120 36.554 27.648 64.20218 WINKLEMAN, BERNARD 75.000 28.571 45.000 11.428 56.42819 SCHULTE, MICHAEL 94.000 0.000 56.400 0.000 56.40020 MCCLINTOCK, JOHN 0.000 138.240 0.000 55.296 55.29621 KATAY, FIONA 82.313 0.000 49.388 0.000 49.38822 SWIFT, MIKE 77.538 0.000 46.523 0.000 46.52323 FERGUSON, KEVIN 0.000 107.520 0.000 43.008 43.00824 LINTOTT, JAMES 71.440 0.000 42.864 0.000 42.86425 BRAUER, CLAY 27.692 61.440 16.615 24.576 41.19126 THORDARSON, TERRY 41.360 38.400 24.816 15.360 40.17627 NIDD, CHRISTINE 66.867 0.000 40.120 0.000 40.12028 RUNCIMAN, JEFF 64.860 0.000 38.916 0.000 38.91629 METHERAL, JASON 63.920 0.000 38.352 0.000 38.35230 HINES, RICK 0.000 84.480 0.000 33.792 33.79231 CANNON, ROB 0.000 76.800 0.000 30.720 30.72032 TROWSDALE, STEWART 49.846 0.000 29.907 0.000 29.90733 GREEN, ROB 48.880 0.000 29.328 0.000 29.32834 NEWELL, MOORE 32.900 19.057 19.740 7.623 27.36335 MATHIESON, CHARLES 0.000 66.300 0.000 26.520 26.52036 POLACH, MARTIN 42.300 0.000 25.380 0.000 25.38037 STAUSS, KIM 39.480 0.000 23.688 0.000 23.68838 DUPUIS, PATRICK 38.769 0.000 23.261 0.000 23.26139 GROSSNEGGER, GERRY 0.000 55.466 0.000 22.187 22.18740 THOSS, STEVE 0.000 46.080 0.000 18.432 18.43241 LAMARCHE, SERGE 28.200 0.000 16.920 0.000 16.92042 GROSS, JAMES 0.000 34.133 0.000 13.653 13.65343 MILCHAK, STEVE 22.153 0.000 13.292 0.000 13.29244 OLIVIER, ERIC 22.153 0.000 13.292 0.000 13.29245 BATEMAN, BARRY 0.000 32.550 0.000 13.020 13.02046 JANSSEN, JOHN 0.000 29.866 0.000 11.947 11.94747 STAGG, ROB 18.800 0.000 11.280 0.000 11.28048 SISCOE, PHIL 0.000 25.600 0.000 10.240 10.24049 MIDWINTER, STEWART 16.920 0.000 10.152 0.000 10.15250 HUNT , RIC 0.000 23.040 0.000 9.216 9.21651 MILCHAK, STEVE 15.040 0.000 9.024 0.000 9.02452 LESLIE, GREG 0.000 21.333 0.000 8.533 8.53353 WINSTON, HOPE 14.100 0.000 8.460 0.000 8.46054 NICHOLSON, KEN, 0.000 18.600 0.000 7.440 7.44055 PEDERSON, STEVE 0.000 14.222 0.000 5.689 5.68956 FINNEY, TREVOR 3.760 8.533 2.256 3.413 5.66957 BUCKMASTER, GREG 0.000 13.950 0.000 5.580 5.58058 HENRY, MARTIN 0.000 9.300 0.000 3.720 3.72059 RYAN, TERRY 5.537 0.000 3.323 0.000 3.32360 SMITH, DON 0.000 4.650 0.000 1.860 1.860

The Canadian

Competition Points

standings as of

Nov. 1, 2005.

The standings could

change if any pilot fl ies

in an international

competition before

the end of the year.

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COMPETITION UPDATE

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22 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

2005 2004 2005 2004 TotalPlace Pilot Best 3 Best 3 60% 40%

1 GADD, WILL 335.278 216.939 201.167 86.776 287.9422 MCLEARN, NICOLE 241.084 154.671 144.650 61.868 206.5183 RAYMONT, ALEX 183.444 195.226 110.066 78.090 188.1574 IZADI, AMIR 190.163 184.885 114.098 73.954 188.0525 MACCULLOUGH, KEITH 199.627 59.091 119.776 23.636 143.4136 BROWNE, ANNELIES 92.282 118.633 55.369 47.453 102.8227 HERRING, GRAEME 73.847 122.261 44.308 48.905 93.2128 BRINKMAN, PETR 71.385 107.727 42.831 43.091 85.9229 MOTA, CLAUDIO 81.231 81.818 48.739 32.727 81.46610 LETCHFORD, RYAN 83.516 20.000 50.109 8.000 58.10911 ORAVA, JIM 46.770 74.805 28.062 29.922 57.98412 HAZLETT, BRETT 12.309 123.182 7.385 49.273 56.65813 DOWSETT, MARK 44.800 63.636 26.880 25.455 52.33514 SAMPLONIUS, ROB 52.109 45.511 31.265 18.204 49.47015 DICKEY, ALAN 49.285 39.822 29.571 15.929 45.50016 BUSBY, BRUCE 74.586 0.000 44.751 0.000 44.75117 JOHNSTON, MARK 0.000 111.364 0.000 44.545 44.54518 BERTI, BRUNO 67.200 5.714 40.320 2.286 42.60619 VAILLANCOURT, VINCE 64.000 0.000 38.400 0.000 38.40020 DEROUIN, GLENN 27.078 54.545 16.247 21.818 38.06521 MONTPETIT, CLAUDE 60.800 0.000 36.480 0.000 36.48022 SATHER, ROBIN 24.617 51.172 14.770 20.469 35.23923 FRASER, MARK 57.857 0.000 34.714 0.000 34.71424 LAVERTU, MARTIN 57.600 0.000 34.560 0.000 34.56025 EMERY, DAN 55.714 0.000 33.428 0.000 33.42826 WHITE, SEAN 34.463 31.818 20.678 12.727 33.40527 LAVERTU, DANIEL 54.400 0.000 32.640 0.000 32.64028 WARREN, CHARLES 51.428 0.000 30.857 0.000 30.85729 GAUVIN, FRED 51.200 0.000 30.720 0.000 30.72030 LEBLANC, GUY 48.000 0.000 28.800 0.000 28.80031 MORRIS, DAVE 44.999 0.000 26.999 0.000 26.99932 THEVIERGE, PAUL 41.600 0.000 24.960 0.000 24.96033 EVANS, PETE 0.000 58.000 0.000 23.200 23.20034 LAWLOR, NORM 38.570 0.000 23.142 0.000 23.14235 PERREAULT, STEF 38.400 0.000 23.040 0.000 23.04036 POLSTER, ALAN 36.427 0.000 21.856 0.000 21.85637 OVERSBY, KEVIN 19.694 22.500 11.816 9.000 20.81638 MULABDIC, FEDJA 0.000 50.909 0.000 20.364 20.36439 SALDANA, JEAN PHILLIPPE 0.000 50.000 0.000 20.000 20.00040 MORRIS, JANET 32.141 0.000 19.285 0.000 19.28541 FAVEREAU, BEATRICE 32.000 0.000 19.200 0.000 19.20042 OLIVIER, ERIC 30.032 0.000 18.019 0.000 18.01943 ZLATEV, ZACK 29.998 0.000 17.999 0.000 17.99944 PERRET, OLIVIER 28.800 0.000 17.280 0.000 17.28045 MCISAAC, JOHN 27.855 0.000 16.713 0.000 16.71346 JURETIC, DOM 25.600 0.000 15.360 0.000 15.36047 SPENCER, MIKE 0.000 36.364 0.000 14.545 14.54548 ST HILAIRE, MARTIN 22.400 0.000 13.440 0.000 13.44049 FITZNER, CHRIS 22.155 0.000 13.293 0.000 13.29350 COLLIS, ALASTAR 0.000 32.500 0.000 13.000 13.00051 LANGHEIT, CHARLES 19.200 0.000 11.520 0.000 11.52052 GRANT, KERRY 0.000 27.500 0.000 11.000 11.00053 MARION, RENE 0.000 27.273 0.000 10.909 10.90954 SADAN, MIKE 0.000 25.714 0.000 10.286 10.28655 VANIER, PIERRE 16.000 0.000 9.600 0.000 9.60056 CLARK , THOMAS 0.000 18.182 0.000 7.273 7.27357 WINKELMANN, BERNARD 9.848 0.000 5.909 0.000 5.90958 PARENT, DANIEL 9.600 0.000 5.760 0.000 5.76059 LANG, MARTINA 5.689 5.689 3.413 2.276 5.68960 VARCOE, COLLEEN 0.000 13.636 0.000 5.455 5.45561 PARKIN, RANDY 7.386 0.000 4.432 0.000 4.43262 MCGUIGAN, BRUCE 0.000 10.000 0.000 4.000 4.00063 POIRIER, MARTIN 6.400 0.000 3.840 0.000 3.84064 RINKER, BOB 0.000 8.571 0.000 3.429 3.42965 MERRICK, DAVE 4.924 0.000 2.955 0.000 2.95566 SPRICENIEKS, PTOR 0.000 5.000 0.000 2.000 2.00067 BOUCHARD, J-Y 3.200 0.000 1.920 0.000 1.92068 KESTNER, DAVID 0.000 4.545 0.000 1.818 1.81869 BRETSCHNEIDER, PETER 2.463 0.000 1.478 0.000 1.478P

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The Canadian

Competition Points

standings as of

Nov. 1, 2005.

The standings could

change if any pilot fl ies

in an international

competition before

the end of the year.

COMPETITION UPDATE

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 23

SUBMIT!next deadline: february 15

Articles:

Send in your travel stories, equipment reviews, letters, re-gional club news, announcements, event listings, classified ads or anything else that might interest AIR readers. If you’re not sure your article will fit, send in a proposal before you write it. Any relevant photos should be sent in when possible. All stories are subject to editing for clarity and grammar.

Photos:

Photos should be 200 dpi minimum (300 dpi or better for cover shots), saved as JPG (maximum quality) or TIFF files. Photos from digital cameras can be sent as the original JPG or TIFF files produced by the camera. Contributors without access to a scanner/digital camera can mail in prints, slides or negatives . All photos should include caption information.

Direct all inquiries to:James Keller, AIR Editor

[email protected]

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24 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

Flying within our

PERSONAL LIMITS

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W e push the idea of flying within your personal limits right from the onset of hang gliding and paragliding instruction.

by Mark Dowsett

FLYING WITHIN OUR PERSONAL LIMITS

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 25

For the most part, we call it “interme-diate syndrome,” as I think we find it an excuse to warn rather newcomers to keep them alert to the dangers awaiting them as we release them from formal instruction.

I don’t think anyone can argue the key to success in our sports is just that — flying within our personal limits. How many pilots have you seen leave the sport after flying beyond their limits, getting spooked and calling it quits?

The ones who realize it before they are injured — or worse — are the lucky ones.

I am sure we have all gotten in situ-ations when we wish we didn’t fly — I know I have. Whether it’s launching into conditions you think you can han-dle or flying into terrain while going XC and things don’t go as smoothly as you wanted.

But when should we stop warning our fellow pilots about the dangers in our sports?

The obvious answer is never.Why am I writing about this obvious

issue? I have had some interesting, re-lated experiences this year.

I am not sure if I can speak for most pilots, but don’t you wish you could tell other pilots more often you disagree with how they fly — without losing them as friends?

It’s tough sometimes to judge ahead of time that flights may not go so well for any given pilot and if you are not close flying buddies, maybe they have racked up more skill since you last flew with them? So who are you to judge?

This hit home for me this year — ac-tually, since August.

I was in Golden for the Willi XC and ran into Charles Warren in the LZ on the first day. I hadn’t seen him in years and we quickly got caught up.

One of his first questions to me, which is a typical question between pilots that haven’t seen each other in

some time was, “so have you been fly-ing much lately?”

I answered and posed the question back at him — his reply was that he hadn’t flown in well over a year. I hate to use him as an example (so I hope he doesn’t mind that I do), but I had thought to myself while talking to him, “Why would an East Coaster that hasn’t flown in quite a while come to Golden in mid-season and fly a paraglider there in a competition?”

I was forced to think, “this is Charles Warren, he’s flown paragliders longer than I have, he’s got tons of air time, he is usually on the podium at the Willi when he comes.”

I didn’t vocalize my concerns to him and we both went on our holiday. That was the last time I talked to Charles. It still gets to me today asking myself, that what if I would have said something — would he have listened? Would he have flown differently? Would he still be with us?

But then I became a hypocrite. I should have known better, but I flew outside my limitations later in the sea-son.

I took risks I knowingly shouldn’t have. Everything worked out fine, with little stress, but I took risks that I shouldn’t have And I should know bet-ter!

I was called on it — thankfully — but I knew I shouldn’t have done what I did and knew I wouldn’t do it again. But I am glad a friend said something to me about it.

I have been flying for 13 years now; it just goes to show that we all need guid-ance throughout our flying career.

Someday I am going to be too fee-ble to fly. I hope I know when to call it quits, but if not, I hope I have a friend around to urge me to hang it up.

And then there was a third incident, all within a month of the others. I was at the ECC at Yamaska and a competi-tor showed up with a model of wing

that was almost banned from the West Coast years ago. It was a competition wing that had a bad reputation for do-ing crazy stuff for no reason.

But here I was in an area I had never been in, I was hired to come and run a competition, I didn’t know the pilots and didn’t even speak their language very well.

This time, I chose to say something about it. It was right at the beginning of the competition, so I wasn’t in a position to say too much, but I was glad I vocalized my opinion.

Sure enough, on the last day of the meet, the most stable and least windy day, the glider locked into a spiral for no apparent reason. Luckily he miracu-lously came out of it less than 100 ft off the ground and landed rather softly.

I then took the opportunity to take advantage of this situation and vocal-ized my concerns again. I got to know that pilot a lot more over the weekend and was this time successful in discuss-ing with him more about what I thought about the glider.

By the end of the conversation, he handed the wing into the dealer to get it modified into windsocks. It made me feel good that I was able to do this, as I know he will excel more on a modern wing than he would on that old, bad competition wing.

And more importantly, he will be safer.

So that was my little experiment. I hope my later experiment helped keep my new Quebec friend around so I can fly with him again some day soon. I have to think of it as redemption for not saying anything to Charles when I had the thoughts and opportunity to help him.

I urge you to perform the same ex-periment with those around you. And if someone gives you tips or is critical about what, when and where you are flying, keep in mind that they are only concerned for your longevity.

I don’t think anyone can argue the key to success in our sports is just that — flying within our personal limits. How many pilots have you seen leave the

sport after flying beyond their limits, getting spooked and calling it quits? The ones who realize it before they are injured — or worse — are the lucky ones.

FLYING WITHIN OUR PERSONAL LIMITS

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26 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

BY BOB FLETCHER

I watched a television documentary in the late spring of 2003 about a woman who was learning to hang glide. The show de-

tailed her experience, beginning with ground school, several bunny hill training flights and the eventual tandem flight with the instruc-tor.

I remember how, with such vicarious en-thusiasm, I viewed the entire program. The experience gripped me personally, and I found myself engaged in the drama and ex-citement of the young woman’s first flight.

Flying has been a part of my family since I was a young boy. My father, brother and nephew were all pilots. We owned two or three planes over the years, and it was not an unusual occurrence to go with my dad for a Sunday afternoon flight. My nephew still flies commercially today.

One day in the summer of 1974, I recall the disappointment of not being able to accom-pany my father on a flight back to Chicago, Ill., for an air show he had talked about at-tending for some time. Flying was an activity that we really enjoyed together, and we had many conversations about aviation.

Having just graduated from high school and landing a new summer job, I couldn’t get the time off work to make the trip. This was a real set-back for me, and I remember thinking how difficult it was going to be not to be able to spend time in the plane with my father doing the thing that we really loved so much: “flying and talking about flying.”

The end result was that Ernie, my best friend and older brother by two years, agreed to go in my place.

While sitting at the supper table with my mother and finishing a bowl of freshly cut peaches, the phone rang.

I rose from the table and went over to pick up the receiver. It was Transport Canada. The words that I heard over the next couple of seconds would change my life. I was told that search and rescue had been dispatched, and my father and brother were missing. In a short period of time, I would learn that the members of our household would be cut in half. Ernie and Dad were gone forever, the tragic result of pilot error while flying through mountainous regions of the British Columbia Kootneys.

Shortly after the television program, and

30 years since flying with my father, I was ex-cited about the possibility of flying again. I began searching the internet to find local in-struction in the Vancouver area. I found the West Coast Soaring Club.

I e-mailed one of the members, Graeme Herring, to get more information. In par-ticular, I asked if anyone at my age, 48, actu-ally does this kind of stuff. Graham e-mailed back and assured me that hang gliding and paragliding was for all ages, and encouraged me to come out and see the sport in action at their first annual Bridal Falls Air Races.

Near the end of a sunny day, on June 28, 2003, I took my first ride as a passenger with tandem pilot Colleen Varcoe of FlyBC Air-sports Paragliding. I was excited. I felt like I had found something that was gone for a long time. Soon, I was on the phone to my family, telling my wife and two children about each part of the flight I had just experienced.

The flight brought back so many pleas-ant memories for me. As I packed up and headed for home in my car, I began think-ing of my dad once again. I remembered that sometimes the drive home was as much fun as our plane ride. We would relive the entire flight together, as we talked all the way home. Those were good times.

Since the 2003 Bridal Falls Air Races and

my tandem ride, I acquired my paragliding license and currently have 123 flights and ap-proximately 75 hours of airtime.

Now, at the end of a paragliding day, the ride home is usually alone. However, before we go our separate ways, I try to gather as many pilots as possible to meet at a restau-rant for some good old aviation talk. Some-times our flights seem to extend well beyond the landing zone into the late hours of the evening (like fishing stories).

These conversations are so enjoyable, and it makes the fun of paragliding a much richer experience. After all, what is fun, if you can’t share it with others?

This has been a rewarding year for me. Paragliding has brought back memories of some of my the most wonderful moments from my childhood. If you could read my thoughts during certain flights, you would soon notice that the one who introduced me to flying would be at my side — even during the ride home.

I often wonder why I have enjoyed flying so much this past year. I don’t really have an answer. It most likely has to do with the many good people that I have met in the flying community. I look forward to meeting many more pilots in the months ahead. I have learned so much by watching and listening to others, and am grateful for their willing-ness to share their experiences with me.

Who knows, I might just be listening to you one day, and put your helpful informa-tion in my paragliding bank.

It’s good to be flying again,

First year flying: an aviation renaissanceFIRST YEAR FLYING

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Date of Accident Date de l’accident

Injuries (Including length of hospitalization and time lost from work)Blessures (Incluant la période d'hospitalisation et d'absence du travail)

Yes \ Oui No \ Non

Total Hours Nombre d'heures

Weather ConditionsConditions météorologiques

Reported by / Rapporté par

Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada Association Canadienne de vol Libre ACCIDENT / INCIDENT REPORT CONFIDENTIAL RAPPORT d’ACCIDENT au d`INCIDENT

Objective Description of Accident / Incident Description objective du vol et de l'accident / Incident

⇒On enquête sur les accidents afin d'apporter des correctifs et conseils pour ainsi prévenir la récurrence.Le contenu de ce rapport ainsi que le dossier s'y rattachant sont CONFIDENTIELS. Il se limite aux circonstanceset causes entourant l'accident. Il n'a pour seul but que la tenue des dossiers et la prévention des accidents.

Wind Speed and DirectionVent

HPAC / ACVL Form S-02 Rev. 4 2003-4Page 1 Mail to the Address on Page 2

RETURN

TO

SENDER

Over

Retour

à

l'expéditeur

Parachute Deploiment?

Club / Association

Membership # Membre #

Total Flights Nombre de Vol

Level / Niveau

Hours Last 90 DaysHeures depuis 90 Jours

Aircraft Make / Marque, modèle et année de fabrication de l'aéronef

Site Nearest TownQuelle est la ville la plus proche

Description of Damages and estimated cost to repair. Description des dommages. Coût estimé des réparations.

Harness Make, Model & Damage / Dommage Marque et modèle du harnais ou de la sellette

Witness / Nom du des témoins

Reserve ParachuteParachute de secours

Address / Adresse

Address / Adresse

Name / Nom du Pilote Address / Adresse

Address / Adresse Passenger / Crew / VictimPassager / Équipier / Victime

INFORMATION

Endorsements

EXPERIENCE

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Creation Date:

Modification Date:

File Number:Insurance Yes / Oui

Claim? No / Non

Action taken (Club, Association) Correctifs apportés par le club ou l'association

Report Review Could this accident have been avoided? If so How? Révision de rapport Est-ce qe cet accident aurait pu être évite? Si oui, comment?

Si te , Locat ion:

Injuries:Blessures:

Expérience:Stage Phase:

Aircraft Damage:

Date:

Action Report / Rapport de l'événement

HPAC / ACVL Accident / Incident Report Form S-02 Rev. 4 2003-4Page 2

HPAC / ACVL Business Manager 315 - 85 Henry Lane Terrace,Toronto, Ont. Canada M5A 4B8Tel / Fax: 1-416-365-1947

HPAC Accident Review & Safety CommitteeACVL committee de la sécuriteFred T . L . Wi l sonEmail: [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS / FACTEURS CONTRIBUANTS Include Diagram / Effectuez le Schéma

OFFICIAL

USE

ONLY

FILE #

Recommendations: What would you like other pilots to learn from this? Que pensez-vous qu'il serait pertinent que les autres pilotes retirent de cette expérience?

OFFICIAL

USE

ONLY

Published In:

Accident:Incident:

Accidents are investigated to provide guidance toward the prevention of a recurrence.The content and record of this report is CONFIDENTIAL, is confined to cause-relatedcircumstances and is for record keeping and accident prevention purposes only.

Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada Association Canadienne de Vol LibreACCIDENT / INCIDENT REPORT CONFIDENTIAL RAPPORT d’ACCIDENT au d`INCIDENT

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AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006 29

Member # _________________

Hang Gl id in g a nd Parag l id ing Assoc ia t io n o f Ca na daA s s o c i a t i o n C a n a d i e n n e d e V o l L i b r e

1 2 0 O t t a w a S t r e e t N o r t h , P.O. Box 43082, K i t c h e n e r O N N 2 H 6 S 9P h o n e / F a x : 5 1 9 8 9 4 - 6 2 7 7 E m a i l : a d m i n @ h p a c . c a

A P P L I C A T I O N F O R M E M B E R S H I P

HPAC/ACVL Membership Fee Includes $3 Million third-party liability insurance, valid Canada wide and the AIR magazine.

Add Provincial Association Fee1

If you reside in the following provinces or territories,you MUST add one of the following:

A. Full member $125 C. Ontario, NWT, Nunavut, out-of-Canada residents

$0

B. Family MemberMembership number of associated full member: ___________

$107 D. Manitoba $25

Hang Gliding and Paragliding Online Contest Fee (OLC) * $12.50 E. Atlantic Provinces, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon

$15

Hang Gliding and Paragliding Online (HOLC) ** $17.50Total of (A or B) plus (C or D or E) _______

Paragliding Magazine US Publication Subscription in CAD $37.00Airmail Delivery $20.00 (optional) ______ Or AIR Magazine ONLY $30The Association Quebecoise de Vol libre (AQVL) collects the HPAC/ACVL membership fee for Quebec residents. If you reside in Quebec, contact theAQVL at 514-804-8984 or download the AQVL Membership Form from the AQVL web site at http://www.aqvl.qc.ca/main.htm

TOTAL SUBMITTED TO HPAC _______

* (register online but points don't count for National Ranking)

** (Season-long event, register online, points count for National Ranking)

HPAC/ACVL Membership # ______________________ New Member ( Y/N ) ________ HG/PG:______________

Name: ________________________________________________________________Male / Female: ___________

Address: ____________________________________________________City: ________________________________

Province: ______________________________ Postal Code: ____________________ Country:___________________

Club or School Affiliation:____________________________________________________________________________

Phone H: ( ________) ____________Work: ( _______ ) _____________ Cell: ( ________) ___________________

Date of Birth: (day) _______ (month) __________ 19 _______ E-mail _______________________________________

Medic Alert: __________________________________________ 2 Meter Radio Call Sign:________________________

In Case of EMERGENCY contact: ______________________________________ Relationship: __________________

Address: ____________________________________________________City: _________________________________

Province: ______________________________ Postal Code: ____________________ Country:____________________

Phone H: ( ______ ) ____________________ Work: (_________)______________________

It is MANDATORY to carry third-party liability insurance to fly most sites in Canada. HPAC/ACVL Liability Insurance is only available tomembers of the HPAC/ACVL. If you are applying for membership please complete the following:

I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS FORM IS AN APPLICATION FOR LIABILITY INSURANCEAND THAT ALL THE INFORMATION GIVEN ABOVE I S CORRECT.

Did you have an accident in the past year that was not reported? (Circle as appropriate): Yes No

Dated: ___________________________________ Signature: ___________________________________________

1 The HPAC/ACVL collects Provincial Membership fees on behalf of Provincial Associations. This mandatory fee is set by Provincial Associations.

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30 AIR MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2006

Member # _________________

HPAC/ACVL WAIVER

RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK

I, ___________________________________, hereby acknowledge and agree that in consideration of being permittedto participate in Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities, I hereby agree to release and discharge Owners and / orLessors of land who have granted permission for the use of property for Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities, theHang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada a/o Association Canadienne De Vol Libre, their officers, directors, representatives, employees, members and all other persons or entities acting in any capacity on their behalf (hereinaftercollectively referred to as Releasee) from all liability and I do hereby waive as against the Releasee all recourses, claims,causes of action of any kind whatsoever, in respect of all personal injuries or property losses which I may suffer arising out ofor connected with, my preparation for, or participation in, the aforesaid Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities,not withstanding that such injuries or losses may have been caused solely or partly by the negligence of the Releasee

And I do hereby acknowledge and agree;

a) that the sport of Hang Gliding/Paragliding and Hang Gliding/Paragliding is very dangerous, exposing participants tomany risks and hazards, some of which are inherent in the very nature of the sport itself, others which result from human error and negligence on the part of persons involved in preparing, organizing and staging HangGliding/Paragliding programs or activities;

b) that, as a result of the aforesaid risks and hazards, I as a participant may suffer serious personal injury, even death,as well as property loss;

c) that some of the aforesaid risks and hazards are foreseeable but others are not;d) that I nevertheless freely and voluntarily assume all of the aforesaid risks and hazards, and that, accordingly,

my preparation for, and participation in the aforesaid Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs and activities shall beentirely at my own risk;

e) that I understand that the Releasee does not assume any responsibility whatsoever for my safety during the course ofmy preparation for or participation in the aforesaid Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities;

f) that I have carefully read this RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK agreement, that I fully understand same, and that I am freely and voluntarily executing same;

g) that I understand that by signing this release I hereby voluntarily release, forever discharge and agree to indemnifyand hold harmless the Releasee for any loss or damage connected with any property loss or personal injury that Imay sustain while participating in or preparing for any Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities whether or notsuch loss or injury is caused solely or partly by the negligence of the Releasee;

h) that I have been given the opportunity and have been encouraged to seek independent legal advice prior tosigning this agreement;

i) that the term Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities as used in this RELEASE, WAIVER ANDASSUMPTION OF RISK agreement includes without limiting the generality of that term, the Hang Glidingprograms and activities as well as all other competitions, fly-ins, training sessions, clinics, towing programs andevents;

j) this RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK agreement is binding on myself, my heirs, my executors, administrators, personal representatives and assigns and;

1. k) that I have had sufficient opportunity to read this entire document. I have read and understood it, and I agree to be bound by its terms.

Signature of Participant: ___________________________________________ Date: _______________________________

Participant Name (Print clearly): __________________________________________________________________________

Signature of Witness: _____________________________________________ Date: _______________________________

Witness Name (Print clearly): ____________________________________________________________________________

Note: You are only required to sign the HPAC Waiver once but we would prefer that you complete one every year. To verifythat we have a waiver on file for you, visit the HPAC/ACVL site at http://www.hpac.ca.

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Jayson Biggins flies Mount MacKenzie,Revelstoke, B.C.

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