Dan Johnson, Author at ByDanJohnson.com

Product Lines – November 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

OSHKOSH, WISC. -- In a different location this month, "Product Lines" comes from the headquarters of the EAA or Experimental Aircraft Association, the folks who build their own aircraft. The occasion was the assembly of the USHGA Board of Directors Planning Committee. This group of some the industry's most important leaders gathers with the goal of looking longer range for the health and capabilities of USHGA. It was my pleasure -- and honor, I must admit -- to keep company and work with this group. • The PlanComm meeting took place at EAA after Executive Director Phil Bachman and I had met with EAA president Tom Poberezny last May. He offered their venue (versus an hotel somewhere) and we jumped at the chance. After Tom addressed the committee on two occasions, most felt satisfied that we had gotten some sound advice. EAA represents 165,000 members, has 145 employees, and an enormously impressive facility which includes a very professionally executed museum. They are clearly doing something right and the group benefitted from meeting in Oshkosh. • Capping the event was a special hop-around-the-patch in a beautiful 1920s Ford Tri-Motor aircraft. The widest grin was sported by our co-pilot for the flight, Wills Wing's Mike Meier, who had the controls for most of the curcuit. The Tri-Motor experience was a unique way to take a break from two intense days. s The committee will relate its work to the full board first and then announce plans to the membership. I'll only express that I felt energized by the spirit I witnessed. If just some of the ideas born in Oshkosh are implemented, USHGA will remain a vibrant organization, I believe. This kind of leadership is tremendously valuable... and by the way, like always, the director's time is volunteered. Included were Tim Herr, Gregg Lawless, Mike Meier, Russ Locke, GW Meadows, Dennis Pagen, Claudia Stockwell, Randy Adams, Bill Bryden, Phil Bachman, and myself. ••• On to product news... I haven't gotten all the way through the pre-print version of Jim (Sky Dog) Palmieri's new book, "Sky Adventures, Fantasies of Free Flight." We've had a few books Published in Hang Gliding Magazinehang gliding but this is proving to be one of the most readable I've found, for a couple easy-to-understand reasons. First, Palmieri is the editor, only writing one of the 36 tales himself. The writers actually form a broad group of names, some of which are not well known, but some that are, for example John Heiney (who also contributed the cover photo), John Harris, Paul Gazis, Claire Pagen, Davis Straub, Dave Broyles, and Samantha Jo Moore. Artist Mike Vorhis does the illustration work. What surprised me was the consistent readability of the stories I read. The 36 pieces are each relatively short, typcially 4-6 pages This breezy style makes for quick, interesting reading without loading up unmercifully on arcane detail. Some stories are humorous, others educational, but all I read were quite well written. My impression was that hang gliding has its share of good writers and story tellers. Jim Palmieri's ability -- along with numerous helpers including his wife, Maggie, to whom the book is dedicated -- shows in his choice of writers, story ideas, and in the editing he added. I think "Sky Adventures" is an excellent gift choice for the coming holiday season and I think most readers will find it entertaining, the book's stated goal. "SA" will have some advertising in it and Palmieri reports, "A portion of the proceeds from this book will go towards supporting the United States Women's World Hang Gliding Team. All ad dollars will go to this purpose." Buy the book for $14.99 plus $2.50 S&H. Call 540-772-4262 or E-mail jpalmieri@pen.k12.va.us. ••• In preparation for (oh, dread) winter, Earth Cog Industries has released a new bar mitt design which is different by being removable in flight. They say, "...these trick mitts attach to the bar via velcro grip pads and velcro palm patches. The most positive grip you've ever had in a bar mitt and you're not stuck on the base tube." Now handling your VG control won't freeze your hand on cold days. Standard mitts are said to come with map pocket, grip pads, custom add-ons, and something called a "snot patch," about which I don't think I want to know any more. These be-all mitts retail for $75. For this and other Earth Cog products (like their Speed Sleeves), call 505-242-7373. ••• Finally I want to clear up some confusion about the statistics presented in the May '96 issue. I stated that paragliding seemed to be slipping in its growth and that hang gliding was strengthening slightly. The info did not represent membership statistics, but rather survey results of the aircraft respondents are flying. Paragliding continues to grow modestly but steadily according to current USHGA records. The figures in this column related to the PG glider brands surveyed pilots said they owned. As such, Edel was clearly in the lead at about a quarter of all types. My material was picked up by France's Vol Libre who published it. Chief Editor Noël Bertrand reports, "Trekking is not OK with this!" Trekking feels it accounts for a quarter of all U.S. sales in the last year. This may or may not be true. I used statistics on what pilots own now, NOT what they bought most recently. My regrets for any misunderstanding. Statistics are useful, like polls, but both can be misleading. ••• So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612-450-0930. E-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

OSHKOSH, WISC. — In a different location this month, "Product Lines" comes from the headquarters of the EAA or Experimental Aircraft Association, the folks who build their own aircraft. The occasion was the assembly of the USHGA Board of Directors Planning Committee. This group of some the industry’s most important leaders gathers with the goal of looking longer range for the health and capabilities of USHGA. It was my pleasure — and honor, I must admit — to keep company and work with this group. • The PlanComm meeting took place at EAA after Executive Director Phil Bachman and I had met with EAA president Tom Poberezny last May. He offered their venue (versus an hotel somewhere) and we jumped at the chance. After Tom addressed the committee on two occasions, most felt satisfied that we had gotten some sound advice. EAA represents 165,000 members, has 145 employees, and an enormously impressive facility which includes a very professionally executed museum.

Product Lines – October 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- Our Just Fly U.S. Nationals are over and I heard little about the influence of the so-called topless gliders. I didn't think much about this, being unsure if this idea is good design or merely good marketing. ••• However, German team leader Ernst Schneider sent E-mail which suggests that topless acceptance by contest pilots in Europe is much stronger. He writes, "Kingpostless gliders have gained popularity amongst competition pilots in Europe very fast this year and showed very good results at recent competitions." The results he listed put topless gliders in winning positions at the German Open (a Guggenmos "Cut RCS" won, followed by a UP "Speed") and six of the top ten at the German League were topless. Interestingly, though they showed well in the latter meet, the top three were "conventional" hang gliders. ••• In a related item, this German correspondent also states, "Market share of U.S.-built gliders in Europe has decreased significantly during the last years and it rather looks like this will continue." He notes that Americans may regard European gliders as having low standards of quality, safety, and performance, but adds, "...it looks definitely that the U.S. manufacturers ignore the latest technology step on gliders without kingposts." As I've expressed before, time will tell if this is the newest direction of hang glider design or just another short-lived idea like air scoops. Thanks to Schneider for his info on glider technology and trends. ••• One of those non-topless glider winners was eighth-time (!!!) German champion, Bob Baier. As Moyes was happy to observe in their latest mailing, he won flying an Xtralite 147. This was his sixth consecutive national title. The Down-Under company also congratulates winner Mark Tulloch at the Canadian Nationals -- the first, by the way, to be held from a towing site; 32 pilot participated. Naturally, Moyes also spoke to their contest performance at the Dinosaur Nats, with their newest SX4 finishing in second (Suchanek), fourth (Brad Koji), and eighth (Brazilian Andre Wolfe). • Moyes is also promoting their newest glider cloth, called "Airfoil Diax," available in opaque or with hologram spectrum colors. ••• As long as we're hopping around the globe so easily, Mexico is coming back as a winter flying destination. Following a couple years of less news on south-of-the-border tours, two operators are again pursuing Yanquis who want some good air while the chill winds blow up north. • Returning is well known Ole Olson. "We're going to base [Safari] Sky Tours in Valle de Bravo this year." He's used this location before as two sites are within a half hour. La Torre (The Tower) is known for its gentle breezes and consistent ridge soaring. El Peñon del Diablo (The Rock of the Devil, or simply El Penyon in gringospeak) is a "booming thermal site where... we sky out on a regular basis," says Olson. He claims to have gone to Peñon 212 times and never been unable to fly due to conditions. Olson reports many tour takers have raved over Peñon, quoting Paul Voight as saying, "What is it with this place anyway? Is it always this good? Don't you ever get a day off?" • Olson reports that he and partner Eric Rasmussen will offer tours both for hang glider and paraglider pilots. Watch for Safari Sky Tours' announcements in HG, or you can E-mail to Elvolador@aol.com. ••• A newer operator is Mexican-based Chal Hale and his Fly Mexico enterprise. Also serving both HGs and PGs, tours are available from $350 a week and can include accommodations, breakfast, ground transportation, and instruction. Hale advises, "Organize a group of four or more other people and you get to come for free!" He adds that the optimum season is from November to April. [From the USA], dial 011-52-726-20082. ••• Zapping back home again, good news up in New York where Mountain Wings owners Greg and Judy Black have again secured a facility to perform static towing. A bureaucratic battle went on for eighteen months but you can again get tows for either hang gliders or paragliders should the winds not favor the popular Ellenville mountain launch site. For details, schedules, and prices, call 914-647-3377. ••• On the Lighter Side... popular cartoonist Harry Martin has launched his new Internet page where newsletter editors can take his offer of free clip art. "Due to steady requests for artwork to place into newsletters, I've decided to set up a home page to make some artwork available to non-profit organizations only," says Martin. His service is aimed at HG/PG newsletter editors and offers artwork in the standard GIF format. Editors can also request artwork they don't see now. He'll update the page monthly and a limited number of available files will grow, he promises. Here's his URL -- http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Harry_Martin_. ••• Geek Reporter Dept.: When describing Peter Birren's new towing release, the Linknife, I neglected one kinda important detail. The point was how it works... which is by cutting the actual weak link that is used on nearly all tow launches. After relying on the weak link to do its job enroute, the release is made by pulling on a cord that causes the two razor blades to cut the weak link. My apologies for any misunderstanding. This thing is so modestly priced you may have overlooked it. Try again by E-mailing Birren at RHGPA@aol.com. ••• So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. V-mail or fax to 612-450-0930. E-mail CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Our Just Fly U.S. Nationals are over and I heard little about the influence of the so-called topless gliders. I didn’t think much about this, being unsure if this idea is good design or merely good marketing. ••• However, German team leader Ernst Schneider sent E-mail which suggests that topless acceptance by contest pilots in Europe is much stronger. He writes, "Kingpostless gliders have gained popularity amongst competition pilots in Europe very fast this year and showed very good results at recent competitions." The results he listed put topless gliders in winning positions at the German Open (a Guggenmos "Cut RCS" won, followed by a UP "Speed") and six of the top ten at the German League were topless. Interestingly, though they showed well in the latter meet, the top three were "conventional" hang gliders. ••• In a related item, this German correspondent also states, "Market share of U.S.-built gliders in Europe has decreased significantly during the last years and it rather looks like this will continue." He notes that Americans may regard European gliders as having low standards of quality, safety, and performance, but adds, "…it looks definitely that the U.S.

Product Lines – September 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN -- The 1996 U.S. Hang Gliding National Championships -- this year known more briefly by its sponsor name: the Just Fly Nationals -- is over. Several tidbits of information resulted from the gathering and good ole, late-breaking "Product Lines" is here to tell you some of them. Since Meet Director, GW Meadows, is a regular Hang Gliding writer, you'll read a thorough article in a later issue. But as I write this at the end of July, Meadows is presently enroute from the Nats to the giant Oshkosh airshow. He was willing to stop along the way and call in a few stats to my voice mail... so, thanks in part to the layout of this back-of-the-book page, you can read a few essentials now, barely after the meet is over. (As this column was completed, the rest of HG is already done and in final preparation for printing. "Product Lines" enjoys some last minute news potential because of the way this page is presented. Enjoy!) ••• Sponsored in large part, wholly organized by, and meet directed by Just Fly proprietor GW Meadows, the 1996 event was different than any in recent memory. GeeDub says, "This meet was the largest Nationals in modern hang gliding, with 144 competitors and pilots from 11 countries." He indicated that, thanks to the large and highly qualified turnout, the '96 Just Fly Nats will definitely offer "the most WTSS Points of any non-World or non-pre-World Meet in the U.S." ••• The meet was "incredibly successful," says GW, obviously pumped up from the satisfying experience. "We flew seven out of eight days." Lots of pilots told Meadows it was the best meet they'd ever attended, that the organization was good. Oh, I'm sure a few bellyachers will surface. What was it Abe Lincoln said about pleasing all of the people all of the time? ••• "We also had really good workers," GW reported, relying as he did on a small bunch of folks to assist his direction. As promised, the staff also had a cache of prizes to give away and give away they did. While not a required part of the Nationals, such incentives add fun and interest beyond the rigorous flying. ••• The main prize was victory of course. Here's what you've been waiting for... The winner was Manfred Ruhmer, hot pilot of the Italian Icaro gliders. He was followed by Tomas Suchanek on an Aussie Moyes glider, while Larry Tudor came in third in his Yankee Wills glider. Tudor thus becomes the National U.S. Champion. Congratulations, Larry! In addition, kudos are due to Kari Castle, the Women's National Champion. The Sportsmanship Award went to Tony Barton, who was beset by various troubles during the meet including a car break down that cost him an entire day. ••• Cross country-wise, the event was also a success, with lots of pilots making goal and turning the event into a qualified distance meet. While the tasks weren't a cakewalk in challenging DinosaurLand, many completed goal. GW's wife, Jan, told me Ruhmer made goal every day. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that's how he won. However, other top ranking pilots also made goal regularly. Dinosaur, Colorado is clearly able to deliver the goods this time of year. It's done so in the past and, if GeeDub has his way, it will do so again. ••• Meadows says he'll bid for the World Meet using the site. However, he'll submit nearby Vernal, Utah as the base of operations. A larger town than little Dinosaur, Vernal could actually handle the throngs of a World Meet. "Dinosaur couldn't," declares Meadows. ••• Obviously a businessman himself, and one who has been asked to partially sponsor other meets (that he didn't direct), GeeDub set about assuring that all those who helped him got a fair shake on the advertising value. While not the main point of the Nats, his efforts may help increase the likelihood of future meet organizers finding sponsors. One such idea was the "Sponsor of the Day" program, a limited-slot opportunity for one company to "buy" a day. A company in which I have an interest, US Aviation, was willing to purchase one of these days. Meadows priced it reasonably and promised to take care of sponsors, making it a reasonable gamble. Too often in the past, donations to meets earned virtually no measurable results, making the cost of sponsorship hard to justify. Sponsors are needed to do it up right. Why, look at the Olympics just concluded. They can win or lose depending on their extensive, multi-million dollar sponsorships. Same for many of the individual teams. ••• Meadows had also gone to great extents to reward any pilots who chose to come and compete with the world's best. Prizes were part of it but other distinctions helped entice as well. For example, several competitions-within-the-competition allowed others to take home some glory of the U.S. Nationals. Well, a more detailed story is coming, I know. I can't wait! Concluding for now, I want to offer a hearty congratulations to GW and all the pilots, participants, and staff members of the Just Fly Nationals. Job well done. Be proud! ••• Oshkosh awaits. Let's see what new aerial toys are offered. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118 USA. Fax or V-mail to: 612-450-0930. E-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN — The 1996 U.S. Hang Gliding National Championships — this year known more briefly by its sponsor name: the Just Fly Nationals — is over. Several tidbits of information resulted from the gathering and good ole, late-breaking "Product Lines" is here to tell you some of them. Since Meet Director, GW Meadows, is a regular Hang Gliding writer, you’ll read a thorough article in a later issue. But as I write this at the end of July, Meadows is presently enroute from the Nats to the giant Oshkosh airshow. He was willing to stop along the way and call in a few stats to my voice mail… so, thanks in part to the layout of this back-of-the-book page, you can read a few essentials now, barely after the meet is over. (As this column was completed, the rest of HG is already done and in final preparation for printing.

Product Lines – August 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN -- Airshow season is here. About the same time we hang glider pilots are heading out to sites across the country to catch the big thermals of summer, millions of non-pilots (and pilots) will attend local-area airshows. They're America's second largest public spectator event after baseball, quite a statement in a country known around the globe for having countless choices of entertainment. At how many of those airshows will the millions see hang gliding? Darn few! ••• One man is changing that by succeeding as few before him have done. Dan Buchanan performs despite physical challenges (a vehicle accident if you don't know Dan's story). He was able to fly the main airshow at Oshkosh last year, no small feat since the Wisconsin convention is one of the world's largest events with close to a million people attending. Some pilots have waited literally years to get in, that is, to volunteer to perform; no pay is offered. Dan tows up -- using step-towing to sustain longer at lower, more viewable altitudes -- so his act is suitably mobile for the airshow circuit. Last year he flew Oshkosh on the concluding days when some of the top act departures make room for new discoveries. For this year's event, though, he'll be one of the headline acts, reports Yoo-shga Executive Director, Phil Bachman. And, in a recent news release, the 27th Annual Arlington (Washington) EAA fly-in has given top billing to Buchanan. They're impressed with Dan's "courage and empowerment to perform at airshows nationwide." After mentioning Dan and his hang glider, they go on to list and promote the other impressive acts they've booked. Good work, Dan! ••• Getting hang gliding in front of a big percentage of the general public is useful if we ever hope to gain entrance to the Olympics. A Wall Street Journal story documents 19 sports that are hopeful. Among the others are such mainline activities as golf, racquetball, roller skating, surfing, and water skiing. Other sports seeking admittance are ones hang gliding might compete with more easily: ballroom dancing, jai alai, underwater swimming, disk sports (Frisbee), and korfball. The story relates that the Olympics are very healthy, with 197 countries represented in Atlanta. Over 10,000 athletes are expected, up from 7,000 in the 1984 L.A. Games. The writer stated, "...by virtually all accounts, [the Olympics] are already too crowded..." Since entrance practically requires a sport to be dropped before a new one is added, several of the above sports have worked hard to become pre-qualified so they have a place in the line of succession. Why all the effort? Notoriety, of course, and swelling association memberships. But it's also about money. A water ski association official notes, "Sponsorships come much easier if you're an Olympic sport." ••• Worldwide hang gliding could use a boost. Numbers are slipping everywhere. Measured over a year (3/95 to 3/96), USHGA hang gliding division membership was down 5.4%, although a modest rising trend was occurring as 1996 got underway. (Overall membership is virtually the same because paragliding division membership is up 14.5% over the same period.) Yoo-shga leaders are discussing membership issues and the future; new plans may be announced. In Europe, it's worse. Indeed this explains why some European club leaders and businessmen are pushing so hard for Olympic participation. If the opinion of experts means much, however, don't look for progress on that front anytime soon. ••• Tow Launch Systems, or simply TLS, has announced a new "self-contained true fluid controlled pay-out winch." The line tension is governed by a patent-pending "silicone fluid metered through a variable flow restrictor." (Sound enough like Star Trek technodoubletalk?) Proprietor Chris Gagliano also has a powered winch with a 20-horse Honda four-stroke engine running through a variable speed transmission. The two systems seem fairly priced at $2,195 and $3,495. TLS supplies winch systems across the U.S. and several foreign countries. They have a dealer program and invite inquiries. Call TLS at 210-824-1803 or fax to 210-805-8386. ••• Peter Birren is promoting his Linknife. Saying it is a departure from the "old parachute technology [3-ring circus] used for HG tow releases," he calls the Linknife a "radical departure." The basic idea rests on the premise that most tow pilots use a weak link. Often these pilots use a new piece of string for each flight, to be sure it functions correctly (materials are cheap). This weak-link string can serve its safety purpose but can also aid separation from the towline. True, pilots don't like giving up methods they know and that's often a wise policy. However, this idea is fresh enough to capture attention. Birren has literature to send that will explain his low-priced $15 device. Call 847-640-1071, fax 0208, or E-mail to RHGPA@aol.com. ••• That's it for this month... So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. V-mail or fax to 612-450-0930. E-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN — Airshow season is here. About the same time we hang glider pilots are heading out to sites across the country to catch the big thermals of summer, millions of non-pilots (and pilots) will attend local-area airshows. They’re America’s second largest public spectator event after baseball, quite a statement in a country known around the globe for having countless choices of entertainment. At how many of those airshows will the millions see hang gliding? Darn few! ••• One man is changing that by succeeding as few before him have done. Dan Buchanan performs despite physical challenges (a vehicle accident if you don’t know Dan’s story). He was able to fly the main airshow at Oshkosh last year, no small feat since the Wisconsin convention is one of the world’s largest events with close to a million people attending. Some pilots have waited literally years to get in, that is, to volunteer to perform; no pay is offered.

Product Lines – July 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN -- About as you're reading this, the "Umpteenth Annual 4th of July Festival of Foot Launched Flight" in Lakeview, Oregon is about to begin. If you live on the west coast you could read this and still attend, so, consider it a last minute invitation. • July 3-7 are the dates and they promise an interesting roster of activities. A cumulative cross country contest will award a $1,000 cash prize to the winning hang- or para-gliding pilot. Don't want to hassle with cross country? Try their Trophy Dash, a timed race (Speed Gliding?) good for $100 to the winner. • Or, you can earn your aero tow rating, a mildly ironic sign of the times since the event calls itself "...Foot Launched." Hungry Joe Szalai and Bill Martke of Moyes will bring a Dragonfly tug and will offer aerotow training to pilots who want a break from running off the several mountain launches at Lakeview. At last report, the Reno, Nevada SuperFloater dealer also planned to make the trek. • Factory pilots from several manufacturers will also be present to allow demo flights on Wills XCs; Blue Sky Predators; PacAir Klassics or Visions; or Moyes Xtralites. In addition, paragliders were expected from several sources. Sounds like a full menu, so if you've nothing more exciting planned this weekend, head to Lakeview. For last minute info, call the Chamber of Commerce at 541-947-6040. ••• Thinking about cumulative cross country contests and tow launches brings me nearly back home to the Mother's Day Cosmos Classic in Cosmos, Minnesota. The days were cool and didn't look able to produce gangbuster thermals, but they did... 1,400 miles worth all told! In fact, Illinois pilot, Larry Bunner, almost broke the state record with a very strong 129-mile, 7.25-hour flight. Bunner and the group of 25 pilots enjoyed a superlative day of soaring. A member of the winning team, Bruce Bolles, says, "Oh yeah, they'll probably always hold the Classic on Mother's Day now, forever trying to repeat 1996." The weekend winner was a local pilot, Gerry Uchityl, who did well both days, racking up 185.5 miles. ••• Now all the way back east, the 24th Annual (they can evidently count higher than the Lakeview gang) Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding Spectacular was a success, as is traditionally the case. Like so many hang gliding gatherings that endure this long, it becomes a great place to run into old friends from the early days of our sport. In spite of Kitty Hawk's reliable and well used sand dunes, the longtime shop has an airport facility as well. A 5,000 foot runway -- with overruns that add up to 8,000 feet -- assures good high launches for tow pilots. The '96 Spectacular had a tow competition one day of the event, putting a number of pilots at a 6,500 foot cloudbase, "...a ton of incredible flying," exclaimed owner John Harris. The airport is about 45 miles northwest of the shop's beach location. Since it's on the mainland, it offers a different type of flying only a reasonable drive away. Call 919-441-4127 for info or for their Internet site address. ••• Finally wrapping our little tour, we zap back across the country and up into Canada. James Swansburg E-mailed to say he's built a Bed & Breakfast on a lake at the base of a 3,000 foot site in the Canadian Rockies. "I've equipped it with lots of toys for the hyperactive pilot." Since the enterprise is located within view of launch, Swansburg says, "Family and friends can hang out on the beach while you hang out at cloudbase." Info is available via E-mail (swanys@ cyberlink.bc.ca) and you can inquire about their web pages. ••• Geek Writer Dept. -- As reported in my April column, I mentioned Rex Miller as the last Class II World Champ (in the story about Kari Castle becoming the first American to be Class I World Champ'). Californian Steve Morris was kind enough to enlighten me that I'd left out the current Class II World Champ', Brian Porter. Of course this takes absolutely nothing away from Kari, but it was shameful of me to omit Porter and his lovely Swift. Sincere apologies to Brian and the Swift Team. Thanks for setting me straight, Steve. ••• Well, outta room once again diver fans. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. You can V-mail or fax to 612-450-0930 or send E-mail via CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN — About as you’re reading this, the "Umpteenth Annual 4th of July Festival of Foot Launched Flight" in Lakeview, Oregon is about to begin. If you live on the west coast you could read this and still attend, so, consider it a last minute invitation. • July 3-7 are the dates and they promise an interesting roster of activities. A cumulative cross country contest will award a $1,000 cash prize to the winning hang- or para-gliding pilot. Don’t want to hassle with cross country? Try their Trophy Dash, a timed race (Speed Gliding?) good for $100 to the winner. • Or, you can earn your aero tow rating, a mildly ironic sign of the times since the event calls itself "…Foot Launched." Hungry Joe Szalai and Bill Martke of Moyes will bring a Dragonfly tug and will offer aerotow training to pilots who want a break from running off the several mountain launches at Lakeview.

Product Lines – June 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN -- As we circle into the soaring season, I have an eclectic group of topics. But first... ••• Like it or not, it appears some kind of FAA rule change is coming. Our reps to the ARAC group meeting with FAA are Dennis Pagen and Mike Meier, two solid individuals who will present our position well. It's simply too early in the process to report what's happening as the game could change following the response FAA requested of the ARAC industry group. Nonetheless, it appears certain that some changes are imminent. If more information is available by next month's column I'll provide more on this subject. Meanwhile, back at the grassroots... ••• I'm personally pleased (being financially involved with the project) to report that the Cumulus ultralight motorglider flew. Under development since 1993, the pace quickened in the last half of 1995 and the motorglider flew in March 1996. Four pilots have put a dozen hours on the machine. Performance appears about as expected although it's too early for measurements. The target of 20:1 and sink rate under 200 fpm should be achieved. At present, the Cumulus requires additional work on the control system. Aileron response is presently too weak for flying in strong thermal conditions, and overall, the three-axis controls need to be better harmonized. However, developers are "pleased with the initial flights" and refinements to a proof-of-concept aircraft are expected. As US Aviation moves to continue development work, a preproduction prototype kit will be built next. This second aircraft will incorporate changes suggested by the proof-of-concept version and the #2 Cumulus will essentially be the first kit. ••• On a related note, US Aviation's SuperFloater is now settling in at early sites in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and Europe. A new batch is coming soon and will be flying shortly after you read this in Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Iowa. As production continues, Tennessee and Minnesota will be added plus a west coast tour is under consideration. Response from those renting the ultralight glider at flying sites has been quite favorable, and the SuperFloater has proven to operate particularly well in the company of hang gliders. US Aviation has a video tape for $10 postpaid that shows foot launches at Point of the Mountain in Utah. ••• While the SuperFloater has demonstrated foot launch and foot landings, the overwhelming percentage of flights has been via aero towing. In fact, as you read here last month, towing now provides launches for nearly 30% of all hang glider flights nationwide (with aero towing accounting for 10% of all launches nationwide). Given this, more aftermarket items for towing is no surprise. ••• Florida entrepreneur Ron Rarick has created a quick release for hang glider and paraglider pilots which he says, "will release the tow line with or without line tension." Once the "firing pin" is released a spring holds it open and it will not close on the tow line. Made of Delrin and stainless steel, the $69.95 device never needs lubrication. Write Rarick at 614 Pinellas St., Clearwater FL 34614. You can E-mail to RipRarick@aol.com. ••• Barry Steele of Appropriate Engineering believes he's got a way to lower the cost of building a winch for ground-based towing. In late '95, Steele completed a 70-page guide called the "Payout Winch Construction Plans Manual." In addition to a step-by-step instruction set for building a winch, he covers towlines, line recovery 'chute systems, tow bridles, nose releases, glider racks, and flotation systems. "Although the manual describes the complete construction of all parts of the tow system," Steele recommends, "a checkout by a skilled tow operator for critical parts (i.e., line tension settings, tow speeds)." The manual -- which I did not see -- claims you can build a winch for under $300 and is said to include dozens of illustrations and a complete parts list. A sample illustration generated on computer looked very proper. Order the Manual for $39.95 plus $3.50 S&H from Steele at 971 Fisherman's Cove, Seneca SC 29672. Call 803-885-0949. ••• Hang Gliding on the 'Net is alive and well, says computer guru, Bob Mackey. While doing a regular review of home pages he's created, he found that in the previous 12 months, about 6,000 people have been to the "school" page on his site. "I would assume the majority of these are not pilots but wannabes," says Mackey. He admits to being surprised by the figure but suggests, "instructors on the Web should look into getting a page for their business." View his page at http://www.mainelink.net/Skyadventures/school.html. ••• Speaking of the 'Net, I mentioned Britain's Skywings magazine home page back in the April issue. What I didn't know was that editor Joe Schofield's work on the BHPA rag won him the 1996 Bettina Gray Prize for "editorial production and excellence." Gray has been awarding such prizes for a number of years but I missed her anointment of Skywings. Congratulations, Joe! ••• Finally, west coast pilot, Paul Dees, is building a replica of the biplane glider that Octave Chanute flew 100 years ago this summer on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Paul is done with fabrication of individual parts and starting assembly. "I am using original materials, or close substitutes, such as aircraft quality Sitka spruce," he says. "I want it to look good enough that a museum would want it for display." He'll trek back to Michigan in July in time for a 100-year celebration planned at the original site. Dees noted that Chanute's glider "had hundreds of safe flights with no injuries, which was certainly better than the unfortunate fatal crashes of Otto Lilienthal and Percy Pilcher." Fascinating... Good luck, Paul! ••• Outta room. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612-450-0930. E-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN — As we circle into the soaring season, I have an eclectic group of topics. But first… ••• Like it or not, it appears some kind of FAA rule change is coming. Our reps to the ARAC group meeting with FAA are Dennis Pagen and Mike Meier, two solid individuals who will present our position well. It’s simply too early in the process to report what’s happening as the game could change following the response FAA requested of the ARAC industry group. Nonetheless, it appears certain that some changes are imminent. If more information is available by next month’s column I’ll provide more on this subject. Meanwhile, back at the grassroots… ••• I’m personally pleased (being financially involved with the project) to report that the Cumulus ultralight motorglider flew. Under development since 1993, the pace quickened in the last half of 1995 and the motorglider flew in March 1996.

Product Lines – May 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- This month is my review of the product-oriented aspects of the USHGA's annual survey. Since it comes with the ballot, a high percentage are returned. Because of this Yoo-shga enjoys more reliability in its surveying than do most organizations. ••• The overall statistics haven't have shifted much but a couple surprises do reveal themselves, notably increases in hang gliders flown (relative to paragliders anyway) and more women than ever flying. While more and more leaders are becoming convinced of the need to expand hang gliding, the commercial industry which serves present enthusiasts continues steadily with few changes. ••• One non-product item worthy of note. Our "maturing" sport has now crossed a benchmark line: The average age slipped quietly by the fortysomething figure, coming to rest for 1995 at 40.4, up half a year from last year. Fortunately, personal income also crept up, stopping at an average $51,295 per member. We continue to "gray out" even as leaders search for answers on bringing in more young enthusiasts. However, balancing that is USHGA's success at encouraging women to fly hang gliders. That number has now passed the ten percent figure, reaching 10.5% for 1995. In my wide-span view of aviation segments, hang gliding is doing measurably better at bringing female participants into the fold. ••• The once-closely-watched glider brand shares have become almost boring (a boredom industry leader Wills Wing probably enjoys). The WW brand inched up to 44.0% from 42.7% last year. In the '90s -- a period for which I have records close at hand -- this performance is the highest Wills has reached. Their success with the Falcon may have helped. Second position Pacific Airwave slid slightly to 28.4% from 29.6% last year, a change so tiny as to be statistically irrelevant. A recent factory move doesn't seem to have hurt the central California company. UP/Blue Sky held on to about seven percent, sliding imperceptibly to 6.8% from 7.3%. In the earlier '90s, they had just over 10% of the market; we'll see if the new company's Predator can change that. Seedwings crept back up modestly from 3.6% to 4.0% reversing a continuous slide from early periods. The success story in a well-entrenched market is Moyes, who wins the "Most Improved" market share, moving up 28% from 7.1% to 9.1% of the total community. In the earlier '90s they sat below 5%, and have advanced steadily since then. The "Others" category declined sharply from 6.0% a couple years ago to only 2.9% in 1995. This suggests non-U.S. brands are still struggling to establish any American presence. ••• In regional strengths, Wills leads in ten of thirteen USHGA Regions (1 through 8, plus 10 and 13). Pacific Airwave owns the remaining three (9, 11, and 12) with Moyes showing particular strength in Regions 3 and 10. Seedwings has some brighter spots in Regions 6 and 12. Wills Wing lead seven regions in 1994, so picked up several points in this analysis. PacAir had lead five regions but declined to three, however, PacAir has the largest plurality of all in Region 12 where their gliders represent 52% of the field. ••• The number of gliders owned per member continues upward, as always, reaching 1.9 gliders each (the last two years were 1.8 and 1.7). The number of pilots saying they'll buy a new glider dropped from 22.8% to 20.5%, translating to a forecast 1,900 new gliders that may be bought in 1996. ••• The fractured market of paragliding is split up among 14 brands plus "Other." Edel is the clear leader with a solid 24.2% of the community. ProDesign is a distant second at 12.7%, followed by Flight Designs (10.8%), ITV (7.3%), and Firebird (6.9%). American representation is well down the list, with UP in eighth at 4.6%, followed by PacAir in a tie for ninth place at 3.8% and Wills in thirteenth at 1.9%. ••• By the way, industry leaders say paragliding is experiencing decline in Europe where they think "the market is saturated." This tells me PG is simply maturing as hang gliding had done earlier. Conversely, hang gliding is now enjoying modest growth in Europe. Indeed, in the USA, for the first time in the '90s paragliding lost ground. Of all types of wings flown, paragliding dropped over eight percent, from 29.6% of all wings to 27.2 percent. Hang gliders increased from 73.6% to 78.5%, with rigid wings also growing 25% from 3.2% to 4.0% of all wings. A four percent share calculates to about 375 rigid wings flown, a figure down slightly from two years back. ••• In other trends, towing continues its inexorable climb relative to foot launching... possibly related to the aging of the pilot population? In 1994, foot launching accounted for four out of five launches (79.4%). Last year, foot launches sunk to 72.7%, possibly due to the strength of three busy Florida tow operations which helped lift the category to 27.3% of all launches. All three types of towing: aero, platform, and stationary -- were up, but aero towing did the best, accounting for over ten percent of all launches nationwide and one third of all tow launches, up from only a sixth two years ago. ••• Well, I'm off to Sun 'n Fun in Florida. Let's see what hang gliding news results from that gathering of 750,000 aviation enthusiasts. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612-450-0930. E-mail to: CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — This month is my review of the product-oriented aspects of the USHGA’s annual survey. Since it comes with the ballot, a high percentage are returned. Because of this Yoo-shga enjoys more reliability in its surveying than do most organizations. ••• The overall statistics haven’t have shifted much but a couple surprises do reveal themselves, notably increases in hang gliders flown (relative to paragliders anyway) and more women than ever flying. While more and more leaders are becoming convinced of the need to expand hang gliding, the commercial industry which serves present enthusiasts continues steadily with few changes. ••• One non-product item worthy of note. Our "maturing" sport has now crossed a benchmark line: The average age slipped quietly by the fortysomething figure, coming to rest for 1995 at 40.4, up half a year from last year. Fortunately, personal income also crept up, stopping at an average $51,295 per member.

Product Lines – April 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- Back home in frigid but thawing Minnesota after a temporary warmup in the Sunshine State last month. Halfway in between is a place virtually every hang glider pilot knows: Chattanooga. My former hometown, it was the birthplace of "Product Lines," but these days it's best known for its major hang gliding enterprise -- Lookout Mountain Flight Park, or simply LMFP. ••• Owner and boss, Matt Taber, though well known to most anyone in the sport, is something of an unsung hero. In recent memory surprisingly little has been written about the country's biggest shop. LMFP is "biggest" by virtue of enrolling more students in the USHGA pilot proficiency program than any other school, a laudable achievement. The Lookout Mountain site is one of the country's best known flying sites, visited by pilots from all over the USA and the world. You might also call it the biggest shop because Taber owns both launch and landing sites, to include a huge LZ where he is now building cabins for visiting pilots. In addition to running a preeminent mountain launch site, LMFP provides aero towing out of the big landing field. They use a trike that Taber built using his mechanical background but they also have a Dragonfly and are working on another tow plane of Taber's design. • He plans to expand beyond pure hang gliding, to wit, LMFP is taking a SuperFloater dealership. After his main tow pilot, Jim Hook, was tragically killed last year, Taber assumed tugging duties, racking up 600 hours in part of a season. As you'd imagine, this stretched Matt pretty thin for a while. He's a survivor though, adding the alternative launch methods as business slacked off a bit due to three active schools in Florida, long a state that was LMFP's biggest source of customers. (The three include newcomers Quest Air and Wallaby Ranch plus well established Miami HG.) • As if his other duties weren't enough, Matt also serves the USHGA board plus he publishes the association's official training book. All this may be old hat to you, but this very familiarity has caused a dearth of material to be published about the big school. I felt it was deserved to give LMFP and Matt a little ink. We can all hope he and his staff can keep going strong! ••• Speaking of keeping it up, GW Meadows is sort of single-handedly tackling the '96 Nats, naming it the Just Fly Nationals after his business. Too cozy? Hardly! Think of any big sporting event which benefits from a major sponsor; the brand name/logo is often part of the event's full name. Besides, it shows a creativity that might not come with a local club sponsorship. • Listen to a few of GeeDub's ideas. He'll have several classes of competition, including "Rookie, Intermediate Glider, Never-Been-In-The-Top-50, Over 45 Years Old," and more. The Just Fly Nats will have a contest for the the "Wildest Photo" at the Turn Point each day, a Driver's Contest... and all the above will have cash prizes plus gifts galore (the last being no great surprise given Just Fly's growing dominance of the accessory market for hang gliding). GeeDub adds, "The best prizes will not go to the top-placing World-Class pilots; they always get the good stuff." • Sounds cool to me and GW says he's working overtime to be sure its fun and safe. Maybe this is the one you oughta' attend? Entry fee is $325 with a refund policy. Check it out... call Just Fly at 919/480-3552. ••• Hadn't heard from industry leader Wills Wing for a while, but they've got new bragging rights after hotshot Kari Castle won the Women's World Championships on a WW XC 155. CONGRATS, KARI! WW prez Rob Kells observed that she's the first American ever to be a Class I World Champ (though Rex Miller was Class II Champs back in the '70s). • Wills also reports a satisfying response to their Falcon intro glider, having now sold over 500 copies. Since the wait lengthened considerably last year, they've built a hundred for spring delivery this year. Interestingly, some 150 Falcons are being used for Skyfloating, the Wills technique employing a paragliding harness for supine (or suprone) flying. German certification appears imminent offering access to that big market for the U.S. brand. • My own flights on a Falcon at the Wallaby Ranch aerotow center suggested this glider towed as well as any hang diver that comes to mind. I flew a 195 and it all but handled itself through three tows to 2,500 feet, even throughout turns. Most satisfying, and it provided me with three dandy landings that made me look good. • Finally, WW says that their prototype XC 132 is flying well, though "no telling when it will be in production." ••• Errors & Omissions Dept. -- German company Bautek's Sunrise model is not a topless glider as reported here earlier. My source was incorrect. Doesn't change the possibility implied by the trend, but the question remains: Is is real or is it marketing? • In my brief review of some Internet World Wide Web sites, I failed to mention one you may find of interest... at least those of you who enjoy keeping an eye on the rest of the hang gliding world. One of the best English-language magazines other than the one in your hands is Britain's Skywings. You may not care to subscribe, but they've got a WWW site that contains portions of the well-edited rag. "Check out http://test.ebrd.com/skywings/home.html," says editor Joe Schofield. ••• Hey! Outta room. Next month, I plan my product-oriented review of the 1995 USHGA member survey. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Vmail or fax to 612/450-0930. Email to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Back home in frigid but thawing Minnesota after a temporary warmup in the Sunshine State last month. Halfway in between is a place virtually every hang glider pilot knows: Chattanooga. My former hometown, it was the birthplace of "Product Lines," but these days it’s best known for its major hang gliding enterprise — Lookout Mountain Flight Park, or simply LMFP. ••• Owner and boss, Matt Taber, though well known to most anyone in the sport, is something of an unsung hero. In recent memory surprisingly little has been written about the country’s biggest shop. LMFP is "biggest" by virtue of enrolling more students in the USHGA pilot proficiency program than any other school, a laudable achievement. The Lookout Mountain site is one of the country’s best known flying sites, visited by pilots from all over the USA and the world. You might also call it the biggest shop because Taber owns both launch and landing sites, to include a huge LZ where he is now building cabins for visiting pilots.

Product Lines – March 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ORLANDO, FLORIDA -- Escaping Minnesota's arctic winter for a few days of work in Florida, this column comes to you from the sunshine state where I got a glimpse of a new design in testing. It shows a distinctly American slant... on a new glider design trend that seems to to be showing strength in Europe. ••• What with winglets last year and internal ribs the year before -- well, also ram scoops used by at least two builders before that idea lost momentum -- the new notion of "toplessness" appears hot as a pistol. French giant La Mouette already has a glider called the Topless, and German leader Bautek has an entry in the topless sweepstakes named the Sunrise. These gliders have no upper rigging whatsoever. La Mouette is advertising "no kingpost and no compression strut." The Dijon, France-based company also boasts a four Gs negative load capability thanks to a carbon spar. Of course, they also claim it has an "unbeatable glide angle" and "great handling." (But then, rarely are such qualities left out of the advertising of any new glider, eh?). La Mouette goes on to further tantalize with this statement, "Not only does [this construction] reduce the drag of the top rigging and kingpost plus the interference drag, it also allows revolutionary developments, impossible with the rigid standard frame." La Mouette is apparently delivering their newest glider, so if you're one who's gotta have the latest and greatest, contact La Mouette in France by faxing 011-33-80-55-42-01 or calling 011-33-80-56-66-47. ••• At least some knowledgeable observers suspect the glider has highly washed out wings to accommodate the strains of a topless design. However, photos in La Mouette's ad and in an Italian magazine article show the Topless and the Sunrise exhibiting quite flat wings that superficially appear as good as so-called standard gliders. ••• Is America missing out on this trend? Whether toplessness is a genuine development or clever new marketing trick, we'll find out soon enough (as with the ram inlet?). Meanwhile my visit to Orlando made me aware of an American design going through more testing without upper or lower rigging. Hmmm? Yep, a visit to the Wallaby Ranch revealed efforts to put a new Terry Reynolds design on a test truck. For those who've forgotten, Reynolds was an originator of the graphite airframe TRX. His fascinating new idea is not only topless but bottomless as well. A massive tapered composite cross bar and keel plates eliminate the upper and lower rigging without adding struts. Of course you still must have a control bar, so a sweeping composite form arcs around from the nose to present a "handling bar" to the pilot. Ranch boss, Malcolm Jones, says the Reynolds glider is heavy and is a work in progress, but he feels it introduces new concepts. What makes the new Reynolds design doubly interesting is that Will Wing is fully aware of it, in fact, having done some testing of the new design on their test truck. The Wallaby Ranch effort follows the WW work, addressing the pitching moment and other changes in the evolving design. Load carrying ability was said to be satisfactory. ••• Comparing all three gliders to Dick Boone's strutted Dawn... it is clear that new concepts are at work. The new gliders have a distinctly innovative look to them. I'll bet more gliders of this description will emerge. After my dour words about low glider builder advertising at the beginning of the year, such new activities provide a much needed spark (just as Wills's Ram Air created such a sensation that over 100 were sold before it had even been released). I'll keep watching the trend but appreciate advisories from any pilots who are aware of exciting new developments. ••• Though their gliders are more conventional, they're beautifully built in that Italian trademark way. I'm talking about the Laminar, whose builder Icaro 2000 is making a bigger bid for American customers. A mailing recently went out to many pilots and business people. Icaro's Boy Wonder -- to compare with Moyes's Suchanek -- is Manfred Ruhmer. Placing Second at the '95 Worlds in Ager, Spain, Ruhmer is a hot talent indeed; he's logged several Firsts. If you want info on this brand fax 011-39-332-648-079 or phone 011-39-332-648-335. Yes, they have English literature to send you. ••• In closing, Just Fly has a new GPS for those of you who haven't jumped on this latest bandwagon. Common among electronic goodies, a new Garmin 38 model offers a lowest-yet price of $299 and Just Fly knocks another $100 off... to only $199! If you haven't bought yet, do so now! GPS units are at least intriguing if not darned important to any kind of distance flying. Where else can you buy so much fun for less than $200? With a case looking just like the Garmin 40, the 38 doesn't supply a carrying case, training video, or four AA batteries allowing Garmin to shave the price even more. It does have a couple new features as well as a low price tag. One is a compass page that looks like a rotating compass, a handy idea. Another useful function is a back track feature that lets you jump back to your previous screen (waypoints or whatever). True, the price may drop a few dollars more, but in my mind, $199 makes Just Fly's Garmin 38 a true commodity item. I doubt the price will descend much further. Call 1-800/546-3596. ••• Hey! Outta room. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Vmail or fax to 612/450-0930. Email to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ORLANDO, FLORIDA — Escaping Minnesota’s arctic winter for a few days of work in Florida, this column comes to you from the sunshine state where I got a glimpse of a new design in testing. It shows a distinctly American slant… on a new glider design trend that seems to to be showing strength in Europe. ••• What with winglets last year and internal ribs the year before — well, also ram scoops used by at least two builders before that idea lost momentum — the new notion of "toplessness" appears hot as a pistol. French giant La Mouette already has a glider called the Topless, and German leader Bautek has an entry in the topless sweepstakes named the Sunrise. These gliders have no upper rigging whatsoever. La Mouette is advertising "no kingpost and no compression strut." The Dijon, France-based company also boasts a four Gs negative load capability thanks to a carbon spar.

Product Lines – February 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- In another month or so, the soaring season will once again kick into high gear. At least, I hope it's another good year with abundant thermals and perhaps a new record flight or two. It's up to you, of course... you and you diver. Which brings me to an observation after reviewing the January issue of Hang Gliding. ••• Because I have flying interest that straddle several aircraft segments, I see about two dozen aviation magazines a month. I've been watching a trend in all of them, dating back into the early '80s or even before. By my perception, aircraft manufacturer ads are steadily giving way to what I'll call aftermarket ads. This is true in every aviation magazine I get and it looks like it's happening in Hang Gliding, too. ••• "So what," you ask? Here's what: if folks selling accessories items (instruments, helmets, parachutes, clothing and more) are buying more and more of the ad space while aircraft manufacturers are buying less, what does it tell you about the future? ••• In the January 1996 issue of Hang Gliding, only five glider builders ran ads, totaling three pages of ads, only two and half of which were for hang gliders. This time of year is slower, though, and more pages will likely be sold in spring or summer issues. To compare on the basis of type not quantity, I divided the other ads in this slow issue into the following categories: Instruments/Radios; Accessories (including harnesses, helmets, books & videos, and clothing); Retail (shops and schools, some of which feature accessory items in their ads); Service; and Glider Manufacturers. ••• The biggest was Accessories with 37% of all ad space, substantially ahead of Manufacturers at 22% (with only 18% representing hang glider builders). Glider builders were closely trailed by Services (mostly USHGA) at 17% and Instruments at 16%. Retailers brought up the rear at only 7%, but most shops can't afford national display advertising. ••• Now, all the preceeding applied solely to display space. Classified ads looked plentiful, and they are a widely accepted measure of magazine health. Classified pages in January were pretty consistent with year-round trends at seven pages. This is an additional 50% of ad space and I did not identify which category each ad represented. ••• What does all this mean? The magazine is one of the USHGA membership's most visible benefits and trade magazine health is considered to be a good benchmark for the health of an industry. So? Are we becoming more oriented on the aftermarket gear than new gliders? Are hang glider manufacturers becoming an endangered species? We don't have enough information to make an informed decision. Plus the industry is dynamic; it can go from sinking out in dead air to skying out in strong lift in just a few month's time. Fortunately here in early 1996, each of our manufacturers appear to be enjoying adequate to good business, so perhaps it's merely a normal trend in a maturing industry. While a paradigm shift may be underway, be glad all these fine folks are building or selling stuff we want and that they buy ad space to tell you about them. ••• On to another topic... After my several columns on towing over the last year, I was made aware I'd left out one faction: the stationary winch. In fact, I knew about them, having owned and operated one of the first Paul Yarnall winches. But in the subsequent developments of platform towing and the arrival of aero towing, I admit overlooking stationary winches. ••• This type of winch remains the most popular form of towing in Europe, especially so for the sailplane community. Perhaps due to America's vastly greater supply of open land, we prefer platform towing. An interesting side note: aero towing may be about equal in each continent. ••• As stationary winch operator, Greg Black, says, [platform winches] "are hydraulic brakes not hydraulic winches." Correct he is as we mainly use pay-out winches not wind-up winches. Besides his own operation in Ellenville, NY, Black knew of other stationary winches in service at Tek Flight (CT), a deeply experienced Mike Robertson (CAN), and high time winch king, Norm Lesnow (MI). ••• Another stationary winch is used by hang gliding airshow pilot, Dan Buchanan, in his colorful air show act. Both Buchanan and Robertson use step towing, one of the unique ways stationary winches can be used. In this technique -- which may have originated in Europe -- a pilot is towed toward the winch, turning finally and flying away from the winch, pulling the tow line with him. When he reaches the correct distance he 180s again toward the winch and the winch resumes winding in pulling the glider higher. Buchannan cleverly uses this technique to remain at an altitude where the public can see his glider clearly. With only a thin line connecting him to his stationary winch which is out of sight to all but those in the front rows, his ability to sustain altitude looks almost magical. ••• Robertson, longtime a hang gliding instructor, uses his stationary winch seven days a week, and reportedly has students step towing within a short time. Black told of his own experience getting 7,000 feet of line out while towing a pilot for 45 minutes. "Trolling for thermals," he called it. The point is that towing offers at least three main systems that can do a credible job. As towing grows as a part of overall launches, available systems are important. ••• Well, diver fans, we're outta room again. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612/450-0930, or E-mail to: CumulusMan@aol.com THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — In another month or so, the soaring season will once again kick into high gear. At least, I hope it’s another good year with abundant thermals and perhaps a new record flight or two. It’s up to you, of course… you and you diver. Which brings me to an observation after reviewing the January issue of Hang Gliding. ••• Because I have flying interest that straddle several aircraft segments, I see about two dozen aviation magazines a month. I’ve been watching a trend in all of them, dating back into the early ’80s or even before. By my perception, aircraft manufacturer ads are steadily giving way to what I’ll call aftermarket ads. This is true in every aviation magazine I get and it looks like it’s happening in Hang Gliding, too. ••• "So what," you ask? Here’s what: if folks selling accessories items (instruments, helmets, parachutes, clothing and more) are buying more and more of the ad space while aircraft manufacturers are buying less, what does it tell you about the future?

Product Lines – January 1996

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- Welcome to a new year! With the holidays behind us (whew!), you may have some gift cash burning a hole in your harness pocket. I have a few suggestions to help you unburden that pocket. But first... ••• The big news in the safety business is the unanticipated departure of Second Chantz, ballistic parachute maker and marketer of owner John Dunham's A.I.R. rocket. Second Chantz succumbed to a legal system (with which we're all-too familiar) that can create huge bills even when a company is unlikely to lose a case. The Reno outfit ceased taking orders on November 1st and will halt all service work January 31st. Too bad, Second Chantz was an innovator that we've now lost forever. I wish John well in his new endeavors, namely selling Air Création trikes. As it turns out, Dunham entered an agreement with BRS after closing Second Chantz, so fortunately he'll still have input to ballistic systems for hang gliding. BRS has acquired the rights to the A.I.R. rocket although the surviving company announced no immediate plans to use the compressed air device. Speaking of BRS... ••• Besides the deal with John Dunham, the company has been active. It secured a Phase II NASA grant worth $600,000 to investigate making parachutes of entirely new materials. If the two-year project proves fruitful, it is possible parachutes will use only half the space they do now and weigh just half as much. Of course, it's only research and the results may not prove successful. However, BRS had partially proved the concept with a Phase I grant of the contract. ••• Proliferation on the 'Net takes the form of new World Wide Web sites. One such -- that helped me learn more about the process and capabilities -- was for BRS which now has both an E-mail address (BRSchute@aol.com) and a web home page (http://users.aol.com/BRSchute/BRS.HTML). One of the fascinating parts of the web, the part that truly explains its name, is the interlocking set of connections that can link you to other web sites of similar interest. As BRS computer guru, Steve Swanson, set up the BRS page, he requested other organizations to add links on their pages to the BRS offering. In return he'd do likewise. Swanson said, "I found more hang gliding on the 'net than any other form of aviation." ••• When he prepared the BRS page, he placed on it a survey for hang gliders pilots. If you're on the 'net and care to respond, please access the page and do your electronic thing. ••• Well, now to some post-Christmas items of interest. • Mail-order man, GW Meadows has taken on U.S. distribution of the Icaro 2000 line of helmets and his Just Fly company is beginning to market them. Three styles are available. An all-white full-face model weighs only 1.4 pounds. It has ear openings, is nicely finished for a comfortable fit, and offers wide visibility for $249, well under competing Uvex models, Meadows says. Next is a gorgeous "Carbon Optic" helmet with the same shape and features of the white one for $269. Finally for those who aren't worried about jaw injuries, the "Jet" half-helmet is available for $149. All these helmets are made of Kevlar and carbon and have European certification for flying use (CE 95-0497). The full-face models have beefed up jaw protection as other helmets have shown vulnerability in this area. • If you've missed the GPS revolution so far, you may've saved money as Just Fly is offering the Garmin 40 for the super-low price of only $264 or the slightly more capable Garmin 45 for just $299. At these prices, don't miss out! Contact Just Fly at 800/546-3596 (to order) or 919/480-3552 (to ask questions). You can also ask for their catalog which GW says "has done bonkers." • Speaking of catalogs, Volume II of MoJo's Gear Catalog is out with 48 pages of full-color goodies you should examine. Too much cool stuff is available to mention here, but I'll bet you can get a copy by calling 800/261-MOJO. Prices look quite competitive and the selection is genuinely broad for both hang gliding and paragliding pilots. • If you didn't already order the Rogallo Foundation's "Wings for the World" poster (framed and glass protected for $490), you may be lucky. If you act quickly you can obtain a rolled-up version (no frame or glass) for a mere $40. Foundation boss, Vic Powell, says these are collector's items that "will increase in value." Send your check to P.O. Box 2377, Washington DC 20026 or call Vic at 202/720-7762. • Some interesting reading comes in Larry Fleming's "Downwind" book. Says HG mag editor and book reviewer, Gil Dodgen, "[Downwind] is packed with amusing, frightening, inspiring, and informative anecdotes -- all true and well told." Do you actually need more incentive while hiding from cold winter winds? Especially if you missed the early days, Gil says, you'll "certainly enjoy" it. For prepaid shipping, send $13.95 to Chris Gregor Publishing, P.O. Box 26595, Fresno CA 93279. • Finally, on a more serious note perhaps, David Prentice offers the Flight Medic, a "personal first-aid/trauma/survival kit." The bag is sewn in blaze orange, is clearly marked, and has velcro straps that allow it to be easily attached. Prentice is a certified EMT-I with extensive experience in emergency medicine. The kit comes with a medical history card pilots can complete. He's included what he calls the "proper supplies to do basic stabilization of a trauma patient, simple first-aid, and survival equipment," all in a one-pound package. The price is $85 and you can call 505/296-0219 or E-mail to "bsaint@unm.edu". Even if you aren't trained in the use of all the components, you'd have them for someone else to use. A worthy idea, I think. ••• Well, diver fans, we're outta room again. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612/450-0930, or E-mail: CumulusMan@aol.com THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Welcome to a new year! With the holidays behind us (whew!), you may have some gift cash burning a hole in your harness pocket. I have a few suggestions to help you unburden that pocket. But first… ••• The big news in the safety business is the unanticipated departure of Second Chantz, ballistic parachute maker and marketer of owner John Dunham’s A.I.R. rocket. Second Chantz succumbed to a legal system (with which we’re all-too familiar) that can create huge bills even when a company is unlikely to lose a case. The Reno outfit ceased taking orders on November 1st and will halt all service work January 31st. Too bad, Second Chantz was an innovator that we’ve now lost forever. I wish John well in his new endeavors, namely selling Air Création trikes. As it turns out, Dunham entered an agreement with BRS after closing Second Chantz, so fortunately he’ll still have input to ballistic systems for hang gliding.

Product Lines – December 1995

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- Up here (too) near the arctic circle, it's clear that winter is just ahead. It didn't appear that way in Orlando, Florida at the end of October when You-shga's board of directors got together for another of their twice-a-year meetings. In addition to the business of the association, many directors took flights at one of the two airparks near Orlando. For some of these leaders, the operations provided their first chance to see aero towing happening in an enthusiastic way. For others it was their first chance to be aerotowed. ••• The Quest Air bunch at Groveland Airport (just west of Orlando) hosted the Thursday night "Ice Breaker" party that forms the first assembly of the board. Many directors arrived early enough to tow from behind three Dragonfly tugs present. (One is operated by Quest Air, and the airport is the new home of Bobby Bailey's Dragonfly building enterprise.) After sundown, Quest Air and friends put out a superb Mexican Buffet and served beverages in their newly remodeled clubhouse. Everyone enjoyed this great way to end a day of flying. ••• On Saturday, Wallaby Ranch hosted a second party for the directors and Ranch pilots. A band entertained while everyone present scooped up free catered food and beverages. Earlier in the day, those directors whose committee work was done were able to take a few flights. During the party, everyone enjoyed the "body suit show..." ask your director for an explanation. ••• In a different use of the Ranch, Wills Wing president, Rob Kells, held a demo days opportunity to fly the company's line of gliders. It been years since I recall Rob touring around demoing divers, but he certainly hasn't forgotten how to do a smooth and professional job. He was enthused by the sheer volume of demos flights he was able to offer, thanks to the continuous tug operation at Wallaby. "We had well over 40 demo flights in a weekend. In the past it's taken three weekends to get that much done," reported Rob. Ranch hands also noted that Kells only needed to do one setup of each glider. Pilots flew the Cross Country in several sizes and many sky gods even took enjoyable flights in WW's Falcon series. (Heck, managed to get a couple hours myself in the single surface model; reminded me why I enjoyed "the old days.") ••• The towing wasn't all aero towing. Jim Zeiset and Robert Combs (and Jim's son, Zack) brought Pendulum Sports' specially-built towing boat. Done in Zeiset's usual first-class style the boat and system worked well, giving tandem flights to a number of directors and others. Tows to better than 2,000 feet went quite smoothly and the slick deck system in back makes retrieving the glider very easy. ••• Towing is a tool to one group that wasn't in Florida. The Blue Sky Gang in Salt Lake City uses a Dragonfly tug for design work and test flights (a technique other builders might contemplate ...it allows work away from the prying eyes of customers and competitors). Blue Sky didn't attend the Orlando gathering as production is beginning for their new Predator. This latest entry has been a long time in development, but "it was time well spent," says John Heiney, Blue Sky consulting engineer. ••• The new glider boasts several new features and I won't comment on all of them. Blue Sky has a lengthy, detailed description I'm sure they'll send if you call: 801-876-3003. My focus was on three things. • First, the glider has a speedy setup system that is genuinely exciting early buyers. Blue Sky calls it an "industry first," referring to a system that eliminates the need to connect any top rigging. Even the king post erects when the glider is tensioned and control bar corner hardware is said to "forever eliminate the possibility of a kinked side wire." • Second, the Predator uses vortex generators, "small angled strips just aft of the leading edge near the tip, that create small vortices that keep the airflow 'attached' through a higher angle of attack." This may sound like Star Trek double-talk, but in fact it is a common practice within general aviation. Although used on much higher speed aircraft than hang gliders, the technique is widely accepted as a means of keeping the separation point further aft. This brings a lower stall speed. • Third, the Predator offers an upgrade path (to borrow computer terminology) for TRX owners. Since the Predator uses the same carbon fiber airframe as the older model, owners can convert their TRXs to the Predator for an undisclosed sum. Regardless of the cost, this is the first such offer I'm aware of in hang gliding and fulfills a promise to TRX buyers (that their airframes would last beyond the sail). Designers are pleased with performance and handling of the Predator and some customers have proclaimed them right. To date several dozen pilots have flown the glider. Glowing reviews appeared on the Internet. One of these is from Heiner Biesel, who ended his upbeat report with "I'm not involved with Blue Sky Aircraft in any way, and paid for the glider out of my own pocket." Testimonials like that don't hurt a bit. ••• With the passing of UP International USA, I'm pleased to see the Utah team staying in the game. Associating with Heiney are well-known master sail maker, Dick Cheney; highly ranked competition pilot and shop operator, Dave Sharp; and 21-year veteran HG pilot and airline pilot, Dave Chapman. ••• Outta room again. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612/450-0930, or send E-mail to: CumulusMan@aol.com THANKS! mulusMan@aol.com THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Up here (too) near the arctic circle, it’s clear that winter is just ahead. It didn’t appear that way in Orlando, Florida at the end of October when You-shga’s board of directors got together for another of their twice-a-year meetings. In addition to the business of the association, many directors took flights at one of the two airparks near Orlando. For some of these leaders, the operations provided their first chance to see aero towing happening in an enthusiastic way. For others it was their first chance to be aerotowed. ••• The Quest Air bunch at Groveland Airport (just west of Orlando) hosted the Thursday night "Ice Breaker" party that forms the first assembly of the board. Many directors arrived early enough to tow from behind three Dragonfly tugs present. (One is operated by Quest Air, and the airport is the new home of Bobby Bailey’s Dragonfly building enterprise.) After sundown, Quest Air and friends put out a superb Mexican Buffet and served beverages in their newly remodeled clubhouse.

Product Lines – November 1995

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- Taking a break from towing this month, we're back to diving down hills. And I do mean diving, and I do mean down. As in fast. As in speed gliding. The first Official Speed Gliding Contest in Washoe Valley -- near Carson City, Nevada -- is history. • Speed Gliding: I think UK developer, Murray Rose, has encouraged a means of showcasing hang gliding which is one of the most exciting ideas to come along in years. Such a venue might help hang gliding earn an entry to the Olympics or another world-class event. I acknowledge that such vast media attention may not be an universally-desired objective. Many hang glider pilots may not want the growth that comes with promotion. Nonetheless, the activity is so promising that I'm tickled to see a speed gliding event held so we begin to learn how it all works. ••• According to Ray Leonard, "The racing was fun and exciting." The event took place at the Washoe State Park (at the foot of Slide and McClellan mountain launches). "The state park has recently been designated an official Flight Park. Rangers have offered a beautiful LZ with a newly graded road to the launches," reported Leonard. That qualifies as some dandy site news; congratulations Ray and the Sierra Skysurfers. ••• Their "Awesome Fly-In" took place the end of September. Says Ray, "The first Official Speed Gliding Contest in Washoe Valley was most notably unofficial." Maybe so and pilot numbers were low, however, a couple national pilots challenged experienced locals. Dave Sharp flew his new Predator while Ken Brown of course flew a Klassic. Also "performing" were an Xtralite (Leonard), RamAir (Pat Bowen), Sensor (Mike Voorhis) and another Klassic (John Kerry). ••• The results were inconclusive, naturally, since so few pilots flew too few runs. Leonard admitted, "It was more pilot skill than pure speed." However, he couldn't resist adding, "But speed sure is fun!" On the first day, they flew a 3.2 mile, 2,200 foot vertical. Sharp won on his Predator 142. The second day on the same course but with one, two, or three gates depending on your choice, Ken Brown won on his Klassic 144 with winglets. Again that day but on a different course, Mike Voorhis won with his Sensor. It all proves nothing but it was fun and maybe Speed Gliding will become something. Ray ended his report saying the meet wasn't exactly scientific. "When the pilots sent the meet director off launch first and then changed the course, it added to the fun, but didn't seem too accurate." Good fun! Call Ray at 702-883-7070 and about next year's "dash for cash." In fact, if you have any cash, they'd really like to see you. ••• Clear across this vast country, your regional director was recently earning his keep at the just-ended USHGA Board of Directors fall meeting. The high-paying job got even more glamorous this time. The Directors are always made to feel welcome by a host club. But this time, they were actively solicited. No surprise, really, as the greater Orlando area is a hotbed of activity. A couple of weeks before leaving to the meeting, I received the third -- count 'em, one, two, three -- invitation to a nearby aero towing site. • New Quest Air was to hold the customary pre-meeting "ice breaker" party at their airport site near Groveland, Florida. • Wallaby Ranch was to throw a special Saturday night party for the Directors and the Ranch's usual throng of visiting or local pilots. • Plus, Gregg and Diana McNamee welcomed flyers to their operation 15 minutes south of Silver Springs. "This area of Florida is horse and cattle country. You can experience native Florida in this wide open, laid back country environment," states their literature. Only one hour and 15 minutes north of Orlando, "the landowners are friendly and the landing zones are forgiving to any skill level pilot." ••• As long as we're in Florida, might as well head all the way south... to Miami where Jose Casaudoumecq is running Bräuniger USA. Can you guess what he does? Natch, he sells the line of instruments, but Jose is also involved with selling and distributing La Mouette's Paramotor plus giving lessons. For those who've missed this, the French company's gizmo is a power pack for paragliders. Yeah, dark memories of "Fan Man," but this device has now been on the market for four years and has received it's share of refinement including a two place model. Even more amazing is a little teeny, tiny "trike" to use with your Paramotor and paraglider. I shouldn't be surprised. After all we are all involved in what some call "alternative aviation." ••• The Bräuniger alti/vario is a nice device that can match many features with the Afro, Digifly, and Ball offerings. Like Afro, Bräuniger uses three models to fill its line: the Basis SP basic model, the Classic, and the Competition. The latter two are very similar complete with total energy compensation and FAI-approved barograph. The Comp' model adds a Speed-to-fly calculator among other sophistication. The Basis is more ordinary in every way. It doesn't have TE compensation, a speed probe, or the same power (e.g., altimeter only to 16,500 feet not 30,000). But for only $490 with clamp, bag, and even a battery, what more do you really need? Call Jose at 305-639-3330. ••• Hey! Done again. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612/450-0930. You can E-mail to: CumulusMan@aol.com THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Taking a break from towing this month, we’re back to diving down hills. And I do mean diving, and I do mean down. As in fast. As in speed gliding. The first Official Speed Gliding Contest in Washoe Valley — near Carson City, Nevada — is history. • Speed Gliding: I think UK developer, Murray Rose, has encouraged a means of showcasing hang gliding which is one of the most exciting ideas to come along in years. Such a venue might help hang gliding earn an entry to the Olympics or another world-class event. I acknowledge that such vast media attention may not be an universally-desired objective. Many hang glider pilots may not want the growth that comes with promotion. Nonetheless, the activity is so promising that I’m tickled to see a speed gliding event held so we begin to learn how it all works. ••• According to Ray Leonard, "The racing was fun and exciting." The event took place at the Washoe State Park (at the foot of Slide and McClellan mountain launches).

Product Lines – October 1995

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- Fall is here and your soaring will soon take place over a sea of colorful foliage. A lot of this may take place thanks to towing. True, "Product Lines" has focused on towing a lot lately, because I'm hearing plenty about it. Now this can be a self-fulfilling "prophecy," I realize. I write about towing and those with an interest in towing respond with information so I have still more to report. A cozy little circle. Yet in fact, I submit to you that I'm hearing about more towing because more towing is happening. If that's true, then towing is indeed a subject worthy of more ink. I don't portray this as supplanting mountain foot launching. Not at all, in fact, I'd say one complements the other. My opinion isn't important, but if my perception is correct about towing occurring on a more consistent basis, then it deserves the coverage. ••• While I've looked at aerotowing a lot, the majority is still ground-based towing. Aerotowing demands a tug and a competent pilot, plus an airpark from which to fly. A glider dolly is useful as is a launch assistant. Ground-based towing needs a vehicle, winch, competent driver, and a long, uncluttered stretch of road or turf. An observer can be valuable. Supplying the ground based towing enthusiasts are two main outfits: TLS and TBT. ••• TLS is about to complete its sixth year in business, a fairly long time in the hang gliding industry. With over 50 systems in use, TLS has supplied U.S. tow operators as well those in ten foreign countries. TLS says it is "under sub-contract to NASA and Drydan Research Facility." Besides hang gliders, TLS systems have towed aloft paragliders and light sailplanes. Two new units were available for 1995. One system is "a completely automatic payout and line level rewind hydraulic winch, which includes a stainless steel line leveling drive." The unit can hold 3,000 feet of tow line and sells for under $2,000. The second unit is specifically designed to hold 2,000 feet of Spectra Tow Line and sells for only $1,395. It features the same automatic payout hydraulic system. Contact TLS at 210-824-1803. ••• TBT claims it is the "number one selling tow system of the market." Regardless of market shares, both companies are enjoying successes. The TBT is also a very slick-looking system built in a compact manner. TBT also offers an auto level wind set up ($2,295) plus a manual line leveling model for a lower cost ($1995). Neither are offered with line, which can be a mere $80 for 3,000 feet of Ultraline (3/16"-900 lbs. tensile). Or, you can choose the much costlier Kevlar, Spectra, or Spectron lines. The more exotic choices run from .075 inch to 3/32, 7/64, or 1/8 inch at strengths from 750 pounds tensile to 1,000, 1,200, or 1,500 pounds. TBT can sell you the extras you need such as line-saving recovery parachutes, three-"string" releases, weak links, and hook knives. Call 913-764-2991. ••• Not to be outmarketed, aerotowing and its suppliers continue to develop. John Dunham's Air Creation America has a "Special Offer for Clubs." His import of aircraft now includes a bargain tug from French giant Air Création (arguably the world's largest producer of ultralights... all trikes). For a limited time ACA is offering a Fun Racer 503 Tug for only $12,550. The ready-to-fly trike is Air Création's basic single place trike fitted with a beefy 52-horse Rotax 503 engine. With tug releases -- directly through the prop hub for better flight dynamics -- the Fun Racer can provide low operating costs as a tug. The price compares well to the popular Dragonfly which approaches $20,000. Aside from its tug potential, the Fun Racer is a quality machine with many standard features. It also happens to be quite a blast for solo flight (without towing), as I found out at last spring's Sun 'n Fun airshow. Get an info sheet by calling ACA at 702-882-6046. ••• Though it's not new, Texan Dave Broyles revived his old Pterodactyl ultralight and refitted it with the Jack McCornack tow system. (McCornack is concurrently "re"-developing the Ptug, the same idea only done new and with more horsepower.) Broyles has a long interest in towing and his recent acquisition of a SuperFloater dealership has him stoked about aerotowing in particular. Besides the ultralight sailplane, Dave figures to tow hang gliders and paragliders. He says, "a little more horsepower is desirable, but lots of choices are available." Broyles is now using a 35-hp Cuyuna, but has his eye on a 50-hp AMW/Cuyuna, the same as McCornack, he says. He's excited, feeling the 'Dac is "going to be quite a towplane, perhaps better than trikes." FMI: 214-727-3588. ••• Winches and tugs aren't all you need, and some other suppliers are stepping in to help. Appropriate Engineering has a towline parachute available using the tried and true parafoil shape. Says developer, Barry Steele, "...it won't accidentally open if the towline goes slack, yet it automatically opens when you release or break a wink link." A parafoil won't spin even "at high rewind speeds," claims Steele. Sold complete and ready-to-use, the Parafoil Line Recovery System sells for $59.95 (4,000 foot Spectra line model) or $79.95 (larger or longer tow line model). Call 803-885-0949 ••• Wallaby Ranch has a tow release system, proven at their busy aerotow operation. For $99 you can obtain their ready-to-use, welded spinnaker release complete with a Finsterwalder base tube attachment. Wallaby is promoting their release as "a deluxe, well crafted model." For info, call 813-424-0070. Or, for you netsurfers, Wallaby has just initiated a Home Page on the World Wide Web. Though the online address is typically awkward, the "page" is nicely crafted and has hypertext content that allows you to jump to more areas for detailed info or explanations. I enjoyed looking at it and easily sent Wallaby some E-mail following my site visit. Address: "http://azazel.sdsc.edu/wallaby/wallaby.html. (If you can swallow the dang address, you might have a good time.) Hey, we're outta room again! ••• So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612-450-0930. (or... New!) E-mail to: CumulusMan@aol.com THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Fall is here and your soaring will soon take place over a sea of colorful foliage. A lot of this may take place thanks to towing. True, "Product Lines" has focused on towing a lot lately, because I’m hearing plenty about it. Now this can be a self-fulfilling "prophecy," I realize. I write about towing and those with an interest in towing respond with information so I have still more to report. A cozy little circle. Yet in fact, I submit to you that I’m hearing about more towing because more towing is happening. If that’s true, then towing is indeed a subject worthy of more ink. I don’t portray this as supplanting mountain foot launching. Not at all, in fact, I’d say one complements the other. My opinion isn’t important, but if my perception is correct about towing occurring on a more consistent basis, then it deserves the coverage.

Product Lines – September 1995

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- As I write this, the U.S. Nationals are underway and the '95 World Meet in Spain has just concluded. ••• One wonders if a new "dynasty" is beginning? More to the point, will anyone ever beat Tomas Suchanek? Unprecedented in world hang gliding competitions, Suchanek won his third-in-a-row World Meet! A stunning accomplishment, I'm sure all hang glider pilots will join me in congratulating Tomas for winning the 1995 edition in Spain. Through eleven days of world-class flying by 190 pilots from 36 countries, Suchanek prevailed. After his again-repeat performance, it may appear all a contestant can hope for is Second Place. ••• Moyes Delta Glider is understandably pleased with the results, quickly sending out a mailer that heralds Suchanek's and their accomplishment. While it's Suchanek's third World Championship title, Moyes brand can now claim five titles and even their Xtralite glider has two. Moyes had the most gliders represented in the top 50 finishing pilots. Their 16 Xtralites (32%) doubled that of the closest competitor, Airwave. • Wills had five gliders in the top 50* and was the only U.S. brand in the elite top quartile. *40th finisher, Canadian Chris Muller, was presumed to fly Wills (not identified in the news release). • High flying Jim Lee was the top-placing Yankee, finishing in 10th place on his Wills, trailed by Mark Gibson (Airwave) in 23rd, Brad Koji (Moyes) in 25th, Larry Tudor (Wills) in 33rd, Nelson Howe (Airborne) in 41st, and Mark Bennett (Airwave) in 43rd place. • Italy's Icaro brand (once a Moyes licensee) managed third place with six of their Laminar 14s flying. The French brand, Tecma, tied for 4th with five F1s... matching Wills' five XCs. Though French La Mouette brand is best known internationally, Tecma is a rising star and trounced La Mouette, who only earned two slots in the top 50. • As a country, Australia dominated the top quarter with 42% of all glider brands (Moyes 32%, Enterprise 6%, and Airborne 4%). England was second with 18%, followed by France with 14%. Italy had 12% and the USA came in fifth at 10% of the top 50. ••• Speaking of inter-national competitions... our representative to the FAI/CIVL (world body for hang gliding), writer Dennis Pagen, reported that the World Hang Gliding Series (WHGS) has been officially adopted and Pagen will serve on the committee that overseas its development along with Blue Sky looper John Heiney, Speed Gliding developer Murray Rose, and Joe Hayler. The contest will employ three task disciplines: Cross Country, Aerobatics, and Speed Gliding. Bids for this exciting venue are actively being solicited. Pagen indicated the planned Speed Gliding World Meet has been canceled. While it may sound like bad news, it's actually good news. Organizer Rose has been able to secure a "major contract with the Reuters news agency" (a widely known, large, international news outfit). Pagen continued, "[Reuters] wanted a long-term contract under one format so we couldn't have a World Meet that switched to a World Series." Pagen promised more information on this subject. The combination of cross country, aerobatics, and speed gliding seems to me to offer broad spectator appeal and Rose's success at signing Rueters could bring massive coverage to our sport. I'll try to keep you posted. ••• Jeff Greenbaum, owner of Airtime of San Francisco, brought not one but two new harness designs to the market. The first is his LaZer which features a "flexible back frame." The other is the Jetstream, a "competition version with full back frame." Both designs are built by Miguel Ochoa, whom Greenbaum promotes as having "20+ years of sewing experience and sewing loft management skills." Airtime plans to expand their harness manufacturing and will offer dealer pricing in the future. A unique feature of these harnesses is that "the body and main suspension system of each [harness] is the same." Greenbaum explained, "This means we will be able to convert any harness from one design to the other," ostensibly giving buyers more flexibility (or less, I guess, if moving from the more easily stowed flexible-back frame to the more supportive back-frame model). For more info, call Jeff at 415/759-1177. ••• Though they've been around for years now, it appears the marketing of electronic flight decks is becoming invigorated with new gizmos. U.S. distributor of the Afro line -- Ikaros Sport Aviation of New York -- announced two new instruments. In the Afro way, each is available in either the Cumulus shape most pilots recognize or the Micropanel shape, a larger screen with controls that appear somewhat more intuitive. The new boxes are called the Afro Easy and the Afro GPS. The Easy is an entry level model with the Cumulus cover offering variometer and altimeter for the low price of $339 with a few going for only $299. The Afro GPS, still in development, will also use the Cumulus shape and can "radio transmit all data to a Cumulus 3 or Micropanel 3" (which are top-end units; models are numbered 1, 2, and 3, each increasing in capability... and cost, of course). The Afro GPS could be carried in your harness or elsewhere. • Afro 2 models (either shape) can now be fitted with speed to fly software for a slight price increase. Call for literature: 718-777-7000. ••• After getting comments from fellow [Inter]"Netters," Danny Stephens has announced new control bar gloves, Grippies. Not mere bar mitts, Grippies are designed around a secure grip while not sacrificing feel. "Using the gloves can allow you to keep grip tape off your control bar, which may save your sail from abrasion while your glider is folded," says Stephens. Grippies can be washed and are available in S-M-L and XL sizes. Contact Angle of Attack at 209/529-9911 or, if you're among the computer cognoscente, E-mail to DannyS12@aol.com. ••• Outta room, once again. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612/450-0930, (or... New...!) E-mail: CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — As I write this, the U.S. Nationals are underway and the ’95 World Meet in Spain has just concluded. ••• One wonders if a new "dynasty" is beginning? More to the point, will anyone ever beat Tomas Suchanek? Unprecedented in world hang gliding competitions, Suchanek won his third-in-a-row World Meet! A stunning accomplishment, I’m sure all hang glider pilots will join me in congratulating Tomas for winning the 1995 edition in Spain. Through eleven days of world-class flying by 190 pilots from 36 countries, Suchanek prevailed. After his again-repeat performance, it may appear all a contestant can hope for is Second Place. ••• Moyes Delta Glider is understandably pleased with the results, quickly sending out a mailer that heralds Suchanek’s and their accomplishment. While it’s Suchanek’s third World Championship title, Moyes brand can now claim five titles and even their Xtralite glider has two. Moyes had the most gliders represented in the top 50 finishing pilots.

Product Lines – August 1995

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- In this summer edition of "PL," I want to add a few more places you can fly in what I view to be a subtly but surely changing landscape. Once you leave the big mountains and big air of the west, towing takes on more impact in delivering flight to hang glider pilots. However, towing is also moving west as trikes catch on as tugs and as ultralight sailplanes add dimension to areas formerly occupied only by flex wings. ••• This month, I'll touch on five more sites where you can pursue towing. In the east but not in Florida or Texas (where towing is well established), we find two Midwest centers, one north, one south. • Well known to hang gliding pilots around the world is Matt Taber's Lookout Mountain. Matt is well into his second decade running one of the largest and most developed sites in the country. The flight park's hang gliding presence is well documented but fliers far away may not know of Lookout's involvement in towing. They have one stock Dragonfly now. And with his strong mechanical abilities, Taber and a staff are working on a more powerful engine on a modified airframe. Their work, like that of Campbell Bowen and Russ Brown of Florida, could lead to a new round of more potent tugs that might better handle the workhorse duty of hang glider towing. For more info, call Lookout at 706/398-3541 • Up in Wisconsin, and tapping the massive Chicago market successfully, is Brad Kushner's Raven Sky Sports. He operates out of Whitewater, Wisconsin (not far west of Milwaukee) with a Dragonfly. Kushner filled a void created by a reasonable pilot population that had not been well supported by a hang gliding business. To fulfill mountain launching desires, Kushner's takes students on tour to the Tennessee mountains. For more info, call 414/473-8800. Alright, so the east isn't a surprising place for towing to exist, what with the lack of high mountains. • Now let's move west a bit, and back south, to where a newly energized Dave Broyles is preparing a Pterodactyl (Fledgling-winged ultralight) for towing duty. Broyles is a longtime tow pilot and a past USHGA president. He plans to tow the new SuperFloater he has begun dealing. His enthusiasm has brought back Pterodactyl developer, Jack McCornack, who has long been out of manufacturing. Believing "I was the first person to tow a hang glider with an ultralight" (back in 1980!), McCornack will work with the current 'Dac manufacturer to reinvigorate the aircraft's tug potential. Call Broyles at 214/727-3588. • More western activity is found near Second Chantz, as the ballistic 'chute builder takes on two new activities. Proprietor John Dunham will become a distributor for the Air Creation line of trikes. The French builder, arguably the world's largest manufacturer of ultralight aircraft, has several models that can perform tug duties. Dunham plans to base this activity at an airfield near Reno, Nevada where he will also deal in the SuperFloater and provide towing services. Call Dunham (at Second Chantz) by dialing 702/829-2077. • Our final stop on this month's tour takes us up to the northwest U.S., to the southeast corner of Washington state. Here we find the base for Scott Johnson's AirEscape WindSports, seller of Airborne trikes and Airborne hang gliders. Johnson has teamed up with partner Larry Cochrane and the duo will begin a flight park operation offering towing of hang gliders and more. The two have ordered a SuperFloater and will be dealing the ultralight sailplane along with the rest of their line. Airborne tugs are robust pieces of equipment that not only do the job but carry Australian certification, passing a very tough program. Call Johnson or Cochrane at 509/743-7156 or 509/243-4988. (By the way, Air Creation trikes carry British certification, another difficult series of tests.) • Now let's change topics completely. ••• The indistinct line between Class I and II gliders got a little clearer in recent months, following the early-'90s emergence of the Swift, trailed by more recent introductions of the Apex and SuperFloater. This mid-'90s version of the rigid wing movement suffered its first setback with a fatality on a Swift flying at Lookout Mountain Flight Park. Regretfully, Lookout Dragonfly tug pilot Jim Hook lost his life at the end of May. A fuller report will surely follow when all the details are sorted out, but an Internet report posted by Hook's friend, David Futrell, says, "Conditions were mellow... Jim began to perform loops. He had done several, all perfectly round, exquisitely executed loops... At about 600 feet AGL, he attempted a seventh loop." Other witnesses said the last loop dive brought a high rate of speed, which was followed by a structural failure. A 'chute deployment never happened (though one was installed as a standard factory item). My condolences to those close to Hook. We will all be interested to read further analysis. My personal experience with the Swift tells me it is a fine design, but all aircraft have their limits. ••• To close on a lighter note, the nation's newspapers picked up on a story about New Mexico Governor, Gary Johnson, going tandem to kick off the Sandia Peak meet near Albuquerque. The civic leader flew from the 10,400 foot site on a fifteen minute flight which ended with a perfect landing, the reports said. It was positive coverage; I'm glad to see it. ••• So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612/450-0930. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — In this summer edition of "PL," I want to add a few more places you can fly in what I view to be a subtly but surely changing landscape. Once you leave the big mountains and big air of the west, towing takes on more impact in delivering flight to hang glider pilots. However, towing is also moving west as trikes catch on as tugs and as ultralight sailplanes add dimension to areas formerly occupied only by flex wings. ••• This month, I’ll touch on five more sites where you can pursue towing. In the east but not in Florida or Texas (where towing is well established), we find two Midwest centers, one north, one south. • Well known to hang gliding pilots around the world is Matt Taber’s Lookout Mountain. Matt is well into his second decade running one of the largest and most developed sites in the country.

Product Lines – July 1995

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- The season is hot and the flying is sizzling... even here in Minnesota, where at the beginning of May Gerry Uchytil got nearly 100 miles in his quest for 200 in the state. About the feat fellow pilot Bruce Bolles says, "Oh, he'll do it; he's obsessed... and good." Way south, Wallaby Ranch reports many 50-mile flights and a 100-miler. I've got more news of active shops, but first some glider updates. ••• The Ram Air is gone and the XC is... back. Back!? Well, only in that the sail underside reads, "XC." Many of you can remember Bob Wills and his XC, a glider many of us flew quite successfully. Wills endured the last year as a "tough one for us all," and has now released their new bird, the Cross Country, complete with numerous enhancements. Their dealer bulletin also says, "This is the first time we have ever had a glider without a scoop that beat the Ram Air at gliding speeds." Certified with and without winglets -- still being evaluated by master designer, Steve Pearson -- Wills says the Cross Country had a measurable gliding advantage at 25 [mph], and a slight advantage the rest of the way through the speed range, all the way to 65 mph!" The new top-of-the-line Wills sells for $4,700. ••• In other Wills Wing notes, their ProLine (accessory division) has lowered the price on the Digifly vario VL-100 to only $475, quite a bargain. Call ProLine at 714/998-0647. ••• Air-Sports International (ASI) has reorganized and changed names. Now called AirSports Inc., the company will continue to produce the Dream series, formerly of Bennett's Delta Wing. Their services include parts for all products once sold by Delta Wing. In addition AirSports says it will produce the Vector line of "high performance recreational flex wings," and will continue to supply wings for powered trike ultralight builders. ••• In restructuring, AirSports set up a new division -- U.S. AirSports -- run by veteran Paul Burns. Operating from his home area of Lake Elsinore, Burns will conduct the manufacturing of AirSports gliders. President Teddy Mack and AirSports, Inc., are based in Cloverdale, California. Call 1-800/444-4359 for a dealer in your area. For technical questions, call Burns at 909/678-5075. ••• Longtime sailmaker, Dick Cheney, has announced the formation of a new glider company, called Blue Sky Aircraft. With right-hand man, John Heiney, the two plan to offer an entire new line of gliders. Blue Sky will operate from Mountain Green airport in Morgan, Utah where UP replacement parts can be obtained. Cheney is well known for his sailwork, dating back to and before the Fledgling. He also makes sail sets for many ultralight aircraft, and is the principal of Wind Walker Aircraft, the redesigner and manufacturer of the SuperFloater, sold through U.S. Aviation. Blue Sky did not announce details, prices, or descriptions of their gliders, but this information will be released in a reasonable time frame, says Cheney. An experienced manufacturing staff is employed by the company at this time. Most pilots are familiar with the Blue Sky team members and are invited to call 801/876-3003 during normal business hours. ••• Several shops are gearing up for good seasons. In June's "PL," I covered a number of Florida operations. This month, we range wider. Let's start way west in the Hawaiian Islands. ••• Well-known photographer, Gerry Charlebois, announced the opening of his Birds of Paradise Airpark in mid-April. He'll use an Airborne Edge Trike as a tug from his 750-foot airstrip. I've flown the excellent Edge and it should snatch a glider from the field easily enough. Charlebois will tow you to the main range, above 5,500 foot Mt. Waialeale. He says, "You can soar the beautiful cascading waterfalls filmed in Jurassic Park. Birds of Paradise is located on the island of Kauai where he can boast 300-days-per-year tradewinds. If they aren't cooperating, "a 14,000 foot aerotow will make for a helluva sled ride!" With gliders for rent and an on-site Bed & Breakfast, you'll want to call 808/822-5309 or 639-1067. ••• Back on the mainland, competition pilot, Dave Sharp is running The Soaring Center. Made months ago, the decision to drop the UP from their name proved foresighted. Based at the foot of Utah's famous Point of the Mountain site, The Soaring Center was founded in 1991. Since last fall, Sharp has been the store's manager and he's not only brought in other hang glider brands, but added paragliders, and recently, the SuperFloater. TSC offers lessons for both hang gliding and paragliding as well as sales for all types of equipment. Though he laments his air time has been cut -- a situation any shop owner understands -- Sharp is excited about the potential he sees for TSC. Call 801/576-6460. ••• Mountain Wings in New York has jumped into paragliding, adding dimension to their active hang gliding operation at the Ellenville site. Proprietors Greg and Judy Black have linked up with Lars Linde to provide paragliding services. A highly experienced instructor from Sweden, Linde has teaching credentials from three countries. With the Blacks he formed the Eastcoast Paragliding Center (EPC). Linde's experience includes over 10,000 tows of paragliders, "...the only way they did it over there," says Greg Black. Mountain Wings distributes the Swift and new SuperFloater, and the shop offers several glider lines, recently adding Wills Wing intermediate models to the list. On top of this activity, Black has secured approval to run a tow operation at the local airport in Ellenville. Call 914/647-3377 for more info. ••• Saying he will be "the only aerotowing facility in Canada," Armand Accttione bought a Dragonfly tug in the fall of 1993. Accttione serves as H.P.A.C. liaison to Transport Canada. For this season he's started a hang gliding school called The Hang Gliding Shop. Open every day from May 1 to October 23, the HGS will offer tandem instruction, towing, and glider sales. Accttione hopes that because of the weaker Canadian dollar, U.S. pilots may want to come north and fly the Toronto, Ontario area. Fax to 905/833-3547 or call Armand's cellular at 416/518-0111. ••• In closing, an error correction. I stated the price of the Ball M19e electronic flight deck to be $495. The correct retail is $450. Hopefully my error didn't inconvenience anyone. ••• So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Leave a message at, or fax to: 612/450-0930. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — The season is hot and the flying is sizzling… even here in Minnesota, where at the beginning of May Gerry Uchytil got nearly 100 miles in his quest for 200 in the state. About the feat fellow pilot Bruce Bolles says, "Oh, he’ll do it; he’s obsessed… and good." Way south, Wallaby Ranch reports many 50-mile flights and a 100-miler. I’ve got more news of active shops, but first some glider updates. ••• The Ram Air is gone and the XC is… back. Back!? Well, only in that the sail underside reads, "XC." Many of you can remember Bob Wills and his XC, a glider many of us flew quite successfully. Wills endured the last year as a "tough one for us all," and has now released their new bird, the Cross Country, complete with numerous enhancements. Their dealer bulletin also says, "This is the first time we have ever had a glider without a scoop that beat the Ram Air at gliding speeds." Certified with and without winglets — still being evaluated by master designer, Steve Pearson — Wills says the Cross Country had a measurable gliding advantage at 25 [mph], and a slight advantage the rest of the way through the speed range, all the way to 65 mph!" The new top-of-the-line Wills sells for $4,700.

Product Lines – June 1995

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 1 Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- In April, USHGA continued what is now something of a tradition by having a strong presence at the massive Sun 'n Fun airshow, one of the ways we can reach out to other potential new members. The Florida extravaganza has been closing on the world's largest airshow -- Oshkosh -- and in 1995 nearly tied the big Wisconsin event for attendance. These conventions are the largest gatherings of pilots in the world, and I think it's terrific hang gliding is represented. Even if you're one of those who don't desire growth, we need to be recognized among the greater community of pilots, if for no other reason than having some clout and contacts when one of our flying sites is threatened. ••• As if to show the effort is paying off, UNpowered ultralights were recognized in several significant ways this year. • A window was created daily to allow one hour of solely unpowered flying. The sky filled up with hang gliders, Swifts, and the new SuperFloater. Four trike brands did tug chores: Air Creation (French), Airborne (Australian), Cosmos (French), and Mountaineer (American). They were joined by a couple Dragonfly tugs and Steve Flynn's new Arrow Tug. • New USHGA prez' Bill Bryden and yours truly got the announcer's microphone for this hour and promoted hang gliding and ultralight soaring till we became hoarse. • USHGA had a prominent location for its big tent, which housed a display for GW Meadows' Just Fly. Right at the main entrance to Sun 'n Fun, the ultralight area has nearly 100 exhibitors plus nearly continuous flying, so it draws a good percentage of the 750,000 visitors to Sun 'n Fun. Where else can you replicate that kind of outreach? • Finally, for the second year running, an UNpowered ultralight won the Outstanding New Design award. Last year it was the beautiful Swift. This year it was US Aviation's SuperFloater. Look for their new ad in this issue. In a field packed with motorheads, it raised some eyebrows that a glider won again. Congratulations to the development team at Wind Walker, builders of the 1995 SuperFloater. ••• Hang gliding's own Bruce Hawk -- the Windsok Man -- increased his presence, running a booth at each end of the big show. He's selling those hang gliding wind indicators to spam can drivers... Go Bruce! ••• Ken Brown represented his hang gliding company at Sun 'n Fun since two exhibiting trike builders use his wings for their aircraft. It was neat to see the Airwave name in big letters in a few places in the display area. ••• As if all the action at Sun 'n Fun wasn't enough, I stayed a few extra days and toured around the Sunshine State. Florida is some kinda aviation heaven. In truth, I never ventured out of central Florida and in two weeks I ran out of time to see it all. ••• Besides Sun 'n Fun, you can find several hang gliding aero tow operations, some of the world's largest sky diving drop zones, several kitplane, ultralight, and general aviation manufacturers. Airports and residential airparks dot the countryside regularly. Disney often hires hang glider and ultralight pilots for shows to entertain their guests. Now, millionaire aviation enthusiast, Kermit Weeks, is preparing to open Fantasy of Flight, billed as "Florida's Premier Aviation Themed Attraction." (...more on that below). ••• The busiest diver park is Wallaby Ranch, which though attracting lots of pilots and tandem students, is tightly run for safety and fun. On my visit, proprietor Malcolm Jones bought his fourth (yep, count 'em!) aerotowing tug, this one a trike. One evening, working with only one tug, you had to watch yourself or you'd be in the way of a couple dozen tandem aero launches. The pace was brisk, the action exciting, all safely and smoothly performed. Earlier in the day, two tugs snatched pilots as fast as they wanted to be launched. Early starters hung it up after a couple tows to hit the pool and refreshments. They've got a fun newsletter to send that'll tell more. Call 813/424-0070. ••• Wallaby's success has helped spawn other aero tow operations. I visited Russell Brown and Campbell Bowen at their Groveland, Florida operation. Operating off a longtime grass airport, the duo resurrected a nearly-defunct facility and begun renewing it. Twenty miles northwest of Wallaby, it's a great little place with cross runways and their three-cylinder, 90-horsepower Dragonfly tug which can deliver a very swift lift to altitude. Call 904/429-0213 or leave a message at 407/644-2151. ••• Gregg McNamee and his wife Diane have also entered the business, under the name Gray Bird Airsports. Gregg bought the original Bobby Bailey Dragonfly tug and went over it in detail. As he's a Tandem Instructor, Gregg will be doing training as well as towing. Fifty miles north of Wallaby, in Summerfield Florida, call the McNamees for more info at 904/245-8263. ••• Finally, a fourth operation is that of Steve & Barb Flynn, a USHGA Regional Director. Steve recently completed his Arrow Tug. Although essentially a Dragonfly, Steve has added his own refinements. Meanwhile Barb has taken three axis training so she can fly at either end of the rope. The Flynns run Central Florida Flyers and operate at several area sites. Call them at 407/894-5715. ••• Orlando is the site of the next USHGA board meeting. One of the places directors may want to visit is Fantasy of Flight... a dazzling and sophisticated project executed professionally enough to compete with the big Orlando attractions like Disney. Three theme areas will artfully showcase many of Week's 300(!) vintage aircraft. His collection is the largest such in the world and I could hardly believe either the sheer amount of aviation gear or the enormous investment involved. Thanks to Richard Johnson, a private tour of FoF brought eight of us to sensory overload, so extensive is Weeks' accumulation of aviation memorabilia. Be sure: he's spending big and it's gonna be great when it opens this summer. Among all the vintage planes are new ultralights... Weeks likes flying them, too. Call for info: 941/984-3500. ••• We're outta room again. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Voice mail or fax to: 612/450-0930. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — In April, USHGA continued what is now something of a tradition by having a strong presence at the massive Sun ‘n Fun airshow, one of the ways we can reach out to other potential new members. The Florida extravaganza has been closing on the world’s largest airshow — Oshkosh — and in 1995 nearly tied the big Wisconsin event for attendance. These conventions are the largest gatherings of pilots in the world, and I think it’s terrific hang gliding is represented. Even if you’re one of those who don’t desire growth, we need to be recognized among the greater community of pilots, if for no other reason than having some clout and contacts when one of our flying sites is threatened. ••• As if to show the effort is paying off, UNpowered ultralights were recognized in several significant ways this year. • A window was created daily to allow one hour of solely unpowered flying.

Product Lines – May 1995

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- With this issue of Hang Gliding, "Product Lines" celebrates its 16th birthday and enters year no. 17! Thinking back to its start in May of 1979, I can scarcely believe this column has endured so long. Thanks for your loyal readership! ••• This also happens to be column number 150. The first seven years of "Product Lines," were found in Whole Air which published bimonthly. By 1986 it appeared monthly... since 1989 in Hang Gliding magazine. ••• Thanks again to Bill Allen, whose back-of-the-book "Flying Bull" column inspired "Product Lines." In his unique, entertaining way, Allen developed a strong interest in a folksy, gossipy style of reporting. My twist on the theme is to stick with product-related news and info, hence the column's name (admittedly, I stray from that mission once in a while). When Allen decided to quit the column, he called for replacements. Since none came forward, I adapted the idea for Whole Air. So, thanks, Bill! Well, enough of this... on with product news. ••• I promised news on Ball Vario's tiny M19e electronic flight deck. Little did I know Ball staffers would attend an open house at USHGA's offices during the spring board of directors meeting. While I'm still awaiting a loaner for further reporting here, Mark gave me a brief review of the instrument. Sure, I know a number of these gizmos are on the market, and most appear to be slick, worthy replacements for such as my Ball 652 flight deck. Once state-of-the-art but now growing obsolete, my trusty 652 is bulkier, heavier, costlier, and less durable than the new devices. I've used the Flytec and toyed with the Afro and Davron decks. With the similar Brauniger and Picolo, pilots have a luscious number of choices and that's good. They may seem awfully similar, but here's a distinction: Ball is made in the USA. Ball Vario's Mark expressed frustration at being hampered in European sales due to prohibitive tariffs imposed. The U.S. does not penalize its citizens when they (you!) select a European-made deck, so the playing field isn't level. Those naughty European tariffs make the Ball more expensive that it ought to be. ••• Fortunately, you can buy any brand you want without our government artificially boosting the price. And here at home, the M19e can keep up with the best. Priced at only $495, it is highly competitive if not lots cheaper than the imported boxes. When you buy a Ball, you're not only buying Yankee -- if you care about such things -- but you're buying a quality device from a company that has long served American soaring pilots with respected gear. ••• A subsequent "PL" will you more about the M19e and how it faired in my evaluation. ••• In a related story, Ball will soon release yet another terribly cool example of technology at work for hang glider and paraglider pilots. A total info source, their new not-yet-released unit has what's called a GPS interface, meaning that you link it to a GPS unit and it gives you more airborne info to monitor a cross country flight than you ever imagined. Ball is just preparing info, so you'll hear more about it soon. ••• In the meantime, you might consider equipping your diver today with a most attractively priced GPS made available by GW Meadow's Just Fly enterprise. GW again shows a creative streak by snapping up the American distribution rights to the Garmin GPS 40. The tiny hand-held model 40 distinguishes itself in two major ways: (1) it has a moving map display, and (2) GW has aggressively priced it at only $375, a bargain and a half. I paid more than twice that for my Trimble Flightmate and except for the Trimble's aviation database, the Garmin 40 does more... lots more. GW's promised a loaner, so when you read about the Ball M19e, you'll probably also hear my thoughts on the Garmin. ••• The price alone should convince you but it can't hurt to know it features three main screens: (1) the "position page" which shows, among other things, your compass heading, track in degrees, speed, coordinate location, altitude, the temperature and time; (2) the "moving map page" which records your movements as a tack plot while displaying nearby waypoints that you can program; and (3) the "navigation page" which provides steering guidance to your destination on a graphic highway. ••• With 250 user-marked waypoints, you can designate turn points, goals, and many other features in permanent storage. The Garmin 40 will also permit up to 30 points along your route to accurately guide your path. Add to all that a battery life of 20 hours (my Trimble can barely make 6 hours), and I can't figure why you're not calling Just Fly already. More on this wonderful toy in a future "PL." ••• Dennis Pagen can help assure you can efficiently use your M19e or Garmin 40 if you buy his latest book, called the "Hang Gliding Training Manual." Sure, you're already a sky god, but if you think you can't learn any more, watch out! Pagen's lucid style can surely help you become even better, and his knowledge is deeply respected by top pilots all over the world. ••• Finally, I want to give you a bit of news about Green Team pilot and talented photographer, Gerry Charlebois's new Hawaiian flight park. Based on towed flight, Gerry will offer tows to impossible beautiful sites that can't be reached any other way as well as tandem flight experiences for those hordes of Hawaiian tourists. Now you've got a way to do so without the hassles of bringing your own glider and hiking up some mountain you've never flown. ••• Wow! Outta room for the 150th time. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset Rd, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612/450-0930. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — With this issue of Hang Gliding, "Product Lines" celebrates its 16th birthday and enters year no. 17! Thinking back to its start in May of 1979, I can scarcely believe this column has endured so long. Thanks for your loyal readership! ••• This also happens to be column number 150. The first seven years of "Product Lines," were found in Whole Air which published bimonthly. By 1986 it appeared monthly… since 1989 in Hang Gliding magazine. ••• Thanks again to Bill Allen, whose back-of-the-book "Flying Bull" column inspired "Product Lines." In his unique, entertaining way, Allen developed a strong interest in a folksy, gossipy style of reporting. My twist on the theme is to stick with product-related news and info, hence the column’s name (admittedly, I stray from that mission once in a while). When Allen decided to quit the column, he called for replacements. Since none came forward, I adapted the idea for Whole Air.

Product Lines – April 1995

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2005 Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- As happens every fall, you filled out Director ballots and survey forms in '94. Office staffer, Greg Huller, laboriously went through 1,509 forms -- a LOT of work, I know -- compiling your responses to many questions. His review appears in the "USHGA Reports" section of this issue. However, I usually examine the numbers for product related info and this year is no exception. So, here we go... ••• The main topic of interest is glider brand market share. These days such analysis must include paragliders as well, though their brands are largely not American made. ••• In hang gliding, Wills Wing continues their dominance of the field, with 42.7%, up a skootch from 1993 (42.0%). Wills peaked in 1991 (at 43.1%) but is very solidly the number one producer. • PacAir jumped two points in the last year, up to 29.6% from 27.6% of the market. In the six years of my tracking of these numbers, this is a peak for PacAir and I cannot explain the spurt. (Congrats, PacAir'ers!) • In third place, UP slipped from 10.7% to 7.3% (possibly because new gliders have been in development for a long time... we'll watch next year's numbers closely). • Moyes continued a slow but steady climb to 7.1%, up from 6.3% last year, which was up from the year previous. • Seedwings dropped again, though modestly, from 3.7% to 3.6%. Recent resumption of advertising may help boost their share. • Delta Wing held tenaciously to 3.7%, actually up two tenths of a point from 1993 (possibly due to ASI's manufacture of the Dream for tandem or towing; for 1995, this may change). • The "other" brands category held very steady (at 5.5% or a few over 500 gliders nationally) as it has for the last six years. Evidently some pilots will always choose "something different." ••• Regional market share differences are also interesting to note. National leader, Wills, has strength which has a distinctive western slant (WW is #1 in Regions 1-8) while PacAir is very strong in the east, winning regions 9-13 by solid margins. UP does their best in Regions 4, 7, 9, and 11. It might be called home-turf advantage, except for PacAir's eastern strength. ••• We don't know how all the above statistics will be affected by changing demographics of USHGA. With paragliding now well past 20% of the membership at large -- defying earlier predictions -- the mix is changing. ••• In the paragliding market share, Edel has become the clear leader, up almost two points from last year (22.9% of the market from 21.0%). • Pro Design, a sure second, slipped to 16.6% from 19.0% in 1993. • Wills-branded paragliders were in a solid third, but slipped from 11.0% in 1993 to 8.9% last year. • Another American, UP, also slipped a bit from 5.0% to 4.6% to tie in the 8th spot. Paragliders are served by more brands which probably explains why several top brands can all drop share points; more choices have arrived. ••• I make it a regular practice to examine statistics from other aviation activities. Such reviews tell me that paragliding is alone with sailplanes in American aviation where more imported than domestic aircraft are bought. American brands overwhelmingly dominate all other categories, both at home and abroad. ••• Hand-deploy parachutes took back some market share lost earlier to ballistic systems. Added complexity of ballistic units which leads to potential installation errors may have contributed to the decline. Cost is surely another factor. • Parachute repacking remained at about 60%, leaving me to wonder why 40% don't follow the recommendations of their manufacturer. • Only one in eight had their ballistic system serviced. Most such devices don't require annual service so 12.5% may not be low. However, since the longest service life is six years, the likelihood is many pilots are ignoring the manufacturer's advice. The number obtaining service dropped 25% from a sixth to an eighth of reporting members. ••• Towing holds steady at a little over 20% of all launches, with ultralight tugs of various kinds increasing their share of total tow launches (23.5%, up from 18% in '93). Platform launching from ground vehicles is still the most common, at 54% being more than double aero tow launches. ••• Concluding my review of Yoo-shga statistics, over a quarter of you say you'll buy a different glider in 1995 with about a sixth of all pilots saying they'll buy new and about one in ten choosing used. • The "new" purchase estimate is down from last year. Last year I calculated about 2,000 new glider sales. This 1994 survey suggests under 1,600 gliders may be bought new meaning industry sales could drop to $8 million from $10 million. Please be advised these are only rough forecasts which may have significant error. • The number of gliders owned by each member inched up 6% to 1.8 per member from 1.7 last year. ••• USHGA Regions continue to resize slowly. Region 2, including Central California and the Bay Area, remains largest at 17% of all members. Somewhat surprising, though, is the third largest Region 10 (Tennessee, Florida, etc.). Contrary to popular belief, the SE U.S. is only half a percentage point behind Southern California. ••• Well, nearly outta room again. Next month I'll have news on Gerry Charlebois's tandem/towing airpark in Hawaii; Dennis Pagen's new book, "Hang Gliding Training Manual;" Ball's 1995 version of the inexpensive M19e flight deck; and more. ••• So, diver fans, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612/450-0930. THANKS!

Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — As happens every fall, you filled out Director ballots and survey forms in ’94. Office staffer, Greg Huller, laboriously went through 1,509 forms — a LOT of work, I know — compiling your responses to many questions. His review appears in the "USHGA Reports" section of this issue. However, I usually examine the numbers for product related info and this year is no exception. So, here we go… ••• The main topic of interest is glider brand market share. These days such analysis must include paragliders as well, though their brands are largely not American made. ••• In hang gliding, Wills Wing continues their dominance of the field, with 42.7%, up a skootch from 1993 (42.0%). Wills peaked in 1991 (at 43.1%) but is very solidly the number one producer. • PacAir jumped two points in the last year, up to 29.6% from 27.6% of the market.