ByDanJohnson.com

ST. PAUL, MINN., — As we head in winter and the holiday season, news for the next season appears to continue a focus on rigid wing hang gliders. Flexwings continue to do well in contest flying (and sales) but we simply aren’t hearing as much about new developments as we have in years past… for example, the topless buzz is now getting to be some years old. ••• U.S. Aeros is preparing for sale of their new rigid wing, ominously named the Stalker. It either sounds like a challenger trying to take on the leader (Exxtacy and ATOS, by almost any reckoning), or like a johnny-come-lately rigid wing design. Certainly for a company that has shown the ability to compete in the worldwide hang gliding community — for both sales, at which they’ve done excellently, and in competitions — Aeros is somewhat tardy bringing their stiffwing to market. • On the other hand, this is a second generation offering like the Ghostbuster and ATOS. Indeed, like another long-awaited-but-still-unavailable wing, the La Mouette Top Secret, Stalker has bare leading edges, that is, the sailcloth does not cover the leading edge. Instead the LEs are painted. • In another difference, instead of spoilerons, the Stalker has ailerons. Aeros isn’t first with this idea. In fact, before Laminar producer, Icaro, settled on working with ATOS, they had their own short-lived rigid wing called the Lumina which also employed ailerons versus spoilerons. Having a lot of experience myself with spoilerons (on the Cloud Dancer), I’ll wait to hear more about the effectiveness of ailerons on the Stalker. For the speed range we fly in, spoilerons are hard to beat for efficiency and they promote proverse yaw — as opposed to that kind we don’t like: adverse yaw. • In truth, one of the earliest uses of aileron control that I know of was by my old friend, Tim Morely, who installed a pilot-weight-shift-activated aileron control system on a Mitchell Wing back in early 1984. On that pioneering rigid wing, ailerons were said to be surprisingly effective, but of course a rigid wing with drag rudders is a somewhat different flying machine. Control of the Stalker is said to be very similar to the method of Morely’s Mitchell Wing. The ailerons are deployed when the pilot moves his or her body laterally. An internal control linkage moves a pushrod to activate the bell crank which moves the ailerons up and down." Whew! …sounds complicated compared to pure weight shift, but this is something like the way most aircraft do it. • The Stalker followed the second generation pattern of cutting weight; it is said to weigh only 77 pounds. Initial price is reportedly set at $7,995 but may rise to $8,500. At the latter number it is the same as the ’99 Exxtacy, not the undercut price which helped make the Stealth popular among topless flexxie pilots. In another second generation quality Stalker is similar… it won’t be available until around April of 2000, the same as is reported for the ATOS. Ghostbuster, which currently has a less-established market position, is available sooner and I have no updated info on availability of E-7 or Ixbo. Stalker web info at justfly.com. ••• In only the second appearance of an American design competing on the rigid front — along with Brightstar’s Millennium — Matt Kollman’s Raptor is flying in a second generation design. I’ve reported on the Raptor in past columns (’95 and ’97) but Matt is now said to be nearing production, something he’s working out with Jim Marske, a longtime designer and kit supplier of ultralight sailplanes (Monarch and Pioneer). • The Raptor 2 uses very strong carbon rods in the spar, which Kollman says allows the spar/D-cell combination to hold 16-G loads (not that this means the flying wing can accommodate such big numbers). Further accounting for strength are Kevlar skins on the D-cell. Matt believes that the Kevlar makes his leading edges more durable than carbon fiber. • Like Millennium (and Morely’s Mitchell), Raptor 2 uses moveable tip rudders, however, the tip rudders actuate when the pilot shifts the control bar, like the spoilerons on Exxtacy and ATOS. Instead of flaps like all the Euro designs, Raptor 2 uses spoilers (not spoilerons) to aid landing approaches. In concert with a tapered wing planform this allows landings in no-wind situations, claims Kollman. Matt writes that he’s close to deliveries and the first ones will go for $7,500. Working at a great distance from Southern California HG designers, pilots in his area say Matt has been "flying away from their production gliders for years." • The Raptor 2 has a 41-foot span, 162 squares, weighs 75 pounds, and boasts a glide of 18 at 35 mph and a 130 fpm sink rate. Info: 614-436-3230 or kollmancomp@msn.com. ••• Back on the flexxie front, Moyes is blowing their horn over the Lightspeed’s victories in the Brazilian Nationals. The Brazilian Nats was its first outing as a production glider though a prototype flew in the World Meet. Moyes’ new wing took first and second place and the winner flew a "completely standard Lightspeed which easily passed US certification," the company said. (I did not independently verify certification status.) Icaro put five Laminars in the top ten along with one each Fusion, Topless, and Stealth. Moyes further trumpeted that in the six-day contest, "A Lightspeed won 1,000 points every day of the comp!" Congratulations, Moyes. Info: Moyes.com.au or FlyaMoyes@aol.com. ••• If you act darn fast, you might get one of Lisa Tate’s new Soaring Dreams Catalog in time to order for Christmas. Her business offers unique HG and PG-related gift items and trophies. Lisa’s color catalog is available for free. Info: 208-376-7914 or ZooLisa@aol.com. ••• USHGA’s board recently met and a couple interesting things occurred. • In a repeat of last year’s meet selection drama, Malcolm Jones’ Wallaby Open narrowly won a bid for the time slot immediately following the big Sun ‘n Fun airshow. The event — which attracts over 600,000 pilots and visitors — brings more HG tugs into the area, a resource valued by a tow meet organizer. So, the 16-22 April contest will again be followed by GW Meadows’ meet at Quest. Info: Wallaby.com or justfly.com. • In the other news bit, David Glover was elected president of the association on a pro-growth platform. This oughta’ be interesting to watch. Congratulations, David, and best of luck! ••• So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930, or e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Compress Post ...

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Airwave is back! Not long after I announced that the enterprise was for sale (June ’99 "PL"), a deal was done and former European Wills Wing distributor Markus Villinger is the owner. By now, the new Austrian base for Airwave Gliders should be running and shipping gliders. They plan to add paragliders to the mix once again, although like so many PG vendors, they will have the wings sewn elsewhere. • Villinger Birdmen Enterprises will start by marketing the Pulse and Fly 2 (known to Americans as the Double Vision). Villinger also reports they will offer the Skye, which he calls "the next generation skyfloater." Most credit Villinger with inspiring Wills Wing to market their then-new Falcon for use in skyfloating — and the recent 95 mile flight by David Glover using this posture proves it is viable for more than simply drifting around the launch site. As Markus puts it, his new Skye will be the glider that "brings the fun back to a lot of pilots." With that goal, I certainly wish him Good Luck! He finally reported that his newly expanded company will also work on a new high performance design. Info: fly@villinger.com or web: www.Airwave-Gliders.co.uk. ••• GW Meadows reported results from his Dinosaur meet. A surprisingly light turnout of pilots experienced the mildest weather of Meadows’ several meets in this location. Perhaps strong conditions in the past caused some competitors to pass up the contest. Nevertheless, results show several of America’s top pilots participated. Jim Lee continued his winning ways, taking first place in his Wills Fusion in flexwing class. And Dave Sharp took first in Class II flying his ATOS, distributed in the U.S. by Predator producer, Altair. • Among flex wing participants, the Aeros Stealth saw a great turnout, with seven (out of the 20 flexxies) participating. However, the top finishers were mostly other brands. After Lee’s Fusion honors came Mike Barber’s La Mouette Topless, Dustin Martin’s Moyes CSX, Steve Rewolinski’s Altair Predator, and Barry Bateman’s Moyes CSX. • Following the seven Stealths came the Predator with three flying plus another trio of Moyes models, and a pair each of Fusions, CSXs, and Laminars. The Topless was a loner. Among rigids the meet hosted a couple Exxtacies, an ATOS, and an E-7. Unfortunately, as the number of competitors was small, the survey of models used is too limited for other than curiosity. ••• As we continue debate about control bar wheels for contests and general use, and as drag ‘chutes remain a topic — also in pursuit of better landings in our high-performance gliders — a new idea arises from Norway. The Delta Dragger is an interesting variation on the drag ‘chute theme. Imagine a small vertical tail on a glider not unlike that used by Seedwings. Now imagine this surface being able to open laterally, unfolding as it were from the front and hinging on a vertical tube at the rear of this dorsal fin. It would set up quite a bit of drag I’d expect, just like a ‘chute. Except Delta Dragger can be retracted quite easily at which time it again acts like a tail fin, adding a measure of yaw stability to the wing. Seems like a nifty idea to me. The invention of Bjornar Ryeng (excellent English skills), Delta Dragger is now entering production. It is "produced in a solid plastic material and aluminum," Ryeng reports. Weighing less than two pounds, the drag device exposes "3.2 square feet of curved area facing the air flow," he adds. You must pull "no more than about 15 inches of rope" to get fully opened fins and you supposedly do not notice a difference in handling. Bjornar also says mounting takes five minutes when you get the Dragger and 20 seconds to fit during preflight assembly. You needn’t drill any holes in your glider’s tubing and Ryeng says it will fit "almost any glider." U.S. prices will be between $120 and $150 depending on initial production costs. Info: bryeng@online.co or see his website: www.infodist.no/delta. ••• Well, what did you expect? It’s getting near that season when everyone scrambles to buy gifts for the holidays, so naturally, "Product Lines" has a couple early entries. Two items caught my attention recently. • First is a neat flying toy that some of us adults may enjoy but which certainly makes an interesting (and inexpensive) gift for youngsters that tend to surround many of us during Christmas. Zing Wings are a simple foam gliders that fold up uniquely such that they take up little more space than a No. 10 business envelope. However, when launched vertically, they flip open James Bond-style, and glide freely. It always amazes me how well a piece of flat-as-a-board swept foam with its trailing edge bent upwards can fly. But it does. A child can shoot it aloft with a provided rubber band and launch stick. It’ll fly quite a distance depending on the prevalent wind (and thermal lift). And although the construction is ultra-simple, Zing Wings are quite durable… just don’t play fetch with your dog. At 2 for $5, 5 for $12, or 10 for $20 plus $3 S&H, Zing Wings are a fun bargain for all the little ones on your gift list. Span is 18 inches when open, but just like a real hang glider, it packs to about half-span. To buy: 360-802-2426 or timhuff@wans.net. • Item two is a beautifully crafted scale model hang glider "to hang in your car, office, or home," says designer Nancy J. Benoit. A designer of etched metal products, Nancy was "inspired by the countless hours I spent sitting in the fields at Morningside Flight Park watching my husband… run down the training hill with a hang glider." She adds, "I’ve noticed that there isn’t enough paraphernalia for hang glider pilots to buy… so here it is!" The sample I saw certainly shows the work of a professional and for $19.95 plus $3.95 S&H, it’s a good value. If nothing else, show this column to your spouse (or kids) and let them buy it for you. Available only in dark blue and lime green — plus bare gleaming metal — the piece is attractive enough to display proudly. Glider manufacturers are invited to inquire about ones with their logo printed on the wing. About 7 inches in span. To buy: 1-800-395-2832 or NJBmetalwork@usa.net. ••• So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930, or e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Compress Post ...

ST. PAUL, MINN., — The 1999 World Championships are over, and ho-hum, Manfred Ruhmer won… again. I don’t mean to sound jaded by Manfred’s winning performance but it sure seems predictable. He is indeed the undisputed champion, although he did have to prove his ability; it was not a runaway victory. In hot pursuit were some of the same Brazilian experts that did well at Wallaby and the Quest U.S. Nats earlier this year. Of course, Ruhmer flew the Laminar ST (topless) that has been his choice for many contests. • Andre Wolf was 2nd in his Laminar ST followed by Pedro Matos on a Laminar ST, and in 5th, Gordon Riggs on another Laminar. Betino Schmidt managed to squeeze in a La Mouette Topless in 4th to keep the Icaro model from totally dominating flexwings at the ’99 Worlds. Richard Walbec and his Wills Wing Fusion represented the highest American brand in 6th place. • The U.S. Team was 9th overall, reports team member Jim Zeiset. Jim Lee finished 14th and Chris Arai was 24th as the top-placing Americans in Class I. ••• In the rigid class, Christof Kratzner took first on an ATOS, which overall dominated Class II as did the Laminar STs in Class I. Kratzner is provisionally the winner awaiting an appeal on photos from runner-up Johnny Carr, who came in 2nd in his European-built Swift. The two top guns were followed by Hansjoerg Trutman in 3rd on another ATOS, Dave Sharp in 4th on yet another, followed by Brian Porter in his modified-Millennium, the Utopia. The ATOS from Felix Ruhle’s new A.I.R. company took 7 of the top 10 places, a convincing follow up to early-season ATOS successes. Quite a few ATOS gliders were entered and factory support was available on site to aid their pilots which surely helped both physically and psychologically. • Team USA Rigid was 3rd overall, but of the first three team scores, it was observed that the Yankees were separated from the Swiss and German rigid teams by only 139 points — out of 10,000! Some 25 rigid pilots represented eight countries, a healthy turnout of Class II contestants. ••• The meet was regarded as one that, according to Zeiset, "started fairly slow but became quite grueling by the end." It enjoyed good safety but had a share of exciting moments. One was a parachute deployment as the meet ended. It seems that Guido Gehrmann was doing aerobatics in front of the main site of Monte Cucco. David Straub writes, "On his third loop his glider broke. The wires were attached up the down tubes a ways and he blew the down tubes out. He threw his ‘chute, then shot his other rocket-deployed ‘chute." He was OK. World Meet digital photographer and 1-800-Hang-Glide man, David Glover, thought the wires "were attached perhaps two-thirds of the way up the down tubes, in what I have to believe is a pretty modest — but risky — way to reduce drag. Some felt that Gehrmann learned a little about hang gliding structures that day. ••• From the Worlds came not one but two daily e-mail updates, one from Davis Straub, the OZ Report man, the other from Jim Zeiset. Between the two, wired pilots could keep up with the meet in an informative yet personable fashion. Competitions continue to garner good attention, despite the fact that less than 1% of USHGA members are involved with contest flying. While meet pilots probably attach undue significance to the events, it remains true that this kind of flying shows the recreational pilot majority what new designs are working well. • I’m hoping a full report follows this summary; certainly we have a good record of events thanks to the two e-mailers. ••• Back here at home, Mountain Wings operator Greg Black wrote an encouraging note saying, "I think hang gliding is back!" He goes on to say, "I have noticed that since I have been on the training hill myself, gliders are being sold and 90% of the intro students are signing up for the big training package… is it that we are attracting people with a lot of money? I sure am excited about whatever is happening. And it’s fun, too." He notes that his business has "lots of gifted students, lots of gliders sales, lots of excitement from the students which [helps] them bring in friends for lessons. It’s been… great!" This may be a local phenomenon by I’m pleased to hear it. Do other parts of the country feel this way? (Greg was reporting the late spring/early summer period.) ••• Videographer Paul Hamilton continues his prolific ways with a new production that schools, clubs, and growth-oriented USHGA members may want. "Starting Hang Gliding" is not a training video, although it has lots of basic information. I saw it instead as a promotional vehicle. It roves around the country to reveal scenes at several of the bigger flight schools. Paul and his wife have added interesting production values with some very nice animated graphics that show not only Paul’s ability with the video camera but also his computer. The 30-minute video was very watchable, I felt, and has good flying scenes that cut quickly one to another maintaining a good pace and never boring the viewer. Get more info at his web site: adventurep.com or call 775-747-0175. ••• The San Diego community hosted a party for Leroy Grannis and his wife Katie. She turned 80 and they’re celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. Leroy — who shot some of the finest pictures ever in our sport — is also regarded as a legendary surfing photographer. "They are both doing well," says Brad Hall. "They’re still surfing almost every day!" Leroy is 82. Both are planning to make a showing at this year’s Telluride, Brad added. Congratulations Leroy and Katie! The active couple remains a fine example for "young" hang glider pilots. ••• In closing, I need to make a clarification. Ken Brown wrote to say that although he is indeed a rep’ for Flight Design’s Ghostbuster, this is only for the Southwest U.S. "I am still representing [French glider builder] Tecma in the USA. My support for the company and product is still high." His primary responsibilities are associated with the promotion and distribution of the Moyes product line. He adds, "I am stocking Dragonfly [tug] kits for immediate delivery as well as spares support." More info: FlyaMoyes@aol.com. ••• So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930, or e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Compress Post ...

ST. PAUL, MINN., — I don’t believe I’ve noted so much buzz about a harness since Wills Wing first introduced the Z1-2-3… series. Maybe the Woody Valley from Europe, but even that popular brand name never created what you’d call a "stir." ••• Regardless of the past, Jay Gianforte’s CG Carbon Harness has people talking (and writing in the case of Internet messages). Jay’s enterprise, called Center of Gravity, first became known nationally in 1984 with the C-G 1000 and 2000 models. He says "We have created the Carbon C-G with carbon graphite molded into a durable aerodynamic shape and glass smooth finish." Gianforte says 30% of the drag on a hang glider can be caused by the pilot, so his sleeker solution may boost your glide angle. Certainly Jim Lee’s futuristic hard-shell harness of year’s back had some of this advantage, but the harness was not widely available. Center of Gravity is clearly hoping to capitalize on that interest only they’ll do like the Dorito chip people… they’ll make more. • The most interesting feature is the inflatable chest cushion and shoulder pads which reportedly do wonders for the pilot comfort. For "stiffy" pilots, this may be considered a necessary accessory, since those wings can make even better use of a more streamlined pilot. With water, radio and oxygen in pockets under one arm and the parachute mounted under the other, the hard shell smoothness is preserved. • Bob Lowe of Colorado writes, "Very warm, balanced, functional, automatic tail-lifting feature for take-off and landing works amazingly well… Jay must have really spent a lot of time on this one." After sometime "beta" testing with an early Carbon C-G, he feels "it will quickly be a ‘must-have’ in the world of hybrids [and] toplesses. • Jay makes one point succinctly, "If removing the king post helps, think what this will do." According to web writer, Davis Straub, "Jim Lee ordered one." Impressive! Info: CGravity@dreamscape.com. ••• In mentioning Wallaby regarding the Open and Quest Air for the Nationals, I left out the other active towpark in central Florida. Gregg MacNamee runs Graybird AirSports and operates the Dunnellon Airport. Located 16 miles west of main north-south route I-75 on Highway 484, he offers hang gliding, paragliding, paramotor and ultralight flying. Flight training, sales, and service are available seven days a week. Greg writes, "This airport has 500+ acres square clear space, two paved runways 4,875 feet long, a disc golf course, bathroom with hot showers, store/office, and hangar space." Info: 352-489-9969 or fly@graybirdairsports.com ••• Up north in the greater Chicago area, the Hang Glide Chicago group (1 hr. west) or Surf Air (NW of Milwaukee) each expect to have two tugs operating, according to Steve Revelinski. But instead of working exclusively with the Dragonfly, this group is using a modified Kolb Aircraft tug based on an apt-sounding combination of two of that company’s models. Kolb is one of the most respected names in ultralight aviation and I’ve flown all their aircraft. They fly wonderfully but are slow enough that I can visualize them being great tugs when properly configured. Members of these operations, aided by Harold’s Flying Service (at the Leland, IL site), have refined an early Kolb into a machine the company can reportedly now supply. They believe it is more stable in rougher conditions than a Dragonfly. • Steve also related a fascinating story about Harold’s work on a DC-3 being modified so it can carry a dozen hang gliders! Back in early June it was in Indiana being refurbished. I’ll bet we hear more about that project. Info: 414-557-4041. ••• Out west, the Sierra Dragonfly Club has been operating most of this year at the Carson City Airport. Steve Lantz (the founder of Second Chantz parachutes) "has built some real nice hangars on the airport to store all of our flying toys," writes Ken Munn. Some extra hangars were also available, though those things can change quickly. If you fly Nevada you should check out the operation. Info via AirMunn@aol.com ••• The Mosquito power harness continues to make converts from those who wouldn’t have anything to do with power. One tale I was told, about a pilot who powered all the way to 14,000 feet on the gallon and a half fuel tank, makes the case pretty convincingly. Even if that story may stretch reality, the fact remains that some pilots who don’t live near mountains — and that means lots of Yankee pilots — yearn for the ability to gain altitude for soaring. To some pilots, powering up and then shutting down is easier than towing which requires expert assistance. According to importer Bill Fifer, North American sales are past 50 units by now, at $4,700 a copy. Pilots compliment the relatively quiet and efficient operation, quick assembly, and general ease of use. Info: 616-922-2844. ••• In closing I have to tell you that my "day job" at BRS was exciting recently, after the JFK Jr. thing preempted every other news item in the country. Our company’s rocket-deployed parachute system for the Cirrus SR20 4-seater aircraft was shown on numerous national television broadcasts for three days running. It nearly swamped the company with phone calls and the value of BRS stock shot up 175% on volume four times heavier than any prior single day. With remarkable timing, Cirrus finally delivered SR20 #1 to its first customer right in the middle of this Kennedy event. • John also flew a powered parachute ultralight and visited the BRS Oshkosh airshow booth two years ago. While lamenting the loss of a fellow sport aviator, BRS found itself in the spotlight of national attention. ••• So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930, or e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Compress Post ...

ST. PAUL, MINN., — The tragic death of Michael "Hollywood" Champlin sent a wave through the hang gliding community recently. While others will surely document the incident, it causes me to think about my longtime support of rigid wings as a form of glider to supplement the flex wing. One thing we’ve added to the equation is control surfaces and for HG pilots without "stick time" (or something equivalent), the experience is genuinely new. That’s a good thing except… When an expert tackles anything new, doubt can enter the equation. Experts don’t always know they’re in "learning mode." While discussing the loss, my wife Randee (an HG pilot herself) reminded me recently of the old hang gliding axiom that advises you only change one thing at a time. In learning to fly rigids, one encounters several new things at once, among them the use of controllable surfaces. ••• In the case of the Millennium, one further adds the joystick, and that’s how I relate the story to Champlin. Here is a case of an expert and well respected weight-shift pilot getting familiar with a joystick aircraft. He was extremely knowledgeable in flex wings but was practicing spins in the Millennium. The practice isn’t the problem; it’s a good thing. You must know how to extricate yourself from a problem and practicing such maneuvers ahead of time and at altitude is one of the best ways to know the aerodynamic sensations so that you recognize the situation and act accordingly. Champlin was high and had already done two spins with proper spin exit. On the third his pullout involved excessive speed and the wing failed. (The subject of the failure itself and Brightstar’s rememdies will be left for another report.) Some observers suggested Champlin had not gone through a training process to learn spin entry and recovery in a three-axis-controlled aircraft. Although Cessna training seems pretty distant from a Millennium, it may have been useful. And even if it would not have for Champlin, how about you? Maybe it’s time we learned more — as a group of experienced weight shift pilots — about control surface flight? In any event, my sincere condolences to all who were close to "Hollywood." ••• We are learning more about rigids as they continue to have an impact on the HG world. And as we enter the "second generation" of rigids, the field continues to shift. Ken Brown has backed away from his import of the French Ixbo (a slightly refined Exxtacy), and has joined with North American Flight Designs. NAFD imported the Exxtacy gliders sold in the USA and will now add the new Ghostbuster to the mix. I’ve seen them both in France recently and the Ghostbuster — like the ATOS — is clearly a second generation model. Brown will reportedly deal for Flight Designs and recently visited Germany to learn more. ••• Another man who dedicated himself to learning more is Jim Zeiset, whose Pendulum Air Sports will import the E-7 from Josef Guggenmos. After logging 20 hours in his new E-7, JZ feels the glide is 18.5 as claimed (at 36-38 mph). He also ran some three minute glides in smooth air to find a sink rate of 140 fpm (138 is claimed). Zeiset also found the wing’s small flaps don’t help much on approach but instead are mainly "high lift devices." Back on the ground, Jim weighed the package twice to find a 70.5 pound weight. Look for a more thorough report in HG. ••• At an FAI-sanctioned contest in Euroland, evaluations done show about a 15% performance advantage (measured in average speed difference) for "stiffies" versus "flexxies." This suggests the hype about a 50% gain is overstated — very similar to a comment once offered to me by leading designer, Steve Pearson, of Wills Wing. In fact, one participant in the glide-off wrote, "If the Laminar ST has a 14 or 15 glide, then ATOS is 16 or 17." ••• Briefly on the subject of the Laminar and glider selections… World Team members in various countries are making their choices for the big contest. Web writer Davis Straub reports that England’s team will fly three Laminar STs, two Topless gliders, and an Avian Cheetah. ••• I haven’t heard much from Bob Trampenau lately, but he wrote in late May that he believes "as strongly as ever that the high performance Rogallo-type hang glider is alive and well!" To prove it he’s offering his "Carbon Cantilevered Spar and Flap equipped Sensor 610" with a new size coming (at 154 squares and 36 foot span). He expressed that "Today’s rigid wings are twice the price and hassle for just a few extra points in glide" though not everyone may agree with his assessment. Bob is familiar with rigid design after developing his Sunseed back in the mid-’70s. But he felt too many compromises existed and that those same conditions hold today. His new carbon spar 610 has completed design and development work and Seedwings is building up inventory for production. The Santa Barbara company is also creating a web site to help disseminate information on the new wing and hopes to get a write-up in HG soon. ••• While Trampenau and other designers create new wings, other creations appear in aftermarket work. One such product is "Bill’s Wing" tips from Bill Woloshyniuk in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. His tips are trumpeted as a "lower cost alternative to factory carbon fiber tips." The colorful winglets (predecessors have been plain vanilla gelcoat white ones) have proven popular with prototype users and the tips are now being offered for sale. White-only versions start at $218 and colors add $26 more. You can get more info at 403-932-7303 or via e-mail at i4fx@telusplanet.net. ••• We’ll wrap up this month with the return of the "Glider Condom" from Mountain Wings in New York. In case you forgot, these are simple plastic tubes (22 feet long and 6 mil thick) which "fit snugly over a hang glider to protect it from the weather, road dust, rain, etc." Proprietor Greg Black says that "when it rains, not only does your glider get wet, it also comes in contact with acids, oils, and fuels that are in the air as mist when you are driving down the road." For $16.95, the protection is cheap, well… like its namesake I guess. Info: MtnWings@aol.com or at 914-647-3377. ••• So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930, or e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

Compress Post ...

ST. PAUL, MINN., — The glare of spotlights this month turns to GW Meadow’s U.S. Nationals which took place at Quest Air the week after Malcolm Jones’ Wallaby Open concluded. ••• Weather wasn’t quite as cooperative and the organization was different, but the U.S. Nationals are now history and Jim Lee is our national champion, edging out top-ranked Mike Barber by a mere seven points (nothing, really, in the course of a whole contest week). Prior to the two Florida events, Barber had been #1 ranked in the U.S. team scheme though new stats will now be needed. • Neither man outdid the dynamic duo of Manfred Ruhmer and Oleg Bondarchuk (ranked #4 and #1 in the world scheme prior to these two meets). In addition, web writer Davis Straub also indicated several pilots from Brazil did well… as all these non-USA pilots had done at the Wallaby meet. • All in all, Florida was host to two grand events and both are angling for a repeat next year, so say the rumor mills. Yup, both Jones and Meadows will reportedly request meets at the same time of year for 2000. Wallaby would come first if this actually happens, again immediately following the Sun ‘n Fun airshow just 30 miles down the freeway (in Lakeland, FL). Then GW plans a follow-on meet, no doubt along the lines of his Atlantic Coast Championships which occurred at Wallaby last year. Meadows’ meet would supposedly be held at Quest again. This is great stuff in my east-coast-mentality mind and, if the meets come off as tentatively planned, aerotowing will continue its inexorable rise into the skies. • Surely a dandy report will appear with photos, so I’ll move on for now, but both organizations (Wallaby and GW at Quest) deserve applause for good meets. It ain’t easy to do one of these, folks! ••• Rigid wing news continued to break right as the U.S. Nats ended and pilots began to depart the area. The Guggenmos E-7 arrived and was flown by a few interested and qualified pilots. According to various reports, it is beautifully done, no surprise given Josef’s wonderful reputation as a hang gliding design "artist." However, some felt the control surfaces were too small and the flaps too tiny to be effective. Various comments were voiced surrounding the roll rate of the E-7 and its performance was compared to the Exxtacy and the ATOS. • All this makes me think that we are still very much in the infancy of control-surface wings for hang gliding. I’ve been flying three-axis ultralight aircraft for many years now, and have more hours logged with control surfaces than I do with weight shift (which, I readily admit, I still prefer despite thousands of three-axis hours). I have yet to fly one of these rigid D-cell wings, but I’ve understood from several pilots what the roll rates are on these new wings. Reports ranging from 6 to 8 seconds for a 45¡-to-45¡ roll reversal are pretty sluggish in my mind. Many of the ultralights I fly are so fast, it’s hard to measure the rates. Some are barely over one second for this same action. Of course, I know sailplanes are also pretty slow in roll but they have a rudder and many are quite dominated by rudder response for roll input. To me, this shows we are still new to the idea of control surfaces on our hang gliders and though I believe rigids are here to stay, I still see lots of opportunity for our beloved flex wings. ••• While I spent time at Wallaby in April, Malcolm introduced me to the art of Lori Sanchez. My goodness, what nice stuff! I’m hardly an art expert, but what I see of her work is simply outstanding. Wallaby had tee shirt designs by Lori and a series of quite lovely note cards with five different art images, each appearing to springboard from the art of famous artists. I liked the $25 note card set (10 cards and envelopes) so much that I couldn’t bring myself to use them. If you’d like to see more or buy her hang gliding art, contact Wallaby Ranch. I think you’ll be as impressed as I was. ••• How do you get very excited over a humble product like the Linknife? Oh, get yourself in a tough spot and don’t have one; then you’ll get the point, I submit. Just before the Florida contests were about to start, developer Peter Birren delivered ten more of his Tow Releases to NASA for use on the X-38 Space Station Lifeboat. Peter says, "NASA engineers worked for many months to devise a way of releasing a failed parachute deployment. Now after a year of successful tests, these releases have been proven to work, even under the heavy loads of a returning spacecraft with lives at stake." Birren added that this order brings the total of Linknifes delivered to almost 650 since its invention as a hang glider towing release in 1995 and they’re still only $15 ("even to NASA," he adds!). Attaboy, Peter! Club and dealer pricing is also available. Info: 847-640-0171 or rhgpa@aol.com. ••• To close… On the national scene and from NAA comes the list of their picks for the top ten flights during 1998. Understand that NAA represents a wide range of aviation so some years we see no hang glider or ultralight flights commended. However, 1998 was a banner year. NAA cites a 179 statute mile flight from New Mexico to Texas by Will Gadd in his paraglider; Ramy Yanetz’s 251 statute mile rigid wing flight, also from New Mexico to Texas; and Gary Osaba’s 315 statute mile flight in his ultralight glider, from Kansas to Texas. Not bad, three of the top ten flights were from our "realm." Good thing Texas doesn’t mind all these airborne visitors, huh? Thanks for the recognition, NAA. ••• So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930, or e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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WALLABY RANCH, FLA. — In a rare state of upset, the focus of American hang gliding — even the focus of the world, perhaps — is on the eastern half of the U.S. In two remarkable back-to-back weeks, Florida took center stage of world of hang gliding competitions. It all started with the Wallaby Open and ended with the U.S. Nationals, however, as this column tries to sneak off to the printer at the last possible second, I’ll speak about the already-concluded Wallaby Open this month and next month will report more from GW Meadow’s U.S. Nationals at Quest Air. Fair enough? ••• Malcolm Jones’ kingdom of flight was the site of the Wallaby Open and I was able to make the opening once again as it trails the Sun ‘n Fun airshow which I attend for work. • With good lift, fast racing, and superlative hospitality, the Wallaby Open was well received by a number of pilots who made comments, including the top two finishers, Manfred Ruhmer and Oleg Bondarchuk. • Manfred flies a Laminar and Oleg the Stealth; both are hot as a pistol. The first American in flex wing class was Jim Lee, flying his Wills Fusion to third place. South Americans filled several top spaces followed by Yankees Paris Williams (8th), Ryan Glover (9th), and Mike Barber (10th). In all, 44 pilots were registered in flex wing Class I. Only six pilots flew kingpost gliders, including a pair of Altair Predators in 8th and 19th with the rest being several Airwave models in lower positions. See "Airwave" below. • The big buzz at Wallaby, Quest, and throughout Europe has been rigid wings. With little more than two years behind the Exxtacy, the new wings are more vibrant than ever, and the excitement is the most I’ve noted in 20 years of following rigid wing news. For Felix Rühle, the meet results must have been especially satisfying. Not because of his own 9th place performance on an Exxtacy (now ironically built by his competitor), but because Dave Sharp flew Rühle’s brand-new ATOS to first place in Class II (rigid wing) competition. The separate class was noteworthy with a dozen pilots entered representing over 20% of all contestants! The surprisingly strong field was comprised of the ATOS, a Millennium, Brian Porter’s modified Millennium, the Utopia, and nine Exxtacys. Porter came in second in what e-zine reporter Davis Straub called a "spaceship" (see OZ report below). An Ixbo was flying at Wallaby but was not entered. • The much anticipated E-7 from Josef Guggenmos didn’t make it until the last day of the Quest Nationals and the Flight Designs Ghostbuster follow-on to the Exxtasy didn’t show at all according to last reports (though it was unveiled in Europe recently). ••• VERY LATE BREAKING NEWS included this from Quest. According to OZ-man Straub, "Jim Lee edged out Mike Barber by 7 points… for National Class I Champion. The Europeans (including the Ukraine [Bondarchuk]) and Brazilians kicked butt in Class I." Full results can be seen at www.justfly.com/natscore.htm. Straub’s interesting daily OZ reports can be found at www.davisstraub.com/OZ/ ••• Despite all the excitement in Florida, some bad news arrived from Airwave in the UK. An electronic post from director Rory Carter says "Airwave is not able to continue in its present form." The company ceased trading at the end of April and is seeking a new owner, "either as a whole or for its individual valuable parts." Carter sees good parts sales for the many Airwave gliders in the hands of pilots. The assets will also include the rights to all their paraglider line and what the British call the "spares" business. • The company offers its wing design software and hardware and, for a qualifying company, their "Flexible Aerofoil Numerical Simulation tool" that can "predict the wing shape and simulate the flight characteristics of any cloth wing. It will also be able to measure the shape of paragliders and hang gliders in flight." Airwave values this project in development at about $1 million. No figures were mentioned for the entire company or any of its other parts. • With wings like the Magic, Klassic, Pulse, and Xtreme, Airwave is a brand we’ll miss. Failing as the company did while the news is all about rigid wings makes me wonder if they’re just the first flex wing builder to take a tumble. • I’ve stuck my neck out with a prediction that powered trike ultralights will eventually switch overwhelmingly to rigid wings… developed by hang gliding designers, just like the first wings that powered engineers used. If my prediction comes true, and assuming different skills for building carbon fiber structures rather than tube and bracket assemblies, we may see more flex builders disappear and new names appear. • Carter concludes his announcement with this reflection: "Airwave has… hopefully influenced the personal flight market in a positive way. It was only ever my intention to have some fun for a few years developing and building gliders. It grew to be much more than that, but got out of control when we took on paragliding." • I salute Airwave for a job well done over many years. ••• So much more news is happening; the season is hot! But it’ll have to wait. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — Well, whaddya know… this particular "Product Lines" column marks the end of 20 full years and the start of year #21. Sometimes that just sounds kinda unreal to me; 20 years of putting out this column every single month (except one where I was one day late on deadline and the publication went to press without "PL"). Anyway, I’m proud to do my little piece of work for our wonderful sport and I sincerely appreciate those loyal members who send me stuff for consideration in this column. I also appreciate the many comments I get from readers who often tell me "PL" is one of the first things they read in HG. • Finally, I want to repeat my thanks to Bill Allen who inspired this column with his own "Flying Bull" of the 1970s. Though his effort ran only for a short time (or so it appears with my ancient 20-year hindsight), his folksy style literally gave birth to "PL." He called for someone to take over "FB" in HG mag, and when no one did, I borrowed the style for Whole Air magazine which I’d begun to publish back in 1978. Gosh, that’s probably more than enough meandering through the history of this column, but heck, once every 20 years or so, I may repeat this exercise. Now, on with the product news… ••• Partly thanks to Davis Straub’s continuing stream of info via his e-zine (www.davisstraub.com), rigid wing news is plentiful. While flexwings from Wills, Altair, Seedwings, Moyes, La Mouette, Icaro, and others still comprise by far the majority of wings being sold in the U.S., rigids seem to have grabbed the limelight. • The ATOS from Exxtacy designer Felix Rühle is undergoing DHV (German) testing on their rig like HGMA’s. Pitch stability was completed and apparently "values are good in the full range." Felix was expected at the Wallaby Open with the new wing. Undoubtedly he’ll also show at Quest for GW’s dual contests at that tow park. • The Ghostbuster is the new rigid wing from Flight Designs, manufacturer of the Exxtacy. The new wing is also slated for time on the German test rig. Straub reports that the Ghostbuster will be about 140 squares with a claimed weight of 77 pounds (which, like the ATOS and the new rigid coming from Aeros, is something like 20 pounds less than the Exxtacy). • Contrary to rumors at one point, E-7 rigid wing importer, Jim Zeiset, will fly the new Guggenmos rigid wing at the Wallaby Open. As it has been reported, the E-7 has already earned DHV approval, even before the ATOS was completed. Guggenmos is often described as a designer with the finesse of Bob Trampenau of Seedwings, so interested pilots may want to pay attention to his new rigid wing. • US Aeros reports that their new rigid will employ carbon D-spars with a tapered wing that uses ailerons activated when you shift your weight through a central hang point connection. Exxtacy and most D-cell rigids to date use spoilerons and the two do not operate the same aerodynamically (a discussion I may go into later). Allegedly, the spars on the Aeros rigid are not sail covered like all the others which will be interesting to examine. • By the time you read this, I hope to have seen all these new rigids as I attend the huge Sun ‘n Fun airshow just down the freeway from both Wallaby and Quest. More later… ••• The web-based OZ Report also speaks about the new Laminar ST from Icaro. According to German team member Hans Bausenwein, the ’99 version of the topless ST is quite a bit different than the ’98 model. A new sail cut is said to "come with fully enclosed battens," and "the airfoil has changed a bit." The new Laminar reportedly has a new sprog system, though Davis adds that this system is not new and has been seen on gliders from Wills and Aeros. However, "the whole pitch stability system is a lot more rigid" we hear, allowing adjustments to the dive recovery devices which bring improvements in handling. Recently, Icaro extended their strong contest results with top finishes in the Brazilian Open. More info on Hans’ opinions are available directly from him at info@aerosport.de ••• While on the subject of flex wings, it appears that La Mouette is gaining the strongest foothold I’ve seen in the U.S. market, thanks to importer Don Reinhard’s deal with Mark Gibson and Mike Barber under the name Personal Flight. Straub reports that Wallaby hotshot Ryan Glover (brother of marketer David Glover) will fly a LM Topless in the Wallaby meet and at GW’s Nationals up at Quest. In fact, based on current decisions (which can change as rapidly as the wind direction), about half the U.S. World Team may fly Topless gliders. ••• Up in Michigan, longtime instructor, Norm Lesnow has been operating a new 914-powered Dragonfly tug. He had an active last quarter of 1998 (despite the onset of winter) and is expecting a strong 1999. A new club was born as the Southeast Michigan Soaring Club, and they’ll be offering tandem and solo tows plus training in both fixed wing and trike aircraft. Lesnow says he is operating "full-time, seven days a week" only a 40-minute ride from the Detroit metro. "Business has been real good," Norm relates. Info: 248-399-9433 or e-mail to nlfa@juno.com. ••• Flying Humans founder and Lookout Mountain Flight Park marketer David Glover called to say his 1-800-HANG GLIDE promotion is off to a flying start. He reports that "most of the top ten schools are involved" and that 40% or 76 of the 200 national area codes have already been bought. "Ads are coming" next he reports. Info: 706-657-8485, or dhglover@mindspring.com. ••• Wrapping up, National Geographic magazine wrapped their March issue with a promo for the statement "Ride the Desert Winds on a Propeller Powered Paraglider" above an image of a PPG over a group of camels. They gave this form of our lightweight soaring some fine coverage inside and indicated it would also be shown on their "NG Explorer" TV show aired on TBS. Pretty neat; National Geo has a vast subscriber audience. ••• Outta room again. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118, or fax/message to 651-450-0930. Send e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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KNOXVILLE, TENN. — This edition of "Product Lines" comes to you from the combined convention of the Soaring Society of America, USHGA, US Ultralight Association, and the International Aerobatic Club. Signs showed the general public how to enter, referring to the event simply as "Air Expo 99." ••• Thanks to outstanding preparatory work by Yoo-shga Executive Director, Phil Bachman, the event generated a large amount of TV, radio and newspaper attention. At least two live broadcasts occurred from the convention floor, all three major network affiliates gave coverage, and the ABC affiliate Channel 6 repeatedly used the daily theme "Flying High Week" leading up to the convention. Radio station 98.7 gave a steady series of ads to get their place on the radio dial printed on convention badges. I’m not aware of this sort of market media saturation since all the Chattanooga TV affiliates and newspapers fawned over American Cup pilots back in the 1970s. • One result: over 2,000 members of the general public showed up and forked over $5 each to see the show. Though the SSA has run their convention at least back to the 1970s they’ve never before tried to solicit the public, making this year’s non-pilot attendance count very exciting. Who knows what could happen in the years ahead! • Hang gliding displays and vendors increased several times over last year’s Oregon convention. I spoke to many vendors and most expressed delight at their participation. US Aeros, Lookout Mountain, Paul Hamilton (the video king) and USHGA’s merchandise czar, John Halloran, all said sales were substantial. It was good enough that the new president of Balloon Federation expressed a strong conviction that his group will participate in the next event in Albuquerque, New Mexico in early 2000. • Two full days of interesting speakers were assembled to entertain the USHGA membership which resides within a reasonable drive of Knoxville (all had been invited). • Pilots seemed to love it, too. This year’s event grew nicely and many HG/PG enthusiasts expressed excitement about Air Expo becoming a sizable function that can draw larger and larger numbers of present enthusiasts as well as the general public. Lots of old friends got together; personally, I ran into a few flying buddies I hadn’t seen for years. • Gee, there’s more, but it’ll have to wait until a subsequent issue when an article and photos should appear. ••• Meanwhile, on to product news… Rigid wing fever continues to rage. After the Exxtacy paved the way with its trail-blazing design, followers came, but more amazing to me is the "second generation" of design. Felix Rühle has introduced his new ATOS to quite a buzz of its own and I find this significant. Though Manta’s Fledgling from the 1970s did go through a couple generations of its own, I don’t recall the changes being anticipated so broadly. In those days, flexwings were ascendant, improving rapidly with each passing season. Rigid wings never caught on like today. • In recent editions of this column, I’ve reported Moyes America’s import of the refined Ixbo and I’ve announced the coming of Aeros’ yet-unnamed rigid entry as well as the coming and passing of Icaro’s Lumina. Naturally Brightstar’s Swift, which led to the follow-on Millennium, factors into this excitement… yet, as the late-night commercials shout, "There’s more!" ••• Utah-based Altair won the distribution for the ATOS. The Predator and Saturn producer boasts that, "As expected, Exxtacy clones are now showing up in the market but they cannot match the performance of the ATOS which is clearly a more advanced design with an increased aspect ratio of about 20% and a significantly decreased static weight." • Altair has the exclusive distribution rights and has engaged former Exxtacy expert, Dave Sharp, as its rigid wing specialist. Earlier it was reported that Icaro would have distribution and this remains true for other areas. More info: 801-523-9544. ••• Color-me-green man, Jim "JZ" Zeiset, announced recently that his Pendulum Aerosports has purchased two lots of the new E-7 rigid wing from Germany’s Josef Guggenmos; the first four should arrive soon. The new carbon fiber D-cell wing has German certification already and was built with some consultation from ATOS creator Rühle. Selling for $10,200, it is distinguished by its tapering wing (while the Exxtacy has a constant chord). Other specifications include: 152 squares, 10.4 AR, 39-foot span, 68 pounds weight. Glide is claimed to be 17:1 and sink rate a very low 137 fpm. Spoilers and flaps are said to fold up with the glider (they are removed on Exxtacy and Ixbo) and the spoilers, which are mounted at the airfoil’s high camber point, "preempt any nose-up movement when deployed." More info: 800-WE-FLY-XC (or 800-933-5992). ••• Back in the world of still-dominant flex wings, prez Rob Kells expects a strong year for Wills, based on a winter that was so active the SoCal company couldn’t build up inventory as fast as they’d prefer. "Normally we’d have 150 gliders in stock for the spring rush," said Kells; "this year we’ve got 50 and we need more." I’m sure they’ll boost production to satisfy pilots, but it’s good to hear the market leader trumpeting an enthusiastic start to the season. Visiting with Rob at the Air Expo, I asked if he now believes the WW-brand is the biggest in the world. He referred to good performances by La Mouette, Moyes, and Icaro, but figured that Wills will sell more gliders in 1999 than anyone. Based on what I hear, he may be right. ••• US Aeros announced more members of their growing team. Longtime pilot, Mike Degtoff, has left Seedwings to join US Aeros. Multiple woman’s world record holder, Tiki Mashy, gave up the WW logo for the Ukrainian brand. Successful contest pilot, Mark Bennett, has also added his name to the roster as did Canadian World Team member, Tyler Borradaille. These pilots will join Mitch Shipley and Mark Bolt from last year’s team, while top-ranked Oleg Bondarchuk continues to burn up the competition trail. US Aeros boss, GW Meadows, reports that "Oleg is now officially the #1 ranked pilot in the world!" ••• Last but far from least, HG marketer David Glover of Lookout Mountain, says his 1-800-HANG GLIDE scheme is enjoying good initial response. Under the business name Flying Humans, Glover proposes to feed interested persons to flight schools across the country using the easily-recalled phone number. Schools buy area codes in their area and the system feeds all inquiries with those codes to their business. A slick program, the special phone number and referral system seems very likely to help more people find hang gliding and paragliding. IMHO, the biggest problem facing hang gliding’s growth is simply the problem of locating a place to get lessons and advice. Flying Humans’ ambitious idea may change that. ••• Wow, outta room with loads more info waiting. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or voice mail to 651-450-0930 or send e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — Before we get started this month, I want to make note of HG editor Gil Dodgen’s passage into his third decade of preparing our monthly magazine. If memory serves (and it occasionally doesn’t these days), Gil has logged 21 years as this is written. Starting in January 1978, he preceded my own entry by a year or so. "Product Lines" is approaching a big birthday as well, clocking a full 20 years with the upcoming May issue. Geez! Twenty years of a column a month (I think I missed only one along the way)… gosh, are we all getting old? Naaah! We’re all getting higher in better gliders and with greater ease than ever. What’s to lament? So, on with the show. ••• Info arrived from a small survey of leaders in the worldwide hang gliding community coordinated by Dutchman Bart Doets, whose writing I long followed in Britain’s SkyWings. He was asked to do the research by a fellow Netherlander who was considering an investment in a hang gliding business. Although the answers could have a low confidence factor (sample size too small), some highlights may still interest you. • Estimates run from 10-40,000 pilots worldwide to around 70,000. However, when they defined "active" as 25 hours a year, some respondents believe the number falls to 5-10,000 pilots. • They further estimate from 2-4,000 gliders to as many as 12,000 gliders are sold every year, including sales of perhaps 500 Class II hang gliders with Exxtacy no doubt leading this charge. If the high figures are used, the worldwide hang glider building industry generates perhaps $50 million. • One of the most poignant statements came from stats contributor, Harriet Pottinger of England: "I am full of admiration for anyone making a living out of hang gliding these days!" ••• Tell it to Matt Taber whose Lookout Mountain Flight Park, one of our largest HG businesses, reportedly grossed a million dollars in ’98, their best performance ever! Congratulations, LMFP’ers. ••• You could work nearly 20 years like Matt Taber has done while building LMFP into a powerhouse. Or you could just buy an enterprise. A "formal notice" was posted for a boat tow-launched operation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. With a tourist draw reportedly over 2 million and good local flying conditions, the enterprise claims to be the "first and only legal operation of its kind" in Mexico. For an undisclosed amount of dough, you’d get the Mexican corporation, exclusive beach concession permit, boat, and know-how. I loved P.V. on a vacation a couple years ago and the opportunity sounds alluring. If you’re similarly interested try rainbow@ cadvision.com or call Derek Holmes at 403-660-9577 for more info. ••• A good thing happened in Santa Barbara in early January. The "New Year’s Day Hang Gliding and Paragliding Airshow" was held at Los Positas Friendship Park. This was a fund-raiser for Hang Gliding Hill that has provided launch and landings for many years. The 136-acre undeveloped portion of the park finished purchase payments and is using new funds raised for operational costs. With their in-town prize of a site, no wonder a good crowd showed to help with the upkeep for HG Hill as part of the overall Friendship Park. Their efforts garnered splashy color photos and text in the local News-Press paper as the new year began. ••• Moyes America is focusing on aerotowing, announcing that Dragonfly tug kits from Australia are now in stock in the USA. "The price of the basic Dragonfly kit is $10,800," they report. "For an additional $2,000 your kit can be assembled by [Dragonfly designer] Bobby Bailey, at your site or at [Bailey’s home base of] Quest Air near Orlando, Florida," said a new year mailing. More info on the web at www.zip.com.au/~moyes. ••• The club in Superior, Wisconsin (Duluth, Minnesota area) is looking forward to a new season of using their D-fly. Last year they accelerated past 75 hours on the tug and had done hundreds of tows and tandems. A local FAA inspector was "very impressed with our level of preparation," said club officials, and the Duluth airport control tower manager also gave a thumbs up. "Life is good!" they exclaim while taking care to thank lots of HG leaders for help in getting them airborne under tow. Info: 218-624-4500 or 723-1738. ••• Another recent starter is the Cloud 9 Field in Webberville MI. This group, using a "TurboTug" (D-fly with Rotax 914 turbo engine), announced a "university-designed Cloud 9 GLV-B launch cart." They have carts on hand and ready to ship. Fully assembled, they cost $500 or you can take a partial kit for $350. Operators Tracy Tillman and Lisa Colletti say that last year they soloed "a lot of new students… and our DraachenFliegen Soaring Club membership has grown tremendously." As if it needed to be said, they added, "We are having a blast up here in Michigan." Info 517-223-8683. ••• Outta room once again. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Voice mail or fax to 651-450-0930 (new area code is now mandatory). Send e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — Based on the flow of information, the last year in the current millennium could be interesting. I have news about Altair, Wills, Brightstar, US Aeros, and the Exxtacy. As the first snow finally flies in a weirdly warm winter in Minnesota, all this flurry of news seems positive for an exciting 1999. Let’s run through each briefly, but first a last minute gift mention or two for those of you who got cash for Christmas. ••• Lisa Tate has started Soaring Dreams, and offered a color catalog of tasteful gifts you might want to consider. Fortunately it isn’t all Christmas oriented although some attractive ornaments are part of the inventory. Tate also has some very distinctive trophies to use for competitions, plus mugs and mobiles, wood and glass picture frames and more. Art takes form in several mediums and although we’ve seen gift offerings before, Lisa achieves a singular niche. Call for her catalog at 208-376-7914 or e-mail Zoolisa@aol.com. ••• Those of you who strike out on cross country flights will be thrilled to hear that another ground wind direction indicator is commercially available. Bob Ortiz has an ultra simple tubing "canister" packed with a colorful flag distinctively tipped to show the wind. He claims it also correctly identifies the velocity. You drop it as you overfly your target landing area. Lacking the pizzazz of the Dust Devil’s CO2 cartridge-deployed system, at least Ortiz gets points for simplicity. If you’d rather buy than create yourself, call 510-223-6239. ••• Utah-based Altair announced their new small Saturn late last fall, and according to boss John Heiney, the company is hoping for certification by the time you read this. The 147 joins the Saturn 167, a design by Heiney with help from longtimer David Beardslee, and "master sailmaker" Dick Cheney. Their target was a sink rate performer, a goal they feel they reached conclusively. Some school operators are also enthusiastic, Altair reports. The single surfaced glider uses all the hardware developed for the Predator and comes standard with faired kingpost, downtubes, nosecone, extra strength speed bar, plus mylar leading edge stiffeners, and Profil cloth, "to insure good glide performance and penetration." A unique feature on both types of Altair gliders is their haulback system which lifts the kingpost and draws aft the crossbar with one effort. It certainly sounds like a lot of glider. For further details, call 801-523-9544 or e-mail altair@micron.net. ••• Market leader Wills Wing continues to work with two new projects: the drogue ‘chute and a special rigid wing. About the first WW writes, " It is truly amazing how effective the Drogue chute is at cutting the glide while on approach." They add, "We’re very enthusiastic about the prospects for this product to increase landing safety." Wills isn’t sure when units will be for sale. • In advice to their dealers the company said they are "continuing the developmental work on the (Brightstar) Millennium fitted with a control bar." The project is a cooperation between the two American companies with exciting potential to get the USA into the rigid wing glider sweepstakes**. Wills writes to their dealers, "The glider is a lot of fun to fly, surprisingly easy from a pilot skill standpoint, and performs extremely well. We still don’t know when, or even if, it will reach production, but we have great enthusiasm for the project." (**Actually one other all-American rigid wing is in development. This is Matt Kollman’s Raptor on which I will have more later. I’ve seen it, it’s real, and it looks competitive if it can be produced efficiently, a point under analysis at Wills, too, according to reports.) For more WW info, check their website at www.willswing.com. ••• Wills and most other producers have been challenged by the excellent prices of Ukrainian gliders during 1998. • GW Meadows has promised to accelerate his glider importing and marketing operation now that he has been freed of duties for the USHGA (although we can expect he’ll remain a Director and steady contributor to Yoo-shga). Like La Mouette man Don Reinhard picked up Gibbo to help him, U.S. Aeros announced signing Jersey Rossignol to their competition team. The San Diego pilot has lots of contest experience and according to Meadows, "has started to progressively place higher and higher." Jersey says he is "incredibly impressed by the Stealth… I’m really looking forward to competing on the new Stealth 2 in ’99." • As rigids continue to spark interest (see below, too), Aeros is working overtime to complete their new… well, they hadn’t named it as of late December. But the Aeros Rigid Wing (for now) is coming by early April and will no doubt be seen at one of GW’s meets in Florida that month. He reports it has the following specs: 143 squares, 39 foot span, 10.7 AR and weighs a mere 77 pounds. It will use discreet ailerons that have differential deflection (like most three-axis aircraft) to reduce adverse yaw, rather than the spoilerons of the Exxtacy. The control bar will also be fixed in position so the "sloppiness" of the Exxtacy bar won’t be felt in the air or on the ground. Projected price — naturally subject to final cost analysis — is expected to be under $8,000, reports Meadows. • Get more info at www.justfly.com (where you can also sign up on-line for Great Worldclass Meets, BTW). ••• Speaking of new rigids, according to web writer Davis Straub, Exxtacy designer Felix Ruehle has left Flight Designs and is showing a successor to the Exxtacy called the ATOS. Shown at the end of 1998 in Germany, the ATOS comes in two sizes, a 125 and a 145 with the latter involved in test flying at present. We’ll cover this more as it emerges but a couple stats might warm you up. • It’s a high aspect ratio glider (over 12, versus 9.4 for the Exxtacy) and has a significantly lower weight (reportedly 73 pounds versus 95 for the Exxtacy). Span is up to 42 feet and area is 145 square feet. Ruehle claimed a glide that could approach 19:1 and sink rate as low as 140 fpm. Handling has also been improved and setup time has been reduced. Wow! So much good stuff and I haven’t hit all the highpoints that Straub related. • Fascinatingly, the ATOS will NOT be produced by Flight Designs (who makes the Exxtacy). A new builder has been enlisted and one distributor will apparently be Icaro, who according to Davis reporting from Felix, "has stopped the Lumina [rigid wing] project." All this definitely screams for more follow up and you can read it here in the months ahead. If you’d like Davis’ news directly, contact him at davis@halcyon.com. ••• Well, outta room with news overflowing my file jacket. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. V-mail or fax to 651-450-0930 or e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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