ByDanJohnson.com

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!

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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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ST. PAUL, MINN. — At the recent Board of Directors meeting in Colorado Springs (USHGA’s home), our capable Executive Director Phil Bachman presented a typically thorough report. In his presentation, Phil referenced several recent statistics which might interest you. • Membership sits at a bit over 9,500 members of which 71% are HG pilots and 35% are PG. The numbers don’t add to 100 as they include Dual memberships. We’re almost exactly a two-thirds, one-third split these days. • Nearly 20% of all members are new, a figure that surprises many old timers. In fact, though, we lose about 20% every year as well, so we’re staying about even. If we could trim some of those losses and keep adding a few extra new members, we could grow at a comfortable pace. Attrition comes from HG; growth in PG makes up for the difference numerically. • Thirty percent of HG ratings are Is and IIs, a healthy total of learning pilots, I feel. Among PG pilots, the majority consider themselves as advancing novices, an honest-sounding response that makes sense with the newness of PG compared to HG. • In newer, "nearly done" survey results on the magazine-combining issue, close to two thirds reported a high level of satisfaction with the test issue and 68% said to go ahead and combine while 32% said keep them separate. All this is from 1,236 responses, a significant eighth of the total membership. • We’re having a bummer year with fatalities up sharply, to thirteen for the year. A report will be available elsewhere, but in the meantime, help yourself and your buddy to fly safely please! • Thanks to Phil and his capable staff for this and MUCH more info. Armed with knowledge your directors can make better decisions. BTW, USHGA has several new staffers. Longtimer Jeff Elgart’s wife Elaine joined him as did Natalie Hinsley, Joanne Peterson, and John Halloran. The total is one less than years ago, but USHGA is running well enough today that Bachman believes he can manage the operation with this present group. Keep up the good work, all! ••• American rep’ for La Mouette gliders and Cosmos trikes, Don Reinhard, is making a move to create more presence for the French giants in the USA. After years of uneven representation, it will be interesting to see the effects of Don’s effort. He’s rather new to HG but has been dealing successfully in powered and unpowered paragliding equipment. To shore up his hang gliding operation, he’s hired Mark "Gibbo" Gibson and Mike Barber. Both are known figures in competition and cross country flying, in fact, they recently started the World Team Academy to pass along their experience at such advanced flying (more on this in a future edition of "PL"). • Reinhard is showing himself to be a quick study of what works in HG marketing as he scores a couple leading pilots to help him represent this side of his growing enterprise. Gibbo and Barber will be representing La Mouette hang gliding equipment, but also the lightweight trike, the Samba. As an owner of one of these neat contraptions myself, I’m pleased to know expert help is available. To remind you, the Samba is similar to the Freedom Machine — and others just entering the market from Polaris and Northwing. All are different from most powered trike ultralights. I prefer to call my Samba a "hang glider ultralight," but my entire reason to own this rig is to go hang glider soaring, that is, engine off. I merely accept carrying my "ride to launch" with me and don’t mind the seated flying position with wheels to ease the landing under a La Mouette Topless hang glider. Gibbo sees increasing demand for these machines, too, calling them "an airpark in your backyard." • Beyond the powered hang gliders, Gibbo and Barber will also promote powered Sky Bikes for paragliding enthusiasts who also want their engine along with them in flight. ••• While we’re discussing power — Yipes! …in our HG mag!?! — Gerry Charlebois reports selling "lots of Mosquitos," thanks to several articles the well-known photographer has published. "Charlie-Boy" says he has over 100 hours on his. Gerry’s involved with powered ultralight trikes as well. He runs a very active business in Hawaii giving tourist lessons on Australian AirBorne trikes. It has gotten busy enough that he’s enlisted John "Ole" Olson and is looking at some other candidates to help out. Now, you may sneer and say, "Well, big deal. He’s giving ultralight rides." Wrong! First of all they aren’t "rides." They’re legitimate lessons by people with the right approvals. And perhaps more importantly to USHGA members, he and Olson (and the others to come) are pushing hang gliding. It just so happens that they’re doing so with powered trike ultralights. Some purists will still refuse to accept this as a way to get more people in hang gliding, but Gerry and crew try to direct their satisfied students to HG schools once they leave Hawaii. For more info from Gerry’s Birds of Paradise enterprise, call 808-822-5309. ••• Charlebois and Mosquitos, Reinhard and SkyBikes, Gibbo and Sambas, Taber and Freedom Machines… What’s happening? These aren’t hardly isolated trends anymore plus more machines are coming to fill this emerging niche. • Interestingly, outgoing USHGA prez GW Meadows introduced this topic at the board of directors meeting. He (and numerous others) think USHGA should embrace powered aircraft IF they are genuinely intended for soaring flight. Of course, it is only at the discussion stages now, and some USHGA directors vigorously oppose adding any powered craft to our member ranks. We’ll see how it plays out politically, but the market has already decided these superlight ultralights are appropriate for hang gliders and paragliders. ••• One of the most interesting things I heard from Gibbo (while talking about his new role with La Mouette) was this: "Gerard [Thevenot, director of La Mouette], and Don [Reinhard, the U.S. distributor for La Mouette and Cosmos] are in the process of finding and buying a flight park in Florida where we can showcase our product line and give year ’round instruction of the trikes and sky-bikes." Gee! I wonder if Wallaby founder Malcolm Jones ever envisioned so many followers to his towpark concept. After Wallaby kicked into gear, along came Quest and Graybird, two other towparks in central Florida. Now perhaps La Mouette/Reinhard, and I’m also aware John Harris of Kitty Hawk Kites is looking around central Florida. What a hot bed of soaring potential for a state that’s flat as a board. ••• Hey! Outta room with news to spare. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Vmail and fax to 651-450-0930 or e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — I recently paid a visit to Lookout Mountain Flight Park. What changes! Back in the early ’80s, I ran a flight shop and school called Crystal Air Sports. I’d been at it five or six years when Matt Taber came to Chattanooga. He took over the already-well-known site at Lookout and quickly proved to be a worthy competitor. Eighteen years after his arrival, his business shows the results of long hours and hard work. Its a sprawling, ambitious enterprise of million-dollar proportions. ••• Recently, Wallaby Ranch’s David Glover jumped tracks and took employment from Lookout after several years with Malcolm Jones’ operation in Florida. On my visit, Glover had logged a couple months in north Georgia and was becoming quite comfortable with his new digs. He and Taber gave me the royal tour of the place, although they couldn’t produce quite the right conditions for me to sample some of the park’s flight toys. • To cover it all would take too much space, but highlights are the flight park and mountain launch with a large shop plus manufacturing, repair, and storage facilities, sales of gear and accessories, the aero tow operation, manufacturing of the Xtreme hang glider and Freedom Machine soaring trike, capped off with truly impressive lodging facilities. • As Glover cleverly puts it, "We’ve got 50 working bathrooms in the landing field." He doesn’t mean a large bathhouse — though one is available with generous facilities for day visitors. No, what David refers to is the combination of dwelling units, Taber’s and other’s. Lookout rents six slick units which are planned to grow to more than 20 in the months ahead. • On the other end of the field is Greg Glover’s operation (no relation to David). The Landing boasts several rows of tastefully appointed trailer sites, plus a dozen or so private cabins. In front is a huge wing-shaped building that houses a wide, glassed-in common room with a magnificent view of the entire half-mile LZ and airstrip. Behind the common room are some 40 bunks for overnight accommodations. Privacy is in short supply but the cost is low and the capacity should handle even big events. • Besides the Landings clubroom, Taber is just finishing his own large clubhouse, right at show center and right beside the landing zone parking lot. I can only guesstimate the investment that Taber, Glover, and others have made to bring Lookout Mountain Flight Park to its present state, but visitors certainly enjoy its appeal. Lots of pilots keep a regular dwelling for their flying enjoyment. • None of the real estate development crowds the flying. For aerotowing or trike flying, Lookout boasts a 2,600 foot strip that must be close to a thousand feet wide. Though the site is known for turbulent conditions at times, it offers flying in many conditions common to the area. ••• I’ve never seen any airpark taken this far. Nope, not Kitty Hawk, Wallaby, Quest, anywhere out west, or anyplace I’ve visited in Europe. If a more developed flight park exists, I’m not aware of it. A "Good Job!" is due to Taber, Glover, and their staffers. ••• While Robert Combs and his Watergliders operation gets up to speed (see article in this issue), another fellow is making progress in delivering hang glider-like flight to tourists. Thanks to American Airlines’ on-board magazine I discovered Brock Meadows (no relation to Yoo-shga prez, GW). Brock runs Splash Water Sports on St. Thomas, USVI employing an Italian Polaris (brand) dinghy-trike. This is a regular powered ultralight trike fitted with a small rubber pontoon boat as its landing gear. A single surface wing assures a good weight shift feel. Splash gets $60 for a 15-minute flight near the tropical Caribbean islands of St. Thomas and St. John. Passengers can take the control bar with his supervision. True, many HG purists don’t think powered trike flying is hang gliding… and it isn’t. But it’s closer than most aircraft, and tourists can get a good taste of the excitement we all feel. Headed south for the winter? Info: 340-715-3122. ••• Of course, you true Sky Gods probably don’t want to go trike flying. Maybe you’ll want some silent soaring south of the border? Last time I mentioned Jeff Hunt’s GO Hang Gliding. His Flymexico group has put together a full line of Wills Wing hang gliders for your to use in Valle de Bravo, that premier site frequented by north of the border Yankees. Longtimer Ole Olson is helping Flymexico organize tour groups for February and March. But you should check soon as good time slots were already filling up a month ago. "We are seeing lots of interest from the UK," reports Hunt. Various packages are available. Info: 800-861-7198 or check www.flymexico.com. ••• We’ll close another year with good news from Wills Wing. The American giant has again reduced prices on their top-of-the-line Fusion topless model. You must order from inventory, which means no custom colors but lots of choice otherwise. If you go for it soon — the deal expires December 15th — you can buy a Fusion for under five grand: $4,975 to be exact. Custom colors add $300 and a folding speedbar adds $85 (a non-folding speed bar is standard). WW and their dealers are earning less to give wintertime buyers a good deal. • In a related statement, Wills said their 141 Fusion is now in production. • They also reminded dealers that when designer Steve Pearson won the annual glide angle competition at Morningside Flight Park, they’d taken the seminal event 3 of the last 4 years! Pearson clocked a glide of over 14 to 1. Wow! ••• So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Vmail & faxes to 651-450-0930. Send e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — Following on bits left over from October’s "Product Lines"… ••• In the land of hurricanes and tropical storms, we find the East Coast’s Turbulent Talent Triangle… I’m referring to the movement of talent, to headhunting (yes, within our little sport!) and to new relationships among leading east coast centers of hang gliding activity. But let’s set the record straight. The east may not have the mountain peaks or the sky-high reputation of the west coast but more students are trained in the east than anywhere in America. Look at the list published every month. Nine months into ’98, three schools accounted for 45% of all Hang Is issues and 35% of all Hang IIs issues (LMFP has 28% and 24% by themselves). From these flight factories come people with experience and that’s the point here. • David Glover, until recently manager of Wallaby Ranch is now at Lookout Mountain Flight Park. In doing so he completes a tour that included Kitty Hawk Kites and Wallaby Ranch, the Big Three of flight schools. In fact, many "trainees" came out of Kitty Hawk’s University of Hang Gliding Management & Marketing. Longtime LMFP owner Matt Taber himself apprenticed in the Outer Banks. • In turn Wallaby gave another bunch their jump-off, the group everyone now knows as Quest. So Wallaby’s success has spawned managers for two other sites as Kitty Hawk has probably done for more than a dozen schools. Kitty Hawk even had a west coast influence with the operation in Monterey, California. • But most of this torrid moving around occurred in the east. You could wonder if this has any connection to airparks. Certainly, hang gliding is steadily moving toward being able to provide training at more sites. This brings new students to spend money and create jobs which need management and marketing. Private sites allow commercial developments needed to add students and jobs. More of those seem to exist in the east. ••• For example, this summer I heard from the Rocket City Airsports bunch who told me they’ve "been enjoying our Moyes-Bailey Aerotug and the super skills of Aerotug pilot Mark Cizek since last October (’97)." They fly every weekend from the LZ at the foot of Keel Mountain, a site which saw Alabama’s first 100-mile XC last year. Foot launching is also available as are tandem lessons from experienced instructors. Local operator Rocket City Airsports is about two hours west of Henson Gap and Lookout Mountain, near the space-business capital of Huntsville. The business owns the Keel Mountain site and recently, "purchased eight more acres adjacent to the launch area and are building a better access, parking, storage, and plans for a new shop at Rudy’s Ridge." Training director Jeff Cole uses Falcons, has a great safety record they report, plus RAS offers a full line shop and, doggone it, they’re (rightfully) proud of it all but add, "Sometimes we feel that we are the best kept secret in hang gliding." You can eMail them at robtepat@ro.com (Robert Patterson). ••• Speaking of unsung heroes, Bill Genteman and Arlan Birkett have been serving the sport as Aero Wing in the Illinois/Wisconsin part of the country. I spoke to both these fellows at the giant airshow in Oshkosh last summer. Bill says he’s the owner of prototype Kolb tub (demonstrated for the crowds at the show BTW) and Arlan is Bill’s partner. Heartland individuals like these two show a quiet revolution is going on in hang gliding, a slow move toward towing (though mountains still dominate launches… we think). Midwest pilots can get information at 414-659-8594 (Bill) or 815-495-2821 (Arlan). ••• Here’s the Something Different Dep’t: If Amazon.com doesn’t have "Harry and the Hang Glider," they ought to… this is a dandy book for kids. I’m not sure of the age target as the book actually delves into introductory terms and techniques quite deeply, but it is beautifully done. Using 38 all-color pages, "Harry & the HG" is lavishly illustrated in detailed cartoon drawings by D. D. Mullins and typeset text. The book tells a story about a cottontail who finds a hang glider that has fallen off a hang glider pilot’s truck. The happy owner — a hang glider school it turns out — is glad for the rabbit’s honesty in reporting the loss. Skyhigh Hang Gliding offers lessons which the delighted hare eagerly accepts. Harry goes through intensive (always proper) training and finally flies while his little bird friend Ollie watches. It’s, well… cute, and you know what, kids might go for it. Better yet, bookstores might. Need a $25 kid’s gift anytime soon? Call writer and publisher Randy Kerchill at 520-628-8165 or eMail at skyhipub@flash.net ••• In the Way-Different Dep’t is the not-for-sale "Selected Works of Bob Rouse,1982-1997." Not sure what I had in my hands at first, I became more and more amazed at the scope of what I was viewing. This 90-page book is literally a work of 15 years that starts with Bob’s early store-bought gliders, a Leaf Talon and a Phoenix Mariah. That’s when he began his own tinkering, joining parts of a Seagull IV with the Talon and the Phoenix to make an original glider. "Weird but dull," you say? Unusual maybe, but "Selected Works…" proved to be quite entertaining as I moved through the years with Bob. His artist’s studies — work leading to the actual art — showed fascinating development over the years. • Again you ask, "Is this just a hobby?" I’ll let Bob answer his way: "I design, build, and test fly original concepts in Hang Gliding — as an artform (his emphasis). I have a working studio in an artist colony called ‘Mother Dog’ in the old warehouse district of downtown Houston. I complete one glider per year and show it during the annual ‘Art Crawl’ — when the entire art-warehouse district opens simultaneously." A formerly active pilot, he says "all this fell away as I became more focused on my creative work." • As I got deeply into Rouse’s "art," I realized just how much energy he was spending on this. "Crazy!" you say? Maybe not. Listen to Bob’s story further: "At least one individual is investigating concepts that are non-rogallo and non-paraglider. And even though all my designwork comes from my personal bias and whimsy, it is still possible that I might stumble across something that is practical, or that contains elements/ideas of use to other designers. • By the most recent years Bob’s work has taken on some genuine birdlike appearances, elaborate constructions of immense detail every one of which Bob actually flies! Yet these unusual wings can sometimes also pack down to very small lengths. Too bad you may never see this compilation of art and artistic labor; Bob Rouse’s work deserves mention. ••• Well, couldn’t get to all the news. Next month, we’ll talk about some Mexico tours that are booking up already. Until then, for those that know they like these flying escapades, try Jeff Hunt’s Flymexico at 800-861-7198. ••• Got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Vmail or fax to (new area code/same number) 651-450-0930 or eMail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — I very rarely refer to something already Published in Hang Gliding MagazineHG mag, but this time I feel driven to make an exception. The subject is accidents, a topic eruditely addressed (as always) by Mike Meier in the September issue. ••• Before getting to his essay, I first read what I viewed to be a disturbing set of statistics: 10.1% of respondees to USHGA’s survey (of 1,169 members) reported an injury accident. Two thirds of these among hang glider pilots and more than half the time medical or professional treatment was needed; one sixth required overnight hospitalization. Good heavens! Odds of one in twenty needing a doctor in the next year are not encouraging. Over half appear to be at launch or landing. ••• Combine those sobering facts with Meier’s compelling message about pilot decision making as the primary determinant of safety. We’ll need to work hard if we are to alter the scenario. And, paragliding may be worse! ••• In the July 1998 issue of their combined magazine, Skywings, the British HG/PG association (BHPA) published their own accident investigation. Their overall figures were much less at 2.2% of members injured, however, that broke down further to only 1.6% for their 2,188 Hang members. Balancing the scale was a significant 4.5% of their 4,276 Para members. As disturbing as the American figures was a high degree of moderate or major injury resulting for 69% of Hang pilot injuries and 58% of Para injuries. ••• Look, very few people like to read this type of information, but when the stats are this glaring, they need consideration… PLEASE fly safely! ••• Turning to cheerier news but drawing from the same USHGA survey, you could read for yourself the mix of glider brand market share enjoyed by various manufacturers. The numbers are self-explanatory, but I think I might add a little perspective that mere recitation of the facts won’t bring. Market leader Wills Wing has been on an upward track, gradually but steadily taking an ever-increasing share of the American market. The new survey showed them at a 1990s high of about 47%, no surprise to anyone, right? Maybe… but I say it’s got to be higher, maybe a lot higher. Pacific Airwave is long gone, yet they claimed 25%!? That can’t last and next year or the year beyond, WW will be branded on 60% or more of all gliders sold in America, I’d guess. • Another sleeper is the consistent growth of Moyes, now up to over 12% of the U.S. market. Certainly, new Moyes America director Ken Brown deserves some of the credit for this, but the pattern has been long forming. They’ve grown steadily since I started following closely in the early 90s when they had a modest 3% of the market. • Seedwings remained small but steady at 3% of the U.S. output. Exxtacy, Millennium, or other rigid wings didn’t show up on the radar at all, nor did Predator, Laminar, Extreme, or Topless, further showing how these statistics lag behind current events. ••• In fact, rigid wing expert Dave Sharp (who claims he’s really a mild mannered family man, not a "hot shot") compiled a few stats of his own. He states, "With the exception of the Nationals, the [D-cell rigid wing] Hybrids have won every major meet this summer." He lists the ACC and Millennium, Sandia and Exxtacy, the U.S. Nats title and an Exxtacy, Region 2 Regionals and a Millennium, the Chelan XC meet and an Exxtacy, plus the Wild West and a Millennium. I don’t know the validity of the survey and I’d say it doesn’t matter much. This new wave of wings is more pervasive than anything in years. Even topless flex wings don’t look quite as new in their shadow. • Since Dave also referred to the wave of rigid wings as "Stiffys," I guess it shows we still don’t know what we want to call these aircraft. "Rigid wings" doesn’t sound as accurate as we once thought. Oh well, such heavy issues are better decided over beers or sodas in the LZ. ••• But all this is hang gliding. The other world we inhabit is paragliding. And that carries us to yet another survey. The "combined issue" of Hang Gliding in July had a survey form in the centerfold. As of late August, nearly 700 had arrived with a reported 8-10 more included in every day’s mail. • Did you like it? The early answer: 15 said they were NOT satisfied, but 406 (64%) stated they were "highly or medium highly satisfied." The bigger question is, "Do you think it is time to combine our flying activities into one magazine?" Out of 655 responses, 17 didn’t answer, 454 "voted" to combine, 183 "voted" not to combine. That breaks down to 71% FOR and 29% AGAINST the idea (discounting "No Answer" replies). Voters included 62% Hang pilots, 26% Para pilots, and 12% Both pilots. • Executive Director Phil Bachman, in okaying the early release of figures said, "Be sure to point out that this input is only one of the several factors that must be brought into the equation before the Board of Directors can make a decision to combine or not combine." He cited examples of cost analysis, advertiser’s schedule and related cost effects, subscription revenues, and other details. • Obviously, it’s too early to tell much, but the topic is less contentious than I thought it might be. Cheers to tolerance! ••• Stories ahead include more towparks, a book review, Mexican wintertime flying, and the East Coast "Turbulent Talent Triangle." ••• So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Vmail or fax to (new area code!) 651-450-0930 or eMail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — Response to the mention of Mondial De L’Air (the French light aviation airshow) was surprisingly strong. Though I believed Americans were only mildly interested in international hang gliding news, evidently some readers perceive that European innovations are worth following more closely. Examples of recent impactful developments include topless gliders and D-cell rigid wings… both ideas sailed across the Atlantic to significantly affect the wings we buy and fly here at home. Fascinating. • Anyway, let me provide an address to write for info (several of you asked). Contact: Edition Retine (the same as the publishing office of Vol Libre), 3 rue Ampere, 94200 Ivry-sur-Seine, FRANCE. Call: 011-33-1-46-72-74-60 or fax to 011-33-1-46-58-97-52. Though a 1999 event appears certain, no date has been announced to my knowledge. ••• John Heiney’s new Altair company is about to offer their new Saturn hang glider, proving this isn’t a one-glider company. Every now and then a new glider comes along, but failing to acquire enough market mass, it disappears without a follow-on design ever emerging. Altair appears to have passed this point. • However, while we await more news on the Saturn, Heiney is justifiably proud of achievements by his kingposted Predator in a competition world of topless gliders. John writes, "Paris Williams — who travels for us on the demo circuit — flew his first season of competition this year, and so far he has finished ninth overall at the Sandia Classic and ninth overall at the Nats. Of course the foreign pilots whipped up on the Yanks again, but Paris finished third among the Americans." Understandably impressed with Williams, Heiney added, "And this on a stock, kingpost glider (Predator, of course). With the tragic loss of Brad plus the retirement of Lee and Howe, Paris could be one of the new world team boys. The thing about Paris that impresses me is his consistency. He finished right around ninth every day of the Nats. He really enjoys competition and wants to make the world team." ••• Davis Straub and his "Oz Report" kept wired pilots informed of meet results out in Washington state (a familiar stomping ground for Straub). The Chelan XC Classic attracted almost as many pilots as big national contests, known as it is for excellent over-the-desert cross country potential. • The unofficial results according to Davis show an impressive performance by the Exxtacy — and odds are this isn’t just because Exxtacy is what Straub flies these days. Both top spots were filled with Exxtacy gliders, in the hands of Scott Rutledge in first place and Dave Sharp in second. Wayne Leuth took third in a SX. The first ten places included a total of four Exxtacys, two Fusions, and one each of the SX, a CSX, a Klassic, and a Ram Air. • Though kingpost and topless had more equal numbers than the Atlantic Coast Championships or the Nationals, the continued success of the Exxtacy may foretell the future of competition gliders. No question — certainly when you add the Brightstar Millennium — D-cell rigid wings are enjoying their time in the limelight (although we’ve seen no proof they’ll knock off topless or even the better kingpost gliders). • Straub himself ended up in sixth place. Thanks for the news, Davis! ••• Also out west, the 1998 King Mountain Meet drew well, counting 38 pilots with a score at the end. More notably than at the big national meets with top-ranked pilots, the King Mountain event seemed to deliver fun in a contest environment. Anyone who supports competition agrees that such regional meets are important to develop top pilots for world meets. • Letters via eMail give lots of credit to explain the enjoyable experience many had. "Lisa Tate did an excellent job as meet Director and kept it safe and fun," wrote Kevin Frost. Agreeing that it was a well-run meet, Randy Chaffin added, "Lisa Tate… deserve[s] all the credit in my book." • The winner was Heiner "Pete" Biesel, followed by Al Whitesel and Ken Muscio in third. • Among product observations in the contest (a hallmark of "Product Lines" reporting), Frost expressed, "I didn’t notice the topless gliders really doing much better than the blade wings… but the Exxtacy clearly was a superior wing." ••• To finish, we return to the Mondial story from July’s column. You may recall I wrote excitedly about a French D-cell glider called the Ixbo. Since that story broke, Moyes America honcho, Ken Brown, faxed to say that his organization has secured the distributorship to Tecma’s Ixbo. He expected to have two on hand as you read this, and will sell them at $9,495. To see more on this high performance wing on the Internet, use http://members.aol.com/tecmasport. Call 415-753-9534 or eMail: FlyaMoyes@aol.com. • Moyes America also felt required to note that the replacement Moyes sails available from Airfoil Sales of Australia (mentioned in July 1998 edition of this column), "are not in any way similar to an authentic Moyes Delta Gliders Replacement sail." The U.S. Moyes distributor detailed their comments saying that Airfoil Sales patterns, "are over five years old and do not include factory specified updates." Airfoil surely thinks their sales will work fine and that the customer should choose. Moyes agrees adding, "Buyer beware." • Moyes America is proud to announce that six more Dragonfly tugs are up and running since it took over Moyes distribution in the USA. A great plane and improved support, "are encouraging flight parks to utilize the Dragonfly as the primary tool of the trade," boasts Brown. ••• Outta room again. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Call (new area code!) 651-450-0930, or eMail: CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — Long recognized as the premier hang gliding contest of the year, the 1998 Nationals are over and we have a winner. Well, in a sense, "we" don’t because the two top placing pilots in flex-wings (Class I) are not Americans. Congratulations to one of the world’s winningest pilots, Manfred Ruhmer, flying his Icaro Laminar ST. In second place was a Ukrainian not well known to U.S. pilots. Oleg Bondarchuk flew his Aeros Stealth KPL past the first Class I American, Chris Arai, in his Wills Wing Fusion. All three pilots deserve a virtual round of applause. As with other contest reports, I’ll leave the main story to a follow-up article, but in this edition of "Product Lines" we’ll look at the gliders that made up the field. ••• Certainly the U.S. Nationals bore more than a passing resemblance to the Atlantic Coast Championships last April (both directed by USHGA president GW Meadows, by the way). Among flex-wing models entered, the first eight placing gliders and 21 of 22 of the top-finishing hang gliders were topless types. Logging a respectable performance were two kingposted Altair Predators in positions 9 and 23. Like their prices or not, topless gliders are apparently here to stay — at least in the rarefied world of competition flying. ••• Unlike the ACC, new rigid wings did not make up a substantial portion of the field. That did not prevent these new D-cell constructed machines from doing well, though. When you mix Class I and Class II results (meaning they are not the official results), the smaller showing of rigid wings did very well. • Exxtacy put three of the four entered among the top 15 finishing pilots with Utah hot shot Dave Sharp coming in second overall. Veteran pilot Jim Zeiset came in fourth place in his Exxtacy and Davis Straub took the #15 spot. • With only two entered — and one removed from competition early on — John Borton (aka "JB") took fifth place in his Millennium. JB is the western distributor for Brightstar’s new rigid and he must be enjoying another respectable performance for the new wing (one placed first at the ACC). As it turns out Brian Porter, flying the prototype Millennium, was forced to deploy his parachute when a tip/rudder connection failed in flight. Reportedly, he had not noticed prior damage in this area stemming from a launch crunch the previous weekend. All is well with Brian, but this left only JB flying the new wing in the Nationals. ••• Laminar was the winner not only by securing first place but by having the highest number of aircraft in the meet: 13 gliders or 21% of models listed in the final standings. Of these 13 gliders, 3 of them or 23%, ended up in the top 15 places. • Also with 3 in the top 15 were Exxtacy (75% of those entered), and Moyes’ CSX (43% of those entered). Two of six Fusions also fit into the top 15 but the balance of the top-finishing gliders were different: one each of Stealth, Millennium, Predator, and Xtreme. ••• Looking at all gliders entered according the final results list were: Laminar at 21% of the field, the CSX and Stealth at 11%, Fusion at 10% and Exxtacy at 6%. The preceding accounts for all models with at least four examples represented. • In the next "tier" were three each of the Predator and Klassic, and two each of the Millennium, La Mouette Topless, TR3, K5, and Moyes SX. • A series of single examples made up the remaining eight gliders entered. The final contest results listed a total of 62 participants. • The Dinosaur Nationals were decided based on six rounds of tasks ranging from 78 to 158 kilometers (49-99 miles). ••• Wills Wing announced that they’ve released their 135 Ultra Sport with certification expected by the time you read this. The new model joins the 147 and 166 Ultra Sports in WW’s "high performance intermediate" glider line. It sells for $3,975 suggested retail. This new 135 model is rated for pilots weighing between 120 and 145, effectively covering most women pilots and lighter males although Wills says it will be certified for pilots up to 210 pounds. The company reports that it has "pleasant, easy, well coordinated handling characteristics, a great climb rate, and an extended VG range for maximizing cross country glide." ••• In related announcements to their dealers, Wills indicated engineers are working on a smaller 141 Fusion. They are now flying the second prototype reporting that "the results have been very encouraging." WW also fielded questions about a rigid wing in their future. After a number of dealers and customers asked them about one they state that at present, "We have no such plans. However, if it turns out that this type of wing is what a large percentage of hang gliders pilots want, we will seriously consider such a project." For the present, WW feels that "it’s not clear that enough pilots are willing to pay the substantially higher price, and put up with the substantial increase in weight and transportation difficulty to make it economically feasible for us to develop and market this type of wing." ••• Wrapping up, Airwave USA is boasting the competition successes of their Xtreme 150 topless glider. Designed by Mark "Gibbo" Gibson at Lookout Mountain Flight Park, the new glider is credited with a win at the ACC and the 1998 British Open. ACC flex-wing winner Mike Barber also came in tenth at the Nationals flying the only one entered. • Gibbo reported that Airwave (UK) went through a reorganization and is now guided by Toby Parker. They feel good about their future with the Xtreme doing well and with a World Championship paraglider in their line. In a modern evolution, R&D is no longer done at the factory what with Bruce Goldsmith working on paragliders in the south of France and Gibbo doing his development in the USA. Gibson reports that work is proceeding on a 138 Xtreme to join the already-certified 150 model. • Departing from the K4, Klassic, and Concept, the Xtreme uses a "very high aspect, nearly 100% double surface wing with ultra state-of-the-art components." Gibbo adds, "This glider shares nothing from our past machines." Thanks to lightened parts, he says the 150 Xtreme weighs only 73 pounds and has "great static balance." In addition the Xtreme boasts an easy-to-pull VG system ("only one pull required for full VG"). The glider, developed behind a tug, is said to tow well and claims a very wide flare window. Delivery is 4-6 weeks with standard colors and every glider is flown by Gibbo "to assure customer satisfaction." Info: phone 706-398-9545 or eMail to gibbogear1@aol.com. ••• That’s it! So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or Vmail to 612-450-0930 or use CumulusMan@aol.com for eMail. THANKS!

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Tallard, FRANCE — Across the big drink this month for an airshow lending some international flavor to "Product Lines." ••• Perhaps the most fascinating thing I observed was the proliferation of D-cell wings. The question in my mind is no longer IF D-cell wings will proliferate, but perhaps instead, "Will flex wings survive?" In truth, I don’t see the end of our popular, lightweight, easily folded, easily foot-launched and -landed wings. But I’m less sure of this forecast than I once was. ••• I saw a slightly different version of the Exxtasy called the Revolution (aimed at powered trikes) and two new free flight entries from other manufacturers. • One D-cell wing was from Icaro 2000, builder of the Laminar ST topless flex wing. The other was the Ixbo from Tecma, a French company that few Americans know. La Mouette did not show their Top Secret model. • Icaro’s Lumina is nearly identical to the Exxtasy but uses ailerons versus spoilerons and hooks the pilot’s harness to the controls (versus Exxtasy’s control bar linkup). This allows a side-wired control bar that feels tighter on the ground. • Tecma produces a line of flex wings in France. However, their take on the Exxtasy wave has features that may give it different appeal (meanwhile Exxtasy producer Flight Designs is enjoying great popularity with a reported 400 units delivered in less than two years). Editor Noël Bertrand of France’s Vol Libre hang gliding magazine indicated that Tecma’s Ixbo has completed vehicle testing and has logged several hours in field testing perhaps showing the Ixbo is more market ready. • Tecma’s Ixbo uses the same carbon fiber D-cell and ribs as the Exxtasy as well as similar spoilerons and flaps. However, small details appear to offer improvements over the established leader. For example, the ribs do not use double purchase string tensioning as on the Exxtasy. Rather, a clever lever arrangement allows the pilot to tension the ribs without the hand abuse of the strings. Since the lever scheme also tucks away, a tiny bit less drag is generated and the trailing edge is visually much cleaner without the Exxtasy’s dangling strings. • Also, I watched Exxtasy pilots struggle to get the right fit for flaps that fit snugly into the aft pieces of the ribs and into a center hinge point. I don’t know if a difference of operation exists but the Ixbo’s sewn hinge is cleaner looking and appeared effortless to fit as one slides in the flap insert during setup. • Icaro’s big difference uses pilot movement to directly actuate ailerons (though I have no info on the improvement this offers), and their Lumina employs carbon-fiber flaps and ailerons without a Dacron sleeve. In contrast Exxtasy and Ixbo both use a loose control bar method of activating the spoilerons, although this is said to be helpful for foot-launching in windy conditions. (The technique is to leave the control bar flat on the ground where the shifting wings will automatically move the spoilerons the right way to keep the wing level.) ••• I also saw an Exxtasy mounted on a very lightweight trike prototype built by a local HG instructor. For me, this resolved a question wondering if D-cells might take over for those powered ultralight trikes which currently employ flex wings. In addition to La Mouette’s Top Secret, rumors suggested Air Création (perhaps the world’s largest trike producer) also has a D-cell wing in development. ••• As long as I’m mentioning trikes — and here I refer to trikes aimed at hang glider pilots, not powered ultralight pilots — I saw a unique entry called the Relax which featured a tiny little engine, retractable main gear, and a fiberglass structure. These superlight trikes are obviously aimed at soaring flight as are the Cosmos Samba and Lookout Mountain’s Freedom Machine. ••• Swifts were abundant at Gap/Tallard. No Millenniums were present but with the keen interest in Swifts and Exxtasys, sales may follow for the new Brightstar entry. ••• A few flex wing hang gliders were displayed, but from my perspective they labored outside the limelight enjoyed by the D-cells and soaring trikes. More activity surrounded numerous paraglider and powered paraglider producers. ••• The airshow, called Mondial De L’Air (roughly: "Air World"), was produced by French leader René Coulon’s organization and appeared to have started a new event featuring the light end of aviation. Exhibitors were plentiful, crowds were strong, the weather was superb, the food fascinating, and the French Alps in the south of France made for a stunningly beautiful venue. I hope to attend next year as well. ••• Back in the U. S. of A., I have some items left out last month… from Danny Stephens’ Angle of Attack, who brought you Grippies hang gliding bar gloves, comes Attack Tubes, a line of custom manufactured air foil-shaped down tubes. Why is this newsworthy? One reason tells it all: price. With down tubes running $70 apiece, AoA’s models for half that may find plenty of takers. Yep, Stephens is selling his line for a mere $37.50 each and already has stock for Wills Wing, PacAir, UP, and Seedwings. Order 10 or more at a time and get them for only $35 to include free shipping and handling. Some dealers report AoA’s price is less than their factory dealer cost. You can also order three Attack Tubes and get a free pair of "Semi" Grippies. Stephens says they’ve tested the replacement tubes for strength, quality, fit and finish. Info: Call toll-free: 888-530-9940 or eMail: hydrotex@pacbell. net. ••• Speaking of replacements, Airfoil Sales of Australia faxed that the now-independent company "has been doing a brisk business in replacement sails, particularly [for] the [Moyes] Xtralite and CSX." Proprietor Michael Pendleton says he is "selling all standard makes and models of the XS, Xtralite, SX, and CSX [sails] with Mylar or Dacron/Powerrib mainsail [with] your choice of undersurface colors for approximately $600. Info by fax: dial 011-61-2-4323-3869. ••• In France, the U.S., and around the world, Sport Aviation Publications is doing well with their newest book called "Towing Aloft." Written by Dennis Pagen and former USHGA prez, Bill Bryden, the 384 page book covers all aspects of towing hang gliders. The useful compilation addresses the ever-growing interest in tow-launched hang gliding and sells for only $29.95 plus $3.50 P&H. Info on their web site: www.lazerlink.com/~pagenbks, or call/fax: 814-383-2569. ••• Finally, after years of flying the Big O, "Hungary" Joe Szalai has produced a flying map for the Owens Valley. Popular hang gliding locations are found in bold letters, so the map can be easily used by pilot and chase crew. Best of all, Joe’s map is free. Send a self address, stamped envelope to 25 Whistling Isle, Irvine CA 92614. ••• Got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Vmail/fax: 612-450-0930 or CumulusMan@aol.com for eMailers. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — The season seemed to take off in particularly significant way for me and about a hundred others, as the Wallaby Ranch hosted top-ranked pilots at the Atlantic Coast Championships (ACC). The place was a hotbed of activity as the event opened, right on the heels of the Sun ‘n Fun airshow only 35 miles away. After four days and four rounds, the action was slowed a bit by weather. But I’ve got preliminary results for you as this issue goes to press. You are sure to see a thorough report in the magazine. And those of you on Davis Straub’s eMail list got daily updates. In fact, after fetching results from the web (GW Meadows’ JustFly site) on most days, I got the final figures from Straub’s eMail list. Thanks, Davis! Wired pilots can subscribe at ozreport@kurious.org for no cost. ••• From that report, here’s a summary: After flying consistently for the whole meet, Ramy Yenetz won the rigid wing and overall class flying a new Brightstar Millennium that he borrowed for the contest. He flew one of three in the event. • Mike Barber, flying a new Airwave Xtreme — developed at Lookout Mountain, Tennesse — won flex wing/topless class. He came from behind to unseat Robin Hamilton on a Laminar ST; Hamilton had been in first at the end of four rounds, but suffered with many other pilots as Round 5 served up uneven mileage (only Larry Tudor made goal the last day)… it was a tough day, evidenced by second place finisher, Chris Arai, reportedly taking no fewer than five tows before departing on course. (His determination was rewarded and he moved up to second from third place.) • Nancy Smith won the kingpost class on a Moyes SX2. Look for fuller coverage and official results from meet organizers; all information here is preliminary and unofficial. ••• The distribution of gliders at the ACC reveals the dominance of the topless glider concept, at least for competitions. Through Round 4, topless gliders — flexwing or D-cell — made up the first 35 positions. Of 46 competitors listed, only five kingpost gliders were entered. Rigid wing pilots on a Millennium or an Exxtasy represented over 21%, the highest I can recall since the glory days of the Fledgling in the ’70s. • The Stealth from U.S. Aeros generated the most contestants. Nine of them competed. Given nearly 20% of the field, the Ukrainian glider is showing its sales strength as reported here last month. • In a four-way mix for a nominal second place were eight AV8 Laminar ST models that have found many new customers; seven Moyes’ entries including the down-under company’s topless CSX model (5 competed); no less than seven Flight Design Exxtasy D-cell gliders; and six Wills topless Fusion gliders. Each of these four brands had roughly a sixth of the field. • Grouped in the final tier of the field were three Airwave Xtremes, three Altair Predators, and three Brightstar Milleniums, making their first competitive excursion (bet they’re glad they came!). ••• Results from the contest show interesting results considering the makeup of entry models as we just saw. As the last results were tallied, three models had two-thirds of their entries in the top 15 finishers. Wills Wing’s Fusion had an excellent showing with four of six in the top 15 (including 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 15th). Brightstar should also be happy with two of three entries in the top 15 plus the winner’s circle (1st and 9th). The U.S.-developed Airwave Xtreme also showed well with two of three entries in the top 15 (in 3rd and 10th). Having eight Laminars in the field, the three in the top 15 gives them 38% in the higher ranks. Exxtasy placed two of eight in the top 15, for a 29% representation; the CSX had one of five in the top 15 for 20%; and the Stealth had one of nine entries for an 11% showing in the top 15. Please note that these are merely product observations that claim no contest validity. ••• Performing a 450-point contest via tow launch is no longer the rare event it once was. In fact, towing continues its inexorable climb to put more gliders in the air. I have more reports of towing developments, and they seem to arrive every month. • I misplaced one eMail advisory… forgive me, fellahs, but some pilots west of Chicago have ordered a big-engined Dragonfly and plan to operate from a crop dusting strip (run by one of the partners). If you’ll give me your name and number again, I’ll mention it so area pilots can come by and see what you’ve got. • Gregg McNamee has enlarged and improved his central Florida operation. He’s now based at the Dunnellon airport in the town of the same name near U.S. Highway 41, a few miles west of Interstate 75. The airport is an old Navy base used to train glider pilots for WWII so it seems natural that Gregg is using it to train hang glider pilots. He says, "We’ve got 500 open acres in a square with 7,000 acres of open pasture to the north and more to the west." The airport also supports aerobatic training (in conventional aircraft) and Gregg indicates that the upside-down crowd are glad to have him present. McNamee’s Graybird Airsports kept their same phone for info: 352-245-8263. • And a couple months ago, I made a weak attempt at humor by referring to farming hang glider pilots. I heard from farmer/pilot Jim Watson of Changing Winds Farms. He wanted to tell me that, "Ohio has a great towing setup in Columbus. He often tows behind Willie Hill, who is "tried and true as our tow pilot, as he loves his trike and towing us where ever." Watson also reminded me that Columbus is home to Matt Kollman who is manufacturing his rigid wing Raptor. These new D-cell gliders are definitely on the rise, and Watson added that Kollman "pretty much whips us all." Jim didn’t provide me a phone, but here’s his eMail address for Ohio pilots who want to check out the operation: changingwindsfa@webtv.net. ••• Lots left for next month. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or Vmail to 612-450-0930. Send eMail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MN — Well, I don’t know about you, but I was most impressed in March when I looked at the then-new Hang Gliding. The issue was full of new four-color ads. These were from American companies, too! Terrific. ••• Welcome to eye-catching displays from U.S. & UK Airwave for their Xtreme, developed at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee; from Thinair Designs on behalf of manufacturer Brighstar for the Millennium; and from U.S. Aeros for their Stealths and gear. They join regular color advertisers Seedwings, Wills Wing, and Altair. ••• All totalled, I counted no less than nine suppliers of gliders and that’s the best news I’ve seen in a while. Of these, five brands are Made-in-America gliders. Welcome newcomers! I can’t believe the established brands have much to worry about; their wings have weathered other foreign invasions and new domestic brands. More hopefully, perhaps such combined efforts will help in enlisting in new enthusiasts to the sport. ••• Still the way-ahead market leader, Wills Wing reported some price adjustments to their line. The best news for latest-and-greatest buyers is a price decrease in the top-end Fusion. Yep, WW is lowering the cost of an inventory (that is, not custom colored) Fusion to $5,495. Even a custom job went down $95. • On the other end of their performance scale, the hot-selling Falcon went up $100, to $2,895 retail. Wills announced no change for the Ultra Sport, "in spite of continually increasing costs." The Southern California company said deliveries were running eight weeks as of March, although Wills has long maintained a lengthy list of in-stock gliders. Info: 714-998-6359 or see any dealer. ••• Even with a full order book and lowered prices, WW’s success appears to be having no effect on one of the "newcomers." GW Meadows and his U.S. Aeros partner are quite pleased with their penetration into the American hang gliding marketplace. According to GW, sales are way higher than planned when they wrote their business plan. On an annualized basis, sales are up 500% over target, as the Kitty Hawk, North Carolina-based importer reports already exceeding their year-long forecast for glider sales in the year’s first quarter. • Sales are concentrated on the top end model, the Stealth KPL (kingpostless) which accounted for 70% of their orders. A spring sale may have helped and Meadows is realistic that they may not be able to maintain the torrid sales pace. Nonetheless, U.S. Aeros is gearing up in a big way. • "Pilots have expressed concern over the availability of spare parts," GW said. The response? "We will double our inventory and intend never to be out of stock. One way to assure this is to American-source some parts, for example, downtubes. They’ve bought enough material to make 400 of them. • The tremendous sales surge caught the importer off guard, suggesting a trip to the Ukraine factory to discuss production. The former Soviet country regards Meadows as "their capitalist" in marketing matters and welcomed the visit by GW and partner. "A new production system is in place now," reports Meadows. "We’re quoting 6-8 weeks delivery." • There’s enough excitement about the Aeros brand that even Bill Moyes has requested the distribution for Australia. And three-time World Champ’ Tomas Suchanek has reportedly asked about being the Czech rep. • In related news, Meadows also reports that a 142 Stealth KPL is undergoing British glider certification, which will add to the 130 and 150 models that already have approvals. • "We’re incredibly impressed with the know-how over there," glows GW summing up his visit to the old country. Info: 919-480-3552. ••• Among other importers, new La Mouette/Cosmos rep, Don Reinhard and his Personal Flight business are gearing up to push the French combine’s well-established goods. Since Don can promote both the glider line — including the trail-blazing Topless — and an ultralight trike line, he has a wide spectrum of flight hardware to offer. Though a top world builder, La Mouette has never made much of a dent in the U.S. market, but Reinhard hopes to change that. He’s also ordered a few Cosmos Samba trikes, including one for himself. The littlest model of the powered line, the Samba features a Topless wing complete with hang strap that can be used either as a hang glider or a trike. The trike itself is extremely light and may find favor with soaring enthusiasts as a form of motorglider (much like the Freedom Machine Trike that Matt Taber is also promoting). Info from Personal Flight is available at 800-685-8238 or perflight@aol.com. ••• Running-Out-of-Time Dept.: In case you were avoiding the big crowds for their 25th anniversary last year, Kitty Hawk will host — yes, once again! — the 26th Annual Hang Gliding Spectactular. Surely the sport’s longest-running event, this year they’re focused on the Kitty Hawk Air Games, which they describe as "an air extravaganza." All forms of light flight will be featured including aero towing, paragliding, paramotoring, parachuting, ultralighting, kite flying, and a trade show plus seminars. The event takes place May 8-11 so you still have time to attend if you move quickly. Info: 919-441-4124 extension 11. ••• Outta room with other worthy items; watch here next month. 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!

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ST. PAUL, MN — Folks, right off, I have a couple items of interest that don’t relate to hang gliding products. ••• In the December ’97 issue I wrote about industry leader, Ken Brown. The story mentioned Ken’s employer, a man named Jim Lee, who was killed in an ultralight accident. I didn’t focus on Lee as the story was about Brown. However, perhaps I should’ve spelled it out. Some readers thought I meant Jim Lee, the highly ranked hang glider pilot. THIS IS NOT TRUE. I wrote that the other Jim Lee was an ultralight developer based in the East, while hang glider Jim Lee is not involved with ultralights and lives in the west. Some pilots read the story in December and erroneously put that news together with a reported death at the World Meet in Australia in January, concluding that Jim Lee the hang glider pilot had lost his life. To make matters worse, concerns were expressed to Kathy, wife of Jim Lee (the HG pilot). This surely scared the daylights out of her, so to be even clearer, let me restate: Jim Lee, the hang glider pilot, is very alive and well. ••• Unfortunately, I have bad news of my own that is accurate. As many readers know, I am associated with the Cumulus ultralight motorglider under the business name US Aviation. In late February, after several deliveries had been made on this long-awaited project, designer and manufacturer Jim Collie was killed while flying the factory production prototype. It appears the problem related to a delamination of the D-cell skin which lead to a catastrophic failure of the left wing. Jim was a talented engineer, a man of great integrity, and a credit to the light aviation industry he loved. To say he will be missed is an huge understatement. Many hang glider pilots have inquired about the Cumulus and some had met Collie. Shipments are on hold pending the completion of an investigation. • Now let’s turn to brighter news in the hang gliding community… ••• Yet another Tow Airpark has sprung up, this one in the west which makes it the first of which I’m aware. (If you know of others, please let me know!). The newest addition is the Sierra Dragonfly Club near Carson City Nevada. Currently the club is located at an ultralight park called Parker. They plan to move to Minden, a well known name among sailplane pilots who enjoy the area’s reliable soaring. The Sierra Dragonflyers are expecting designer Bobby Bailey to bring and build their new tug by about mid-May. For more details contact Ray Leonard’s Adventure Sports at 702-883-7070. ••• In additional to aerotowing you’ll be able to see the Millennium since the facility is planned to offer factory service for the new D-cell glider from Brightstar. Sales are initiating for the new competitor to the Exxtasy. I am somewhat aware of the final developments as I’ve just been sent new photos of the wing in flight (looks good!) and because my other employer, BRS, is finalizing a custom-made emergency ‘chute system. The earlier Swifts were sold with a ballistic ‘chute. John Borton, head man at western distributor Thin Air Designs, believes "80% of the purchasers of this glider will opt for a ballistic ‘chute." ••• Speaking of ‘chutes, Mike Sandlin wants to give his away. In truth, after being inspired by Charlie Baughman’s Inverted Hang System giveaway, Mike says, "I have a similar non-product." He refers to his "keel-stabilized hang glider drogue ‘chute." He’s had drawings and text guidelines on the Internet for a year at www.wallaby.com/mackey/drogue. After becoming satisfied with the finished version, Mike now wants to share it… although you’ll have to make your own. He says he’s been flying with it for seven years and uses it on almost every flight as it makes landings easier and safer. Sandlin reports, "The effects on glider handling are minor and the steep glide and short ground skim are major confidence builders in tight situations." Also check the hang glider home page for more details and then, help yourself! ••• Wallaby enjoyed a huge event as Wills Wing launched their 25th Anniversary Celebration. In three days of good weather (thanks, El Nino, for backing off a little), the Ranch logged 426 tows! Three tugs ran consistently and manager David Glover says no one ever waited more than ten minutes. Altitudes reached 5,000 feet and many pilots recorded four hour flights. Not much cross country occurred because of an impending party under the "big tent." Over 130 pilots were present, including representatives from no less than 42 WW dealerships, both U.S. and overseas. The best news: zero problems, zero injuries. Amen! ••• However, since nobody wanted to leave the party, Wallaby’s $1,000 prize for the first flight to reach Georgia went unclaimed. It could happen! The previous record was 147 miles and that’s getting close. If your own glider isn’t good enough for the gold, rent one from the Ranch. Manager David says they have topless gliders plus the Exxtasy and Millennium available. They’ve sold over a dozen of the D-cells already and deal in both. ••• Coming up soon — also at Wallaby (don’t these guys ever tire?) — is GW Meadow’s Atlantic Coast Championships. This event will take place the last week of this month, precisely placed right at the end of the big Sun ‘n Fun airshow. Mike "Hollywood" Champlin is organizing a Cross Country and Competition Symposium. He says he’s already enlisted "name flyers" like Mark "Gibbo" Gibson and Mike Barber. He has also tentatively lined up Larry Tudor, Jim Lee, Brad Koji, and Chris Arai (if all elect to compete). The all-day event is planned for Saturday 4/25/98 just before the contest begins. Info: Wallaby at 941-424-0070, or mechamplin@flinet.com. ••• Outta room. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or Vmail to 612-450-0930. Post eMail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MN — Back home in the not-so-cold north (with a surprising "thanks" to El Nino), the year started off with some unhappy news. ••• In mid-January, Acme Glider Company boss Terry Reynolds wrote all TR3 owners and other interested parties. "We have given it our best and we just cannot go on any longer. We have to cease operations," he expressed. • After facing the true cost of building his exotic glider in small volume Terry concluded, "There is no chance that we can charge enough to cover reasonable costs of production and distribution at present volumes." Acme says the TR3 had direct manufacturing costs of $8,000 per glider, before accounting for R&D payoff, office expenses, and any other non-manufacturing expenses. • Acme made arrangements with Lookout Mountain’s Matt Taber to provide future support for their gliders. "Matt has assured us that he is wholeheartedly enthusiastic in taking on this project," the company reported. Taber is prepared to handle airworthiness directive work as well as lesser tasks. Info: 706-398-3541. • Sailmaker Mike Zidziunas will still do sail repairs and replacements on a part time basis. Info: 813-526-3629. • However, even as he closed his factory doors Reynolds left an opening saying, "If someone who is qualified, [and] has the resources… would like to pick it up from here, GenTech Corporation would be happy to sell Acme Glider Company and the rights to build the TR3 for $10 and other valuable consideration." Ever wanted to be a glider manufacturer? • It’s significant to add that Reynolds reported, "Everybody [suppliers] got paid, and everyone who ordered a glider received it." That hasn’t always been the case and it’s to Terry’s credit that he’s taking care of business professionally. Reynolds also wanted to acknowledge the "huge amounts of time and effort freely donated to the project by people whose only motivation was the desire that it succeed." • I am always regretful when a manufacturer leaves the business in hang gliding, especially when people work at it as hard as did Terry and his supporters. Thanks and good luck, Terry! ••• While aero towing steals much of tow limelight these days, other forms are alive and well as proven by Canadian Francois Thibodeux’s Dumbo winch system. His product is a stationary, self-contained winch on a trailer. A slick product brochure shows a very professional-looking system as good as anything I’ve seen on a European Aero Club field (which says a lot; they’re heavily invested in such gear throughout Europe). • Compared with operating one or more tug aircraft and having highly experienced tug pilots, a stationary winch might be less cost and hassle. With good operators step towing has become routine, allowing launches to thousands of feet above a field. • Powered by a brand new Volkswagen industrial engine, the Dumbo winch should provide many years of launches. Tandem loads are easily handled by the 1.8 liter, four cylinder engine. Since it’s also four-stroke, noise and fuel economy should be better than an aero tug. • These things aren’t cheap, but at $17,849, the Dumbo winch is still a lot less than some aero tugs, and it may require less maintenance (or at least less often). Info: 514-343-9611. ••• Matt Taber offers yet another way aloft, other than aerotowing, winching, or mountain launching. His new Freedom Machine is a powered trike built for hang glider pilots, priced fairly at $5,500. Hook it up to your hang glider, the trike carriage tips the scales at only 90-95 pounds. The Zenoah 250 engine is in-air restartable, and even better, this thing comes fully assembled and ready for set up. • Taber has earned a reputation for correctly reading the hang gliding market and developing products for the community. The Freedom Machine is F.A.R. Part 103 legal, meaning your current abilities are enough to fly this powered aircraft without an FAA license (though of course, some training is needed for those with no power experience). Info: 706-398-3541. ••• Two new harnesses have recently come to my attention. One is from Taber and called the GT Race, for $899. Loaded with long list of features, Lookout Mountain says the harness is for those who "demand top performance… without compromise." ••• The other is from hot-selling U.S. Aeros, who now backs their Ukrainian gliders with a new harness of their own. GW Meadows says it, "could not be any more streamlined unless it didn’t have a main hang strap." U.S. Aeros sells it for only $699, inviting Meadows to state, "We’re determined to lower the price of hang gliding." • By the way, GW added near the end of January, "Aeros [gliders] are kicking some royal butt in OZ (World Champs)." The details may be known by the time you read this. Info: 919-480-2774. ••• Just down the bluff edge from the Tree Toppers’ magnificent Henson Gap flying site, an old friend from Dunlap, Tennessee is making hang glider clocks. A longtime artisan, Charlie Yowell has created some interesting flight Objets d’ Art over the years. His new Cloud Clocks are 100% wood, painted to bring out the contours of the clouds which make up the face of his wall-hanging timepiece. The hour, minute, and second hands are tipped with colorful hang gliders which circle round and round in an endless thermal. A 7-jewel movement assures the correct time. The Cloud Clocks — which sell for $45 plus $5 S&H — are 16-19" wide and about 12" tall so you can see them easily from across the room. Further info: Rt. 2 – Box 80, Dunlap TN 37327. ••• To close, an update on the Superior Dragonflyers. A oversight caused omission of the other members helping Minnesotan, Doug Johnson. He reports, "I have 7 partners." Doug wants to acknowledge their valued cooperation. Info: 218-723-1738. ••• Outta room again! So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Vmail or Fax to 612-450-0930. Send eMail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. — Well, we’re into 1998 and news is already starting to provide advance notice of an interesting year. ••• But first, I want to go back a few months and reflect on comments I’ve written about the so-called "decline of hang gliding." At the November ’97 USHGA board of directors meeting, a few leaders took me to task for "being negative." As I explained to them, stating the facts (of factory closures or other leaders’ comments about what might be done to "fix" hang gliding) does not mean I think hang gliding is in a death dive. Hardly! • What I related are business realities — such as Airwave shuttering a plant where paragliders were produced. (More on that below.) To ignore that the hang gliding community has challenges is to stick one’s head in the sand. I won’t do that, yet I’ve been a hang gliding cheerleader for 25 years and that won’t stop either. This is still a terrific sport with a bright future. All I meant was that we needed to be aware of our shortcomings and to do something about them. It is further true that while some enterprises fail and go out of business, others are doing well. Among them are, to give only two examples from opposite coasts, Pat Denevan’s Mission Soaring and Malcolm Jones’ Wallaby Ranch. Each reported a good year. I’m positive more hang gliding businessea are also thriving and for that I’m thankful. You can help by telling me about successes. I promise to faithfully report both the good news and the bad… anything less is deceptive to readers of this column. Well, enough of that. Here’s some fun news for the new year! ••• First, Airwave. As heard from Lars Linde and Greg Black of East Coast Paragliding, Airwave is still making paragliders and had the "best year ever, with John Pendry winning the Worlds." I’m pleased to hear that of course. (The earlier column reported that they closed a plant in England, but this was only a change and not a permanent ending of their activities in producing paragliders.) As do the majority of paragliding manufacturers, Airwave sources canopy sewing from Asia. In fact most manufacturers — of anything — often bring in components from other builders and assemble them at their own plants. This is the way of the global economy and HG/PG producers are merely being modern. ••• Greg Black also related his experience with Matt Taber and Gibbo’s new Airwave Extreme hang glider. The Lookout Mountaineers developed the glider and succeeded well enough that Airwave UK bought the design and will manufacture and distribute it under their brand name. • Black expressed that he was very pleased with its great static balance and its performance. The Extreme is small, only 137 squares, but has demonstrated well for pilots hooking in at 215 and 250 pounds. I guess my age is showing, but I remain amazed at how much performance contemporary designers are wringing out of so few square feet of wing. ••• Greg and partner Lars are importing the Woody Valley harness line from Italy. While not well known in the U.S. (yet), the brand enjoys wide acceptance across the Atlantic as it is reportedly used by La Mouette, Icaro, and Flight Designs — maker of the Exxtasy who values the clean harness as speeds on their D-Cell glider are higher. Here at home, Black reports that Dennis Pagen, Jim Zeiset’s Green Team, and Nelson Howe have flown with the harness (although see below on a Howe update). One distinguishing feature is a fairing arrangement that works to streamline the harness when you pull your arms in close. In fact, Greg claims, "[It’s] the most aerodynamic harness on the market." It is available in four different models. Info: 732-747-7845. ••• Brightstar has firmed up distribution of their new Millennium D-Cell glider entry, appointing Mountain Wings as the east coast rep to complement Thin Air Designs who has exclusivity for all lands west of the Mississippi in America and Canada. While Wallaby Ranch reports brisk sales of the D-Cell Exxtasy, Mountain Wings boasted an early three sales of the Millennium, even before any marketing occurred. ••• One big change in the who-flies-for-whom scene is Nelson Howe joining the Wills Wing competition team. WW announced in their December newsletter to dealers that the number one ranked U.S. pilot will fly with such top guns as Jim Lee, Chris Arai, Chris Muller, Mark Bennett, Pete Lehmann, Mitch Shipley, and Mitch McAleer. Howe was to compete in the World Championships in Australia. He already placed second in the Pre Worlds last year. • Wills also reported finishing development of a keel fin or "Stabilizer." They say, "It has a noticeable effect on yaw stability, making any glider easier to fly straight, and is especially helpful for towing." The WW Stabilizer is available as a retrofit kit for any glider, including a sleeve and pin to modify the rear keel to accept it. The retrofit kit retails for $86.25. See any Wills dealer. • By the way, this month kicks off activities for Wills Wing’s 25th anniversary featuring a tow fly-in at Wallaby. Info: 714-998-6359. ••• U.S. Aeros continues to establish the Ukrainian brand in the America, thanks to efforts by proprietor GW Meadows. Cost is one advantage as the models carry prices well under any brand I know. The Stealth KPL (kingpostless) "is selling exceptionally well," claims GeeDub, and the middle 142 size should be European certified by the time you read this. However, price isn’t everything and Meadows lists a few other attributes that are grabbing pilots. • According to GW, all models "tow very straight," important in our increasingly tow-oriented HG community. Another reason for the sales success is the "active camber" system featured on the Stealth KPL which lets the wing grow fatter during VG-off settings and thinner during VG-on settings. Unusual among hang gliders, the control bar is raked aftward which "gives the pilot a lot of flare authority" allowing for easier landings, says Meadows. U.S. Aeros stocks loads of replacement parts including downtubes, which can be exchanged without tools. • These things are good, but you simply can’t ignore the savings. For example, to help place Stealth KPLs around the country, U.S. Aeros is offering an extra-special deal until March 1st. Before that date, you can order the topless glider for only $4,320 through any of their dealers. Meadows says, "That’s $1,700 less than the nearest priced topless glider on the market." You can have your choice of colors and take delivery in six weeks. Seems worth a call, doesn’t it? Info: 919-480-2774. ••• Hey! Outta room with news remaining. See ya next month. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Vmail or fax to 612-450-0930. Send eMail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — A couple months ago, this entire column focused on D-Cell gliders. Now a new story seems to be emerging, even in the depths of a cold winter. The operative words in the story are: Tow Airparks. Actually, several terms are used to describe these flying places, but nothing obscures the trend of more and more dedicated places where towing occurs. I view this as a tremendously good thing as it makes hang glider far more available than mountain-based flying alone can. ••• Of course, we’re all familiar with the big Florida tow airparks Wallaby and Quest plus Gregg McNamee’s operation. And most of you know Lookout Mountain offers aero towing. Over on the coast John Harris’ Kitty Hawk Kites doesn’t miss a trick, offering their own tow operation at the nearby Currituck County Airport. Just north of Chicago in southern Wisconsin is Brad Kushner’s enterprise. "He’s now grown to 150 members and four Dragonfly tugs!" reports Doug Johnson of Duluth, Minnesota. ••• He should know, having recently discussed tow operations with several of bigger businesses. This is in preparation for his own Dragonfly towing activities that will commence by summer ’98. Yep, way up in Duluth, Doug plans to offer regular tugging and tandem. After visiting Kushner’s site, an airport operator in Superior, Wisconsin approached Johnson offering him space at the airport. Doug had been platform towing, but liked the potential of aero towing. "It’s the #1 teaching method," he feels, and certainly he thinks he can do more instructing with towing than by seeking out limited training sites near Duluth. Superior, Wisconsin is just across the state line from the northern city. Info: Skydog@cp.duluth.mn.us or 218-723-1738. ••• Back east a bit takes us to the lower section of Michigan and two more Dragonfly tugs. They’ll operate together at Lisa and Tracy Tillman’s 80-acre sod farm which will now become a… you guessed it — tow airpark. A few months ago, I reported that the Tillman’s Cloud 9 Aviation took delivery on a 914 Dragonfly (the numbers standing for an especially potent, 115-horse engine that drives it up spectacularly). Behind that workhorse, Norm Lesnow provided tandem training. Due to excellent activitiy — over 120 tandem tows in the last six weeks before winter — Norm has purchased a second 914 Dragonfly. Let me tell you, folks, this represents a substantial investment… by all operators. Norm also went through the process of getting properly certified for tandem. The tug duet will be operated under the banner of the Drachenfliegen Soaring Club, says Lesnow. Info: Cloud 9 Aviation at 313-669-8449. ••• Nearly all the operations depend on and therefore thank Bobbie Bailey for his design of the popular Dragonfly tug. His association with Bill Moyes has resulted in increased production and worldwide representation. When he’s not wintering in Australia with Bill, Bailey is based at Quest where buyers often receive training and ideas for their own sites back home. Interestingly, Doug Johnson reported that Bobbie will come to his site to build the plane and train the buyer… a fascinating variation of doctor house calls. ••• For that majority of you who’re still intent on jumping off mountains, Ole Olson offers you a great warm choice this winter. Recently he announced that he’ll have new gliders from Altair, AV8, and Moyes for demo flying. Ole will do his guide thing from December through April while as some of us remain frozen solid. Sites this year include Valle de Bravo, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Nevado de Toluca (featured in the July ’97 centerfold photo). "Interest has been good," says the energetic Olson. Info: Skytours@juno.com. ••• In another month, Wills Wing turns 25!, something of a milestone in our sport. In their anniversary month the big glider builder will celebrate at one of the tow airparks that has consumed most of this column. Wills has selected Wallaby Ranch to host a fly-in Feb 18-25 plus a dealer seminar on the 25th. "Factory demos of our entire product line will be available…" throughout the week, they say. • Pat Denevan will bring his Nintendo 64-based virtual reality flight simulator. I’ve flown this recently and its a trip that you won’t want to miss. • The Wallaby-Quest Corridor is a fertile soaring area (a sailplane operation is in between) that offers loads of other activities for the family or non-flyable days. For a great winter escape, go south and join WW’s party for their 25th Anniversary. ••• Later in the season, GW Meadows will host his Atlantic Coast Championships at Wallaby Ranch in yet another concession to the impact of these Tow Airparks. More on that as we get closer, but plan on the last week of April, just after the nearby Sun ‘n Fun airshow ends. ••• Wow! Outta room once again. I’ll have more good stuff for next month. So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. V-mail or fax to 612-450-0930, or send eMail to CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!

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