ST. PAUL, MINN. — Wallaby’s Open started the season with a bang. While wet spring weather brought challenges, four valid rounds left Ukrainian Oleg Bondarchuk as the winner of the flex-wing class, beating Italian Manfred Ruhmer and Yankee Paris Williams in a field of 72 pilots. Mike Barber (6th), Chris Arai (10th), Jim Lee (17th), and Curt Warren (18th) were among Americans in the top 20 finishers. u For rigid wings now grouped in Class 5, Alex Ploner held his title taking first over fellow Italian Christian Ciech. Top Yankees were Bruce Barmakian, Davis Straub, Campbell Bowen, and Heiner Biesel in 4th through 7th respectively. This class saw ATOS dominating with 63% of the field, Ghostbusters at 13% and five other models in the field of 24 Class 5 rigids. u Brian Porter again won in Class 2 rigid wings flying his Swift, though he competed only against Brit’ Robin Hamilton in another Swift.
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Product Lines – May 04
St. Paul, Minn. — Time is growing short! Perhaps by the time you read this, FAA may have issuedtheir new rule called Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft (SP/LSA). • Why should you care? Well, perhaps you don’t. If you fly solo in your hang glider or paraglider and are not towed aloft by a tug of some kind, you may continue to operate under F.A.R. Part 103 as blissfully as ever. However, if you’re one of the many who enjoy aerotow launches, you may be impacted by this rule. • The good news is… the trio of Jayne Depanfilis, Mike Meier, and Bill Bryden have been pursuing actions on the new rule and have the matter quite well in hand. The issues of two-place flying have been addressed and face few obstacles. Aerotowing, however, is less certain. Operations such as Lookout Mountain Flight Park have been fighting local battles with adversaries who brought FAA into the picture.
Product Lines – April 03
St. Paul, Minn. — It’s almost spring, even up here in the southern Tundra. But in Florida, they’re already hot to trot. THIS is the big month of tow park competitions, made all the hotter by the vigorous business competition between Wallaby and Quest. With their different styles they make an interesting contrast. Both have become vital to hang gliding in the US of A. s As the dueling meets approach, I want to mention that Wallaby was still inviting volunteer help for their April 20-26 contest as this issue went to press. Contact them at 1-800-WALLABY (925-5229) or fly@wallaby.com. The same may apply to Quest a week earlier (April 12-18). FMI: 352-429-0213 or questair@sundial.net. lll Wills Wing has reached a milestone achieved by few in aviation going all the way back to the Wright Brothers and beyond. Out of hundreds of aircraft companies of all types, few can say they’ve produced over 20,000 flying machines.
Product Lines – March 03
St. Paul, Minn. — Welcome to a new era for your magazine. After two tests and two surveys of the membership, USHGA has launched its new combined magazine. s I touched on this last month as I congratulated Gil Dodgen for his 25 years of service. But the magazine you are holding is indeed the most significant physical product of USHGA. Hope you’re enjoying the new look. lll These magazine changes come amid another sweeping change in American light aircraft operation. FAA is expected to release its new Sport Pilot and Light Sport Aircraft rule in the summer or fall of 2003. Many European powered aircraft makers are paying very close attention to this development as they see a golden opportunity to enter the world’s largest aviation marketplace. True, hang gliders and paragliders are well protected from the heavy hand of the law by virtue of the USA’s simple Part 103 rule which will NOT change.
Product Lines – March 01
ST. PAUL, MINN., — It’s history by the time you read this, but at the time of writing I was looking forward to seeing the Stalker in person at the Indianapolis Air Sports Expo, that gathering of sport aircraft of many types. The Aeros Stalker is a long time coming perhaps because it features numerous differences from other rigid wing designs. ••• Importer GW Meadows says Aeros has a full roster of competitive gliders for the new year, of which the Stalker is just one. He says, "The Stealth Combat is currently available in the 154 size, but a smaller size is currently being worked on at the factory." He believes that Combat is not only tops in performance, but is very user friendly as well. Aeros says the glider completed and passed the German hang glider certification tests. Combat uses 7075 springtip ribs, a Matrix top sail, in-flight self adjusting sprogs, and the Ukrainian producer says their reflex system supports more of the trailing edge of the glider.
Product Lines – February 04
ST. PAUL, MINN. — More news seems to surround power and hang gliders or paragliders.
Why? Well| first, it’s winter. Less flying occurs, at least in the northern latitudes.
So pilots are talking about gear and powered harnesses and nanotrikes
are part of the discussion. Secondly, expressions of interest by soaring pilots may
be a result of USHGA gaining member approval for adding these machines to the mix
(nanotrikes are not presently included; only foot launched aircraft). Add one more
fact, the steadily-increasing age of HG&PG pilots, and no one should be
surprised that discussion includes power (and wheels). With that in mind, I like
to dispense with one item right now.
Corrections Dept.: In August last year, I wrote about some spectacularly high
flights accomplished by Minnesota pilots using powered harnesses for their initial
launch into huge thermals. I also said, because that’s what I understood, that all
four pilots reaching 10,000 feet AGL used NRG Mosquito harnesses sold by Bill
Fifer of Traverse City Hang Gliders.
Product Lines – February 02
ST. PAUL, MINN. — As you read this, the 2002 Air Sports Expo is happening. Hope you made it. This event — a rare traveling indoor air show — has great potential for new enthusiasts to find hang gliding and paragliding, I believe. Of course, they may also find sailplanes, ultralights, aerobatic aircraft, R/C models, and more since the show features all these elements of sport aviation. u EAA has a magazine called “Sport Aviation.” Yet their coverage isn’t what we might call “sport aviation”(unless you consider homebuilding an aircraft a “sport”). Conversely, the Air Sports Expo features the kind of flying that’s done strictly for fun, for sport. Some of those EAA aircraft are 200-mph transportation alternatives. Building and flying them may also be for sport, but the aircraft themselves can serve a purpose of transport. Nothing wrong with that, but it isn’t what we do (nor is it what sailplanes, ultralights, aerobatic aircraft, or modelers do).
Product Lines – February 01
ST. PAUL, MINN., — Aeros is finally getting ready to show their new Stalker rigid wing entry after much design work and generating considerable market interest. U.S. Aeros, the Yankee distributor for the low-price producer, will show the Stalker at this month’s Air Sports Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana (7-10 Feb.). The show will present lots of aircraft from sailplanes to ultralights to aerobatic machines, plus RC models, powered parachutes, and, of course, hang gliders. Typically hang gliding enjoyed a good turnout at these events. • I believe the Air Sports Expo has the potential to be a powerful marketing tool for all the air sports and I encourage all midwest pilots to try to make the event. Contact fellow organizer, David Newill, at 317-873-2262 or go to www.soar-indy.dhs.org • If you attend you can examine the Aeros Stalker up close and personal. To date, only a private web site has let dealers (and the odd reporter) have a first glance.
Product Lines – February 00
ST. PAUL, MINN., — Bits and pieces are floating around in the aftermath of a new millennium and celebrations of grand style around the globe. It’s a good time of year to catch up on details before a new contest and soaring season begins. ••• Why did Aeros name their new rigid wing, "Stalker?" Aeros is the maker of the Stealth topless hang glider, which has achieved amazing U.S. market penetration. To explain the choice of names for their new rigid glider — which conjures a negative image for many Americans — Aeros identified "Roadside Picnic" as a popular novel with a mystical theme. In the book "Stalker" is the main character, idealized as "Neither hunter nor militarist, he’s just trying to survive, to understand, to learn… fearless and courageous, a pathfinder, an explorer, looking for happiness." OK, very positive and perhaps very appropriate for a new high-perf glider, but the name is still odd for American consumption.
The First Two Ultralights with the New HKS Engine
It isn’t often I can do “scouting party” duty on engines. Powerplants aren’t normally my focus. They
are a necessity for flight, but they aren’t my main attraction. A great many pilots I’ve met appear to be just the reverse: They are extremely interested in engines.
I enjoyed the chance to fly behind the first European and first American installations of the new 60-hp HKS 700E 4-stroke from Japan’s HKS Company Ltd. With that in mind, this pilot’s report is rather different. We’ll look at this new engine on two different aircraft.
As all Ultralight Flying! readers know, Rotax has enjoyed great success for more than a decade as an ultralight engine supplier. After dominating the 2-stroke market, Rotax introduced the 81-hp Rotax 912 4-stroke, which has become a popular powerplant choice for sport aviation aircraft.
Is a 4-Stroke Better?
All 4-stroke engine manufacturers trumpet their advantages over 2-strokes: lower fuel consumption, quieter operation, longer time between overhaul, and reliability.
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