Search Results for : CT AND hand control

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Can you believe another year is about to slip away? Sure seemed to fly by to me. I’ll bet the same is true for Ken Brown. He’s had quite a year since about this time last fall when we discussed activities at Pacific Airwave. ••• As you are all aware now, the Salinas company became history shortly after that conversation in late 1996. By the Sun ‘n Fun airshow in Florida last April, Ken was working with Jim Lee, a producer of float-equipped trikes. It looked like a great business opportunity, putting Lee’s expanding business together with Ken’s experience in wing making. (Smaller trike builders often buy wings from other suppliers for trike carriages they manufacture themselves.) • However, Lee was tragically killed while flying a modified ultralight-type aircraft at Sun ‘n Fun. Ken’s future with Jim’s company faded quickly for reasons beyond his control. • After more adjustments, Brown has landed what appears (to me) to be another excellent chance to stay in the fly biz.

ST. PAUL, MINN — Back home after attending the big Sun ‘n Fun airshow and just before that another USHGA board of directors meeting in Colorado Springs (the HQ of the association for those of you just back from another planet). ••• One of the evenings involved a little party at Yoo-shga offices. While the directors and a crowd of perhaps 50 persons milled about, someone pulled old copies of this magazine off the neatly organized shelves. Editor Gil Dodgen, myself, and several others enjoyed the memory lane trip of rifling through the old rags. • As many of you recall, this column, starting its nineteenth year with this issue (!!), is a take off from the old Bill Allen "Flying Bull" column that ran back in the late ’70s. When Bill had to step down, he called for a writer to succeed him. When none came forth, I adapted — and always gave credit to Bill for — his style within my own Whole Air magazine.

HENSON’S GAP, TENN. — When I have the opportunity to write from Dunlap, TN — the self-declared "Hang Gliding Capital of the East" — I enjoy writing "Henson’s Gap" at the head of this column. I’m still here and loving it. ••• News this month includes some different stuff. First is a fascinating project just getting underway by my old friend, Tim Morley. Many Californians know Tim and a number of others will remember him as the longtime Wills Wing touring rep (a few souls before Larry Tudor took over nearly a decade ago). After his WW tenure, Tim had an accident when flying tandem. A fairly minor incident injured his spine in a way that took him out of foot-launched hang gliding. Talking to him on the phone, you’d never know, so upbeat is his attitude and enthusiasm for light flight. • Morley’s got a great idea to help disabled folks sample light flight.

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

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

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

ST. PAUL, MINN. — About now, the Holidays are demanding lots of time. To help, this "Product Lines" focuses on gifts. ••• At the board meeting in Lake Tahoe, directors got a preview of USHGA’s 1995 calendar. It’s a beaut’. Slightly wider than last year, a right column text area gives details about the photo, including camera equipment used. Learn from this and next year one of the stunning pictures of hang gliding/paragliding could be yours. See the color ad in this issue and order a few. We all know hang gliding "shows well," so you can buy these calendars for friends or family who don’t fly. ••• HG entrepreneur, GW Meadows and his Just Fly organization have a whole bunch of nifty Christmas notions. GW’s got something else, too: a promise to ship items as late as December 23rd (a Friday), so you can get them in time for Sunday gift opening.

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Last month, I delivered some "disturbing talk" about an alleged "hang gliding decline" (according to the FAI). I also mentioned doubt for FAA changes desired by USHGA. ••• I remind you that FAI/CIVL rep,’ Dennis Pagen, indicated the so-called decline doesn’t seem to include the USA. Sure enough, at the recent association board of directors meeting, those manufacturers present were very upbeat. USHGA’s Planning Committee also continued their meetings. (The PlanComm is a forward-looking group within the board whose task it is to help forecast the future and aid USHGA in preparing for same.) This bunch of leaders debated methods of accommodating FAA’s resistance to earlier requests. It appears now that regardless of agency actions, USHGA has alternative plans. Among these discussions were moves to distance hang gliders from ultralights — which are grouped together under Part 103. The goal is to keep hang gliding less regulated while in fact, ultralights may get more regulation.

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Ahh… April, when the living gets easier up here in the long-frozen tundra. All over America, trees are sprouting leaves and the thermals are poppin’. Let’s see what’s news. ••• From the end of last year, Dennis Pagen — USHGA’s rep to the CIVL of FAI — reports that the international organization is concerned about the "decline of hang gliding." Dennis clarifies, "While the sport appears healthy [in America], such a statement [by CIVL] should not come as a surprise for it has been well reported that hang gliding is disappearing in many countries of Europe. Paragliding has superseded it because of the ease of access to airtime paragliders afford. Even if the same process does not occur in our country, the disappearance of hang gliding elsewhere will hurt our pilots as manufacturers sell less, fewer products become available and hang gliding receives less media attention." ••• Disturbing talk.

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Spring has nearly arrived marking the start of a new season. ••• Last time I mentioned a new gizmo from Japan competition-bound Chris Arai… in the Orient on assignment for Wills Wing. Named the Tangent Flight Computer, Arai calls it a "radical departure" from standard instruments, coming closer to what sailplane pilots have on board. After three years of development Arai flew with the TFC in the ’93 Owens Worlds. Since he came in Second, you might imagine it augmented his skills. The Tangent includes all the regular vario/deck features such as airspeed, altitude, rate of climb, and barograph. However, its specialty is implementing speed-to-fly theory (which mystifies many of us). Using audio tones — instead of clumsy speed rings — the pilot is told to speed up or slow down (no need to look at a dial). You won’t need math theory to run the Tangent.