Search Results for : Flight Design

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Back from warm San Diego to the "Deep Freeze" of Minnesota, I’m still in shock. It’s already hit 25 below zero and we have an average "snow load" of nearly 40 inches, the most snow ever on record for this time of year. Oh, brother! Good news, though. My wife Randee and I are splitting the snow scene for a two month respite. Yup! We’re headed to Chattanooga for the months of January and February, so you needn’t shed any tears for us this winter. In fact this is no vacation; instead it is an off-site working situation that we’ve been carefully arranging for several years. You’ll note a new address at the bottom of this old-timer column, BUT… the address will change back to Minnesota on about March 1st. So, if you’re one of the many who are kind enough to send along your opinions or news, do so to the address below only through the end of February.

ST. PAUL, MINN — With elections behind us (thankfully!) and strains of the "Little Drummer Boy" already driving us a little crazy, we’re in the Christmas season once again. I wish all of you warm holidays with family and friends. Now, on with news in hang gliding. ••• In recent years and months, the glider building business has been remarkably stable (or is that "quiet?"). Wills Wing continues to display dominance of the U.S. scene and also populates sites in Europe, Japan, and elsewhere. Pacific Airwave holds the second seat securely after recovering from the usual trauma of a move. Downwind from these leaders the field is less distinct. Seedwings labors along with their beautiful machines, albeit in smaller numbers but maintaining a ferociously loyal following. Moyes proved to be an import star in last year’s survey and we’ll soon see if the new one you received last month shows a continued success.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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