ST. PAUL, MINN. – Here’s an interesting perspective on the World Meet in Hay. The
missing Manfred (Ruhmer) saw the event in his own way and expressed himself
clearly. He didn’t go|which also means somebody else got to win after Manfred has
won the last two World Meets. In the fifteen World meets that have been held since
1976, only one man has achieved more. Tomas Suchanek won the event three times
running, a record. Looking at the history of hang gliding’s
main worldwide competition, a New Zealand pilot unknown to most Americans, Terrence
Delore, won the first event. He was followed by Josef Guggenmos, the talented
German wing designer (’79); by Brazilian Padro Paulo Lope (’81); by famous Australian
Steve Moyes (’83); by British legend John Pendry (’85); by another Australian
Rick Duncan, now a partner in AirBorne (’88); by Robert Whittall who also
went on to paragliding competition fame (’89); and then three times in a row by Czech
pilot Tomas Suchanek (’91, ’93, and ’95); by German Guido Gehrmann (’98); twice by
Manfred (’99 and ’03); and now by Ukrainian star, Oleg Bondarchuk (’05).
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Thorp T-211
Thorp T-211 Sport E
From the world of general aviation aircraft comes an entry to the proposed Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) category. Presently known as the Thorp T-211, the all-metal airplane will be called the Thorp T-211 Sport E when it makes its debut as a light-sport aircraft.
Famed designer John Thorp is perhaps best known for his work leading to the Piper Cherokee series and the T-18 homebuilt. His work on a design that became the T-211 started back in the 1940s before general aviation planes had transportation as their primary goal. When the T-211 was first created – as the T-11 Skooter and later the T-111 – it was intended to become competition for the Cessna 150. The T-211 is a light plane, tipping the scales at hundreds of pounds less than Cessna’s smallest model and so it was expected to perform better.
Under new management since 2003, Thorp’s design is ready to make the leap to the Sport E.
Product Lines – July 2004
St. Paul, Minn. – Paraphrasing a famous speaker, “You can satisfy all of the people
some of the time or all of the people some of the time, but, well| that’s about it.
I’m referring
to my story about Raven Sky Sports – it’s sale, then non-sale, and the challenge
to its name. First, I got in trouble for announcing
a purchase by an Oregon-based pilot. He and founder/owner Brad Kushner could
never quite close an almost-done deal. The would-be buyer was at first very upset
with me that I would share this news with the public without getting permission (though
I received an email announcement letter along with numerous other recipients). We
patched that up between us but then the sale never happened.
Next, I got a very unhappy but carefully written, four-page letter from the lawyer
who asked Kushner to stop using the name Raven Sky Sports. He thought I characterized
him in a poor light.
Product Lines – December 2004
WALLABY RANCH, FL — While northerners prepare for winter and snow, it’s hot and
sunny here in Florida. I’m in the state for a collection of aviation events, kicked
off by a big gathering at Malcolm Jones’ “Ranch.”
They called it the Moyes Boys Reunion. When most of us hear “reunion” we think
of Class Reunions, and many groan about having to attend. Since I similar gatherings
like Dockweiler and Grandfather Mountain, I was pleased to make this one. I saw old
friends I hadn’t seen in 20+ years. But what really moved me was meeting John
Dickenson, who may have been THE man who invented the hang glider as we
know it today. John taught both Bill Moyes and Bill Bennett
to fly “ski kites” as they were then called. Moyes went on to become a major brand
name. Bill Bennett once directed a leading company that gave Bob Wills his start
in the business.
Product Lines – November 2004
ST. PAUL, MINN. — Just as the October “Product Lines” was headed to press a last-minute
update was inserted into the column by USHGA’s alert art director, Tim Meehan. At
the end of last month’s column I was writing about Alan Chuculate’s paraglider
aerotow trike, the SlowTow. A week after the deadline, Alan wrote, “The SlowTow
project suffered a major setback on Wednesday when Floyd Fronius crashed
in the trike and crushed a vertebrae and his heel. It was a classic case of a low
altitude aerotow problem resulting in the towplane pilot getting pitched down and
not releasing early enough. Both trike and glider were airborne at approximately
150 feet AGL.” Alan reports that Floyd thought the glider had released because the
towline was slack. He began to descend and turned left to reconnect and try again.
“But as he turned left the towline tightened rapidly, the glider climbed dramatically,
and the trike was slowed and pitched nose down.” Perhaps Floyd should have released
at the first sign of the problem, but it takes a short time to comprehend the situation
and he didn’t have those precious seconds.
Product Lines – October 2004
St. Paul, Minn. — Wills Wing has released their new Sport 2 model
in the 135 square foot size. The company says, “The Sport 2 135 is a high
performance glider for lighter pilots that’s easy to fly and land. All of the HGMA
vehicle tests are completed, and we are releasing the glider for sale at this time.”
The new model comes with their popular Litestream control bar and an aluminum faired
base tube. WW reports that the Sport 2 can achieve a glider of about 13:1. The smaller
model weighs only 54 pounds (your shoulders will love it!) and, as its mainly
intended for smaller pilots, the control bar is three inches shorter than on the
larger 155 model. More stats: Span is 29.3 feet (versus
31.5 on the 155), hook-in weight is 130 to 200 pounds (versus 150 to 250), and it
will work best for someone with a body weight of 130 to 160 pounds (versus 150-200
for the larger model).
Product Lines – June 2004
CENTRAL FLORIDA–
At the start of the big Sun ‘n Fun airshow, I had the pleasure to fly John
Dunham’s American Tug built for him by ultralight producer, M Squared
of Alabama. This design resembles the popular Quicksilver ultralights that evolved
from the original hang glider of the late 1970s. Beefed up for the hard duty that
is aero towing, the M Squared entry is a robust ultralight that should be capable
of steady operation as a tractor of the air. American Tug is a single-place aircraft
employing a 32-foot span, high-lift, slow-flying, single-surface, strut-braced wing.
While Dragonfly has been the lone fixed-wing tug in the USA, flight parks and clubs
now have another choice. And, importantly, the American Tug — as opposed to the
“Australian tug,” John says — costs substantially less. A basic Rotax 582-powered
tug should sell for about $20,000 says John. The American
Tug I flew, with a custom-configured 680 cc Rotax engine rated at 100 hp, demonstrated
an acceptable climb rate while towing plus excellent low speed controllability.
Product Lines – April 2004
St. Paul, Minn. — You’ll probably be amazed to hear that Wallaby Ranch and Quest
have merged. Yes, unbelievably, the two rivals flight parks signed an agreement
to become as one. This stunning development comes just
after Wills Wing purchased Moyes “for a song” crooned WW president, Rob Kells.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” he added. How much more shocking news can
you withstand? Well, in keeping with a few fun items elsewhere in this magazine,
the above is pure April Fools fiction. I’ll leave more inventive humor to others
and return to what this column does best.
Amid all the excitement, I completely forgot to blow my own horn| Yup, with the February
2004 issue, “Product Lines” finished 25 years of continuous publishing. In
all that time, the column never missed an issue. As I am working to post all
these columns on my long-in-development Web site, someday you’ll be able to scan
through a lot of hang gliding history presented in a familiar format.
Shooting Across the Sky
Italy’s Sky Arrow makes its mark in the United States
Just as it is home to many fine sports cars, Italy is also home to some beautiful light aircraft-the Sky Arrow being one. The tandem two-seat airplane is designed and manufactured there by Iniziative Industriali Italiane S.p.A (III). Formerly known as Meteor, the company was started in 1947 and also manufactures gliders, airplanes, and remotely piloted vehicles.
Pacific Aerosystem Inc., of San Diego, California, is the United States importer of the Sky Arrow line. With more than 200 Sky Arrows flying worldwide and 25 in the United States, III is an experienced manufacturer and able to meet customer needs, reports Pacific Aerosystem, an important factor to consider when choosing an aircraft.
Currently, Pacific Aerosystem sells four ready-to-fly versions of the Sky Arrow. A kit version can be built under the experimental amateurbuilt rule. Powerplants and instrumentation delineate the models. An 80-hp Rotax 912 powers the 650 TCN and 560 T models.
Europe’s Biggest Light Aircraft Show
Light-sport aircraft are a major part of Aero 2003
My first visit to the Aero show was in 2001. For years earlier, I’d been aware of this event in the far south of Germany, in the resort town of Friedrichshafen. After attending the show two years ago, I became aware of how important it would be to light-sport aircraft.
Because Aero runs on alternate years, like many air shows in Europe, I determined I was going again in 2003, no matter what. Once again it was a worthwhile trip.
Friedrichshafen sits on the northern shore of a giant lake called Bodensee or Lake Constance. Across the body of water to the south lies Switzerland. Bodensee’s eastern edge borders Austria. The tourist attractions generated by the big lake come with picturesque scenes in many directions.
Friedrichshafen is also home to the Zeppelin airship company. Famous for its creation of the Hindenburg, Zeppelin is the oldest continuously operating airship builder.
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