Not all towing operations are the same.
(Blue Sky)
Regular Oz Report readers are aware that earlier this year and
last I spear headed a USHGA effort to train a small subset of instructors in the
Steve Wendt method of scooter towing instruction (http://ozreport.com/10.035#0).
You can read a long series of articles about Steve Wendt's scooter tow clinic at
Quest Air in February starting here: http://ozreport.com/10.038#3.
Numerous top instructors came to Steve's seminar and were uniformly impressed by
his specific and detailed methods. It was clear to them, as their reports
display, that Steve had developed a safe and effective method for bringing new
students into the sport. Specifically, using a Wills Wing Condor, only flying in
no or light winds early or late in the day, using a well designed pulley, using
a low power scooter that makes it easy to have a wide range of throttle control,
keeping students as low as possible, putting students on the ground if they
don't do what they have been told to do, using a golf cart to bring back the
student and discuss with him/her the flight. These and many other small details
go into the making of a successful scooter tow instruction operation, of which
there are very few.
Unfortunately, there are many different ideas about how to do winch or scooter
towing many held by reputable or semi-reputable instructors and schools that
while representing their experience aren't the best ideas available. And that's
putting it kindly. There are a lot of bad ideas and unsafe practices that put
scooter towing in disrepute. There are number of instructors and tow operators
who are putting their students and clients at risk. For example,
http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2266 and
http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2556.
There is no mechanism for filtering through all this conflicting information and
making good decisions about best practices. The USHPA has not taken upon itself
the task of helping the hang gliding community sort out these issues and
spreading the word about good practices. The main reason for this is the
individuals in charge at the USHPA BOD level.
Yesterday at 1:00 PM I got word from Transport Canada that all of
the US tugs and their pilots will not be allowed to fly in Canada. I am
extremely disappointed and frustrated with this decision as I have been working
with Transport Canada and Nav Can on this event since December of last year. A
proposal was made to move the competition just over the border to Montana but
the US tug pilots have now decided to back out and will not be coming. I would
like to apologize to all involved as the organizer of this event for this late
cancellation. I was very much looking forward to hosting this event and am
deeply saddened that it has to end like this after working so long and hard on
it.
I will be working on refunding all the money over the next week and if you have
any questions please e-mail me and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Have just been on the redesigned Aeros site and it has a cool
glider colour picker. This is the hardest thing I have to do when ordering a new
glider. Here's the link http://www.aeros.com.ua/ for the main website and
http://www.aeros.com.ua/products/hg/colorcbt_en.php for the colour
picker. Should make life a doozie:-)
Still no rain by 2 PM. Radar showed it to our north east twenty miles. Forecast
for winds at 19 knots and moderate winds on the ground kept pilots from setting
up, so we call the day.
Please register there ASAP if you would seriously consider attending that. It is
only a two three hour drive from Calgary. Amenities are similar to Vulcan. The
only stumbling blocks are HPAC approval (which is probable) and the fact that it
is a totally different format that pilots may not wish to attend.
Now that it looks like the Canadian Nationals may be moving to
Golden, BC, it would be a great opportunity for pilots to also fly the Chelan XC
Classic. The Classic starts 2 days after the Canadian Nationals end, and is just
400 miles to the south.
Besides being a great venue for seasoned XC pilots, the Classic is a great meet
for anyone that wants to learn or improve their XC skills. Unlike most
competitions, pilots at the Classic choose their own task, and can fly straight
line, out & return or triangles.
Only your 4 best days of the 6 day event are scored. With 4 categories for Hang
Gliders, and 2 for Paragliders, everyone has a real chance to win. This year the
Classic will also be a warm up event for the U.S. Single Surface and Sport Class
National's. The top single surface and sport class competitors will receive free
and reduced entree fees to the U.S. Nat's.
Early Registration for the Classic is only $75. After June 15 it will be $90.
See the CBCC webpage: www.cloudbase.org
for registration and meet information.
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The Oz Report, a near-daily, world wide hang gliding news ezine, with reports on competitions, pilot rankings, political issues, fly-ins, the latest technology, ultralight sailplanes, reader feedback and anything else from within the global HG community worthy of coverage. Hang gliding, paragliding, hang gliders, paragliders, aerotowing, hang glide, paraglide, platform towing, competitions, fly-ins. Hang gliding and paragliding news from around the world, by Davis Straub.
