Oz Report

The three legged stool

What makes for a successful hang gliding community (one that is growing). (Blue Sky, Virginia)

Traveling around the world I have had some small opportunities to visit hang gliding communities and to see what makes these communities successful.  Most often I am attending hang gliding competitions, which are normally not taking place within active hang gliding communities, but I do spend time outside of competition and have in the past year visited Newcastle, NSW, Australia, Santa Barbara, California, San Bernardino, California, Sylmar, California, Richmond, Virginia, as well as numerous other locations. 

It is my very strong impression that there are three major elements that make for a successful hang gliding community.  They are: 1) excellent local flying sites, 2) a strong hang gliding club that protects and supports those sites, 3) a dedicated, experienced, and insightful instructor who "feeds the bottom" bringing in new members for the club and community.  Now there are other elements which support these three (which I will get into later), but I will concentrate on these three first.

If you don't have a great place to fly, then you are not going to be flying and the primary purpose of the hang gliding community is lost.  In San Bernardino it's Marshall and Crestline launches and the Andy Jackson flight park (landing area).  In Newcastle it's the many coastal and inland sites within an hour of downtown (sometimes within a couple of minutes).  In Richmond (actually northeast of Richmond out in the rural areas), you'll find BlueSky (http://blueskyhg.com) with its flight park where towing provides the way to get into the air.

You've got to have some place to go after you learn to fly.  You've got to be able to go flying when the urge arises.  You need a good spot that is not all that difficult to go to.  The more different spots and the more accessible they are, the better for your community.

Most hang gliding launches and landing areas are not owned by the hang gliding clubs or hang gliding pilots.  They are either privately owned by individuals or corporations that allow for our use of these sites, or they are owned by government agencies that have their own agendas.  The local hang gliding club is necessary to represent the interests of the local hang gliding community to these other bodies.  Or, where the land is owned by the hang gliding club, it is necessary to provide the vehicle for management of that land. 

The local club in addition provides a social environment that can strengthen the community.  Leaders arise and situations are successfully dealt with further strengthening the community.  The Sylmar Hang Gliding Association (http://www.shga.com/), Newcastle Hang Gliding Club (http://www.nhgc.asn.au/), and the Crestline Soaring Society (http://www.crestlinesoaring.org/) are fine examples of clubs that take their responsibilities seriously.

The club at BlueSky is a bit different as its flying site is owned (leased) by one individual, Steve Wendt.  The local pilots often belong to the Capital Hill Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club (http://www.chgpa.org/).  The club at the flight park is informal and social, providing pilots with a social environment on the ground before and after flights.

The third leg is the instructor.  Sylmar has Joe Greblo at Windsports (http://www.windsports.com/index2.html).  Marshall has Rob and Diane McKenzie at High Adventure (http://www.flytandem.com/index.htm).  Newcastle has Tony Barton at Air Sports (http://www.air-sports.com.au).  BlueSky has Steve Wendt (http://blueskyhg.com).  Without these very competent instructors there is no renewal of the club or the community.  New pilots need to be brought in to enjoy our sport and to bring additional enthusiasm to build the community and protect the sites.

The instructors require instruction sites that allow for new students to learn safely and quickly and those are all available to them at or near these sites.  Joe has a dune training site at Dockweiler State Beach Flight Training Park (http://www.windsports.com/beach.html).  Rob and Diane teach on the little hill that they built at the Andy Jackson flight park (http://www.flytandem.com/price.htm), the landing area for Marshall and Crestline.  Tony Barton teaches on the sand dunes near Newcastle (http://www.air-sports.com.au/courses.html) and with scooter towing.  Steve Wendt teaches with scooter towing at Manquin and on the hill at Harrisonburg (http://www.blueskyhg.com/Lessons.aspx?pnlid=3).  Having these excellent training sites is crucial to the success of the instructor.

There are many locations that don't have these three vital components for a successful hang gliding community and therefore they don't grow or their growth is not what it should be.

These locations are not the only ones with successful hang gliding communities.  Southern New York Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and FlyHigh (http://www.flyhighhg.com/), Morningside (http://www.flymorningside.com/), Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club (http://members.aol.com/dfscinc/index.htm) and Cloud 9 (http://members.aol.com/cloud9sa/home.htm) , Tennessee Tree Toppers (http://www.treetoppers.org/) and Lookout Mountain (http://www.hangglide.com/), Wings of Rogallo (http://www.wingsofrogallo.org/) and Mission Soaring (http://www.hang-gliding.com/), exhibit similar characteristics, for example.  I'm sure that there are numerous others that I haven't visited.

Discuss Three legs at the Oz Report forum  

World Air Games?

Will there be a decent WAG? (Lausanne, Switzerland) (Moscow, Russia) (Odense, Denmark) (Turin, Italy)

The FAI writes:

THREE CANDIDATES TO MAKE FINAL PRESENTATIONS IN LAUSANNE FOR WORLD AIR GAMES 2009

Moscow (Russia), Odense (Denmark) and Turin (Italy) have been selected by the Executive Board of the FAI, The World Air Sports Federation, to come to Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 1st, 2007 to make final presentations in their quest to host the World Air Games 2009.

Commenting on this decision, the President of the FAI, Mr.  Pierre Portmann, said : "The evaluation of the bids thus far has been very positive.  The candidates have all demonstrated that they have the infrastructure and motivation to host a successful World Air Games and so we are looking forward to three excellent presentations."

I am very skeptical of Mr.  Portmann's assurances that the "infrastructure" is there for hang gliding especially for Odense and Moscow.  I have asked their PR flacks and the bidders themselves:

Is it possible for the press (the Oz Report, in this case) to see what the infrastructure for hang gliding is with respect to these bids?  Perhaps the names and coordinates for the locations for hang gliding?  The hang gliding history of the sites?  The competition history?

Discuss WAG at the Oz Report forum  

2007 Lumby Air Races

(This topic is in: Jun.15 May 7 )

$3,500 in prizes (Lumby, B.C.)

Randy Rauck <<randy>> writes:

Lumby Air Races now $3500.00 cash Prizes and rising
50 advance registrations only this year.

THE SECOND ANNUAL LUMBY AIR RACES, for Hang Gliders and Paragliders,
June 8,9 and 10th 2007 in Lumby B.C.  Canada.
$2000.00 in cash was awarded in 2006.
$3500.00 cash Prizes now and rising for the 2007 Air Races!
2007 Canadian National Hang Gliding Championships will also be in Lumby BC
June 3-8
$1000.00 Cash and rising for Nationals prizes. 
More details at the freshly updated LumbyAirForce.com website.

Discuss Lumby at the Oz Report forum  

2007 US National Team

The tee-shirt sold out, but they are back in stock (Quest Air)

Steve Kroop at Flytec USA <<info>> writes:

Top Ranked Aussie pilot Jon Jr.  Shows support for The US National team by buying a team fund raiser t-shirt. 



We sold out of our first seventy two shirts at the Flytec Championship, but we know that there are a lot of US pilots eager to help out our team so we ordered more.  If a cash strapped Aussie comp pilot can buy a shirt, leaving him down to is last 2¢, surely US pilots can spring for one, two or three.  Get one one for your grandma - she will look great with a shirt that says “outta my way beyatch”.  You can order at: http://flytec.com/worldteam/support.html.

Discuss Nat Team at the Oz Report forum  

East Coast Championships

(This topic is in: <-- Jun.7 Jun.6 Jun.5 May 7 Feb.10'06 Jun.5'05 -> )

CIVL sanctioning Category 2 (Highland Aerosports)

Adam Elchin at Highland Aerosports Inc.  <<hanglide>> writes:

Just got word from CIVL.  We put in for a last minute sanctioning and eked it out by the deadline.  The East Coast HG Championship is now a CIVL approved category 2 cross country meet.  Go to www.aerosports.net to sign up or shoot us an email at <hanglide> if you have any questions.

Discuss ECC at the Oz Report forum       del.icio.us

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