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Oz Report

topic: food (24 articles)

2021 Florida Nationals Series Comps

Wed, Nov 17 2021, 11:37:57 pm MST

airspace|Airtribune|Florida|food|sport|Sport Class|Stephan Mentler|tow|weather|Wilotree Park

Trying to get them published on Airtribune

Stephan Mentler ‹team@Icaro2000usa.com›> writes:

While we are working to get things going on the registration side, here are some details for both comps.

The entry fee is $375 (includes Wilotree Park Fee, $475 after March 10th). NOTE that entry fees do not include tow fees. Aerotowing fee is $375 - this includes a tow on check-in day. Some of the things that we will have:

• Daily Prizes
• Event T-shirt
• Food and beverages the night of check-in (I plan to get he same ice-cream truck for us)
• Prizes for the first three places in the Open and Sport Class
• Awards ceremony dinner
• On-line Turn point Coordinates
• On-line airspace files
• Weather Briefing on Pilots’ Phones via WhatsApp
• Task Sent to Pilots’ Phones via WhatsApp
• Wilotree Park (includes free WIFI, access to clubhouse and amenities [swimming pool, kitchen, pool table, etc.

Our cancellation policy is as follows - receive full refund minus $12 (USD) for withdrawal up to March 1st 2022. Receive 50% refund for withdrawal after March 2nd till April 1st. Refunds for withdrawals after April 1st are at the discretion of the Organizer and Wilotree Park, but not likely as we will have secured aircraft, the grounds, and other tangibles.

Discuss "2021 Florida Nationals Series Comps" at the Oz Report forum   link»   »

A Little Repast

Fri, Jan 10 2020, 9:08:08 am EST

Attila and Tomas

beer|food|photo

Lumby Air Races 2012

Mon, Apr 23 2012, 5:34:47 pm EDT

June 7th-10th 2012

beer|competition|fire|flight park|food|GPS|HPAC|insurance|music|news|PayPal|Randy Rauck|scoring|triangle

Online Registration Link here.

«Randy Rauck» writes:

The 7th Lumby Air Races June 7th-10th 2012 promises to be a fun and exciting event. Early Bird Discount before May 15.

The Lumby Air Force hopes you can make it. It's been expanded to four days. For accomplished flyers, this is your opportunity to support our flying event, get current on all the latest flying news and win some great cash prizes and trophies for your superior efforts. For newer flyers the education gathered in these social settings will be priceless.

You will need your HPAC number. You can find it here: http://hpac.ca/pub/?pid=145. If you are an international pilot, you will be able to get temporary membership online at www.hpac.ca or@the event.

The format will be closed circuit triangle racing around the town and area of Lumby BC Canada.

GPS will be used for scoring.

This is an International event and is open to Hang Glider and Paraglider Pilots. Registration 8 AM Thursday June 7th@the Raven Aviation hanger on the Freedom Flight Park. Pilots meetings daily@the hanger 9AM sharp.

Landings will be@the Freedom Flight Park, just 1 mile north of the village of Lumby BC on the Mabel Lake Road. Late starts for pilots who can't make it Thursday morning will be allowed on Friday only. Limit - first 75 paid up Pilots.

HPAC insurance mandatory and available@registration if necessary. Please do your best to renew yours or get it in advance at http://hpac.ca/pub/?pid=96. International pilots only require a $40.00 temp policy available@the same web address. Minimum experience - 20 hours logged airtime and 20 high foot launches.

Expect $2000.00 - $3000.00 in cash prize money and trophies and prizes. Plenty of Extraordinary food for Saturday Eve celebration

Big Fire of Life

Live dance music Saturday Eve after dinner for pilots and friends and support personal. Flyers Music Performances/Jam starting around 10pm Saturday Bring your instruments and rhythm makers Ongoing Lumby Days festivities including concerts, beer gardens, amusement park and fun and games for kids.

Competition, Dinner and Dance - $75.00 before May 1st. - $100.00 after.

Registration available online soon or send a cheque payable to: Lumby Air Force #754 Eastwood Road, Lumby BC Canada, V0E2G7, Send PayPal or interac fees to Oz Report forum   link»  

Edible Idaho

September 1, 2011, 11:29:22 MDT

Edible Idaho

Steak from a ranch between Challis and Salmon

food

http://www.nwfoodnews.com/2011/03/18/making-beef-better-the-search-for-great-steak/

http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/steak-101/Content?oid=2132721

http://steakthebook.com/welcome/

http://www.alderspring.com/

Think King Mountain Meet or is it meat.

Counting calories in Copenhagen

December 14, 2009, 9:07:01 PST

Counting in Copenhagen

What do the pledges mean?

food

Discuss "Counting in Copenhagen" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Eat well

May 29, 2008, 8:33:23 EDT

Eat well

From the NY Times food writer

food

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/263

We all eat.

Tortillas

February 1, 2007, 0:43:59 AEDT

Tortillas

The corn people

food

Washington Post article here.

Mexico is in the grip of the worst tortilla crisis in its modern history. Dramatically rising international corn prices, spurred by demand for the grain-based fuel ethanol, have led to expensive tortillas. That, in turn, has led to lower sales for vendors such as Rosales and angry protests by consumers.

The uproar is exposing this country's outsize dependence on tortillas in its diet -- especially among the poor -- and testing the acumen of the new president, Felipe Calderón. It is also raising questions about the powerful businesses that dominate the Mexican corn market and are suspected by some lawmakers and regulators of unfair speculation and monopoly practices.

Tortilla prices have tripled or quadrupled in some parts of Mexico since last summer. On Jan. 18, Calderón announced an agreement with business leaders capping tortilla prices at 78 cents per kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, less than half the highest reported prices. The president's move was a throwback to a previous era when Mexico controlled prices -- the government subsidized tortillas until 1999, at which point cheap corn imports were rising under the NAFTA trade agreement. It was also a surprise given his carefully crafted image as an avowed supporter of free trade.

What to eat?

Here.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Discuss Tortillas at the Oz Report forum

Fueling for endurance

September 25, 2006, 9:51:22 PDT

Fuel

Jeez, I've never eaten during any of my marathon flights

Eric Troili|food

Troili, Eric «eric.troili» writes:

The fueling handbook (http://www.e-caps.com/downloads/fuelinghandbook.pdf) has changed everything I ever thought about endurance. It's serious fueling for endurance events. I also use it for flying.

Morningside Fun Meet

Fri, Sep 22 2006, 9:05:49 am MDT

I thought all meets were supposed to be fun

Morningside

camping|flight park|food|Jeff Nicolay|landing|Lynsey Haynes|Morningside Flight Park|Spot|spot landing

Jeff Nicolay «morningside» writes:

Columbus Day Weekend Oct 7&8,2006
Duration, Spot Landing, Bomb Drops, PRIZES
"Old Timers Day" Phil and Bobbie Haynes "Thanks for the years!"
Supper Extravaganza 40ft Enclosed Party tent, table and chairs, FIREWORKS, Family Fun, Camping Encouraged.
ALL ARE WELCOME! $20.00 Per Adult includes Flight Fee, Food, Camping. VHGA meeting

Discuss "Morningside Fun Meet" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Goodbye to Wheat

September 18, 2006, 8:39:50 MDT

Wheat

Our continuing series on the American landscape

food

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/16/business/16wheat.html

Once the driving force behind transforming the United States into the “breadbasket of the world,” wheat is being steadily replaced by corn as the crop of choice for American farmers. Genetic modifications to corn seeds, the growing demand for corn-based ethanol as a fuel blend and more favorable farm subsidies are leading farmers to plant corn in places where wheat long dominated. In Kansas, known for a century as the Wheat State, corn production quietly pulled ahead of wheat in 2000, with Kansas producing 23 percent more corn than wheat last year.

And while corn acreage nationwide passed wheat about a decade ago, its footprint and that of soybeans are spreading across a greater swath of the Midwest, farther north and west into the Dakotas and central Minnesota — traditional wheat country, where growing corn and soybeans was once almost unthinkable.

“It is getting harder and harder for American farmers to say they feed the world,” said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, an environmental research group based in Washington. “Instead, they feed S.U.V.’s.”

The spread of corn and soybeans at the expense of wheat, while not expected to significantly affect food prices, could nevertheless put more pressure on scarce water supplies, since both crops are more water- and energy-intensive than wheat.

Industrial Eaters

July 17, 2006, 5:42:33 pm CDT

Eating

You eat, right?

food

http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/

http://www.wamu.org/audio/dr/06/07/r2060717-11321.ram or http://www.wamu.org/audio/dr/06/07/r2060717-11321.asx

11:00Nina Planck: "Real Food" (Bloomsbury) & Michael Jacobson: "Six Arguments for a Greener Diet" (CSPI)

Experts say the modern American diet is killing us. But they often disagree on what to eat and why. We hear different views on why real foods and a greener diet could save our health and environment. Guests

Nina Planck, author of "The Farmers' Market Cookbook" and creator of farmers' markets in London, Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Michael Jacobson, co-founder and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and author of "Restaurant Confidential," "Marketing Madness," "What Are We Feeding Our Kids?" And "The Fast Food Guide."

Corn and Soybeans

May 1, 2006, 9:42:13 EDT

Corn

As I cross America I see these crops everywhere.

food

I've mentioned this before here. America's corn based diet here and here.

Indeed, one of the many eye-openers in the book is the prevalence of corn in the American diet; of the 45,000 items in a supermarket, more than a quarter contain corn. Pollan meditates on the freakishly protean nature of the corn plant and looks at how the food industry has exploited it, to the detriment of everyone from farmers to fat-and-getting-fatter Americans. Besides Stephen King, few other writers have made a corn field seem so sinister.

Each bushel of industrial corn grown, Pollan notes, uses the equivalent of up to a third of a gallon of oil. Some of the oil products evaporate and acidify rain; some seep into the water table; some wash into rivers, affecting drinking water and poisoning marine ecosystems. The industrial logic also means vast farms that grow only corn. When the price of corn drops, the solution, the farmer hopes, is to plant more corn for next year. The paradoxical result? While farmers earn less, there's an over-supply of cheap corn, and that means finding ever more ways to use it up.

Corn and soy bean fields are a big part of my flying life as a hang glider pilot flying from Maryland to Kansas. You've just got to wonder as you see millions of square miles of these crops, just what is going on.

Discuss Corn at the Oz Report forum

Gourmet at goal

Wed, Dec 31 2003, 7:00:01 pm GMT

food|landing

Last year at the Bogong Cup due to the fires we often found ourselves landing at the Brown Brothers winery out on the flats at Miliwa. Milawa is labeled as a little "gourmet region." This is a signal to the folks from Melbourne that they can get the kind of food that they are use to, and don't have to settle for fish and chips.

There's a great deli (Food on Wood) at the corner of the Snow Road at the road going to Brown Brothers. Unfortunately it closes at 4 PM, but does serve food on some evenings. The sandwiches are served on some very tasty bread from the Factory.

The Factory is the Cheese Factory about a kilometer down the Factory road at the same intersection as Brown Brothers going away from the winery. Go down there to purchase a loaf of bread or cheese or to have a meal. The sandwiches aren't as good as the ones at the deli on the corner (too much bread, not enough meat or cheese).

The Brown Brothers usually closes before we get to goal, but there is wine tasting at the Factory. You'll find lots of fine wines in Oxley, Milawa, at the Gapsted winery by Myrtleford, and at the Ceccanti winery in the Kiewa Valley.

Discuss "Gourmet at goal" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Big Spring – Keep Hope Alive »

Sun, Aug 3 2003, 6:00:01 pm EDT

cost|food|internet|picture|radio|Swift|tandem|tug|Worlds

The US National Hang Gliding Championships was a big deal for the fairly depressed town of Big Spring. We’re holding the meet at the former air force base, so there’s one source of local revenue and people that’s gone. The refinery laid off a lot of people also, so there isn’t much in town in the way of jobs.

The town really expressed their support for having the Nationals there, and they are hoping for the Worlds (flex or rigid/women’s/Swift). They want us to come back next year, of course.

They served us dinner at the airport office on the first night, let us use two hangars, and the air conditioned airport offices as well as the taxi way. We got free high speed wireless and wired internet access from a local ISP (and thanks to Tim Meaney the super scorekeeper and network analyst. The Super 8 motel manager provided a lot of rooms gratis so that David could put up a bunch of the tug pilots and keep the cost of the meet down.

The mayor came out and welcomed us to Big Spring and he and his wife had tandem flights. There were many radio ads and sponsorship from the local radio station. There were billboards, and media from all over Texas there. Pepsi brought out their Aquafina blimp on the last day. There were food vendors every day and more on Saturday. There was a flea market held at the airport on the last day.

They setup bleachers with shading for spectators (although they should have put it closer to the action). They brought ice cream on the day they wanted us to fill out a questionnaire.

People were encouraged to come out to the airport for tandem and ultralight flights. This provided extra income for tug pilots (and owners), and delighted the town.

Chris Cheney, the local jeweler who last year came out, decided that he really did want to hang glide, took lessons during the year, and this year was aerotowing in a Falcon, worked the launch every day. Many volunteers from the town chased the carts and got us all lined up. Chris got a three hour soaring flight on the last day.

The owners of the Texas RV Park, where a bunch of us stayed, organized the dinner. They’ve got three cabins available next year for about $5/person. Air conditioned.

We may be nobody in the big picture but to a small town down in the dumps, we are somebody.

Discuss "Big Spring – Keep Hope Alive" at the Oz Report forum   link»

CearAR Race and Rally - The World Hang Gliding Rally Competition

Thu, Jul 17 2003, 3:00:01 pm EDT

competition|FAI|food|Jos Guggenmos|Luiz Niemeyer|Mario Alonzi|record|TV|XC

José Luiz Moura Velloso <joseluiz@jlv.com.br> writes:

From September 3rd to 7th, Brazil will be hosting a very interesting competition. It's the "CearAR Race and Rally" The event will happen right after the World's in Brasília and will offer U$ 15,000 (fifteen thousand US dollars) in CASH prizes.

It will be a rally starting from the South part of Ceará's state crossing it all and finishing on the Beach. The total route has 555 km and will be covered in 5 days (4 distance tasks and 1 local task).

Ceará is the state where we've been organizing for the last seven years a very famous XC competition called "XCeará". It's very well known by its excellent and consistent conditions. During the seven years we haven't lost a single task reaching the incredible average of 100% of flyable days during the seven task days out of the seven years in a row. Every year the South American record is beaten in XCeará competition. The record now is 436 km made by Mario Alonzi , from France.

We will also have a very good media coverage. There will be media teams on the ground and also in the air flying in two trikes and a helicopter which will follow the whole circuit making the coverage for many local and international TV channels.

We will have only 30 places available for this event: 20 chosen from the World HG FAI ranking and 10 invited pilots. If you're interested in take part of this great fun and prize event please send a e-mail to <cearar@goup.com.br> giving your flying experience and, if you're ranked in FAI WPRS ranking, your actual position.

The registration fee will be of U$ 350 and it covers:

- U$ 15.000 in cash prizes.

- All Hotels

- Food

- all retrieves

- Transfer from Fortaleza (the Ceará's capitol) to Juazeiro do Norte (the course begin)

- Transfer From Camocim (the end of the course) to Fortaleza.

- T-shirts, parties and etc…

The event will start on the September 3rd and finish on the September 7th.

Don't hesitate in contact us

Discuss "CearAR Race and Rally - The World Hang Gliding Rally Competition" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sponsorship

Wed, Jul 16 2003, 6:00:04 pm EDT

calendar|competition|Dan Nelson|food|gear|instruction|landing|magazine|sport|USHGA

Dan Nelson, USHGA Director of Communications (<Dan@ushga.org>) writes:

The mainstream Outdoor Recreation Industry offers a number of sponsorship programs for outdoor athletes of all kinds. Few members of the Free Flight Community have taken advantage of these programs. That's a shame, though, because hang glider and paraglider are no less deserving of corporate support than climbers, skiers, ski divers and trail runners. We use many of the same products as those other athletes, and with sponsorship, we could just as easily help promote those products within our community as other athletes.

The 2004 Sponsorship season is just beginning, and I'd like to see some of the sponsorship money in the outdoor industry come to free flight pilots. You deserve it, and frankly, your success in landing mainstream outdoor industry support helps the entire free flight community by increasing our visibility and legitimacy. To help gain sponsorship, I'll be compiling details about various sponsorship programs and sharing them with our flying community. Below is the first such program, from PowerBar.

All competition pilots, and even instructors and organizers of events (fly-ins, competitions, etc.) should consider applying. Again, your success helps the entire community succeed. Note that PowerBar is currently just getting the 2004 program organized. The application forms are not yet available on their website, but should be within the next couple weeks. In the meantime, I'd suggest glancing at some of the details about past winners so you can see the kind of athletes, and events, that PowerBar has supported in the past.

Best of luck with your sponsorship applications. Not all who apply will earn a sponsorship check, but if we get lots of pilots apply, chances are good the company will take notice and sponsor at least some pilots.

PowerBar Inc. today announced an open call for applications for the 2004 PowerBar Team Elite™ program. From cyclists and runners to skiers, yoga instructors, golfers and fitness trainers, PowerBar invites athletes and sports influencers from all disciplines to visit www.powerbar.com in early August to submit their application.

2004 marks the seventeenth year for the company's annual grassroots sponsorship program, which recognizes athletes, coaches and teams who demonstrate and communicate a passion and commitment to sport. Whether through personal success in competition or training others to reach their goals, PowerBar supports individuals and teams who embody the PowerBar brand through positive attitudes, exemplary sportsmanship and athletic achievements.

The company helps PowerBar Team Elite athletes perform at their best by supplying PowerBar nutritional energy food products, as well as PowerBar-branded gear and apparel for training and competition. Additionally, PowerBar Team Elite members are provided with tools to help promote themselves and events within their communities. In exchange, these athletes publicly represent the spirit of PowerBar and educate the public about the athletic performance and nutritional benefits of PowerBar products.

Applications will be available at www.powerbar.com/pbsports/teamelite in early August 2003, and will be accepted by PowerBar through the beginning of October 2003. Members of the 2004 PowerBar Team Elite program will be selected and notified by mail in January 2004. PowerBar Team Elite membership lasts for a calendar year, with applicants required to re-apply the following year.

The 2003 PowerBar Team Elite roster includes sponsored athletes and instructors from over twenty sports, including yoga instruction, personal fitness training and wilderness guiding as well as cycling, mountain biking, skiing, adventure racing, paddling, climbing, golfing, football and baseball. Current team members include PGA Tour player Jim Carter, triathlete Siri Lindley, eight Outward Bound instructors, 30 of the Top 100 ski instructors as rated by Ski Magazine and the Trek regional road and mountain bike teams.

As the official nutritional product supplier to the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens and the U.S. Olympic Team, PowerBar will provide athletes with the nutritional tools their bodies demand to strive for their Olympic goals and dreams next year.

Discuss "Sponsorship" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Across the Alps

Tue, Jul 15 2003, 2:00:01 pm EDT

competition|equipment|food|Hans Bausenwein|Red Bull|tracking|transportation|weather

www.redbullxalps.com

Hans Bausenwein <hans@aerosport.de> sends this:

The task of Red Bull X-Alps is to cross The Alps as fast as possible by flying with a paraglider or by foot, starting at the Dachstein Mountain Range and finishing in Monaco – some 800 km away. The total prize money for the alpine air race: 35,000 euros.

Each of the 17 teams consists of the paraglider pilot and his supporter. Wheeled transportation of any kind is forbidden for the athlete. The supporter can use any means of transportation except flying and helps his team-mate with supply of food, equipment or information.

Red Bull X-Alps took off at 2.20 pm on July 14th. 17 paraglider pilots took off at 2700 meters above sea level and are now on their way to Monaco. They will try to cross the Alps from East to West. Maximum duration for this project: three weeks. Only means of transportation: their paragliders and their own feet. The pilots are backed-up on the ground by one supporter, who provides his athlete with food, daily weather forecasts and moral.

The team to reach the beach of Monaco first not only wins the world's toughest paragliding race, but also a prize money of 5,000,- Euros. The chances that the pilots will get to the west quickly are quite good: the weather on the Dachstein glacier was perfect and for tomorrow, Tuesday, perfect flying conditions are forecasted.

Day 1 of the great adventure and there is already a clear leader: Kaspar Henny (Team Switzerland 1) has almost made 100 kilometres and will try to take off from WILDKOGEL on Tuesday morning. Five to six competitors behind him will try to start their second competition day off Schmittenhöhe close to ZELL AM SEE – some 35 kilometers behind Kaspar.

From this area onwards the so called ‘Pinzgauer walk’ – famous among paragliders and hanggliders - starts. The area allows great long distance flying due to one of the best thermal conditions in the Alps. Chances are good to get very deep into the West:

MeteoSwiss forecasts perfect weather conditions for Tuesday. Notice! We are experiencing some difficulties with the online tracking! We are working on it, please stay online!

Discuss Red Bull paragliding across the Alps at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2

Discuss "Across the Alps" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Contributors/supporters

Thu, Jul 10 2003, 5:00:01 pm EDT

Christian Williams|donations|equipment|food|Hendrikus Bouwmeester|Lori Allen|Miles Fagerlie|Oz Report|Scott Weiner|site|supporters

We continue to receive Oz Report subscription/donations/contributions each week. Christian Williams sent in $50 this week and that is much appreciated. Lori Allen, Miles Fagerlie, David Martin, Frank Ransdell, Hendrikus Bouwmeester, Bill McCorkle, and Scott Weiner and others have all made generous contributions in the last month or so, and they are also much appreciated.

The Oz Report relies on the support of its readers (and hang gliding equipment makers who sponsor us) to keep paying the web site mailing list server bills and the food and lodging bills.

Gerry has been contributing a lot of work on the web site with incremental improvements every week or so. I’m able to send him a few bucks every now and then, thanks to your generosity and support.

The ads seem to be working out well and I sure hope that the sponsors find that they are useful to their business and that the price is right. Readers have written saying that they don’t find them intrusive and readers are clicking on them. I sure hope it drives traffic toward their web sites.

We’ll continue to work to provide additional services and make the Oz Report web site a useful place to visit when the need arises.

Discuss what you would like to find at the Oz Report web site at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2

Discuss "Contributors/supporters" at the Oz Report forum   link»

2003 King Mountain Meet

Mon, Jun 30 2003, 10:00:01 pm GMT

altitude|beer|Bill Soderquist|boating|Colin Rathbun|food|Glen Salmon|GPS|John Woiwode|landing|scoring|Shannon Allen|sport|Stephen Rudy|Steve Benn|Tim King|triangle|weather|XC

Jon Woiwode <Woiwodejon@cs.com> writes:

Yesterday's great flying got the buzz going, and we all hoped for another big day to finish the meet. We were not disappointed. Winds aloft were forecasted to be 190 through 9000', with 250 and more westerlies clocking around at the higher altitudes. Route 1 is in its prime element with stacked winds at 220 from surface to 18000'. That maximizes the lift component along the range, and provides a nice quartering tailwind. Also, at about the 45 mile mark en route, the winds aloft on Route 1 always shift about 20-30° more westerly, providing an even nicer tailwind component for the dogleg across the gaping canyons to Salmon, the lofty goal of 100 miles.

But 190 low with 250 aloft is a bit tricky. The lift component on the range would be minimal, and often it goes easterly, rotoring those on the range and sliding the pilots out into the valley. Something to watch for. And where is the shear, and how strong? It is what it is when we get there.

The task committee calls Route 1, the proper call, and everyone is excited. The winds are surprisingly strong on launch, and pretty much straight in. Two Falcons launch from upper at 1300, and boat up in the very buoyant air. There is a mad rush to get on course.

I get off at 1330 and after dodging boating launch traffic, I hook a snarly thermal on a rock point and take it straight up at 900 fpm. Montana pilot Will Lanier joins with me at altitude, and we take that to 13000'. Looking good. I note the strong and distinct shear from the south to the west at 11,500'; this would remain throughout the flight.

My flying partner Steve "Bigfoot" Rathbun got behind some pilots in the queue, and got off about 20 minutes behind me. Too bad, as we really wanted to fly this one together. We did stay in touch the whole flight, though, and compared conditions along the range continually.

Will and I shot across Rams Horn Canyon to Mr. Nasty, but he only offered turbulence, so we continued along Sunset Ridge at 10,500'. At the high point of the ridge I hook a broken core to 12,700'; Will caught a part of this, but I leave him behind there, telling my self to move as fast as possible.

I cross the broad area in front of Pass Creek at the 13 mile mark, note the strength of the venturi in the pass as significant, then drive into Red Rocks. No lift. Hmm. Now down to 8100' (valley floor at 5500' or so) I polish the rocks on the corner of the venturi, with limited effect. I've caught up to Frank Gillette in his Falcon, and he and I are trying to sort out the lift component on the range. Pilots are finding that the 190 offers no lift component on the range, and the valley is starting to litter with gliders. I hug the range, no easterlies yet, and pull a thermal off the rocks that is moving directly along, not uphill, on the range to 13,000'.

The shear is sharp and turbulent as I go through 11,500', and the westerly headwind component strong at altitude, so I plan my course along the range to stay within 10,500 and 11,500'. I am able to move fast, though am surprised at the infrequency of lift; each real thermal is a long ways from the last.

Lofty and big shouldered, Mt. McCaleb (11,330') at the 25 mile mark offered only rough turbulence, so I skate over to the Three Sisters (11, 720-11,989'), 10,500' at the 30 mile mark. Holy smokes there was something here, but violent. The conditions made my instruments make unnatural sounds, only to loft me weightless in an uncontrollable spiral. Where was it??

I would alternate between trying to find the thermal and trying to fly out, using faulty logic such as "if I can just find the core, I can get through this and everything would be ok." Finally I said forget this, radioed to Bigfoot the bad spot on the range, and pushed further along, past Leatherman Peak (12,228') at 9500', gunning for Corner Mountain, the 35 mile mark, with the south tailwind.

When crossing a few canyons relatively low, I was able to note easterlies sliding out with my GPS. I am sure this affected many pilots, as I was seeing more and more pilots on the ground in the valley. Almost to Corner, down to 9,000', I definitely was getting an east flow driving me away from the range. The turbulence was terrible, and I called for landing winds. I also said this is the place, if I can get up anywhere in these conditions, it would be at Corner.

I found a sharp thermal that drifted with the easterlies, but I was unquestionably right at the shear point of east, south and westerlies. It was gut wrenching to hold onto and track this rocket, but I held it and she paid off: once I got the Aeros wrapped on a wingtip, she took me through all shears; it is not often that one sees 2000 fpm on the averager, but there it was and I rode this Atlas Rocket straight up. She bent back nicely to the west over the peak. I pulled out at 14,500' with plenty of altitude for the next crossing.

The next move is to bypass Mt Borah (12, 662', highest point in Idaho) to the west and glide the 10 miles across the broad valley to intersect with the range again at Dickey Peak (11,141'). Dickey is always a great thermal source; I hit it at 10,500' and was astounded to not have a trace of lift on the peak. Part of the problem was the 190 below 11,500'; Dickey is best with more west, and was just not producing.

I slid out in front of the peak and about two miles in front, I centered on a nice thermal that pushed me NE toward Victory Ridge. I topped at 14,000' and headed north on this beautiful 12 mile long knife edge ridge. This is normally our "free ride", as it usually faces into dominant westerlies and one hardly has to turn to zip along this leg of the flight. But with the 190 there was no lift component on the ridge, it overcast and shadowed for 20 miles in front of me, and even from 14,000' I had a sick feeling that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I glided for the next 15 miles without a peep out of the instruments, and flared and landed five miles short of Challis, 64.1 miles. Nuts. Shannon Raby landed three miles past me for 67, a few others in the area.

In retrospect, maybe I was moving too fast, but the day was a series of windows that opened and closed, and I got stuck in a closed window. I radioed to Bigfoot, who then slowed his flying accordingly, and 25 minutes later he over flew me at 11,500', in clear sunshine. It’s kinda like that sometimes.

Bigfoot played the cards perfectly for the next move: almost to Challis (70 mile mark), he hooked and drifted with a thermal over the piddly end of the Lost Rivers (here called the Pahsimerois). The drift had him right on course, making the dogleg in textbook style, climbing to over 17,000' drifting above Ellis. Perfect crossing.

He then glided along the deep and intimidating Salmon River canyon, holding altitude well, getting to the end of the canyon and looking at Salmon with 12,000' and a thermal. I was all encouragement: "Take any drift and get over the Continental Divide into Montana. Go go go!"; it was still early (1800) and he had a shot at a really big flight. But a rain cell formed to the NW and then moved in front of him closing his route, so he circled down to land east of Salmon for 101 miles. Nice flight!!

We got back to the awards ceremony being held at Sally's Ramshorn Cafe and Bar in Darlington, 10 miles north of Moore, at 2300. Everybody was there, telling great stories of their flights over flowing beer and Mexican food.

Scott Huber flew the farthest in his tailed ATOS, the only one to cross the Divide for 138 miles. Four other pilots landed at Salmon, landing at the Salmon rodeo grounds (106 miles) for the bonus LZ points. Salt Lake pilot Jeff O’brien did that flight in a king posted Predator. Montana pilot Karl Hallerman logged his first 100 miler! Great flights by all, really well done!!

I don't have the final placings at this writing, though my impression from the scene at Sally's is that placements were not all that important. It was another great day of big air flying, and the stories abounded.

Many pilots opted to land at the bonus LZ of the May airport, 65 miles, in order to secure those points. The open distance format is really great in this day and age of triangle contests. If we could just get rid of those disincentives to flying real open distance, the "bonus LZs", the scoring would reflect more of the true XC efforts.

An example of hundreds I could draw from, Teammate Salt Lake pilot K.C. Benn got to May at 15,500' and said, oh what the heck, the bonus points are probably more than I can get by continuing on, then circled down 10,000' to land at the airport! The idea is open distance XC, and disincentives should not be placed en route to dissuade one from doing his or her best. KC' s best was less than 75 miles to this point; he surely would have exceeded it if given the nudge in the right direction.

It was a great gathering of pilots from all over the country, and everyone had a great time in the big air. No injuries that I heard of, just a fair rash of broken downtubes, all related to misreading of winds on landing. There were fourteen 100+ mile flights, all flown during the last two days, and many personal bests: three of the 100 milers were first timers. They'll be telling those stories for years to come, with wide eyed gesticulations, and somewhere in the mix of words, a phrase like "there I was, no shit, thought I was going to die…" will surface, appropriately.

Rudy.Stephen.R <Stephen.Rudy@IGT.com> writes:

I was happy to see Jon Woiwode send in a write up about the King Mtn. meet. It did seem a little too negative about the call to go upwind on Friday the 20th. I think part of the task committee's thinking is that there were a lot of pilots there that just don't have the XC experience to be comfortable going over the back at King.

More than half the competitors didn't go downwind on Thursday when the mostly downwind route was called, so calling a task to push into the headwind it least got some of the recreation class pilots some miles.

I also don't know why Jon ignored my flights - he mentions Bill Soderquist and Zach Majors on day 2 making the bonus LZ at 89.3 miles as the best flights of the day when I flew 104 miles. On day 3 he mentions Bill, Zach and Shannon Raby making the bonus LZ at May airport - I was also there for the longest flights of the day.

In any case, the weather was great, the scenery is magnificent, the organizers put a huge amount of effort into making it a fantastic meet and they do it purely for the love of the sport.

Discuss "2003 King Mountain Meet" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Oz Report editor irretrievably corrupted

Fri, Jun 13 2003, 6:03:07 pm GMT

advertisement|advertising|Australia|cost|Flytec USA|food|game|Helen Ross|magazine|Oz Report|PG|record|site|space|world record|World Record Encampment

Helen McKerral <hiflioz@yahoo.com.au> writes:

I, for one, was very disappointed to see the ads appear and multiply. Fast. Have you set a limit? Pop up banners are annoying and thankfully you haven't gone that path (yet), but providing advertising space will inevitably lead to a compromise in editorial freedom. As a published author familiar with the industry, you should know this better than most.

I was a staunch advocate of your "pay for subscription" drive and said so publicly on the HG list. However, I don't believe you can have your cake and eat it, too. You pointed out that one of the reasons you wanted/needed subs was because you *didn't* have paid advertising. Now that you do, will you cease to ask for subs as well? I continue to admire your report, but will not pay a sub next year if you continue to run ads. You are receiving recompense for your work, which was my point to begin with.

I wrote back:

I assumed that there will be some (many?) that share your opinion. That is the cost (tradeoff) of making such a decision, some will withhold their support (funds), but hopefully overall the income will be more positive.

Will there be the perception that commercial support compromises editorial freedom? Yes. Will it? I doubt it.

Right now I am constrained by my resources, my interests, my skills, and what I think will interest my readers. These are far greater constraints than what I think advertisers will feel.

Thanks for your past (and I hope future) support (in all forms).

Helen, after seeing the copy of the Flytec ad in the last Oz Report writes:

Well, the advertising slide has happened even faster than I imagined it would. I can't express how disappointed I am. There is now an advertisement in the body of the Oz Report (earlier, you implied that discreet ads on the side would be all and a week or so later, this).

Whether the ad is clever or not, doesn't matter. Your urging to click through to Flytec's site gives the game away. I ask - did Flytec pay you to include that ad?

Nope.

To urge readers to click to their site?

Nope. I had to ask them to do that to reduce the bandwidth on my site.

To include anything extra in your report?

Nope.

Was there any inducement from them at all (including a promise of continued sponsorship, or a threat to withdraw)?

Nope. In fact I had to talk them into letting me put their ad in the Oz Report. It was for HG/PG Magazine and didn't want to dilute the impact of it by having it in the Oz Report, but they finally relented feeling that it would be okay.

If you look at the ad closely you'll see that it helps promote the World Record Encampment, which, of course, I promote and am involved in. They had originally hoped to have the ad in earlier in the HG/PG Magazine.

Does it have anything to do with the exhaustive Brauniger Comp review?

Nope.

Have you ever included a "funny ad" by one of your sponsors in the body of the Oz Report before?

I have produced over 1000 Oz Reports and don't recall what is in all of them. I have included many many unpaid for ads and product announcements in them. I can't recall if they were funny or not.

Oh, wait, yes I included a very funny and controversial Flytec ad about six months ago. I did it because it was controversial, not because it was funny. In fact it came from Australia. It was for the Blue Goggles which Flytec USA sells in the USA.

Check out the unsolicited article on them https://OzReport.com/toc.php?Ozv5n188.htm. You can find the ad here: https://OzReport.com/toc.php?Ozv6n249.shtml.

If not, why now (Flytec has had funny ads before)? Or, worst of all: was there a subconscious devil on your shoulder refusing to be quiet, whispering in your ear, justifying your actions: "It's okay to include this, it made me laugh, it's fun, it's not really advertising, it's simply entertainment etc etc."

You have a funny view of human nature. No devil here. Just delight in the content of the ad. I suggest going to www.despair.com to get the idea. BTW, I have no connection with www.despair.com. In fact, I have no connection with the 1000’s of URLs that I have published over the years in the Oz Report.

I've added my original message, both of which I am now happy for you to publish if you wish I hope you will publish, but am almost certain you won't. There are too many dollars at stake and I'll wager that there will be few articles critical of your advertisers in the Oz Report in future. It won't be sudden or obvious, but it will happen. You're halfway there already.

Of course I will publish. I would be most happy to publish. I can't believe that you are a regular Oz Report reader and not know that I would be more than delighted to publish this.

I’m beginning to think that your letter has more to say about you than it has to say about me and the Oz Report.

The next step will be advertisers threatening to withdraw funding if you say A, B or C. Or they'll say, "Hey, you've given X competitor Y amount of space and they don't even sponsor you! We deserve the same space or more!" Will you then say, "Too bad, I'll forfeit the $$$?" Or will you find a way to squeeze in both advertisers? Davis, I'm a journalist too, I earn my living from my writing, and I know how difficult it is to refuse kickbacks that come without effort. I had to say, years ago, "Zip, Nada, Nothing!" (I'm almost off the radar now, I think;-). It's even more difficult for publishers to do, of course.

No advertisers have said anything like that and as I personally know almost all of these people and they know me, they know just how far that would get them.

Are you in this for the dollars? If so, fine. There's nothing wrong or immoral about that - you need to earn a crust like anyone else. But you also need to be clear in your own mind what is most important to you. You simply cannot have a truly independent publication of the kind you produce, if it has paid advertising.

Nope. I do want the Oz Report to pay for itself and to provide some income, but I would have to be nuts to do this for the pitiful amount of money it produces. It, like everything in hang gliding, is a labor of love.

Davis, you've already compromised your editorial freedom and - most dismaying of all - you don't even realize you've done so!

It is so easy to accuse others of blindness.

I won't publish these opinions online (another reason I expect you won't publish this) because I know how difficult it can be to make a living as a writer. If I had to feed a family and the food on the table depended on compromising editorial freedom well, I'd do the same as you are doing. No contest. But I wouldn't pretend to myself or my readers I was doing otherwise. I would say, "I need the money to live, and I have to include advertising."

I have no children. I live in a trailer. I have no expensive bad habits. I want to include advertising because I feel that these manufacturers are a legitimate part of the hang gliding community and I want the Oz Report to generate additional income. I can then use this income to improve the Oz Report and help pay for my work and that by others.

I have been asked to do ads for long distance service and printer refills. Not part of the hang gliding community as far as I’m concerned. Not to say that these things are bad, just that I restrict the ads to hang gliding ads (paragliding is fine also).

The HG list has many flaws, but commercial advertising is not one of them. Please protect the Oz Report, Davis, if finances allow you to do so. The Oz Report has been something rather special. I'd hate to see it become Just Another Advertising Site. Think about where you're heading, and whether you want to be there. You can't go back.

Thanks for your letters Helen. I very much appreciate your feedback and the opportunity to publish it here.

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Superflytec PG Championships

Fri, May 30 2003, 6:03:00 pm GMT

Andrew "Drew" Harris|competition|Dave Hopkins|David "Dave" Glover|David Glover|Davis Straub|food|Jamie Shelden|Jeff Huey|Kate Diamond|Paul Pearce|PG|Russell "Russ" Brown|scooter|scooter tow|tow|towing|winch

In spite of having a forecast for the best conditions of the week, only one of the pilots was able to get away from the tow paddock at all. There were dark, black bottomed cu’s every where, but no one could find any lift under them.

There was a 10 mph wind out of the west-northwest, pretty much like the day before, but with repeated launches and no one getting up off tow morale was getting lower and lower. Rob, the only pilot who had thermaled out and left the field, felt that the winds were a bit too strong coming into the field where he landed a few miles down wind. He phoned back his concerns to the pilots not getting up in the tow paddock.

Then a less experienced winch operator let the pressure off on a pilot just getting up a bit sideways and sent him sprawling across a couple of paragliders. Low morale, winds, sprawling pilot, the phoned in report from Rob, and only a few minutes left in the original end of launch time (which had just been extended), and pilots voted to stop the day.

It sure was hard to say why no one was able to get up off tows to 2000’ (the winds helped get pilots higher). On the worst looking day, we have the easiest time getting everyone into the air, and on the best looking day, we have the hardest time.

There are more helpers than contestants in this small first PG towing contest:

Paul Pearce's Hydraulic pay in - Drew Harris
Greg McNamee's Scooter tow rig
Russell Brown's Double wire drum pay in
ATV/Pulley return tow - Lois Nuebaeur
Rope Pull Back - by Hank Camp, Drew Harris, Joe Johnston
Retrieve Drivers - Jamie Shelden, Bruce Hopkins, David Glover, Martha Huey
Traffic Control - Kate Diamond, Damon Wooten and Bruce Hopkins
Launch Help Pilots/Winches- Davis Straub, Bruce Hopkins/David Glover
Food - Reily, Connie, Darrien, Lois

Discuss competition at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2

Discuss "Superflytec PG Championships" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Climate change

Wed, May 28 2003, 2:03:03 pm EDT

climate|food|Oz Report|space|transport|weather

As an amateur weather forecaster, I’m always interested in how long term trends may be affecting us year to year. Freeman Dyson (http://www.nybooks.com/authors/514), a very respected physicist, discusses the empirical issues related to climate modeling in the second half of this article, which I believe is open to all web users at least for the next week or so:

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/16270

A few excerpts:

Everyone agrees that the increasing abundance of carbon dioxide has two important consequences. First, carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, transparent to sunlight but partially opaque to the heat radiation that transports energy from the earth's surface into space. Second, carbon dioxide is an essential nutrient for plants on land and in the ocean. The increase in carbon dioxide causes changes, both in the transport of energy through the atmosphere and in the growth and reproduction of plants. Opinions differ on two crucial questions. Are the physical or the biological effects of carbon dioxide more important? Are the effects, either separately or together, beneficial or harmful?

The physical effects of carbon dioxide are seen in changes of rainfall, cloudiness, wind strength, and temperature, which are customarily lumped together in the misleading phrase "global warming." This phrase is misleading because the warming caused by the greenhouse effect of increased carbon dioxide is not evenly distributed. In humid air, the effect of carbon dioxide on the transport of heat by radiation is less important, because it is outweighed by the much larger greenhouse effect of water vapor. The effect of carbon dioxide is more important where the air is dry, and air is usually dry only where it is cold. The warming mainly occurs where air is cold and dry, mainly in the arctic rather than in the tropics, mainly in winter rather than in summer, and mainly at night rather than in daytime. The warming is real, but it is mostly making cold places warmer rather than making hot places hotter. To represent this local warming by a global average is misleading, because the global average is only a fraction of a degree while the local warming at high latitudes is much larger. Also, local changes in rainfall, whether they are increases or decreases, are usually more important than changes in temperature. It is better to use the phrase "climate change" rather than "global warming" to describe the physical effects of carbon dioxide.

(editor’s note: Have Oz Report readers checked out the high average temperatures in Alaska over the last few years?)

The biological effects of carbon dioxide on plants can be seen in changes of rate of growth, ratio of roots to shoots, and water requirement, which are different for different species and may result in shifts of the ecological balance from one kind of plant community to another. Effects on plant communities will also cause effects on dependent communities of microbes and animals. Biological effects are difficult to measure but are likely to be large. Experiments in greenhouses with an atmosphere enriched in carbon dioxide show that the yields of many crop plants increase roughly with the square root of the carbon dioxide abundance. If this were true for the major crop plants grown in the open air, it would mean that the 30 percent increase in carbon dioxide produced by fossil fuel–burning over the last sixty years would have resulted in a 15 percent increase of the world's food supply. A similar increase might have occurred in the world production of biomass of all kinds.

Discuss the weather at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2

Discuss "Climate change" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Young DraachenStein

Sun, Apr 27 2003, 2:00:03 pm EDT

aerotow|cart|cartoon|cloud|Cloud 9|competition|cost|David Maule|donations|Dragonfly|equipment|FAA|flight park|Florida|Flytec USA|food|foot launch|game|glide ratio|government|harness|instruction|landing|Maureen Grant|Moyes America|Moyes USA|parachute|photo|record|release|Rick Agudelo|Rob Kells|safety|site|sport|Sport Aviation|Spot|spot landing|storage|students|tandem|tow|towing|Tracy Tillman|training hill|transport|travel|tug|USHGA|weather|Wills Wing

aka the Dragonfly Cup - a new comp with a tall attitude and monster-size prizes.

by Tracy Tillman and Lisa Colletti

(from Reality Check cartoon series)

While working in the laboratory late one night, we created a new hang gliding competition for 2003, the Dragonfly Cup. The comp will take place at Cloud 9 Field in Michigan, home of the Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club. The value of prizes to be awarded is over $6000. Major sponsors include Wills Wing, Moyes USA, Flytec USA, High Energy Sports, AV8/Icaro, and Cloud 9 Sport Aviation.

Hot Comps

Many of the most successful meets taking place across the world use aerotowing as the primary means of launch. At a good site, it allows launching into any wind direction, and enables a large number of pilots to launch in a short period of time (provided that there are enough tugs and tug pilots available). The large cross-country meets that have been hosted by our friends in Florida and Texas over the last five years are a great example of the popularity and success of aerotowing as a launch format. The mass launches are an awesome site to behold, and participation in those comps is an experience that one will never forget. By all means, one should try to get to one or both of the Florida meets, as a participant, tug pilot, volunteer helper, or spectator.

The good flying conditions and high-level of competition at these meets bring together some of the best pilots in the world. These are relatively complex, work-intensive, and expensive comps to run, which results in entry fees being near $400, not including tow fees. With travel, food, lodging, and support crew costs added, the overall cost for a pilot to participate in one or both of the Florida meets is significant. Never-the-less, registration for both of these meets fills up almost immediately after opening.

Despite the popularity of these meets, it has been difficult for some clubs to run a successful meet in other parts of the county. Here in the Great Lakes/Great Plains region of the country, poor weather and low pilot turnout has resulted in the cancellation of meets more often than not. We can experience great soaring conditions across the summer flying season in this part of the country, but the weather patterns are not as consistent as in Florida or Texas. Also, many average Jo/Joe hang glider pilots who live in this part of the country are more interested in participating in a lower-cost, fun-type comp, rather than in a higher-cost, intensely competitive cross-country competition; and, it may be difficult for some pilots to take many vacation days away from work to attend a meet.

The Dragonfly Cup

With these issues in mind, and after some discussions with Rob Kells of Wills Wing, we created the Dragonfly Cup hang gliding competition for the summer of 2003. Aerotow and hill slope will be the primary means of launch. The comp will be hosted by the Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club (DFSC) at Cloud 9 Field in Michigan. It is a low-cost comp to benefit the DFSC, with large prizes sponsored by major hang gliding companies.

(A good summer day at Cloud 9. Photo by Rick Agudelo)

To avoid weather cancellation issues, the Dragonfly Cup is running season-long, from May 15 through September 1 (Labor Day), 2003. To avoid weather-related cross-country task problems, there are five different task categories: Race, Distance, Duration, Spot Landing, and Glide Ratio. To avoid retrieve problems, all task landings are at Cloud 9 Field. To reduce expenses, the cost is only $10 or $20 per comp flight, depending upon the task(s) declared by the competitor, plus the cost of the tow for that flight. A pilot can enter and declare a flight as a comp flight as many times as he/she likes across the season. To enable any level of pilot to win, a handicap system will enable lower-performance gliders to release from tow at higher altitudes. Pilots will foot launch from the newly-constructed training hill at Cloud 9 Field for the glide ratio task, which will enable non-towing student pilots, and even paraglider pilots, to compete in the meet. (Note: It is not a large hill; using a light, slow, high-lift wing may offer an advantage for this task.)

Results will be recorded across the season. Those who finish at the top of each category will be eligible to win one or more of the major prizes available. So far, the prize list and sponsors include: (a) Falcon 2 hang glider, sponsored by Wills Wing and Cloud 9 Sport Aviation ($3075 value); (b) Contour Harness sponsored by Moyes America ($950 value); (c) 4030XL variometer sponsored by Flytec USA ($899 value); (d) Quantum 330 reserve parachute sponsored by High Energy Sports ($650 value); and (e) PVC storage/transport tubes sponsored by AV8/Icaro ($500 value).

The cost for declaring a hill flight as a glide ratio comp flight is just $10, which means that for as little as a $10 entry fee, a pilot could win a brand new Falcon 2 glider worth over $3000. The cost for declaring an aerotow flight as a comp flight is $20 (plus tow fee), but the pilot can choose two of the four aerotow task categories for that flight: (a) Race, which is the fastest out and back 16 mile round trip time to the neighboring Sandhill Soaring Club field; (b) Distance, which is the most out and back round trips to the Sandhill Soaring Club field; (c) Duration, which is the longest time aloft; and (d) Spot Landing, which is landing (by foot or wheel) within a prescribed circle. All landings must be on Cloud 9 field; out-landing flights will be disqualified. For the aerotowing tasks, the tow height limit is1500 feet AGL for rigid wings, 2500 feet for topless flex wings, 3500 feet for kingposted double-surface flex wings, and 4500 feet for kingposted single-surface flex wings.

(Lisa, Tracy, and DFSC club members. Artwork by Bob and Maureen Grant)

The DSFC will host comp parties on Memorial Day weekend, July 4 weekend, and the first weekend in August, to encourage pilots from other clubs to schedule a trip en masse to fly here with us. The grand finale party will be held on Labor Day weekend, with final results determined and prizes awarded on Labor Day.

The winners of each task category will have an equal chance at winning the major prizes. A drawing of the task winners' names will be held on Labor Day to determine who gets which prize.

We feel that events like the Dragonfly Cup can help the sport to grow, as do several major manufacturers and distributors. Wills Wing, Moyes, Flytec, High Energy Sports, AV8/Icaro, and Cloud 9 Sport Aviation are offering significant donations in support of the 2003 Dragonfly Cup. These companies are dedicated to supporting our sport with their excellent products and services, please support them in return.

Cloud 9 Field and the Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club

If you have not flown with us before, please be aware that we have a specific operations formula that may be somewhat different from what you have experienced at other aerotowing sites. Because we have a nice site with a very active club, some pilots mistakenly think of our DFSC club site as a commercial flight park-it is not.

Cloud 9 Field is our sod farm, private airfield, and home. We purchased the land specifically with the intent of building a house, hanger, and private airfield, and to create a home base for the Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club. We are on the executive board of the Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club, and are the owners of Cloud 9 Sport Aviation, which is a supplementary mail order hang glider equipment business that serves Michigan and the Great Lakes region. We are also the owners of Cloud 9 Field, Inc. sod farm.

We allow DFSC club members and guest members to camp on our property (temporarily, not permanently) at no charge, and bathrooms and showers are available in our hanger for members and guests to use. The hanger has a second-floor club house/game room/kitchenette and observation deck overlooking the field. Our airfield is flat and open, and allows smooth cart launches and foot or wheel landings in any wind direction on mowed and rolled sod grass. Last year, we also built a 30 foot training hill on the edge of the field with the help of several club members (thanks Rick, Mark, and Jim!).

(Cloud 9 Field hanger and DFSC club house.)

The DFSC has been active since 1997, and has been flying from Cloud 9 Field since 1998. Even though we gained prior approval from the local, state, and federal government for the establishment of our private airfield for aircraft, ultralight, and hang glider operations, the local township government reacted to complaints from a neighbor about our towing operations, and sued us to prevent us from flying. As a result, we purposely kept a low public profile (but did not stop flying) while battling the lawsuit over several years.

Since that time we have learned how common it is, all across the country, for legal action to be initiated against people who own or establish airstrips and conduct flying activities. We also discovered that it is very important to find attorneys who are well versed in the appropriate areas of law, and who really care about your case. At a significant cost to us, we settled the lawsuit last year. In addition to having a great pair of attorneys working for us, one of which is a hang glider pilot and now a DFSC club member, we also had to do a great deal of work to help them develop an understanding of the case and to build a solid legal argument for the court. We learned a lot, but it was very time-consuming, stressful, and expensive.

During this process, we were inspected twice by the FAA. Their visits and reports supported our legal argument by helping to verify that we are not a commercial flight park operation, that we are operating properly within FAA regulations and exemptions, and that we are operating safely and relatively quietly. After getting to know us and the nature of our operations, the FAA asked Tracy to serve as an Aviation Safety Counselor for the FAA Detroit FSDO region, which also had a positive impact for us in court.

We are both ultralight basic flight instructors, and airplane private pilots. Lisa is the main tug pilot, and Tracy is the tandem hang gliding instructor for the club. We have two Dragonfly tugs, one with a Rotax 914 engine, and one with a Rotax 912 engine. We also own a Maule STOL airplane, painted in the same colors as our Dragonfly tugs.

In consideration of our neighbors, we have been successful in significantly reducing the engine/prop noise generation levels on both of our tugs. We use quieter and more reliable 4-stroke engines, custom-designed Prince propellers that provide increased thrust and reduced noise, after-muffler silencers with exhaust stacks that direct the noise upward, and towing/flying techniques that minimize noise levels on the ground.

(Tracy and Lisa with one of their Dragonfly Tugs)

Our operations formula has been refined over time to best meet FAA, IRS, USHGA, USUA, and other federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations. As such, all of our hang gliding instruction and flying operations take place via the Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club, Inc., which is a not-for-profit, mutual benefit organization to promote safe hang gliding and instruction. Club members share in the cost of our operations for their mutual benefit, such as site preservation and maintenance, tow operations, and instruction. All flights conducted by the DFSC are considered instructional flights. Instruction is free, but the club collects membership dues and fees from each member to cover their own specific towing expenses (non-member pilots can fly with us a few times a year as guests of the club without paying membership dues, but club members pay less for tows).

Our field is a private airfield for non-commercial use, not a public flight park for commercial use; therefore, all pilots, students, and visitors must contact us prior to coming out to our field to fly---on each and every visit. We try to be available for flying on most good days, but will be away from the field on occasion, so call before you come. Our season runs from May 1 through October 31. We are available to tow after 10:30 AM six days a week (not on Tuesdays), and on weekends only after Labor Day (when Tracy has to resume his faculty duties for the fall semester at Eastern Michigan University). We conduct tandem instructional flights in the evening, in conditions that are appropriate for students.

Everyone who flies with us must be a DFSC club member or guest member, a member of USHGA, sign our club waiver, and follow all club rules and procedures. We are very safety and instruction oriented, and expect pilots to do what we ask of them. Anyone who does not, will be reminded that they are at our home and on our field as our guest, and will be asked to leave. We would hope that pilots understand that there are many complex factors and issues involved in the establishment and operation of a successful aerotow hang gliding club, which mandates that we do things in certain ways. So far, our approach seems to work--we have an excellent safety record, a great group of pilots, a lot of fun, and a good reputation among students, pilots, and FAA officials who know us.

In spite of the cost and effort (on top of our regular professions) that it has taken for us to create and maintain the field and buildings, equipment, and club operations for the club, we support the club and its members because we love hang gliding and flying. We have had good success in bringing new pilots into the sport and we have helped to improve the flying skills of our club members.

Now that we have settled our township-related problems, we can be more open about our club's flying activities. We are hoping that more pilots will come to learn and fly with us in 2003, and we are very much looking forward to hosting the Dragonfly Cup this year.

Instruction and continuous improvement of flying skills and safety are the prime directives of our club. We take that very seriously. Accidents and injuries are not fun-safe flying is more fun for everybody. We will continue to focus on helping all of our club pilots improve their flying skills throughout the year, and we think that the Dragonfly Cup is a great way to help make that happen.

We are looking forward to having a great flying season ahead. Come fly with us, and enter the Dragonfly Cup - you've got a good chance at winning big!

For more information about the DFSC and the 2003 Dragonfly Cup, visit our website at http://members.aol.com/DFSCinc, email us at <DFSCinc@aol.com>, or call us at 517.223.8683. Fly safe, Lisa and Tracy.

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Wallaby Ranch »

Sun, Jan 3 1999, 6:00:03 pm EST

Christmas|cloud|Exxtacy|food|George Ferris|Kerry Lloyd|Malcolm Jones|Wallaby Ranch

Belinda and I are at Wallaby Ranch. We arrived here on Wednesday (January 20th). Three great days of flying before the rains today. Got a 73 miler past Silver Springs the second day I was here. Yesterday showed strong winds but weak lift under great looks, but not producing cloud streets. Carlos and I only went a bit over 23 miles.

Apparently flying has been great in Florida, at least since last October, except for a few weeks around Christmas (wouldn't you know it). George Ferris was getting long flights here on his Exxtacy, just before we got here.

The Ranch now has a chef, Jerome, and he is great. Cooks two to three meals a day, and frankly it is a 100% improvement on the Wallaby Ranch as a place to hang out, not that it wasn't already great. Anything to avoid going out for breakfast, and you get to meet and sit down with everyone here. Great food.

Lots of work taking place here, with many people providing the labor. This has been a big Brazilian contingent, and that has added to the atmosphere. Even Rhett's place looks improved. Kerry Lloyd has taken over the accounting, and Quicken Books has been set up to easily track the numerous services provided by the ranch personnel.

See more below for a few tidbits on our travels to Wallaby.

Saturday there was a special 5th birthday party at the Ranch for Malcolm Jones' daughter.

Lots of five year olds, farm animals, ponies, a huge pile of sand, Jerome, the chef and his crew all dressed up, the pole barn all decked out with paper cactuses, cowboy hats for all the kids along with scarfs.

Oh yes, and the tree house out of Dr. Suess through Malcolm. A southern father dotes on his daughter.

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