Oz Report

He was in the court room

Andrei Firtat|Brad Hill|Crestline Soaring Society|Gil Dodgen|GPS|injury|insurance|lawyer|Marcello de Barros|Martin Palmaz|midair collision|Mitchell "Mitch" McAleer|PASA|Peter Pivka|RRRG|Tim Herr|USHGA|USHPA

Mitch writes:

The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association executive management lies, all the time.

Mitchell McAleer

November 01 2021 at 10:36 PM

I spent three days in San Bernardino court watching the Peter Pivka, USHPA vs. Andrei Firtat trial. The USHPA, Tim Herr, and hired attorney Kirshbaum are defending Peter Pivka, a known liar, expelled from the USHPA, and the Crestline Soaring Society for lying about the mid air incident he caused, badly injuring Andrei, resulting in 4 fused upper lumbar vertebrae, long term care, loss of work, and long term chronic back pain for the victim of Peter Pivka's colossal ego, coupled with poor judgment and poor piloting skills.

At breaks in the trial Pivka walks from the defendant's chair, past me in the gallery never looking me in the eye, head high, shoulders back, a purposefully arrogant liar. Tim Herr, the lifetime USHGA, USHPA attorney is no different.

Pivka came to my house the day after the incident in 2017, asking for a couple broken upper brake lines replaced. He told me his version of the mid air story, claiming Andrei appeared below him in a steep climbing turn and impacted trailing edge of Andrei's canopy to Pivka's chest. Marcello de Barros came up the following day and showed me Andrei's GPS track, a virtually straight course along the front of Cloud peak ridge until impact and a straight line descent under a canopy collapsed by Pivka's body running into the trailing edge until Andrei's glider stalled and fell 100 feet to impact with the terrain above the 750 launch.

After looking at Andrei's GPS track, it's clear Peter Pivka was lying, and the cause of the mid air. From the GPS track and witnesses in the air that day Pivka was trying to milk the last weak lift and stay above Andrei, 2 minutes before this incident, Andrei turned 180º away from Pivka, who then followed him around the north west face of the Cloud peak ridge toward regionals launch, turning 180º left traveling toward the 750 for at least 200 yards, attempting to stay higher, or possibly wing walk on Andrei's canopy, to be cool, you know, like the pro's, except he caused a total collapse by impacting trailing edge at chest level continuing forward without any attempt to slow down or change course until Andrei's canopy stalled, collapsed and fell 100 feet impacting hard enough to break bones.

Day two, Kirshbaum attempts to claim the USHPA membership waiver excludes Pivka from any responsibility. That's absurd, self serving, as if the USHPA executive never had any intention of supporting membership by paying out liability claims and simply wants to keep all the self insurance fund for some other purpose. Kirshbaum asks a few leading questions alluding to Andrei's failure to deploy his reserve as the cause of his injury, another lame attempt to shift blame, based on a fiction, like it's a good idea to abandon control near the terrain and deploy a reserve and not control the main canopy at under 100 feet above ground.

Brad Hill, Discover Paragliding out of central Oregon coast showed up last Friday, October 29, and lied like a rug, claiming it's standard USHPA practice to teach entry level students to twist their risers 180° in flight to look behind them to see and avoid traffic closing from behind. Twisting risers and flying a paraglider with the pilot facing backwards is an advanced maneuver reserved for high time aerobatic pilots in the appropriate setting, most of the time, 1000 feet above ground over water, definitely more than 100 feet from terrain for a recreational pilot.

Turning around and facing away from direction of travel when this close to terrain is stupid and dangerous, and that's exactly what Brad Hill suggested should be standard procedure for low skill novice pilots. The premise is ridiculous, endorsed by USHPA attorney Tim Herr, every paraglider pilot must be alert as if we are all constant targets of suicidal kamakazie weekend warrior pilots, the same pilots we rode up with, drink beer with in the LZ after the flight. This is another lame attempt at blame shifting, and more delusional, poor ethical behavior from USHPA.

Tim Herr is a lawyer, he evidently hired Mr. Kirshbaum, who did all the work at the trial. Herr never questioned any witness, or said much, if anything the entire 3 days I was there. My experience indicates Mr Kirshbaum costs around $50K per year, and this case is 3 years old. That's potentially $150K wasted on a losing case, that might cost the PASA, RRG, USHPA self insurance scam millions in court costs, compensation for Andrei's medical expenses, pain and suffering, and long term care.

Verdict 11/2/2021

Jury found the defendant liable for $6 Million. Tim Herr USHPA attorney is visibly upset. The USHPA PASA, RRG self insurance scam started with $2 Million in donations from membership, and my guess, Palmaz, Herr, and the USHPA Colorado Springs office staff has absorbed a good part of that money in salaries, and there isn't anywhere near $6 million between Peter Pivka and the USHPA self insurance scam to pay Andrei Firtat compensation according to the jury verdict today.

Pivka's behavior coming to my house the day after the incident and spinning his actions to render himself blameless for Andrei's injury, and his story changing 3 times between depositions and the trial tells me he's lying, and in denial of the consequences of his actions. Peter Pivka's colossal ego compelled him to milk the last of the day and stay above Andrei, following directly behind and above for two minutes until he plowed into Andrei's glider.

If the USHPA had attempted a fair settlement, would the case have gone to trial? Between Pivka's ego, Tim Herr's ego, his vested interest, conflict of interest paying out multi million dollar injury settlement from the USHPA PASA funds, evidently no other outcome was possible.

Tim Herr and Martin Palmaz have been the USHPA executive management through both the loss of the Lloyd's of London coverage that used to cost USHGA, USHPA members $59 a year, and included a bi monthly magazine edited by Gil Dodgen. Now it seems their management style is also going to collapse the PASA self insurance scam.

Discuss "Mitch McAleer's take on the RRRG trial" at the Oz Report forum   link»   »

From the plaintives

accident|Alex Funar|Andy Jackson Flight Park|injury|insurance|Mark Forbes|midair collision|NASA|Peter Pivka/Pivkova/Pavlik|PG|RRRG|USHPA

We have recently published two stories about RRRG litigation.

https://OzReport.com/26.034#2

https://OzReport.com/26.036#4

We continue:

https://tluvirtual.com/event/firtat-v-pivka-7-44m-verdict-dave-fox-russ-gold/

This case involved a mid-air paraglider collision. Defendant Peter Pavlik, flying above and behind plaintiff Alex Funar, crashed into the rear edge of Funar’s paraglider wing. Funar’s wing collapsed and he fell approximately 100 feet to the mountainside below. Funar suffered a severe spinal fracture requiring a 4-level spinal fusion.

All paragliders must sign a broad waiver agreeing not to sue other paragliders and assuming all risks of injury while participating in the sport. Therefore, Funar had to prove that Pavlik’s conduct was (1) grossly negligent to avoid the waiver, and (2) so reckless it was entirely outside the range of ordinary activity involved in paragliding. Pavlik contended that Funar was in Pavlik’s blind spot and Funar should have been more aware of Pavlik’s location. Therefore, according to Pavlik, the collision was an unfortunate accident that did not give rise to liability, and Funar was also at fault for failing to “see and avoid” Pavlik.

Before reaching trial, Funar prevailed on Pavlik’s motion for summary judgment based on federal pre-emption, waiver, and primary assumption of risk. Then Funar prevailed on Pavlik’s petition to the Court of Appeal seeking a peremptory writ of mandate.

At trial, the jury returned a verdict finding Pavlik grossly negligent and reckless without any comparative fault by Funar. The jury decided total damages of $7,443,369.74, which included $1 million for past non-economic damages and $5 million for future non-economic damages. The judgment will exceed $9 million after CCP §998 costs and interest.

Teaching points:

1. Simplify, simplify, simplify wherever possible. We had to trust our instincts. We knew practically nothing about paragliding. It is a technical sport that attracts engineer types. We are not engineer types. This required an enormous amount of time learning in detail how paragliders fly, particularly to understand and refute one of the defense experts, a former rocket scientist from NASA. We learned more about “glide ratios,” “polar curves,” and “sun angles” than we ever wanted to know. Ultimately, even though we learned enough to do so, we resisted the urge to get in the weeds (what Rodney Jew would call the “purple box”). We were concerned this would place undue emphasis on the defense case and lose the jury in the process. Instead, we trusted our instincts by sticking to a straightforward explanation of what happened, consistent with eyewitness observations, everyday experience and common sense. We also tried to consistently compare the basic principles of paragliding at issue here (seeing and avoiding other aircraft, keeping safe distance from other aircraft, yielding right of way to pilots in front and below) to driving a car – something the jury was familiar with in their everyday life.

2. Use of Visuals and Demonstratives. We also used a multitude of demonstratives to show our case to the jury rather than just tell it, including videotaping test paragliders up in the air to help explain Defendant’s misconduct, and opening the actual paraglider wing (30 feet X 9 feet) in the courtroom to discredit the defendant’s claim that he “didn’t see” our client before hitting him.

3. Extracting defense expert deposition concessions. This set us up very well at trial and boxed them in. Had we been very contentious with the defense experts in deposition we may never have gotten the concessions. A couple of their experts provided reports before their depositions that we went through carefully with our experts and consultants. We then obtained numerous admissions from the defense experts that we could exploit at trial. The defense experts ultimately became our experts, particularly the defense main liability expert.

4. Maintaining credibility above all else. We tried to be extremely careful to be credible at every stage of trial. This meant we dealt head on with the defenses the jury would hear from the other side in voir dire and our opening so the jury did not hear them for the first time from the defense. Then, everything we said we would prove in opening, we proved. In voir dire, we didn’t sugar coat it and asked the key questions that illuminated our problem jurors – “Any of you thinking right now that because our client jumped off a mountain and signed a waiver not to sue anyone if he got hurt that they are already not inclined to find in his favor.”

FFS writes:

”The judgment will exceed $9 million after CCP §998 costs and interest.”

Peter Pivka (aka Peter Pivkova) and Alex Funar were strangers to each other. Pivka had been tailgating/pimping off Alex at Andy Jackson Flight Park.

Alex flew away towards Cloud peak. Pivka followed.

Then without prior agreement or communication in the air, Pivka attempted to walk on Alexs wing from behind. Pivka misjudged his approach and essentially collapsed Alex’s wing. Alex was already too close to terrain (100’ AGL) for any possibility of wing recovery or reserve throw.

USHPA-selected expert testified flying reverse (hang gliding equivalent would be twisting 180° on the hang point to face towards the keel) is a basic maneuver taught to P-1s on their 4^th or 5^th flight and that Alex had the responsibility of checking for traffic behind him by flying reverse. 100’ above the ground.

The fact that “expert” testimony was sanctioned by USHPA is incredibly disappointing and shows USHPA prioritized protecting RRRG assets over the truth and welfare of one of its own.

Mark Forbes’ continued obfuscation of the truth does not surprise. Forbes dropped the ball at a crucial moment during the initial insurance crisis. He is not a credible source of information nor can he be relied upon during times of crisis.

Discuss "More on RRRG Litigation" at the Oz Report forum   link»   »

Pending

Dave Hanning|insurance|Mark Forbes|midair collision|RRRG|safety|sport|USHPA

Mark Forbes writes:

Mark Forbes here. I serve as CFO of Recreation RRG. I can't answer most of the questions that you're all about to clamor for answers to, so don't bother asking.

What you saw in the announcement from the RRG is what can be released at present. What you read from people like Hanning and Mcaleer is misinformed ranting. This litigation is a long way from being over, and meanwhile Recreation RRG continues to operate, insuring pilots, schools, chapters, landowners and USHPA.

The fundamental understanding within our sport must be the belief that we're all responsible for our own safety, and on ourselves alone falls the duty of care to stay safe. We all agree as a condition of USHPA membership that we will not sue or make a claim against landowners, pilots or anybody else if we get hurt. The plaintiff in this case broke his promise and sued. He found a judge and jury sympathetic to his argument that his promise should not be binding. If pilots feel that they can break their promise not to sue others, then it's difficult to see how insurance could remain viable even with a massive increase in premiums. That's just not sustainable. When members of our flying community actively encourage one pilot to sue another, or make public statements casting blame and calling for retribution, it damages us all.

The insurance policy now excludes claims between pilots, so a future mid-air collision would not be an insurable event. It also excludes claims for gross negligence, in addition to criminal negligence previously excluded. As we continue to gain experience, the insurance policies continue to be refined, expanding coverage where it's feasible, restricting it where unacceptable risk becomes evident.

Recreation RRG continues to operate normally, and I expect that a final resolution of this case is many months in the future. Claims are something that happens in the insurance business, and they don't generally rise to a level of concern within the pilot community. Perhaps once this is finally settled out and fully 'done', we can have an in-depth discussion about what happened and how it was handled. For right now, "I can't comment on pending litigation."

Discuss "RRRG litigation" at the Oz Report forum   link»   »

Pivot tables

Andrew Vanis|Europe|insurance|Wills Wing

"Andrew Vanis" «andrewvanis»

I was curious about the representation so put together these pivot tables.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SM9mjcR8YHk49yji6oZbPMHto5A5IBRb-Vh7RIjvUCA/edit?usp=sharing

Surprised that the land of Moyes at 250 pilots has 1/10 of the USA pilots 2600 - and we couldn't hold onto Wills Wing. No wonder their insurancerate is higher than our high insurance rates.

Germany has more pilots than all of the USA, like 50% more. Europe represents almost 60% of the pilots in the world. If Germany was separated from Europe the top three would be Europe, Germany, North America.

Discuss "Andrew rerepresents the data" at the Oz Report forum   link»   »

Paying for site insurance

(Jackson Hole, WY, USA)

Christopher Moody|insurance

Christopher Moody writes:

This morning an important club email just went out regarding our efforts to secure access to JHMR for free flight. Please read! Below is a quick synopsis.

Recreational solo flying is still suspended at JHMR, but thankfully we now have the ability to purchase insurance coverage that will allow free flight in the future! The new policy premium will cost our club $15,000. JHFFC is actively raising money to meet this new expense. As of today, June 14^th, we are almost a third of the way there.

OUR GOAL IS TO RAISE $15,000 by July 1^st.

As a team, we are working hard to ensure long-term access for our members at this world-class site. We are advocating for each and every one of you, but we need your help!

In order to make this happen, here’s our plan:

All members must pay their annual dues of $45 before July 1^st. Beginning July 1^st, annual dues will increase to $145; non-members will be removed from the JHFFC email list and WhatsApp Messaging Groups.

Visiting pilots may pay the new monthly membership option of $50 or annual dues of $145 if paying after July 1^st. We encourage potential visitors to pay up-front now to help us make our goal.

We are most heavily relying on donations from our community and friends to reach our $15,000 fundraising goal. Even once all members pay their dues, it is not enough to reach our goal. PLEASE consider a suggested donation of $200 to the club and share our fundraising efforts with your friends. Every little bit helps!

End of June fundraiser event & celebration in the works. Stay tuned for details to come.

How else can you help?

-PAY YOUR DUES! First and foremost, this is the best thing you can do to support your local club as well as help our fundraising efforts. Your dues pay for member and landowner insurance at ALL of our sites (Curtis, Nelson’s, Beaver, EGVB, High School), organization-level donations to Teton County Search & Rescue, a website to host our site guides and more.

-DONATE! Once you have paid your dues (and made sure your pilot-friends have paid theirs as well!), we ask you to consider donating to JHFFC. You can «Venmo» or use PayPal at paypal.me/jhfreeflightclub .

-SHARE! Please share posts, forward emails, etc. with friends and family as we are actively looking for donations to reach our goal.

We are excited to bring the club and community together in order to reinstate recreational flying at JHMR as well as further our mission to maintain, safely regulate, and insure numerous flying sites throughout the valley. Take our member survey and tell us what you’d like to see from JHFFC in the future! -

The health insurance company sues

insurance

JohnK writes:

In Northern Colorado, a number of years ago, there was a dairy farmer who had an ultralight field on his property that he allowed us to aerotow from. One weekend, an ultralight pilot had a serious crash, on landing, that severely damaged both of his legs. Doctors thought, initially, that they would have to amputate one or both of his legs. After a lot of surgeries, and rehab, he was able to walk again.

Not too long after that, United Healthcare (the pilot’s medical insurance provider) filed suit against the farmer to recover the cost of treating the pilot. They did this knowing the farmer had terminal cancer, because they were his insurer as well. I’m guessing that they were hoping he would settle, rather than try to fight it, given his medical condition. He tried to reason with them, by citing the Colorado statute quoted by TBrown, but they wouldn’t budge. Many thousands of dollars later, he prevailed in court but he died not long after that. It wasn’t too long, after his passing, that his family closed down access to the field.

The reality is that statutes, like Colorado’s, are the same as patents. They are only as good as your willingness to defend them in court. The state won’t go to court to defend you. You can get the case thrown out, but it is going to cost you a lot of money to have it done.

Open?

Christopher Moody|insurance|Risk Retention Group

David Hanning writes:

JHP is open for biz w/ RRRG Insurance at 5mil

Is a solution coming soon?

insurance|Risk Retention Group

Mark Forbes writes:

The root of the problem is the insurance company AIG, which provides insurance for many of the ski resorts in the US. They made an arbitrary decision to require a $5 million limit policy for all "high risk" activities at ski areas they insure. They won't budge on that, and we've been working on it since they announced this decision. It's a consequence of the hardening insurance market and lower insurance company profits. Those are driven by lower long-term interest rates and losses in the property/casualty lines due to
flooding, hurricanes and wildfires. Insurers are tightening standards, reducing coverage and demanding higher limits for activities like hang gliding at these ski areas.

Recreation RRG is licensed to offer $1 million/occurrence, $2 million annual aggregate coverage as a baseline. For specific locations we've been able to negotiate reinsurance at 2/2 and 2/3 limits for a substantial extra premium, which flows straight to the reinsurers at 100%. We're working on a solution for the $5 million demanded by AIG for access to ski areas. This was just sprung on us a few months ago and it takes some time to work out the details. Recreation RRG doesn't have enough capital to be able to just raise the limits arbitrarily. If we had ten million in assets, then we could just do it….but we don't.

I think we're going to be able to announce a solution fairly soon. It's likely to be expensive. I've talked with the folks at Telluride about this in the past week and we brainstormed some ideas for how to make it work.

A little back and forth

Facebook|insurance|Paul Voight|Risk Retention Group|Ryan Voight|USHPA

FB discussion found here.

Luke Waters:

Ryan Voight, the insurance company did not drop USHPA. The commercial policy that only covered a handful of schools was dropped and USHPA leadership at the time convinced it's members those schools were "too big to fail" and that we all needed to self insure to support them. But yes, this was one is the incidents that lead to one of the bigger payouts.

Ryan Voight:

Luke Waters, false. I was on the board when the fiasco took place. It started when the insurance company, providing 3^rd party liability, realized there was “professional instruction” taking place and said they will no longer cover USHPA without the addition of a policy for instructors. Hence “mandatory instructor insurance”… one of those we-had-a-choice-but-didn’t-really-have-an-alternative situations.

Couple years later, insurance decides our case history is too variable/unpredictable/expensive… not profitable enough for them to be worth the risk/hassle, they choose not to renew our policy (at any price, just plain won’t do it).

USHPA decides to self-insure because (primarily) without insurance many sites would be lost. Site insurance is simply listing landowners as insured parties within the 3^rd party liability insurance. Again though, the landowners wouldn’t be covered during any commercial instruction unless instructors have their own policy too…
So now we have USHPA who provides a good pilot rating system, obtains 3^rd party liability insurance for pilots/landowners, and (IMHO) does a mediocre job of training and certifying instructors.

RRRG is a pilot owned/operated insurance provider, providing policies to USHPA, PASA, and large schools directly.
PASA is an organization created to help make sure instructors are following best practices, not taking unnecessary risks and creating stupid insurance liability (because we can’t afford for RRRG to fail).

It’s a mess.

Years ago I tried to point out at a USHPA BOD meeting that the instructor training and certification is well-intentioned but grossly inadequate, and much of the mess is because USHPA “certifies” who’s an instructor and who isn’t. I proposed USHPA stop certifying instructors altogether- shed the liability to survive. It wasn’t a well received idea lol. I know it’s a bit out there and initially sounds horrible- but I still think it makes absolute logical sense and it’s what the organization needs to do!

Luke Waters:

Ryan Voight, I have to disagree. You were a part of the board when the initial addition of the Rogallo membership took place, but your explanation of why USHPA dropped the general polices and self-insured is not completely correct. It's easy to go back and see exactly what happened because it was being talked about a lot and published all over the web when it was happening.

The bottom line is the RRRG now provides a commercial insurance policy to a handful of big tandem operations that replaced the (only) policy that was being canceled by Lloyds of London at the time. It's arguable that there was ever any direct threat to the policies that cover solo pilots or most instructors. It's also arguable that USHPA needed these handful of big tandem operations to survive, since at the time they were issuing something like 40% of novice and beginner ratings. What is not arguable is that the general membership was not getting the full story as to why this was really a crisis, and why we needed to self insure.

Now we have the RRRG and have to make it work. And with the new leadership the future looks bright. But we have to be clear about the history and the facts that got us here in order to understand how to move forward.

Ryan Voight:

Luke Waters I was a USHPA Director, in the Board meeting, when we- as a Board- were told that *all* the USHPA policies were not going to be renewed. We were told the insurance company (after dodging calls for a months if I recall correctly) had confirmed that fear. I, along with the rest of the Board, voted to pursue self-insurance options at that time. We would have loved some other alternatives to choose from! If what you say is true, and the general membership policy was still eligible renewal, that’s news to me, and in direct disagreement with the information the BOD was presented. I guess I can’t fully say if you’re correct or mistaken

After that I stopped being involved- I was on the board to help and better the sport(s)… not to manage bureaucratic management as policies… much more qualified people for that anyway. So I can’t speak to what happened after that… (it was a shit show).

I will say publicly that I do not agree with several things USHPA is doing these days, RRRG and PASA policies, etc. it’s horrible…

Discuss "Insurance, so which is it?" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Why do we have USHPA/RRRG Liability Insurance?

Essentially so that we can obtain the privilege of launching and landing at sites that we don't own

Christopher Moody|Facebook|insurance|PG|Risk Retention Group|RRRG|USHPA

You can dive into the justifications for paying for this insurance here:

https://www.ushpa.org/member/insurance

Insurance is important to the advancement of free flight in the US. In many cases it is an essential element in opening flying sites, so insurance is an important component of USHPA’s programs and member benefits.

This is key. Hang Glider pilots did not go around looking for 3^rd party liability insurance because they wanted to protect or defend themselves if they caused damage or injury to a 3^rd party. They were forced to look for this type of insurance by landowners who said they they could not use their land for launching and landing unless pilots carried liability insurance. In addition they wanted to be named as additional insured.

Incidents involving third parties present in launch or landing areas may trigger claims under USHPA's GL policy. Landowners of launch and landing areas may also be named in suits and can also be covered under USHPA's GL policy if and only if they are named as Additional Insured parties and they receive no compensation for their services.

A Chapter must arrange for USHPA “Site Insurance” in order to name site landowners (owners of launch areas and landing fields) as Additional Insureds on USHPA's GL policy. For details, refer to Insurance - Sites

https://www.ushpa.org/member/insurance-members

All USHPA members have third party liability coverage under the USHPA GL policy as a member benefit. This covers claims made by third parties (such as spectators, bystanders, etc.) for damage or injury caused by member actions while paragliding or hang gliding. It also covers the costs and fees associated with any legal defense (for example, if the damaged party decides to sue the member or USHPA).

https://www.ushpa.org/member/insurance-faqs

1 - Why do all pilots flying a USHPA-insured site need to be USHPA members?

"USHPA-insured site" actually means that the landowners of that site are covered by USHPA's General Liability insurance policy. The reason we have this option is because many landowners won't let us launch or land on their property without this coverage; not only for us as pilots, but for them as individuals. However, the coverage only applies to accidents involving USHPA members and third parties - the innocent bystander, spectator, or dog-walker who is accidentally injured (or has their property damaged). If a pilot is NOT a USHPA member then there is zero coverage for the landowner, pilots, or chapter. So if an accident occurs involving a pilot who is not a USHPA member, and the landowner is sued, a likely outcome is that the site will be shut down, or the flying community in that area will have to cover large legal fees in order to keep the site open by assuming the liability from the landowner.

I've been reporting on issues regarding insurance. Right now the Jackson Hole Resort wants $5 million in liability insurance to allow paraglider pilots to take the lift to the top and launch. This is way beyond what our current insurance covers. You can read more about this and other insurance issues here:

https://OzReport.com/toc.php?25.082#0

https://OzReport.com/toc.php?25.082#3

https://OzReport.com/toc.php?25.080#2

https://OzReport.com/toc.php?25.080#4

https://OzReport.com/toc.php?25.066#4

https://OzReport.com/toc.php?25.066#5

We are currently discussing this insurance issue on Facebook here.

No Coverage Whatsoever

Don't launch from there

insurance|Risk Retention Group|USHPA

https://ozreport.com/toc.php?25.066#4

https://www.ushpa.org/member/2021-insurance-exclusions

As of April 14, 2021, Recreation Risk Retention Group has issued the attached Policy Change endorsements to both the USHPA General Liability (GL) and Professional Liability (PL) Policies.

Policy Change Number 85 to the USHPA GL Policy - MAGL00001001-R5 with an effective date of April 14, 2021 @ 12:01AM EDT.
Policy Change Number 1 to the USHPA PL Policy - MAPL00001002-R5 with an effective date of April 14, 2021 @ 12:01 AM EDT.

Both of these policy changes add two excluded locations to the policies. The new excluded locations are the JustFly-SVS Whitwell Flight Park and the JustFly-SVS Henson Gap Flight Park.

With these exclusions in place, there is no cover under either policy for any of the insureds due to claims arising from flights originating from these flight parks.

What this appears to mean is that if you launch from these sites your USHPA third party liability insurance will not cover you for any claims no matter where you land.

Discuss "No Coverage Whatsoever" at the Oz Report forum   link»

The $5 million dollar question

They are asking for a lot more coverage

Christopher Moody|insurance|PG|Risk Retention Group|USHPA|William "Billo" Olive

Site owners are asking for more coverage because AIG (reinsurance) is asking for more coverage. This from the Jackson Hole Free Flight Club:

The document here.

Effective June 1^st, 2021, ALL RECREATIONAL FREE FLIGHT WILL BE SUSPENDED AT THE JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN RESORT. We are working hard to come up with a solution and ask that all pilots stand down and respect this closure to increase our chances of negotiating long-term access.

Why is this happening?

AIG/Mountain Guard is an international company that insures many lift-serviced ski resorts in North America (including JHMR, Telluride, Sun Valley and more). AIG/Mountain Guard recently changed their policies to specifically exclude paragliding and hang gliding, unless such activities are covered by a policy carrying at least $5 million in coverage. Although we always purchase insurance coverage for our club and its members, a $5 million policy is many times greater than any policy currently available for purchase through the RRRG, the provider set up by our national free flight organization USHPA.

USHPA’s Recreation Risk Retention Group has known that these changes to AIG's policy were coming, and our national representatives have been looking for solutions. Unfortunately, no solution currently exists as this level of coverage is substantially above and beyond the industry standard. Reaching AIG's $5 million threshold would require dramatic changes like layering coverage from multiple international providers or developing (and funding) a new in-house policy for affected clubs. This is especially difficult because most insurance companies have specific exclusions for aviation-related activity, so our options are extremely limited. The RRRG had hoped to have some solutions worked out before JHMR's contract with AIG renewed, but unfortunately we are not there yet.

William Olive (Australia) writes:

Welcome to our world in Oz. One of the reasons that SAFA (HGFA) membership is expensive is our necessity to have AUD$20,000,000 insurance to cover third party damages. This insurance is required by National Parks, councils and other State bodies in order to negotiate access to sites under their control.

Current SAFA fees are found here. $315/year + state fees + club fees. You are required by Australian law to be a member of the SAFA if you fly a hang glider or paraglider.

RRRG Insurance for sites/clubs

Checking for answers

Bill Bolosky|Dan Shell|insurance|Lookout Mountain Flight Park|Risk Retention Group|Tennessee Tree Toppers|USHPA

Dan Shell replies

We've been dealing with this problem here for some time, through numerous conversations with the RRRG, and have had some other experience with coverage for litigation, so I may be able to answer this question:
 
Q: If a site has RRRG site insurance why would that site insurance designate who can or who can't land there? If a hang glider pilot flew from a flight park in Florida and landed at the TTT LZ, why would the TTT not be protected from any suit that the hang glider pilot brought against them?
 
A: According to my understanding of the RRRG's position, the TTT would not be covered for claims against the TTT by the pilot flying from an uninsured Florida flight park to a crash landing in a TTT LZ because that flight is defined as (associated with) "commercial operation" by the RRRG. However, claims for damage to the onlooker's car parked along Davis Loop Road, into which the Florida pilot crashed, or injuries to the onlooker when the noseplate went through his windshield, would be covered under the USHPA member's third-party liability insurance.  

This has confused a number of our members and seems to be a cultivated confusion, reappearing from the same source repeatedly after repeated clarification. It seems the best answer to "why would that site insurance designate who can or can't land there" may be the insurance company's desire to maximize predictability and minimize claims. The account of local failures and deceptions regarding "risk management" related by Mr. Bolosky do not air the "dirty laundry" which raises even more questions. These questions may even go so far as to undermine confidence in our pilot-proficiency program. Why would the USHPA continue to rate pilots from a school employing the same curriculum and risk-management practices for which the proprietor's instructor ratings and the school's insurance policy were revoked? Do they just not pay enough attention to detail? Can any USHPA chapter or commercial operation have any confidence in the skills claimed by the membership card under such circumstances?
 
Dan Shell
 
P.S. While I think it's an educated one, it's my opinion. While I am on the TTT Board of Directors, I am not speaking for them, but as openly and honestly as possible about our situation from my perspective.

I ask Dan:

Thanks for chiming in.
 
Unfortunately, I'm still confused.
 
My issue is with why there is a difference in the RRRG insurance for TTT between pilots who launch from any random site where "commercial" activity is taking place and pilots who launch from a site where there is no "commercial" activity?
 
I'm not addressing the RRRG 3^rd party liability insurance that USHPA pilots carry.
 
Don't we want TTT to be covered no matter where the pilot came from?
 
Can't TTT just say that pilots launching from commercial sites may not land on their land? Do they need to reference a higher authority to make this a rule?
 
For sure, as you say, the RRRG can limit their exposure by disallowing a certain "class" of pilots, but that just increases TTT's exposure. It's hard to understand why this particular class represents any increase in risk (although as you reference in your email that could easily be the case in your circumstances).
 
Do we know the history of how the RRRG came up with this rule? Were they thinking specifically of TTT? I can't figure out where there would be another site where there would be an issue. Do you know of others who would want this kind of rule?
 
As I wrote to Bill I certainly understand where a site that wasn't designated as a training site would not want to have tandems and pilots under instruction landed at its LZ.
 
Can you help me (and my readers) out here?
 
One more confusing part. If the pilot was flying from a USHPA insured site that was a USHPA/RRRG/PASA insured instructional site, would this rule apply? That is does the word "commercial" refer only to non USHPA/RRRG/PASA instructional sites?
 
No dog in this fight.

Dan replies:

We definitely "want TTT to be covered no matter where the pilot came from." It's just that in this circumstance, we aren't. I'm not sure that the restriction is on "any random site where 'commercial' activity is taking place," but does apply to those sites which are run as commercial operations (without satisfactory TTT coverage). Thanks for clarifying that you are not conflating coverage of the USHPA third-party liability insurance for pilots, which is part of the confusion for every new batch of beginners or visiting pilots around here with the help of a little persistent misdirection.

Yes, TTT should "just say that pilots launching from commercial sites may not land on their land," and we have (See TTT FRP, Section A, Insurance Requirements).   Unfortunately, others feel entitled to undermine the rule-making authority of the annually elected board of directors, insisting that those rules are invalid and unenforceable, and encouraging their violation among students and other clientele. I think the closing statement in a recent proprietor's post says it all: "Please ignore the whole TTT BOD." Of course, this practice of continual defiance will place TTT assets in constant jeopardy. In the face of misleading information suggesting that those restrictions were of TTT creation and/or preference, we have sought clarification from the RRRG, from which those restrictions originate.

Unfortunately, the RRRG can see all too well "why this particular class represents any increase in risk," as Bill Bolosky outlined in his brief history of the relationship. They wish to avoid a situation where they are forced to cover commercial operations, especially questionable ones, where no premium has been paid or coverage extended. You are correct in that it increases our liability, but only if this restriction is disregarded and our members (et al) continue to end their commercially originated flights in our non-commercially insured LZ. Presently, the disregard extends to misdirection of beginner students and (TTT) non-members to land in our LZ, a clear violation of our "Flight Regulatory Program" (FRP) under any circumstances, regardless of insurance. The RRRG is aware of this climate.

I do not know how the RRRG came up with this rule or if they were "thinking specifically of TTT," but as Mr. Bolosky said, it's not a problem anywhere else. In Tennessee and many other states, property owners are already protected from litigation by the "uninvited visitor" in a law passed with the intent of encouraging more hospitable recreational use of private property. Of course, this doesn't apply to our operations or any commercial free-flight operations, so we carry the neighboring properties on which we're likely to land as "additional insureds."

I can't imagine anyone "who would want this kind of rule." We do not want to tell our members that they can't land in their LZ. Why would anyone? It is a condition entirely imposed on us by the circumstances Mr. Bolosky outlined.

As I understand it, this rule would not necessarily apply to a "site that was a USHPA/RRRG/PASA insured instructional site." Mr. Bolosky references this situation: Lookout Mountain Flight Park is a flight park that is insured by Recreation RRG.

Lookout Mountain Flight Park has obtained from Recreation RRG additional insured chapter and landowner coverage for the TTT and the other emergency and bail out landing zone landowners at Henson Gap. So if a student or patron of Lookout Mountain Flight Park wants to land on TTT or other landowner properties at Henson Gap, there is coverage under the Lookout Mountain Flight Park policy for the TTT and the other landowners.

So, this is a unique situation not of our making and over which we have little control except the enforcement of our FRP for fulfillment of fiduciary responsibilities and protection of assets.

I hope this helps. We appreciate your interest. Of course, we would welcome the change in RRRG policy or the particular commercial operation insurance coverage that would just make this problem go away, but it really shouldn't be a fight at all, it isn't anywhere else, and is only so here at the insistence of others.

Davis thinks out loud:

It is very interesting to me that Lookout Mountain Flight Park's insurance specifically covers various land owners, not just TTT. While I believe that it is the case that none of the Florida flight parks carry liability insurance it would be hard for me to imagine what land owners would be covered even if they did. We've got a few tens of thousands out there.

RRRG Insurance for sites/clubs

A question for Bill Bolosky

Bill Bolosky|insurance|Risk Retention Group|Tennessee Tree Toppers|USHPA

Bill has been very generous with his answers to my questions which you'll notice if you go back a few issues. I've asked a few more, two times and am still waiting for the answers. Here are the questions:

Hi Bill,

I still have a question or two.

https://www.ushpa.org/member/insurance

The RRRG provides/sells 3^rd party liability insurance for pilots so that if someone sues them for damages that they cause while hang gliding the RRRG will provide a lawyer and/or pay for damages. This is true even if they are not sued.

https://www.ushpa.org/member/insurance-sites

https://www.ushpa.org/member/insurance-schools

Likewise the RRRG provides/sells 3^rd party liability insurance to sites and schools (and instructors through PASA certified schools).

As you noted before landowners (say any random one whose property we land on here in Florida) is not covered by RRRG 3^rd party liability insurance. This includes all the Florida flight parks that don't carry 3^rd party liability insurance.

So this means that the landowners are not protected by RRRG insurance if a hang glider pilot sues them. (I'm ignoring event insurance.)

If a site has RRRG site insurance why would that site insurance designate who can or who can't land there? If a hang glider pilot flew from a flight park in Florida and landed at the TTT LZ, why would the TTT not be protected from any suit that the hang glider pilot brought against them?

I can certainly understand how a landowner with RRRG site insurance, but not insured as a training site, would prohibit flights involved in instruction from landing at their property, because they are not covered for that activity. But it seems that they should be covered for any random recreational not involved in instruction pilot showing up and landing at their LZ.

Does this make sense?

Where have I made an error?

Discuss "RRRG Insurance for sites/clubs" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Are you covered for liability?

You pay a lot for liability insurance through the RRRG

Bill Bolosky|CIVL|insurance|Risk Retention Group|USHPA|Wilotree Park

After receiving the email from the RRRG regarding our liability insurance situation with regard to the Tennessee Tree Topper I had a few questions that I sent to Bill Bolosky and the RRRG board:

Your email from the RRRG BOD raises a series of questions for me. Perhaps you know the answers.

It is my understanding that none of the flight parks in Florida have any insurance whatsoever.

They certainly wouldn't have any insurance covering any of the thousands of land owners scattered through out the state where we might land.

They do own the flight park lands and most of the time pilots land there.

In competitions we ask pilots to land at designated airfields/goal, so we make sure to designate them so that we can be insured with a competition policy from the RRRG.

During a competition is the only time we have insurance at Wilotree Park and with Paradise Airsports.

Pilots are being towed up by Paradise Airsports on a daily basis. The pilots may land somewhere else. We had assumed that they were covered by their USHPA/RRRG individual pilot liability coverage. Is this not true because they are being launched by a commercial operation?

Is there any point for a pilot who is solely launching from a flight park to have USHPA membership (other than for USHPA and CIVL sanctioned competition)?

Does the USHPA/RRRG not defend any recreational hang glider pilot who launches from a commercial flight park for any liability that they may incur when landing on some unknown landowners property?

How does the SSA handle this with outlandings?

Have I completely misunderstood what the RRRG board has written?

Discuss "Are you covered for liability?" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Read Carefully About Our RRRG Insurance

Insuring Landowners

Bill Bolosky|Dave Hanning|insurance|Lookout Mountain Flight Park|PG|Risk Retention Group|Steve Kroop|Tennessee Tree Toppers|USHPA

RRRG Board: Bill Bolosky, Mark Forbes, Steve Kroop, Randy Leggett, and Calef Letorney respond to my inquiry regarding the insurance situation at the Tennessee Tree Toppers:

Summary: Past history prevents Recreation RRG from insuring Dave Hanning's commercial operations. He and his insurer are responsible for providing equivalent coverage for landowners including TTT. Recreation RRG does not insure risk from commercial operations, including launching from a flight park, except for those operations insured by it. See detailed discussion below.

In the good old days, USHPA was insured by the traditional insurance market under policies that did not do a good job of differentiating between commercial risk and non-commercial risk. As a result the old USHPA policies ended up defending and paying on commercial claims for which no premium was collected and, where in many cases the commercial operations were uninsurable. Due in no small part to the effect of these claims, USHPA ultimately lost coverage in the traditional insurance market.

When Recreation RRG was formed, it was imperative to a successful business plan that the policies issued by Recreation RRG not inadvertently provide coverage to the benefit of commercial operations for which no premium is charged or to commercial operations which are not insurable.

For that reason, the USHPA GL Policy coverage for Chapters and Landowners does not include liability arising out of the provision of any services for hire or the provision of any services for compensation of any nature. (See policy form RRRG 8104). This means that a Chapter and a Landowner are not covered under the USHPA GL policy when the loss arises out of any type of commercial activity - such as the operation of a flight school or a flight park. When one uses the facilities of a flight park to launch, that flight is a commercial activity. Any loss related to that flight arises out of the provision of a launch service for hire and/or compensation.

Ordinarily, there is a really simple solution to this gap in coverage for the chapter and the landowner - the commercial operator simply purchases additional insured coverage for the chapter and landowner from the same insurance company that insures the commercial operation. And this makes sense, as the risk involved is that of the commercial operation and so that operation should bear the full costs of its operation - including any insurance cost and claim costs. All across the US, Recreation RRG provides just such coverage to chapters and landowners as additional insureds on policies that Recreation RRG issues to flight schools and flight parks.

Lookout Mountain Flight Park is a flight park that is insured by Recreation RRG. Lookout Mountain Flight Park has obtained from Recreation RRG additional insured chapter and landowner coverage for the TTT and the other emergency and bail out landing zone landowners at Henson Gap. So if a student or patron of Lookout Mountain Flight Park wants to land on TTT or other landowner properties at Henson Gap, there is coverage under the Lookout Mountain Flight Park policy for the TTT and the other landowners.

In the case of Flying Camp Paragliding / JustFly SVS Flight Parks / Dave Hanning and the TTT, the problem is solely one of Mr. Hanning's own making beyond our ability to fix.

Mr. Hanning's businesses require a landing zone to operate - you cannot have a flight school or flight park if there is no place for students or patrons to land. But, Mr. Hanning does not own any landing zone. The TTT owns the Henson Gap landing zone. There are also other landowners in the valley that own land upon which Mr. Hanning encourages his students and patrons to use for landing. It is Mr. Hanning's obligation to obtain permission from landowners for the use of their land as landing zones for people who use Mr. Hanning's flight school or flight parks. It is Mr. Hanning's obligation as a business person, to arrange for insurance that satisfies the needs of the landing zone landowners. It is not the obligation of Recreation RRG to provide insurance that covers the business risk of Mr. Hanning's flight school or flight parks.

When Recreation RRG started, we took an application from Mr. Hanning for the operation of a flight school - Flying Camp. Without airing all of the dirty laundry in public, there were accidents and incidents involving Mr. Hanning's operation that caused Recreation RRG to investigate the risk management practices at Mr. Hanning's school. We found those practices lacking and asked Mr. Hanning to correct those practices. Mr. Hanning promised in writing to correct those practices. When we discovered that he was not complying with the risk management practices to which he had agreed in writing, he told us that he had never intended to comply, and only signed the agreement in order to trick Recreation RRG and cause Recreation RRG to issue him an insurance policy. Mr. Hanning made it perfectly clear that he would not modify his risk management practices. It was likewise clear that Recreation RRG could not rely upon promises made by Mr. Hanning - in writing or otherwise - thus we lost trust in Mr. Hanning.

Due to his failure to maintain appropriate risk management practices and the loss of trust, neither Mr. Hanning nor his operations are insurable by Recreation RRG. And Recreation RRG terminated Mr. Hanning's membership in Recreation RRG.

Since we terminated Mr. Hanning's membership in Recreation RRG, Mr. Hanning has obtained insurance for his school from an insurer that provides coverage for those who would otherwise be forced to go uninsured or self-insure their risk. The coverages under Mr. Hanning's insurance differ in significant respects from the coverage that Recreation RRG offers to its member flight schools and flight parks. For example, the coverage that Mr. Hanning has obtained for additional insured landowners and the TTT applies to a much narrower range of risks faced by those landowners and the TTT when they allow Mr. Hannings' students and patrons to use their lands as landing zones. It is our understanding that the TTT has told Mr. Hanning's insurer what it requires as additional insured coverage under Mr. Hanning's commercial flight school and flight park policy in order to fully protect TTT. Because it is Mr. Hanning's commercial operations that are posing the risk to TTT, it is Mr. Hanning who needs to supply insurance to TTT to cover that risk.

Recreation RRG cannot not provide that coverage to TTT or the other landowners for risks arising out of flights originating from Mr. Hanning's operations, because Mr. Hanning's operations are not insurable by us. Recreation RRG is required to report to the insurance regulators that license us - the Department of Financial Regulation of the State of Vermont. Those regulators are aware of the cycle that resulted in loss of insurance coverage for USHPA in the traditional insurance market and will not allow us to make an exception for Mr. Hanning or any other commercial operator whose operations we have found do not embrace good risk management practices and have lost our trust.

Should Mr. Hanning demonstrate that he has indeed changed his risk management practices and that he can be trusted at his word, he would have the chance of becoming insurable by Recreation RRG again. But that is not now the case. And for now, Mr. Hanning needs to provide TTT with additional insured insurance coverage that fully protects them from the risks associated with students and patrons of his school and flight parks using TTT properties and other landowners' properties as landing zones.

No drinking?

insurance

The USHPA Office «The USHPA Office» writes:

We are pleased to announce that 3^rd party liability coverage has been reinstated for USHPA members at Horseshoe Bend Flight Park in Idaho.

Coverage was removed earlier this year due to risk management concerns. Thanks to HSB owner Scott Edwards, new policies and procedures have been put in place to resolve these issues and restore coverage for members.

Please read the HSB Flight Park Rules and HSB Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace Policy (member login required) if you are planning to fly or take lessons at Horseshoe Bend.

We're excited to hear that coverage is available once again for USHPA member pilots flying at Horseshoe Bend Flight Park. We hope you have a fantastic rest of the flying season!

Discuss "Horseshoe Bend⁣ Fixed Their Liability Issues" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Global Rescue Accident Cover

Membership organization

insurance|PG

https://airtribune.com/news/global-rescue-accident-cover

Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider for Travel risk; Medical advisory; Field rescue and Security extraction. Founded in 2004, GR has exclusive relationships for Emergency & Medical services worldwide.

In our sport of Hang gliding and Paragliding, accidents can and do happen. If you are participating in an event from Airtribune chances are you are far from home. Rescue and Repatriation is essential.

GR have partnered with Airtribune to offer a package that will see you rescued, put into medical care, and then repatriated to a hospital of your choosing. And you will not have to get your credit card out once! With 450,000* Euro coverage, you can travel with the knowledge you are covered, anywhere in the world, for the most worrying part of your adventure. More importantly, GR Membership covers events and competitions.

GR is not an Insurance policy, but a member policy. We recommend the Travel policy, for 7, 14, 30 days or 1 year, which typically costs between $119 and $319 USD.

American pilots are flatland pilots

There are no Alps here

Christopher Moody|insurance|John Simon

I've flown in Chelan, Washington, Golden, BC, Zapata, Hearne and Big Spring, Texas, Florida, Georgia, the Okanogan, Canada, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Jackson Hole. Wyoming, Rondanillo, Colombia, Canoa, Ecuador, Tiger Mountain, Washington, other mountain launch sites in Washington, Pine Mountain, Oregon, seaside sites in Oregon, Andy Jackson flight park, California, Elsinore, California, Sylmar, California, Eliminator, Santa Barbara, California, Montecucco, Italy, Switzerland, Annecy, France, Germany, New York, Greifenburg, Austria, France, Tekoa, Washington, Dinosaur, Colorado, Point of the Mountain and other sites in Utah, Sun Valley, Idaho, Sandia, New Mexico, Forbes and Hay and Gulgong, and Bald Hill and Hill 60. and Emu and Bright, Australia.

95% - 99% of my flying has been over flat lands even when I have for the most past taken off from hill sides. I have flown in the Alps, but that is by far the exception in my flying experience. In the US you just don't have the Alps, which offer a much different flying experience than what you find in the US. American pilots do not have the reserve of experience that makes it much easier for Italian, Swiss, and French pilots to fly in the Alps.

The Italians have the obvious advantage of flying in their own country (plus the ones right next to them). When we held the 2007 in Big Spring, Attila had the obvious advantage of flying in country side much like the Australian outback.

John Simon won one day at the Worlds when he could fly in the flatlands.

October 5, 2017, 8:42:04 MST -0600

Sonora Wings

The 2017-2018 season begins October 21^st

Christopher Moody|Facebook|insurance|video

https://www.facebook.com/SonoraWings/videos/vb.259416124147547/1646811788741300/?type=2&theater

It's too hot to go to southern Arizona in the summer, so Luke Waters is in Jackson Hole (6000') then. He comes back to the warmth of Casa Grande in October for the new season of flying and tandem flights.

Click the graphic.

Are you covered?

Insurance for evacuation

insurance|PG

http://www.cloudbasemayhem.com/unscrambling-insurance-are-you-covered/

Travel Abroad. Very few health insurance companies cover repatriation (ie you get hurt in a foreign company and want to get to a hospital on your own home turf) if you are injured. More concerning, most will definitely not cover you if you are hurt participating in human flight activities. A few years back we got together with Seven Corners and wrote our own policy and contract for our guests who participate in remote adventures on our vessel Discovery. The expedition is all about kitesurfing, so we needed kitesurfing, surfing, free diving and other “extreme” sports covered. And because I paraglide and speedfly, we threw that into the mix. As far as I know, Seven Corners “Dog Tag Extreme” https://www.dogtag.com/sports/ is the only one that covers paragliding and other human flight accidents, but as it is an individual plan it is a lot more expensive. PLEASE read the policy and make sure it fits, but I use this plan every time I travel out of the US and from experience (thankfully not my own), we know it is VERY, VERY comprehensive and works. Disclaimer- my company doesn’t make a dime off this, this is meant for guests of our boat but you can use it. It costs a couple bucks a day (depends a bit on your age)- I think it’s pretty awesome coverage (covers lost baggage for example), but do your research. Click on this link, then click on “Mandatory Medical Insurance” and you will find everything you need: http://www.offshoreodysseys.com/membership/resources.php

Another option that I haven’t totally flushed out, but something I know for example Nick Greece uses when he travels, and activates if you are greater than 100 miles from home is Global Rescue, https://ss.globalrescue.com/#!/signup/?signupas=member&source=grcom. This covers evacuation and medjet assist and is a yearly plan, so if you travel a lot this could be a great option. Global Rescue requires two-way communication with either the covered person, or with someone who is with the injured person. Global Rescue is NOT Search, they just rescue.

https://www.flying.camp/travel-insurance/

Discuss "Are you covered?" at the Oz Report forum   link»

June 4, 2016, 6:28:45 pm MST -0600

Masters, Misfits and Moab

The movie

Christopher Moody|insurance|video

Rhythm Of Flight <<info>> writes:

We are very excited to bring you episode nine of our hang gliding series! Follow Jonas and Wolfi as they continue their way north to Canada, stopping off and visiting friends Luke Waters in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Jeff Shapiro in Missoula, Montana for some great flying and good times!

https://youtu.be/oKRKYTWinCs

Flying off Baldy in Idaho

Keeping it open to flying

Christopher Moody|insurance|Risk Retention Group|USHPA

Nate Scales writes:

Jackson Hole Free Flight Club will double your donation!! Please do it now!!

While we are all taking this time to renew our club membership I would like to take a second to please ask all of you to consider making another donation to the USHPA RRG fund. I think we all know that if we lose our USHPA insurance we will lose Baldy as a site. I don’t know about you , but that is unacceptable in my world.

Please take a minute and think about how valuable flying off Baldy is to you. If we were to lose the privilege, wouldn’t you feel foolish for not taking the time to donate $100 when it would have been effective.

I know some people do not agree with USHPA or the way our insurance is run, but not making a donation is not an effective protest on that front. The only thing that will happen if this fund driving campaign does not go thru is we will lose our flying privilege on Baldy. If you feel strongly enough to get involved with USHPA please do so, but don’t sit on the sidelines and bitch.

I have also heard some other people say ‘I though free flying was supposed to be free’. WTF!! Is your gear free? Are the club dues free? Is a ride up the hill free? If USHPA loses it’s ability to provide us with insurance all of that will be worthless because we will lose our main local flying site.

So friends, pilots, people PLEASE take some time and make a donation. Think how valuable flying off baldy is to you. Give as much as you possibly can. The continued privilege of flying off Baldy is at least as valuable as a maneuvers clinic or contest entry fee, I think it is at least as valuable as a flying trip, or a piece of new gear. The fun we have flying off Baldy is way more valuable than a night of dinner and drinks. Every bit counts!!! Please make your donation today, and then start talking with your friends and make sure they make a donation too. If this fund driving campaign is unsuccessful I think it is fair to say we will all be screwed.

Donations can be made here: https://ushpa.aero/donation_form-RRG.asp

More info can be found here: http://ushpa.aero/freeflightforever.asp

Finally if this fund drive is not successful you can get your money back.

Thank you for your time, please feel free to forward this to anybody else you think will help.

RRG matching funds

Jackson Hole Free Flight Club

Christopher Moody|Facebook|insurance|Risk Retention Group

Nick Greece writes:

The Jackson Hole Free Flight Club will match any pilot's donation to the RRG insurance program up to $20,000 dollars! Kudos to an amazing club leading by example. Donate now and post receipt to their Facebook page and yours and double your donation!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/120538611314056/

Doesn't the Australian waiver prohibit this?

The hang gliding fees in Australia for insurance are already super high

HGFA|insurance|Mathew McHugh|PG

The article here.

Paraglider Mathew McHugh sues for $2 million after losing a leg at Mona Vale rock face

Mr. McHugh was not insured, had only 30 hours’ flying experience and had never flown at Cook Terrace when he crashed into the rock face. He fractured his spine in four places, shattered his pelvis, broke his right ankle and foot, and waited two hours for a rescue team to untangle him from a tree branch. He lost so much blood doctors thought he would die.

Mr. McHugh claims the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia website should have classed the headland as a site for intermediate and advanced paragliders and warned that novices should not try to fly there. He also claimed Pittwater Council should have placed a sign at the site warning of past paragliding ­accidents.

The HGFA has hit back by launching its own investigation, claiming Mr. McHugh was flying “illegally” because he was not being supervised by a senior safety officer or a duty pilot.

Discuss "Doesn't the Australian waiver prohibit this?" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Cowboy Up working the publicity

Near Houston

(Gloster)

Bart Weghorst|Christopher Moody|insurance

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=9333730

It's just a short drive from Houston. The founders of Cowboy Up hang-gliding just set up shop, moving to Texas from Wyoming.

"Right now, there's about three feet of snow in the valley in Jackson Hole, so it's too cold," said Bart Weghorst with Cowboy Up hang gliding. "Here in Texas, you can do it year round."

Alongside Weghorst, Dexter is learning the ropes.

"I just threw him out of an airplane," said Dexter. "He's teaching me how to fly."

Get your rating

(Cowboy Up, Alpine, WY, USA)

Christopher Moody|Cowboy Up|insurance|Tiki Mashy|USHPA

Tiki Mashy writes:

Event: Hang Gliding Tandem Clinic?

Dates: May 17,18, 19, 2013 (Friday, Saturday & Sunday)

Clinic: Tandem 1, Tandem 2 and Tandem Instructor Ratings?

Cost: $400.00 (plus aerotows)?

Open to: Current USHPA Advanced rating, Turbulence sign-off

Location: Jackson Hole, Wyoming / Alpine, Wyoming area

Primary Launch Format: Aerotowing (NO AEROTOW EXPERIENCE REQUIRED to participate in Clinic)?

Additional Available Sign offs: Aerotow & Foot launch

Local hotels, motels, and campgrounds are available at reasonable rates. Camping is free at our flying site. Check our website map (www.cuhanggliding.com) under "Driving Directions" to see of where our flying site is located.

FYI: Allegiant Airlines offers roundtrip tickets for about $100.00 into Idaho Falls (about 2 hours away) from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix and Scottsdale.

If you are interested or any have any questions either give us a call (307) 413-4164 or email us «atfly».

Flying in Jackson Hole

And mountain biking also

(Jackson+Hole+Mountain+Resort,+Teton,+Wyoming+83014)

Christopher Moody|insurance

http://cloudbaseimaging.blogspot.com/2012/09/wyoming-jackson.html

The peak above the top of the tram is 11,000 feet. The morning air was completely still, which was completely uncharacteristic for the high altitude setting. I humped my glider up the last couple hundred feet and rigged on the west facing slope. It was going to be a good soaring day, but we had to make it to Wind River Range before dark so I launched with the first light cycle. Having only flown in Florida and one Colorado flight in early summer, launching in the thin air was daunting. I found the steepest slope I could and committed to run to the bottom of the mountain if I had to. In 5 steps I was off, with no drama. I swooped my way down the mountain, while resisting the temptation to buzz the tram car going up as I was going down.

June 7^th-10^th 2012

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

(Cooper's LP, Lumby, BC, Canada) (Freedom Flight Park, Lumby, BC, Canada)

Online Registration Link here.

«Randy Rauck» writes:

The 7^th Lumby Air Races June 7^th-10^th 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 7^th@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 1^st. - $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»  

Jackson Hole, Wyoming/Alpine, Wyoming area

(Cowboy Up, Alpine, ID, USA) (Jackson Hole, WY, USA) (Moose Wilson Road, Jackson Hole, WY, USA) (Cowboy Up, Wilson, Jackson Hole, WY, USA) (Phillips LP, Wilson, Jackson Hole, WY, USA)

Christopher Moody|insurance

Tiki writes:

As always we have received several requests to hold a Tandem Instructor's Clinic (Hang Gliding). In winters past we have advertised a Tandem Instructor's Clinic (Hang Gliding) to be conducted in the Spring and have gotten positive responses, however come Spring those folks have melted away with the snow. But we're trying it again. So here is the pertinent information:

Event: Tandem Instructor's Clinic (Hang Gliding)
Dates: May 18, 19, 20 (Friday, Saturday & Sunday)br> Clinic: Tandem 1, Tandem 2 and Tandem Instructor Ratings
Cost: $350.00 (plus aerotows)
Open to: Qualified hang glider pilots
Location: Jackson Hole, Wyoming / Alpine, Wyoming area Primary
Launch Format: Aerotowing (No Aerotow Rating necessary to participate in Clinic)
Other Available Sign offs: Foot launch

Local hotels, motels, and camp grounds available at reasonable rates. Camping is free at our flying site. Check our website map (www.cuhanggliding.com) under "Driving Directions" to see of where our flying site is located.

If you are interested or any have any questions either give us a call (307) 413-4164 or email us at «fly».

Cowboy Up

(Cowboy Up, Alpine, WY, USA)

Bart Weghorst|Christopher Moody|insurance

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903454504576490502304693600.html

Day Three: Monday 7:30 a.m. Fill up on breakfast at the hotel and drive 35 miles to Alpine Junction at the Idaho border, where the Snake and Salt rivers converge. You will begin your day with a big shot of adrenaline courtesy of Cowboy Up Hang Gliding ($265 for the tandem Discovery Flight, reserve in advance, http://cuhanggliding.com), run by husband-wife team Bart Weghorst and Tiki Mashy.

After a brief orientation, get suited up and climb into the glider with Bart, your bodies suspended belly-down in a kind of hammock. The glider is connected by a long tow-rope to an ultra-light plane piloted by his wife. The engine growls. The plane jerks forward, dragging the glider behind it. Grass hisses beneath you as you bump along, your teeth gritted into a smile. The plane lifts off and a moment later the glider follows it and your body screams "No!" and "Yes!" at the same time. When the tow-rope releases with a snap, you ride the thermals between the Snake and Salt ranges. It's a very different experience than sky-diving — it can be downright calm and meditative. The wind gently buffets you and you can feel the currents you ride, as if the glider is a part of you, as if the wings were part of you.

A competitor to DHV Insurance

I hope the readers can make out this translation better than I can

DHV|insurance|PG

Gérard Cohen writes (but not to the Oz Report):

Alternative Options to HDI-Gerling

The DHV third-party liability insurance is 34.5€ for paragliders and 40.2€ for hang gliders, but it requires that you be a member of DHV. For members of a club this is 43€, non club members pay 69€. Alternatively the "Würzburger" (insurance company) offers third party liability insurance for 45€, without requiring any membership.

For tandem pilots the price difference is even bigger. For example, the "Generali" offers via <buero> and the "R&V" via <fbraasch> a CSL for 366,52€ covering up to 2 millions € instead of 631.90€ for hang gliders and 471.90€ for paragliders with the DHV. For all tandem pilots other companies than the DHV seem to be cheaper. Solo pilots save between 32.5€ and 64.2€ depending on membership and type of aircraft, as long as they renounce DHV membership. Tandem pilots even save between 105.38€ and 265.38€!

If you are one of those people who think the DHV fees is well invested money, please read the following three questions:

Did you know that HDI-Gerling paid 140,000€ back to the DHV last year and 138,000€ the year before?

Did you know that the presidents of DHV decided not to show their salary to DHV-members (earlier executive committee members talk about minister salaries)?

Did you know that all members, who emphatically demanded that question got banned from the DHV forum and the DHV?  (http://www.freiflieger-magazin.at/forum/viewtopic.php?t=158).

In addition, I would like to say thank you to all who asked the DHV after I sent out the last information about the weaklink limitation to 100daN because of pretended lock-out danger. The DHV immediately canceled its unsustainable arguments and changed to a LTF ("air-worthy-requirements"), which equally not withstands, internationally, and which is part of a complaint at the LBA (Luftfahrt Bundesamt).

This is the best I could do editing a couple of different translations.

Discuss "A competitor to DHV Insurance" at the Oz Report forum   link»

For pilots and competition meet organizers

insurance|Louise Joselyn|Sepp "Seppi" Himberger

Louise Joselyn «Louise Joselyn» at CIVL sends this along:

Austrian flying school, Flugschulen-Koessen, is offering insurance services to hang gliding and paragliding competition pilots and competition organisers throughout the EU and Switzerland. The AXA Insurance Agency for Air Sports in Koessen, Austria, can provide third party liability and personal accident insurance for pilots resident in the EU and Switzerland, covering them in FAI sanctioned competitions world-wide, excepting the USA. For pilots resident elsewhere, the company offers third party liability insurance worldwide (except USA) and emergency rescue insurance while flying in the EU or Switzerland.

According to Sepp Himberger, the specialised airsports insurance service has been extended to meet growing demand by international pilots who cannot easily find sufficient insurance cover to travel throughout Europe and particularly, to participate in FAI sanctioned competitions. "We believe competition organisers throughout Europe may especially interested in our services. There is an increased emphasis on safety, and organisers are setting higher levels of mandatory minimum insurance for pilots. Selling appropriate insurance policies is beyond the remit of many competition organisers, yet they don't want to deter potential competitors. "Himberger gave as a recent example, the FAI European Paragliding Championships last year in Abtenau, Austria, where his company provided insurance for around 50 pilots who are normally resident outside the EU and Switzerland. For more information about the insurance offerings (in English and German): www.flugschulen.at/axa or contact: «axa» Anhören

No you are not covered by this insurance

(USHPA HQ, Colorado Springs, CO, USA)

insurance

Thread on this issue.

As far as I can tell (and that may not be very far) if you work as an instructor for a school either as an employee or as an independent contractor you are not covered by the USHPA instructor insurance policy. Doesn't matter that you are required to pay for it. You don't get the benefit of its coverage.

It apparently only applies to instructors working for themselves.

But we will only know for sure if there is a claim.

Flying Jackson Hole

Tourists

(Cowboy Up`s operation at Alpine, WY, USA) (Phillips) (Mt. Rendezvous) (Snow King) (Nelson's)

Christopher Moody|insurance|Lookout Mountain Flight Park|Scott Trueblood

We've left Wilson, Wyoming for a few days in Boise, Idaho. We left Claire and her band of Lookout Mountain hang glider pilots behind. On Friday, they went up and this time, despite the paucity of cu's were able to get up and soar. I don't know if they ever did get up the tram to fly from . Scot Trueblood remembers from his time there:

I flew in Jackson Hole heavily from 1994-2002, some of the best years of hang gliding in my life. When and were still open to hangies, I had 5 fantastic foot-launch sites less than an hour from my front door, none of which really required a driver.

I was wondering if the new tram would be hang glider friendly, now I am green with envy to hear what a great time everybody is having up there. There would be more big flights from the Hole if there was more of a committed group of pilots flying hangs regularly. My best from the tram was about 40 miles, to past Bondurant, and from Phillips was 70 miles to Pinedale. Pretty exciting crossing the Gros Ventre range. However, I had many multi-hour flights within the valley where I would land back near my vehicle and be home for dinner and bedtime, sometimes landing near my house and breaking down in the front yard…!

Stable in Jackson

Claire Vassort shows up with six other hang glider pilots

(Cowboy Up`s operation at Alpine, WY, USA) (Phillips)

Christopher Moody|insurance|scooter tow

Yesterday it was cool, high almost 70 degrees, like the switch had been switched and autumn had arrived. For the first time in two weeks it was stable, and has been so today also. For the first time the sky hasn't been filled with cu's or cu-nimbs here in Wilson, in Jackson Hole.

So then Claire and her party showed up at the campground last night, and Bart showed them launch today, (you can find it on our site guide) where they all had sled rides.

It looks like a bunch of hang glider pilots are coming tomorrow and through the weekend to get towed up. It looks like I might become the local scooter (or ATV) tow expert. Bart and Tiki are in the tourist business, but they may be in the flight park business for a few days.

Flying late at Alpine

Curt and Luke got high

(Cowboy Up`s operation at Alpine, WY, USA)

Christopher Moody|insurance

Last Friday, four of us were flying at Alpine, Wyoming, the south west side of the Snake River Range, specifically just west of Ferry Peak. We all (other than Luke) had good thermal flights around 2 to 3:30 PM which didn't last that long. There were spots of virga, and Bart thought it would over develop.

But it didn't and later Curt and Luke went up for late afternoon flights around 4:30 PM. The valley was inverted but there was lift on the hill sides. With their west and southwest face these hills are better sources of lift lat in the afternoon, or so it would appear.

Curt on his Wills Wing Sport 2 and Luke on his Moyes Ventura were able to climb to over 16,000', 11,000' AGL around 5 PM. Curt said it was an 8 to 1 glide to the first landable field in the Jackson Hole. Still he decided not to take the chance over the mountain ranges (there were black clouds in the Snake River Valley which comes out of the Hole).

This is the highest that Luke had ever been, this being his second year flying. Only Curt had oxygen.

I had packed up as I thought it would OD.

Flying  at Jackson Hole

Alpine

(Cowboy Up`s operation at Alpine, WY, USA)

Christopher Moody|insurance|PG|weather

Luke <rlw> writes:

When you fly in Alpine you are actually flying on the south west side of the Snake River Range, specifically just west of Ferry Peak (the big mountain Tiki tows you over). If you were flying on the west side of the Teton Range, you would be flying from Victor, Driggs or Tetonia, in Idaho. Not much going on over there in the way of launching, but Bart has climbed out from a 400 foot training hill in Tetonia, then over the Tetons and back to his house in Wilson.

In addition to the soaring forecasts that you mentioned, I have found these good local resources for weather:

NOAA Area Forecast Discussion. Great product that talks about the local forecast in detail and will give you a good idea on general flying conditions. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/product.php?site=RIW&product=AFD&issuedby=RIW&glossary=1

Usairnet website’s aviation forecast, which is simply a graphical representation of the National Weather Service’s forecast. Very basic, I use it mainly for forecasted surface winds and temps, and to ‘build the big picture’ for the day. http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-in/launch/code.cgi?sta=KJAC&state=WY&Submit=Get+Forecast

Local Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey’s forecast on Mountain Weather. This is the go-to forecast for ski conditions and snow fall in the winter, but also has some useful information for flying including a local temps and winds forecast for the mountains (10,000 feet), which will be much more accurate than interpolated winds aloft forecasts especially when you are close to terrain. Also from here there are very convenient links to current maps like surface, radar, satellite, etc. http://www.mountainweather.com

Jackson Hole Paragliding has a nice weather page that collects information from many sources, including streaming wind and temp data from mountain top weather reporting stations. Click on the name of the station and you can see the report for every 15 minutes over the last couple of days. http://jhparagliding.com/Weather-to-Fly/

If you have an iPhone check out Wind Alert, great app that shows a graphic wind representation from several local weather stations.

Like you were saying, I think the flying here is more technical than most people give it credit for. It looks really good for the next few days.

Flying from the tram at Jackson Hole

Take off at 9,700'

(Jackson+Hole+Mountain+Resort,+Teton,+Wyoming+83014) (Cowboy Up`s operation at Alpine, WY, USA) (Rendezvous Mountain launch) (Paraglider landing zone, Teton+Village,+WY)

cart|Christopher Moody|Dragonfly|insurance|PG|Quest Air|USHPA|weather

http://www.jacksonhole.com/info/ae.summer.tram.asp

After two years of being under construction, the new revitalized aerial tram is back in operation at Teton Village a few miles northwest of Jackson, Wyoming (travel north on the Moose-Wilson road and you'll easily see it high, silhouetted against the sky on your left). And the new bright red cars are big enough to haul your hang glider (even an ATOS) up to the top, inside the car. Previously, on the old tram, hang gliders were placed on top of the car. The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has a long history of accommodating hang gliding on its lifts (they figured it was good for the tourist trade to see all these brightly colored dots on the hillsides).

A major portion (perhaps the major portion) of the tram business in the summer is paragliding tandem flights (aren't these supposed to be instructional flights?). There are up to a dozen individual paraglider instructors giving tandem flights here and the resort receives about $100 out of the $245 tandem fee (tram ride included). It works with Jackson Hole Paragliding, as you can see from the link above.

Hang glider pilots and hang gliding from the top of the tram is a bit of an oddity as paraglider pilots and paraglider tandem "instructors" vastly outnumber the small community of hang glider pilots and visiting hang glider pilots, like me. But last Friday, six of us showed up reminding the paraglider pilots that we aren't dead yet.

I'm here hanging out a bit with Bart and Tiki of Cowboy Up Hang Gliding. They tow up from Alpine, Wyoming which is just outside of Jackson Hole on the west side of the Tetons. They charge $249 for a tandem flight if you go to 4,000', about the same altitude as the vertical difference from the top of the tram to the valley floor (but you get to fly both up and down, so it's '8000' vertical feet of flying). $169 for the 2000' tandem flight.

The weather was good all week last week in Jackson, with puffy cu's showing up each afternoon and light and variable winds instead of the characteristic westerlies. But it wasn't until Thursday that we could get together in Alpine to tow up after the tandem passengers got their rides.

Cowboy Up's operation is on the lake bed of Palisades Reservoir, right next to the Wyoming/Idaho border. It appeared to me to be lush and surprising green for an area that was underwater just last spring. This year, the reservoir was higher than I had seen it previously, the grass was thick, but well mowed in the Cowboy Up landing strip. Still, this is not a rolled runway, and it can be a bit rough if your are use to the nice fields at Quest Air, Wallaby Ranch, or Highland Aeroports (not to mention the sod farm at Cloud 9).

Bart mentioned that he had broken one of the caster wheels on a cart (he does tandems off a cart) last year, and he had replaced the wheels with the wheels and hubs that come off a Dragon fly. He also used sprung steel pieces that allowed for some shock absorption, which I appreciated.

I have been towed up here before and I knew that at this altitude you have to hold onto the cart for a long time before you let yourself rise out of it. Add to that Bart and Tiki's carts use the plastic cradles (many carts have these). These cradles are a lot slippery than the ones made from wood, which makes them easier to get out of, but also easier to come out of when you get bounced around. Bart is also still using the spectra lines for the pilots to hold onto because he needs the full length to grab onto when he does tandem flights (and the passenger is next to him).

I had Bart loosen up the rope a little on the cart so that I could get a better handle on it, with both my hands wrapped around my carbon base tube, and still holding the rope. I also had him raise the back cradle (his are adjustable) so that I had the proper angle of attack (the control bar out in the trim position).

Tiki gunned the Rotax 583 motor on the Dragonfly and I was pulled down the runway. Normally I would pull myself a bit forward over the bar, but I wanted to make sure that I took the cart with me. This wasn't the concrete payment at Big Spring after all. So I pushed a bit on the cart and held on tight to the rope.

We bounced along for a good long run and then I pulled the cart off the ground and bounced back down. I held on for a few more seconds and then came effortlessly off the cart.

Now I had been dreading the tow as I knew it would be a long one, and I was just automatically remembering the tows at Big Spring in the thermally conditions behind the powerful Dragonflies. I had just seen the tandems take tows that seemed to last for ten minutes or more. The tows I had at Big Spring were often ninety seconds to three minutes if there was any lift around and I was happy to get off them when I found lift.

But the tow was smooth and just as comfortable as could be. I really enjoyed being behind Tiki as she circled up around the tow paddock before heading toward the Tetons to the east. It was one of the nicest tows I've ever had.

Now, for some reason, I have never been comfortable with the air that I have encountered over the Tetons on the west side. It just has a strange and disconcerting feel to me. I haven't had an opportunity to experience it much because it has always bothered me enough that I run from it when it gets bouncy.

I don't have a problem flying in mountain air, and I just spent a couple of weeks in France flying in big mountain air and really enjoying it, but somehow this is really completely different (at least for me). First of all, it is high pressured. Second, the lift is only over the mountains. Third, it is small bullets (I assume) coming off the hot rocks). Fourth, it is quite high (thin air) at 8,600'. Fifth, the lift is actually quite weak, so I haven't yet been able to find a solid core. It always seems to be broken up.

Anyway, Tiki towed me up in this nice smooth air, without a bump, until I got over the Tetons and after a few minor, but weird feeling bumps I pinned off and flew to the south end, at 8,500' to get over the hot cliff and rocks area. Unfortunately, I didn't find any sustainable lift there, as it was probably too early in the day, and I flew down for a very sweet no wind landing in the lush grass.

So, as I was saying, the next day we all decided to head up the tram at Teton village and give that a try. The XCSkies/RUC model had been showing light winds at the top of the lift all week, and it looked that way again on Friday.

As I drove Bart, Chris Greblo, and myself to the tram, Bart talked again about the fact that the launch was on the lee side of the Teton range, that a pilot had launched later in the day into winds coming up the hill only to crash 100' below launch in the rotor, that we had to wait until later in the day to get the lift, but we had to launch before it came too strong over the back. He was not making me feel great about this site, and I was already concerned about the air conditions there, given my experience at Alpine and the west side of the Tetons.

We had to get to the tram before 8 AM (in fact we were a little late) so that we could load up the tram with our four gliders (one was already on top, and another pilot would come later) without inconveniencing other passengers, as they took up most of the car.  We also had to sign a waiver at the bottom of the tram, show our USHPA cards, and get tram tickets (which for reasons unknown to me or Bart, the tram employees in the little office that handles the paraglider and hang glider pilots gave us for free - besides the tram operator never checked for our tickets).

It was easy to get to the top in the tram, Rendezvous Mountain, with just our gliders and five hang glider pilots. We had a great view as the valley floor quickly spread out below us. You could barely see Jackson itself tucked behind a small hill to the southeast. Only the golf course at Teton Pines (Cheney's place) stuck out like a sore thumb, against the wild beauty of the green valley (or hole) with the Snake River coming out of the Grand Teton national park

Once we got to the top and unloaded our gliders, we had a bit of a walk down (thankfully) to the launch area, at least the one that hang glider pilots use, that is below where most of the tandem paraglider pilots launch. At 9,700' the breathing was labored, not just for me, but also for the locals. We were 4,000' about the 5,600' valley floor and every movement, especially with a glider on your shoulder was difficult. This only added to my internal feelings of anxiety.

Google Earth view.

The shaley hillside was steep and I put my glider down next to a few trees out of the way of the paraglider pilots launching above me. We had a long wait before we would be launching, but I was moving very slowly. The wind was coming right up the hill at 5+ mph, so launch conditions were good right from the get go. I was considering launching long before launch conditions became iffy with wind over the back.

I looked around the launch area and it didn't seem that steep to me. Also it wasn't at all smooth, with lots of small rocks every where. Oh well, at least the wind is coming in.

Chris and I both set up while Bart and Curt waited. Walt took off on his paraglider for a couple of sled rides before he would set up his Falcon, which he had left on top of the hill. All the paraglider pilots were having sled rides.

I wished we had been able to start this process a little later in the day, because I'm not great at waiting around. I got all my equipment setup and then helped Chris who wanted to take off early (say 11 AM) in good launch conditions and not wait around for the iffy ones. Bart said that the nice launch conditions that we saw in the morning would go away and we would have light to no winds on launch. He also said that this looked like "the" day. Light and variable winds would mean that we just had to wait it out to get a really grand flight over the Grand Teton to our north.

Chris got off for an extended sled ride, just like all the paraglider pilots. I only saw one tandem paraglider pilot gain any altitude from below launch and then for some reason he left the lift. Maybe his passenger was getting airsick from the rotations.

Finally after four hours I decided that I wanted to go while the going was good at around noon. There were lots of cu's forming on the back side of the mountain range and coming closer to us. Maybe they would provide lift. Maybe they would just portend a west wind. I was still feeling anxious about the launch and what awaited me in the air.

I turned my glider around and got over to the launch area, or what looked like a reasonable place to launch. As I stood there, I quickly noticed one thing, in spite of what I felt earlier, it was in fact quite steep. It was hard to maintain my footing and to stand straight as I wanted to lean back into the hill when I picked up the glider. Right then I knew that I would have no problems with lack of steepness here.

Also the wind was coming in quite nicely, even better than when Chris launched. When I lifted up my glider on my shoulders it wanted to fly and stayed in the air above my shoulders. Right then I knew that launch would be a breeze. I took right off and got away from the hill quickly and smoothly in perfect conditions.

Everyone else had had sled rides before me, but I was going to try to stay up, if I liked the air. It was smooth at first as I headed south to the right to a cliff area that looked like it might be a nice place for thermals to hang out. Sure enough when I got there there were little bubbles coming up the face from the rocky chute down below. I immediately turned and started climbing.

Unfortunately, there was no well formed thermal, no column of rising air, but just bubbles, bits and pieces that I could fly in for a quarter of a turn. I would push out in one and then after turning around, go to another part of the cliff and grab another. Bubbles, but thoroughly enjoyable bubbles as I would gain 100' and then lose it.

I did this for about ten minutes not gaining or losing any altitude and just hanging out above and close to the cliff and the trees. I was not being kicked around and it felt nothing like what I had experienced on the west side so I was happy to be in the air and soaring.

But as I was not getting up I thought that I might try the nearby cliff to see if that had better conditions. Well, it didn't have any rising air at all, and my first goal had been the only place that actually had any lift. I was a fool to leave it. Impatience again.

I had a nice smooth flight down 3,700' to the tiny paraglider LZ next to the village, coming in over the condominiums and restaurants on the base leg. There were no paragliders landing at the time so I didn't have to dodge them.

There were four hang glider pilots still on the hill, now all set up, but when would they go? The cu's were filling up over the mountain range and coming out into the valley a bit. In fact they were beginning to cast shadows over the launch area, which might be reducing the wind on launch.

Finally at 2 PM, two hours after I launched, we saw the first paraglider get above launch, then another. It looked like the day had finally turned on. But then we didn't see any hang gliders launch and we did see a few paragliders come down. After a while Chris and I left as we knew Bart had planned to fly back to his house in Wilson.

Later we heard the story. The pilots had not been quite ready (who knows why) when the first paraglider got up. They scrambled to the launch but by the time that they got there a shadow came over, the winds up the hill stopped and they didn't or couldn't launch.

They wouldn't launch for another half hour, not find any lift, and not quite make it back to Bart's place. Only two pilots, paraglider pilots, had grand flights on this day. I was happy to have great launch conditions, and a chance to get up if I had only worked it harder.

It is a beautiful place to fly and there have been lots of big flights there on good days. I'm looking forward to going back there.

The storm approaches over Rendezvous Mountain looking from Teton Pines (next to where we have our trailer).

Does the HGFA pay too much for too much coverage?

(Forbes airfield, NSW, Australia)

insurance|PG

There is a lot of unfocused anger about the high dues due to the HGFA ($390/year). You can see that here.

Insurance is a large HGFA expense. One question that arises is, is the level of third party liability insurance purchased by the HGFA appropriate for the sport and can it be reduced while still providing the needed coverage?

HGFA Members should compare the cost of their national third party liability insurance with that paid by other national hang gliding/paragliding organizations and if the HGFA is an outlier, that should be addressed. The cost per capita is the appropriate measure.

In addition, is the "culture" at the HGFA headquarters appropriate to the sport? Some have described the "attitude" as equivalent of that toward work place safety in the mining industry. Now (as opposed to in the past) any time there is an incident a series of drastic and unwarranted actions are taken instead of realizing that hang gliding has a certain level of danger and that in order not to strangle the sport completely only an appropriate level of self regulation should be engaged in. If you wrap the sport in egg cartons, it will no longer exist.

Now, apparently, instructors are routinely harassed when issues arise. Without the cooperation and commitment of the instructors, the organization will die.

Discuss "Insurance⁣ levels appropriate to the sport" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Launching from Phillips

(Cowboy Up, Alpine, WY, USA)

Christopher Moody|insurance|PG

The last two days have continued the light wind and soarable conditions. Lots of cu-nimb activity around but not right in Wilson or Jackson. On Thursday the cu-nimbs were exploding later in the morning to the south, and later in the day there was virga around Jackson at around 6 PM, but no rain. On Friday in the morning there were exploding cu's to the west of the Tetons, but not on the east side of the Tetons. Then later in the day an exploding cu-nimb to the east of Jackson late in the day. Still a beautiful day.

On both days there were only nice cu's all along the Teton Range and it looked very soarable. Tiki drove a pilot up to retrieve the vehicle from Phillips (south facing launch on the Tetons on the northeast side of Teton Pass). Bart flew down to Teton Village (not that far) but said he couldn't get high enough to feel good about getting over the Grand Teton. He said the lift was smooth at 300 to 400 fpm. One paraglider pilot flew over the Tetons.

Indian summer

The flying continues

(Cowboy Up's operation at Alpine, WY, USA)

Christopher Moody|insurance|PG

Unlike most of the time that we've spent here (Jackson Hole, Wyoming) since leaving the US "nationals" in Lakeview (we got here August 25^th) the last three days have been very quiet, i.e. light winds. They have also been warm in the mid seventies to eighties. Great of bicycling, which is what I'm up to, and good for soaring.

Two days ago. I saw Walt, a local pilot, through the trees off Tiki and Bart's porch north of Wilson. At first I just caught a glimpse of something and wasn't sure if it was an Osprey (there are plenty here, but they are now heading south) or something else. Checking it out more closely I saw the red undersurface and road my bike to find him in the LZ. He wasn't there, so Bart and I went on a chase and found out that he had landed up on the bench.

Later we picked Walt up on the way back up to his truck as we ferried downhill bikes to the top of the single track at Phillips above Bart' place. Walt hadn't been able to stay up in the light lift, but he had spotted a paraglider at 11,000' over the Teton Village a few miles to the north. The higher launch there makes it easier to get up. Next year the tram will be finished being replaced and hang glider pilots will be able to get their gliders to the top.

Today was the best looking day yet. Clear in the morning, but high cu's over Phillips and other mountains in the Tetons in the afternoon. Very quiet with no winds all day, and it looked like a perfect day to fly in these very steep and high mountains.

Packwood Bob headed out on Monday. Catch him next at Wallaby Ranch towing over the winter. He's hoping that the winter in Florida this coming season won't be like the last one where you could only fly two days a week.

Luke Waters, a paraglider pilot here, is taking lessons from Bart and Tiki and maybe he'll make it down to Florida this winter. He's hoping to solo this weekend. He's thinking about becoming a tug pilot. He has a background in general aviation. He also took Bart and I on the downhill run letting us borrow bikes from Wilson Backcountry Sports.

This evening I joined a short ride (less than 23 miles) from just west of Jackson up to Moose and then down to the Teton Village (where the paraglider took off). We in fact did see and ride by a moose that was eating grasses in the wetlands next to the road.

View Larger Map

We leave here on Tuesday morning heading to Boise, Idaho and then south to Spark, NV, and onward from there.

Packwood Bob

Making is a trio of principals at Cowboy Up

(Cowboy Up's operation at Alpine, WY, USA)

Christopher Moody|Dragonfly|insurance|Packwood Bob

http://www.cuhanggliding.com/

Packwood Bob, Dragonfly pilot (and former owner) for Wanna Be and Wallaby Ranch, got to Jackson Hole July 1^st and has been hauling Bart and his tandem passengers up in the air ever since. He's living with Bart and Tiki in their house on Fish Creek road, just north of Wilson.

Cowboy Up Hang Gliding now has their trailer which they haul out onto the flats on the north side of Alpine. This gives them a professional look and a place for the ladies to take a pee while their boy friends are going for a tandem (before they go). The boyfriends go first just to be sure it is safe.

Bart says that this has been a big year for Cowboy Up and their trailer has helped with word of mouth. They still get most of their business from their link on the Jackson Chamber of Commerce web site.

Bart, Tiki, and Bob head out to Alpine on Friday morning, for their 9 AM tandems. They have a student also, who may go out tomorrow for his first tandem, Luke Water. Luke works at the bike store in Wilson.

Tiki says that it's great to have Bob here so that she can be the ground crew (she's done all the tugging until now). They've got a credit card machine hooked up to the cell phone out at Alpine, and the biggest job is just ringing up the credit card payments.

Such a romantic location.

Nats

Belinda Boulter|Christopher Moody|insurance|Jeff O'Brien|US Nationals 2008

(Hunter Hot Springs Resort, Lakeview, Oregon, USA)

Results here.

http://hang6.blogspot.com
http://westcoastbrit.blogspot.com/

Lakeview is situated in the high western desert with a nice little mountain range to its east and north-northwest. It's kind of a poor man's Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Isolated, small, dry, hot, wide open, beautiful. Full of unspoiled small town charm. The Safeway has San Pelilegrino Limonata in cans, as well as Clementines, so you know it is sophisticated (or close to California).

It is a great place to fly and to hold a top flight hang gliding competition. It's got at least two very useable and friendly launches. It's got landing fields galore. It's got unstable conditions in August. It's got home town enthusiasm and support from the Chamber of Commerce.

It's "western." The air is dry so it is clear (when there isn't a forest fire.). You can see 50 to 100 miles. The high desert makes for hot days and cool nights. It is extremely pleasant to be outdoors at any time of the day. The air is crisp with pine scent.

The mountain vistas are romantic, in the cowboy sense of the word. Creeks, palisades, open meadows, pine covered hills, rock outcroppings, buttes, lakes, streams, and endless ranch lands. I saw plenty of prong horn antelopes.

For those of us born and raised in the intermountain west, it evokes strong feelings of home and land. Every where else is a bit foreign.

Gale and Mike put on a great competition. What a team. Gale was the workhorse in the headquarters, getting everything set up in advance, and with her niece, making sure that we had plenty to eat and drink each night in the Hunter's Hot Springs Resort. (Did I mention how great it was to have the hot springs pool?)

Jeff O'Brien, who was camping in his tent, never had to go out to eat or cook for himself. There was always enough food to make a meal. $3 hamburgers you cook yourself on the grill or $2 hot dogs. Plenty of extras. Margaritas, lemonade, water, cobbler, apple pie and ice cream, biscuits. It went on and on. Food in the morning and at night.

I am not used to the meet organizers providing the food, so this was an unexpected bonus and much appreciated, by Belinda also. It really brought people together.

The facilities were great with lots of tables and booths for folks to sit at, talk and use the wireless internet. Plenty of room for the pilot meetings. Just so convenient and easy on every one. Most pilots were camping in their tents just outside. We had an electric hookup which was just enough for us.

Did I mention that Mike drove the task everyday to make sure that conditions were safe?

There was plenty of flying to be had with one day that got some pilots to almost 18000'. This is not the norm, but we always got to over 10000'. That was often plenty. The conditions were technical, and sometimes it was difficult to complete the task. I'd say an excellent flying site with a few caveats.

For me I found two problems, which are somewhat idiosyncratic, but others may share my afflictions. First, I don't like cold air (I'd much rather be hot than cold). I bundle up when it gets cold. I love flying where I don't have to put a lot of clothes on as I feel that I have a much more direct connection to the glider and to the conditions, if I'm not inside a snow suit.

Starting high (the valley floor is 4800') and then launching high (at 7200' at Sugar Hill) and then getting high (one day over 15000') meant that I had to put on long pants, an extra under garment layer, and warm gloves. I like to fly without any gloves, or just my fingerless bicycle gloves. So this was a problem for me.

When I get this dressed up I lose contact with the flight. I have to fight to focus and gain awareness of my circumstances. I am just not nearly as tuned into the external forces. This is a real problem for me.

The second item is the "turbulence." Now I don't think that there is any (or not much) life threatened turbulence at Lakeview. So that is not the issue. Maybe it is for others.

For me it is the fact that many of the thermals have sharp edges that toss and turn the glider a bit, that make it so I feel that I have a little less control, that wears on me. I've grown so used to the bigger, fatter, smoother, less hard edged thermals in Texas, Florida, etc., that I just have a lot less tolerance for many of the thermals here (not so much on the first day).

I would like it to be the case that this "turbulent" air never bothered me, but it does. I do encounter it in other locations at times (a few times in Laragne, for example). It's not as though I can't "brave" it out, I can, but subconsciously it takes its toll and after a while I have no mental space left.

The pilots reported the turbulence to be the worst on the last day and near the second turnpoint on the next to last day on the lee side of some cliffs. You know if pilots mention it, it has be bad.

I would be more than willing to come back again to a competition here and give it a try. Try to make it so I can absorb the many shocks and not have them get to me. I don't know what it takes to me able to do that. Obviously others are not as afflicted as I. Some local pilots seem to feel that this air is normal.

Maybe they just haven't tucked and tumbled yet.

I have well over 4000 flights and as many hours in the air. I fly eight months out of the year. I've flown in all kinds of conditions and lived to tell the tale. That doesn't seem to allow me to overcome these feelings.

I relate my feelings and circumstances here to try to make a connection to you and your feelings and circumstances. You may or may not share similar feelings. I don't know. I also don't know if I have expressed my feelings in a manner that can be understood as applying to others.

I do wonder why only thirty two pilots showed up for the "nationals." Was it the price of diesel? Was it the lack of competition experience in minor competitions? Lack of a driver. Too costly? Or was it similar feelings to mine?

Discuss "The 2008 US "nationals", overview" at the Oz Report forum   link»

SCFR - flat out

With a huge response, the organizers gear up for a big race

(Francisco Grande, Casa Grande, Arizona)

Christopher Moody|insurance|Quest Air|Rhett Radford|Santa Cruz Flats Race 2008

http://goflyxc.com/2008/santacruz

The organizers have been overwhelmed by pilots who are desperate to get into the Santa Cruz Flats Race. It looks like this is going to be a big NTSS points meet, 600 points worth, and a chance for pilots to get on the US National team. The organizers felt at first that they wanted to limit the meet to fifty pilots due to the resources that they could marshal, but are in the process of allowing those flex wing pilots already on the waiting list into the meet, so there would be sixty two flex wing pilots.

Also five rigid wing pilots have signed up, and as they have a separate competition and launch before the flex wings, even more rigid wing pilots can be accommodated, so feel free to sign up (see URL above). This should be the best US rigid wing competition in quite a while.

The organizers now have six tugs coming to be organized on site by Rhett Radford. Mike McFadden will be the launch/ground crew director. There will be a crack ground crew at the meet. We are hoping to see Tiki and Bart of Cowboy Up hang gliding, in Jackson Hole Wyoming.

Pilots are advised in advanced to have a Quest Air type bridle and barrel release as they will have to be able to be connected to the tow rope within two seconds. These will be available on site for those not already prepared.

Discuss "Santa Cruz Flats Race - flat out" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Snow

More than pretty pictures

(Jackson Hole, Wyoming)

Christopher Moody|insurance|weather

US National Snow Analysis

Snow Depth

Jackson Hole (interactive).

I put this out because the pictures are great and just so those of us in the southern hemisphere would see what we are missing. Is there a similar analysis web site for Europe? I assume so. In English? Please write and tell me. I'll be making up a weather web page for southern France soon.

Insurance

The policies for instructors and members

(USHPA headquarters)

insurance|USHPA

Mark G. Forbes «mgforbes» writes:

Everything regarding our various insurance policies is now available on the Members Only portion of the USHPA website (http://ushpa.aero), under the Insurance button.

The pilot and instructor policies are both posted, along with a comparison sheet from First Flight on USHPA's policy vs. a commercial general liability policy, and a plain-language summary of what's covered and what you needs to do as an instructor to make sure you're fully protected.

The pilot policy has been up there for some years, as well as some of the explanatory language. We just recently got the instructor side of it linked in. We'll send an email blast out to instructors as well, to remind them of where the info is.

Value

How much is it worth to you to live/be somewhere special?

(Jackson Hole, Wyoming)

Christopher Moody|insurance

http://www.jacksonholenews.com/article.php?ctg=9&csfd=1

$6.7 Billion.

“What is the value of the qualities – environmental and otherwise – that Jackson Hole comprises?” Today I’ll try to answer that question.

Three caveats. First, I recognize that, for many people, putting a monetary value on Jackson Hole’s environment is blasphemy. For those who believe the environment is ineffable, assigning a dollar value to it is like assigning a dollar value to religion or love or family – some things transcend mere mammon.

Second, for reasons ranging from methodology to assumptions, no valuation of Jackson Hole’s environment can be precise. Instead, I have two hopes for this exercise. One is to put an order of magnitude on the value of all that Teton County comprises; the other is to do so in a way that allows us to compare our situation with other communities’. I do this because if we can kinda-sorta begin to make an apples-to-apples comparison between Teton County and other places, maybe we can kinda-sorta begin to develop a new and deeper appreciation for just how fortunate we are to call Jackson Hole home.

Third, because I want my methodology to be simple to grasp, easy to use and broadly applicable, I’ve based it on the amount of investment income earned by residents of a given county. The strength of this approach is that it can be used in every county in America. Among its weaknesses is that, rather than valuing the environment per se, it values the entire bundle of assets that a given locale comprises. In the case of Teton County, my sense is that much of what residents value is a function of our environment. However, with this methodology, there’s no way to test that assumption.

This article is missing the charts that are found in the original paper version.

Leaving

We say goodbye for now to another paradise

(Cowboy Up's operation at Alpine, WY)

Belinda Boulter|Christopher Moody|insurance

On Tuesday morning we leave Jackson Hole, Wyoming behind as winter begins to return to this alpine valley (6,200' MSL). There is much to appreciate here and I took every opportunity to appreciate it. Cowboy Up Hang Gliding is the reason and basis for our trip here and Tiki and Bart are making a go of it in the tourist trade. On Sunday Tiki and Belinda went for a hike and saw this guy on the way there:

I'll soon be reporting from the hang gliding paradise of Santa Barbara.

Jackson Hole

Before the days of Cowboy Up

(Cowboy Up's operation at Alpine, WY)

Christopher Moody|insurance|PG|Scott Trueblood|weather

Scott Trueblood «Hang4av8r» writes:

I've really been enjoying reading your reports from Jackson Hole for the last week or so. Having lived there for eight years, it's a special treat hearing about your flights at some of my favorite places. I left the area before the arrival of Bart & Tiki, so I never aerotowed there, but I think I got some even better experiences flying some sites which are now closed forever.

Nelson's was in my opinion the best damn hang gliding site in the world, and I never missed a chance to take the grueling one hour 4WD trip up, often with Mr. Nelson himself as my driver. My best flight there took me to the top of Togwotee pass, a mere thrity eight miles, but the potential was always there for more. That day, I landed in a tight LZ in very turbulent and windy conditions, near the continental divide at roughly 9000' elevation, much higher than where I took off.

I will never forget the sight of looking over Jackson Lake and north toward Yellowstone from over Buffalo Valley at over 14,000'. The evening glass-offs were always epic, I could spend hours either climbing out above all the paragliders in my Litespeed or stay down low, buzzing the wide-open hilltops relentlessly, hoping to keep the paras cowed down a bit. I also did a couple of flights down to Beaver Mt. and beyond to Bondurant, always an exciting crossing of the south end of the Gros Ventre range.

Snow King was every bit as good, the mid-summer evening glassoffs there are matchless. You can launch at 7pm and fly till 9:30, often boating around at 12-14,000' in perfectly smooth air. I was always the only hang glider among 20-30 paragliders, and it was my mission to impress upon them the performance gap between the types of aircraft. By slowing down to minimum sink, I could always climb above them with ease (often by thousands of feet), and then cash in my altitude for airspeed and use them like moving aerial slalom gates, screaming through the pack at 60 mph, then slow down and start again, systematically terrorizing them for hours at a time. Sometimes I landed at the fairgrounds in town if it was not occupied for some other reason. That LZ and the middle school LZ are now forever gone.

I love what you said about Wyoming weather. Long ago, I came to the conclusion that you simply had to pick the most favorable flying site for the forecast, then just go there and set up your glider no matter how the conditions looked. It can change within minutes, often for the better. Flying Rendezvous Mt. from the top of the tram at the Jackson Hole Mountain resort was always a crapshoot, the advantage being that the real-time conditions from the top and at all tram towers was available on the web. If you get to the top there and it is flyable, the best policy is to set up and launch immediately. Do not wait for conditions to improve.

I cannot tell you how many times the last launchable cycle puffed through right as I was hooking in, and I ended up breaking down and lugging my glider back up to the tram with winds blowing steadily over the back. Before about 1999, we could launch the backside. It was great but one had to be very careful to slip around the pass before losing too much altitude as there is absolutely nowhere to land a hang glider back there. Park Service regulations closed that launch site. You can take off to the southeast from the Mt. Resort, but only yards away, the northwest launch is off-limits. Still the tram is one of the only remaining sites within the valley. The best other one is Phillips Ridge.

What a place Phillips is! A relatively easy access road takes you to twin launches with setup areas among the mountain flowers. You launch to the southeast and generally climb into westerly winds blowing over the Tetons. My best flight there was to past Pinedale, about seventy miles. The air is generally rowdy even in light conditions, but Phillips is the Gateway to the Tetons. Many times I got high and jumped onto the range and spent hours being alternately scared out of my wits by the turbulence or awestruck by the beauty of the place. Not uncommon to be thermaling above a moose or a black bear, or be attacked by the bald eagle whose territory I was intruding upon. Many times I would land at Teton Village and have a brew at the Mangy Moose Saloon while contemplating how to get back to my vehicle.

In my years in Jackson Hole, I fell in love with hang gliding all over again. I had five foot-launch sites which were less than one hour from my front door to launch. Several others are only slightly farther but seldom flown such as Astoria Hot Springs and Gunsight Pass (I bet Bart and Tiki don't even know that one (Davis here - actually they do, but Bart hasn't flown it yet)).

The long days during the summer meant that I could work all day and not worry about getting to launch before 7 PM, and still fly for two hours above spectacular scenery in perfect air. All of the sites were driver-optional, some of my best flights I had to find a ride back to town and there was always an easy way back to my truck.

At Snow King I could take the chairlift back up to retrieve my vehicle. At Teton Village one can fly up and down the range for hours and land within yards of their vehicle and a number of restaurants and shops. The paraglider pilots are a fun bunch and were good sports about my ceaseless high-speed dives at them. Actually, the first crossing from Heise Hot Springs back to Jackson Hole was done in a paraglider, I believe by either Jon Hunt or Chip Hildebrandt, back in about 2000. There are some incredible fliers in their ranks, I always wanted to convert them to hang gliding, but only Walt Kirby switched over. The beauty of flying in Jackson Hole is that if it is un-flyable, there are many other world-class attractions and activities. I love the place and long to someday return.

Jackson Hole

It changes

(Cowboy Up, Alpine, WY, USA)

Christopher Moody|insurance|weather

The weather changes rapidly in the mountainous area here in Jackson Hole and over the Tetons and Salt River Range in Alpine just thirty five miles to the southwest where Cowboy Up has their tow operation. As I travel around the world I find that the locals think that their weather changes all the time, and in most cases I have found this not to be true. I usually find the local weather to be very predictable. But here I've found changeable weather at least over the last few days.

On Thursday, lots of clouds and virga over at Alpine in the morning, but by noon, all clear through 3:30 PM, when the clouds returned and there was a small bit of rain in Wilson west of Jackson. Friday, totally thick overcast in the morning, steady rain while I was out biking around 8:30 AM, then around noon it all clears up and we get mixed clouds all afternoon and clear in the evening.

Saturday, mixed clouds with good lift at Alpine all day. The winds were 2-3 mph in the valley, but you could see the clouds coming out of the west at 10-15 mph with hand of god sink in between the lift. Sunday, rain clouds and virga mixed with sunshine in the morning with light winds. Then it cleared up in the afternoon with winds 10 mph out of the southwest, with no lift and rain in Wilson, which cleared and the sun shone all the rest of the afternoon.

You gotta go out, set up, see what you get.

Discuss "Jackson Hole⁣ weather" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Castle Rock

It was just a year ago that I was the meet director at the US National Paragliding Championships

(Ketchum, Idaho)

Christopher Moody|insurance|PG

http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?S=6996386

And now the place is burning up. It would have been hard to have a meet there this year, to say the least.

Another night of close calls ended well last night. Fire crews managed to once again save homes that were in the path of the Castle Rock Fire.

But this afternoon, a moderate breeze caused the fire to crest Bald Mountain. The City of Ketchum is issuing a mandatory evacuation order for all people who live or work on the west of Warm Springs Bridge - both north and south sides of the road.

At the incident command post, fire again approached the Sun Valley Resort.

After landing after flying at Heise Hotsprings last Saturday, I could see the smoke from the fire coming our way. It was high and thick to our north. It beat us back to Jackson Hole. The pilots flying at King that day got into it.

Heise

Flying back to Jackson Hole

(Launch above Heise Hotsprings, Idaho)

Christopher Moody|insurance|record

Last Saturday the forecast was for west winds 14 knots gusting to 22. Didn't seem like it was a good idea to fly on the lee side of the Tetons so Bart had us head out to Heise Hotsprings east of Idaho Falls, Idaho to a Butte that faced into the wind and overlooked the vast flatlands of southern Idaho. The idea was to fly back to Jackson, which no one has ever done before from Heise (as far as we know).

Now, I had no intention of flying back to Jackson and going over the Teton in that wind, but you never know. This is the kind of flying that they often do in southern Idaho, launching into 20 mph winds at King Mountain (not that far west of the Heise launch) and then going over the back on the mountain range jumping further north/south mountain ranges that all peter out in the southern Idaho flatlands.

It wasn't that much of a drive from Wilson (eight miles west of Jackson), over the 10% grade of the Teton Pass, through Victor, Idaho in the Teton Valley, then over the next mountain range into Rainey Creek and the Swan valley. The southern fork of the Snake River runs through the Swan Valley mostly along the western edge of the Big Hole Mountains and just below the launch.

We got off the main highway (26) and passed the Heise Hotsprings where there was a scattering of RV parks set up for fisherman (and women) and those who just want to enjoy the volcanic waters in this active area (all of Idaho). After dropping off the second car not too far past the hotsprings at the alfalfa field which was the designated LZ, we headed up the highway that went up to the Kelly ski area.

We followed the forest service road that leads out of the ski area parking lot up the back side of the butte that is the launch. Right away it was clear that this road was in a sad state, with the previous winter's runoff cutting a wide channel right down its middle. No one had been around to bring in a bull dozer to get it repaired.

We were to find out later that the national forest service had closed the road to truck traffic (ATV's were okay), and that we shouldn't have been on it at all. The condition of the road should have made us aware of that, but Bart and Tiki had been there before when it was open and with more courage than brains Bart continued up the road as the rest of us (all five) walked up it and "helped" Bart navigate the ruts.

After the steep parts the road improved greatly and we quickly made our way to the obvious launch that was marked by a white streamer. The wind was blowing in out of the west at 25 mph on launch (accelerated due to compression). The whole of the Idaho wheat lands were spread out before us.

I'm not a big fan of the combination of winds and mountains, but it was flatlands upwind so I was pacified to some extent and quickly set up. Tiki decided to drive the truck down as it was clear that we wouldn't get another car up here to return a driver to the truck. She was also going to help us get off the hill.

I was ready to launch first, figuring I might as well test the waters and everyone else could see if things were as good as they looked. With Tiki on my nose wires I shuffled over to the clear area by the streamer, yelled clear and when Tiki moved to my left I ran off into the breeze that took me quickly to 500' over the top.

There was plenty of ridge lift from the winds and occasionally thermals would come through allowing me to get to 1000' over, but quickly drifting back behind launch to the northeast. Looking behind launch there was nothing but trees for a long time and then mountains and trees. I wasn't interested in being blown back there.

Daphne and Koos launched and we all played around in the ridge lift for a while taking the occasional thermal back but not getting higher than 7,500' (the launch was 6,500', and the main LZ was about 5,000'). The main LZ was next to the river, but further out to the west the flats were higher around 5,500'.

Finally I decided that I had to push south west out front a ways to find a thermal that would get me up before it would take me over the back. A mile out I hooked into a 300 fpm thermal heading east northeast and took it until it petered out at 2,000' over launch. Koos had joined me, but Daphne was way below us. I got on the radio to Koos and told him that I was heading southeast toward the flats of the Swan Valley west across the south fork of the Snake River, to find some nice lift in the flats. I was hoping that he would come with me and find a good spot to get high, if we could, to get over the Big Hole Mountains to Victor. But he stayed back waiting for Daphne and Bart who hadn't launched yet.

There was lift out on the flats and I climbed out to 8,700', about as high as the tops of the mountains to my east. The wind was about 17 mph out of the west and I was drifting quickly toward the mountains looking at the lack of landing areas next to them were the river was. Also the lack of access to this area. I was hoping for some company but I was out on my own with just a general idea of where to go (east - down wind) to get back to Jackson Hole (I could see the Grand Teton).

I headed cross wind again, trying to stay somewhat near the main highway going southeast down the Swan Valley. I was only 3,000' AGL, and the roads were sparse around the big harvested wheat fields. I wasn't sure how I'd get retrieved if necessary, and wasn't excited about climbing up the windward side of the mountains given what might be expected in the Teton Valley by Victor when I got over them.

Meanwhile Bart had launched but wasn't able to hook up with Koos, Daphne was high and headed out on her own southeast along the front of the range like me (but further east) looking at the landing zones along the river and not being all that excited about the possibilities. Koos in the meantime drifted back and up in a thermal and climbed up the mountains, set on making it back to Wilson.

As I drifted back I noticed that the river headed west to my south away from the mountains and I wasn't sure if I crossed the river again to the east toward the mountains (where I was drifting rather quickly) that I would have good access to the main highway off to my west. If I had paid attention during the drive to the launch I would have known that I was headed right for the highway to Victor, the one we had taken from Wilson and the pass over the mountains. I knew I was headed in the right direction to go to the pass, but I wasn't sure about this plateau on the west side of the mountains and east side of the river.

Finally I decided not to risk it and headed back upwind toward the main highway. The lift was streeted and once I got into a sink area it was 900 fpm to the ground, but close to a good road a few miles from the main highway, a mere ten miles out from launch.

As I broke down I heard from Daphne, she had landed over on the plateau across the river that I was concerned about going toward. It turned out that she landed very conveniently and we were able to pick her up easily on the way back.

We lost radio contact with Koos, but knew he was high enough to get over the Big Hole Mountains to Victor at least. As we were heading home, he called and told us that he was also able to climb back up from Victor and get over the Tetons and land at Bart and Tiki's place in Wilson. He said that he made it over the top by 200 meters and had quite a ride down in the rotor to 1,500' over the valley floor on the east side of the Tetons. He didn't think that he would do that again, but it was a record flight, the first crossing from Heise to Jackson Hole over two mountain ranges.

Tiki made it back down the butte with the kind help of two ATVer's. One of them drove the truck down over the rough patch and told us about the closure. So it looks like this wonderful site is off limits until say after the Iraq war and the restoration of funding to the NFS.

Take a look at this site on Google Maps or Google Earth and check out the mountains between it and Wilson. Unfortunately I was not able to get Koos' track log before he left.

Dean

Dean is coming to the Rio Grande

(Big Spring, Texas)

Christopher Moody|insurance

http://www.intellicast.com/Storm/Hurricane/Active.aspx?storm=1&type=track

We had a lot of rain on Friday from Erin (a tropical storm and then a depression). Now Dean is coming and is supposed to be in Texas on Wednesday. We hope to leave Big Spring on Monday and head northwest to Jackson Hole to visit Cowboy Up.

Certification

It took six months, so you had better get ready now

(Cowboy Up) (Wilson, WY)

Christopher Moody|Dragonfly|insurance|photo|Rhett Radford|weather

Tiki & Bart, Cowboy Up Hang Gliding, LLC, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, www.cuhanggliding.com, «fly» write:

Two words – WE PASSED!! Our Dragonfly is now a fully certificated aircraft with an FAA Airworthiness Certificate.

We started this process in late September, working on it the whole time, now here it is April 1 and we just had our Airworthiness Inspection. Let us just say, bringing the Dragonfly up certification specs is not a walk in the park. Thank you to the Mike Z for his special help and advice and a huge over the top thanks you to Rhett Radford, whose supplemental expertise was instrumental in getting our Dragonfly to pass. Rhett's plane was certified just two weeks ago.

Our DAR, (Designated Airworthiness Representative) is a former FAA Airworthiness Inspector who has every inspection rating possible, as a matter of fact he just inspected a MIG 15 and now he’s inspecting our Dragonfly - wow.

Anyway needless to say we are quite happy. And just to pass on some very important information our DAR told us: after August of 2007 the FAA will not guarantee that they will be able to process all the ELSA’s before January 2008. This is a huge deal for anyone putting off the process.

It took almost seven months to get ours done – and Tiki was diligent about our paperwork, but things happened; they got our address wrong; one box was missing a printed signature, etc. Tiki was on the phone to Oklahoma City almost every week from December to April – no joke – tracking our paper work. Basically, folks should not wait until the last minute to get this done - six months out to start your paperwork is the bare minimum.

One example – we thought we had everything done on our plane and the DAR was coming in a week. We put a call into Mike Z and Rhett. Both told us of the “hinge bolt” replacements. What!!!? Hinge Bolts!!!? All the hinge bolts on the plane needed to be replaced.

Rhett then proceed to give us the AN numbers and amount of bolts and generally where they go on the plane. Wow, what a life saver – we surely would have failed had we not replaced these bolts. We had Spruce Aircraft overnight $130.00 worth of bolts (actually the bolts were only $96.00 but the overnight shipping was $32.00).

We proceeded to replace all the hinge bolts on Friday (our DAR coming on Sunday). Then there were a couple of bolts we failed to get form Spruce and lucky for us the Aviat Aviation (they manufacturer the Husky and the Pitts Special) are just down the street from our hanger and they supplied us with some really long (4” and 5”) bolts that we needed. Also there were a couple of “little” (not so little) items that Rhett told us the DAR would “ding” us on – so we fixed those also – lucky we did because we would have definitely gotten, as Rhett says, “dinged-on” them by the inspector. Anyway our whole inspection took three hours.

Lastly, we would be more than happy give the benefit of what we’ve learned in our Dragonfly certification process to help any Dragonfly owners who are undertaking the certification process. We aren’t experts and we did have the benefit of Rhett shoring up the seams, but we did it all and we passed. And while Bart wrenched on the plane - Tiki took extensive notes throughout the whole process – including the necessary bolts and where to put them.

Weather permitting Tiki will be taking her check ride for her Private Pilot’s license next week and we will be set for our towing season here in Wyoming.

Oh BTW our “N” number? N412HG (for one to hang glide).

Click for higher resolution version.

Xmas

The day I wore my bicycle helmet

(Plumley and Gerald Ford)

Belinda Boulter|Christopher Moody|insurance

http://ozreport.com/data/kmz/Accidentspot.kmz

It wasn't until about two years ago that I started wearing a helmet when I rode my bicycle. I grew up in a time where bicycle helmets were unknown and for fifty seven years I had not really seen a need for one. I had never had an accident that would have necessitated a helmet to keep me from harm.

Still I had worried from time to time when I was in traffic or when drivers deliberately attempted to do me harm. I just used my wit and quickness to avoid problems.

It wasn't until I was wandering through an REI store one day that I looked more closely at bike helmets and finally found one that fit my large ( 7 5/8") misshapen head and was actually adjustable. It was over $100, but with Belinda's encouragement, I felt that it was a reasonable purchase.

That doesn't mean I started wearing it right away. I had been doing just fine without one for so many years, ever since my dad got me that really little yellow bike and sent me on my way.  I didn't feel a great need for the helmet, after all I had survived numerous thousand mile rides through the western US and eastern Canada.

The helmet looked dorky, made me feel dorky, and was a bother. At least this one fit and didn't weight much, and was generally reasonably comfortable, while not being quite as nice as letting the wind run unimpeded through my short hairs.

But, I did notice that I got a little more nervous when riding on my road bike down hills at over 35 mph, at times thinking about whether I would be able to handle all the problems that might occur at this speed and just what kind of shape I would be in if I had a problem. Also I avoided heavy traffic due to unease about the other drivers. So I started to wear the helmet a little more often and started to get used to it.

Then this summer while in Jackson Hole, I purchased a used rental road bike. This bike was much faster than my twenty five year old Davidson or my Trek 4500 mountain bike. I felt a lot more comfortable wearing my helmet while riding this bike.

I didn't mean to buy this bike. I had ridden my Davidson in to Fitzgerald's to get the bottom bracket greased, and just needed another bike to ride around town while they worked on it. Unfortunately, I really loved riding the bike on the wonderful bike paths found nearby, and it became a puppy dog sale for them.

Whenever I rode my Jamis Ventura I wore my helmet and when we got to Cathedral City here next to Palm Springs I wore it every day as I went for an hour or two of cross country riding along the main thoroughfares to Palm Desert and up highway 74 to the visitor center or Vista Point.

One day, a few weeks back, I was returning home on Gerald Ford and stopped at the light at Plumley. I noticed that there was a narrow patch of water a hundred or so feet ahead of me  parallel to my path.

Now here in the desert you notice water and sand if you ride a bike with thin (23 mm) high pressure (120 pound) tires. Thin sand on a turn can mean that you slide out. Thick sand can bog you down and put the bike out of control. Water, on a turn, can cause your tire to lose its grip and send you sliding.

Because this is a desert the only water that you see on the streets comes from the sprinklers that water the golf courses, lawns, and ornamentals that line the road side. It is a drag seeing this precious water going to waste (of course, many feel that watering a golf course in the desert is a waste in and of itself).

I saw the patch of shallow water ahead and since I wasn't turning through it I wasn't too worried about it. But, as soon as I came into the puddle, my bike went sideways and I hit the ground hard. Especially my head, which had the furthest to fall.

I did not have time to react, take evasive maneuvers, recover or do anything but fall. I didn't have enough notice to put out my hand, or protect my head. I just went down sideways instantly, with my head banging against the pavement.

Fortunately, my head was surrounded by crushable foam that was placed there in my bike helmet just to deal with this kind of situation. I could feel that I had hit hard, but I was up and thinking about it instead of having a concussion or worse and being in the back of an ambulance.

I have a small mirror that is connected on an adjustable plastic arm to a rotating plastic pivot on the side of my helmet. It is plastic piece that hit first, put a dent in the foam and was torn off. If that hadn't have been there, the impact would have spread more evenly on the side of the helmet.

I suffered a scratched and bleeding calf, bruised and bleeding hip, and bleeding shoulder. My head was fine the next day.

Why did I fall so fast while going straight? It turns out that particular location always has at least a thin puddle of water and over time a layer of slime has grown up under that puddle. The pavement was very slick and the wheels had zero grip there.

So, I'm glad I had my helmet on on that day, and I wear it even more now. If I look like a dork, when at least I've got an intact brain to make up for that.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Cowboy Up

I've always wanted to try that.

(near Alpine Airport, Alpine, WY, USA)

Christopher Moody|Cowboy Up|insurance|PG|Scott Trueblood

Cowboy Up Hang Gliding (www.cuhanggliding.com) is listed on the Chamber of Commerce's home page (look on the left under Summer Fun - http://www.jacksonholechamber.com/). They have brochures in every brochure location in the Jackson area, along with all the many folks offering float trips down the Snake River. They are the only hang gliding operation in Jackson (the area was opened up by Scot Trueblood), but they compete with all the other recreational activities here as well as with the well established paragliding operations (which strangely enough aren't listed on the Chamber of Commerce's home page) operating out of the Teton Village.

People call in April to sign up for tandems in July with Bart and Tiki, during their upcoming Jackson Hole vacation. Cowboy Up is oriented to the tourists and is located in a major tourist destination (some folks think that it is just a minor stop on the way to , but we know better). The is just north of Jackson, and there are plenty of hill side launch areas around Jackson in addition to Cowboy Up's towing operation out of Alpine (south of Jackson on the Idaho/Wyoming border along the Snake River).

Actual hang glider pilots get to get towed up after the morning round of tandem flights, as the air gets a little bumpy, and before the evening tandems. They are sort of free riders, given that it is the tourists that actually pay for Tiki and Bart to live in wonderful downtown (Wilson is too small to have a downtown, so they live off Fish Creek). Bart and Tiki find other jobs to make ends meet during the winter. Tiki does paralegal work and Bart does construction (which goes on year round in Jackson).

Jackson is an incredible place to stash the family while you are having a great time flying over some of the most beautiful scenery in America, most of it national forests, but some of it the national park. Your family can be riding down the Snake, biking on the umpteen thousand miles of paved bike paths or on single track in the forest or back country roads. They can be taking in the (as we did on Sunday after a glorious walk next to the creek itself, checking out the beaver homes). They can be visiting the park, climbing, hiking, fishing, or checking out the wildlife.

I can't imagine a better place to take a vacation with the family and enjoy flying and other pursuits. Cowboy Up is what makes Jackson perfect for the hang gliding enthusiast (and you can foot launch in many locations also). Great restaurants, movies, all the facilities set up for fun.

Here's hoping that Bart and Tiki continue to have success (enough to pay for their summer living expenses) and that they want to stay living and towing in this beautiful country for years to come. We'll certainly be back to visit them. We've thoroughly enjoyed our stay here (I just wish that this hadn't been sold).

Discuss "Cowboy Up Hang Gliding - living on the tourist trade" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

A great short time flying in the mountains

Phillips

A.I.R. ATOS VR|Blue Sky|Christopher Moody|insurance|PG

(Phillips Launch, Wilson, Wyoming)

On Sunday, Bart, Walt, and I went up to the south southeast facing Phillips launch right above Wilson, Wyoming, in Jackson Hole, five miles west of downtown Jackson. It's on the leeward side of the Tetons and you go there when you want to foot launch, it's unstable, and the winds from the west haven't come down to be over the back.

The valley was fog filled until noon. A good sign of light winds. When the fog cleared there were a few cu's that promised lift. We headed up before noon, going up the road that is a 10% grade over the Teton pass. We took the dirt road turn off 3/4 of the way up and followed it the the launch which was reasonably well maintained. The paragliders had their separate launch right next to the hang glider launch.

The cu's had thickened up, the lift was coming up the launch, and there was no over the back action, although we could see the cu's coming from the west. By the time we were ready, it was shaded and there was no rustling of the leaves on the trees around us. We had to wait for a break in the clouds to get enough sun to get a little wind in our faces.

I took off (in my borrowed Wills Wing Falcon 3 -170, the same glider I flew on Saturday at Alpine) right after Bart (in his earlier version of the Falcon 195) and the next dark cloud came right over us as we scratched along the hillside. I was able to hang in there in light lift having a great time flying in the mountains, but wasn't able to hang out long enough for the sun to return. I landed about five minutes after Bart at the Fish Creek LZ, near Bart and Tiki's home.

Walt waited for another hour (hoping it wouldn't go over the back) and was rewarded with a couple of low saves and then scary strong lift east of Wilson as he headed out in the valley to go to the east side and the hills over Jackson. He didn't quite make it as he kept running from lift.

We heard from one of the local paraglider pilots who had been at Sun Valley when I was running the Nationals there, that paraglider pilots had been getting to 20,000' over the Grand Teton the Sunday and Monday before (as we arrived in Jackson). No oxygen used, as this altitude is rare, except in late August and early September.

We'll be towing again on Wednesday. It was in the eighties here today, with a clear blue sky.

I prefer flying the Falcon in this mountain air and with the skinny launches at 8,500'. in light winds. It's great to have a 50 pound glider, instead of using my 105 pound ATOS VR. Hopefully we will get up over the Grand Teton, but not land in the park. Bart says that if we do land in the park, land on a road, as we are using a vehicle, and might get off because of that clause.

Alpine

Mountain and flatland flying

(Cowboy Up) (Alpine, Wyoming) (Sun Valley) (Greifenburg)

cart|Christopher Moody|Dragonfly|insurance

Two Cowboy Up (www.cuhanggliding.com) students were at the landing zone when I got there around 11. Michael would soon have his first soaring flight on his ninth solo and his friend Jerrod, would be taking a tandem with Bart (Tiki pulled them up in the Dragonfly). The winds were light south on the ground but 13 mph out of the northwest up above at 8,500' (3,000' AGL).

Bart said that there was a house thermal just south of the runways (mowed areas in the grass) indicated by two lone pines. Sure enough it was the most consistent thermal I have ever seen. Time after time, I would fly out over the flats next to the water (see Google Earth) then come back time after time to catch the same thermal. The goal was to see how low I could get and still catch the thermal.

First Tiki took me up to 8,500' over the Teton range to the east. It was raspy up there with punchy thermals, so I went out over the flats by the reservoir for flatland flying instead.

When I launched Bart said stay on the cart a lot longer than I would be used to as we were launching at almost 6,000'. Bart wanted me to take the cart two feet off the ground.

I got off when I pulled the cart off the ground, but it wasn't enough. There was a side wind and when I let go of the cart I was going side ways low. I fortunately pulled it off as I was flying so fast. The air continued to be quite turbulent all the way up. I was also flying in Tiki's prop wash at one point as it is hard to gauge the proper position with all the tall mountains around.

Tiki pulled Michael up after I was centered in the thermal next to the launch area and had him join me. He had an audio only vario and that was enough to let him enjoy his first soaring flight. I finally landed after I tried getting into this house thermal at 200' AGL.

We're here for another week, so maybe I'll get used to this raspy mountain (real mountain) air (haven't seen this, well other than , since ). Bart mentioned climbing at 2,000 fpm on the averager over Grand Teton in his Falcon. Turbulence in the mountains comes from wind and nasty tight thermals coming off sunny hillsides. I'm hoping for the later (if that is the choice).

Jackson Hole

Flying the fault line

Belinda Boulter|Christopher Moody|Dragonfly|insurance

Belinda and I arrived in Alpine on the Wyoming-Idaho border on Monday around 5 PM and by 6 PM I was in the air being towed by Tiki behind a Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly with a 582 engine. Tiki pulled me to almost 9,000', I got off a few hundred feet too early, on the west facing side of the Teton Range.

Tiki and Bart run Cowboy Up Hang Gliding (http://www.cuhanggliding.com/) here in Jackson Hole (Jackson valley) here in Wyoming. They tow out of Bureau of Reclamation land (managed by the US Forest Service) near the Alpine airport. They have a new hangar there and have sold their trike. The tandem glider and the tug are stored in the hangar.

We're at the KOA campground across of weird Dick Cheney's place on the Wilson Moose road. Great place for bicycling with a separate path next to the road all the way to the Teton National Park to the north. The road through the park from that entrance is thin and windy, but the speed limit is twenty five miles an hour so it is also great for road bike riding, and is mostly paved.

Bart and Tiki are mostly in the business of giving tourist "instructional" flights. They also have students and also local and not so local hang glider pilots who would like to be towed up. As Jackson Hole and Teton National Park are premier destinations, Bart and Tiki have a great spot to have a business such as theirs, providing fun to tourists.

The eastern faces of the Tetons are rather spectacular and make for great flying (don't land in the park, which is huge). It's also pretty cool that the towing takes place on the windward side of the mountain range, which is not that far away from Wilson, the town that Bart and Tiki live in and which is next to Jackson.

We went kayaking on the Snake River this evening just down from Jackson Lake to check out wildlife. We saw Elk, Moose, ducks, fish, Osprey (carrying fish), and river otters. Pretty cool.

More on flying in this area over the next few days.

Sun Valley

Fun in Paradise

(Sun Valley, Idaho)

Christopher Moody|insurance|Lisa Tate|PG|USHPA|weather

Lisa Tate, the USHPA President, was so smart to get Chuck Smith, the owner of Fly Sun Valley, to put on the Paragliding Nationals in Sun Valley. Whether he'll ever do it again is another story.

When offered the chance to be the meet director I immediately said yes just because I thought that it would be great to go back to Sun Valley and to Idaho. I didn't realize at the time just how great it would be.

Sun Valley is about as close as one is going to get to Austria in the US (we can talk about Jackson Hole and the Tetons later, and I will) when it comes to scenery and to mountain flying. It is quite a bit drier (which is a very good thing), but the Big Wood River valley (and the surrounding valleys) are narrow, and the peaks are steep. There are ranges in many directions (to the north and east) and deep wilderness.

Tegernsee in Bavaria (Germany) 20 km from Austria and in the Alps ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tegernsee and here) is Ketchum's (the town next to Sun Valley) sister city in Germany. Tegernsee looks a bit greener.

Two things made for a great Paragliding Nationals. Great weather (as expected) and a great town to have fun in when not flying (even though some pilots just had to go south to Twin Falls to base jump off the bridge). Ketchum is a great place to have fun when you are not flying.

I road my bicycle each day down one of the two single tracks from the top of Baldy. There were many miles of road bike paths through the town, around the town and down to Hailey and back. There are mountain bike tracks every where as well as hiking trails.

There were great restaurants, coffee shops, rivers for fishing and swimming, mountains to climb, and a great good time atmosphere. The Wood River is beautiful and goes right through town next to Hemingway's old house. There mist be five bike shops in town and it is a very small town.

And the flying was like Austria in that it was definitely mountain flying. Fortunately for the most part we had light wind days, so that the turbulence that one experiences in the mountains was reduced.  The turbulence that we did experience came from the thermals that were generated off the mountain sides in high pressure conditions.

The mountain range to the north east of Baldy is presents a steep rocky face that collects the afternoon sun and got pilots up to 18,000'. Thousand foot per minute is a normal climb rate here in tight punch thermals. Pilots did have to have oxygen for their high flights.

Unfortunately hang gliding is not allowed (except in special circumstances) from Baldy (it is from Greenhorn) and there is a law against landing a paraglider or hang glider in Sun Valley itself (which is quite a small area). The Sun Valley Company doesn't seem to promote summer sports activities, apparently concentrating on bringing rich old people to Sun Valley instead.

It would be great if they had more road bike rides and races, mountain bike races, and other activities (not just golf tournaments). Ketchum is actually pretty quiet in the summer, which is pleasant for those of us there, but I sure would love to see the Sun Valley Company be a major sponsor of another flying championship there.

Hell, it's a lot more fun than Arco.

Life insurance

Hey, you're gonna die anyway.

insurance

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2501&start=10

But the extra amount paid for most hang gliders is only $1 per year per $1,000 of coverage. For example, for $500,000 of coverage (term or whole life), the extra premium is only $500 per year over what it costs for non hang gliders and it includes hang gliding.

Aerotowing

Helping them out after the debacle

(Cowboy Up)

Christopher Moody|insurance|Scott Gravelle

Bart at Cowboy Up Hang Gliding «fly» www.cuhanggliding.com writes:

We know the situation with the Canadian Nationals in Vulcan has disappointed many who wanted to get an aerotow rating or refresher. Therefore, to Canadian pilots only we are offering a special on aerotowing through the end of June here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Special Offer: On our price list (http://www.cuhanggliding.com/price_list.htm) the number you see in US dollars for you will be the same number in Canadian dollars. For Example: if an aerotow is USD 20, then it’s CDN 20 and so on.

Why are we doing this? Two reasons. First, for those Canadian pilots who were really looking forward to aerotowing, and second to help Scott Gravelle. Vulcan was a loss to all of us, and particularly to Scott. So, we will be using the proceeds to help Scott offset unrecoverable costs (expenses and equipment costs), some of which he advanced to us for aerotowing in the Vulcan Meet.

Insurance

This is why third party liability insurance costs so much in Australia

insurance

You'll find more references at my news gathering service at https://OzReport.com. The HGFA was not successfully sued, but the local club and the pilot were.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=89040

Discuss "An insurance hit" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Cowboy Up

They are building a hangar in Alpine, their flying site.

Christopher Moody|Cowboy Up|Dragonfly|insurance|Tiki Mashy|weather

http://ozreport.com/sites.php

http://ozreport.com/data/kmz/flightparks.kmz

Tiki Mashy «tikimashy» writes:

The hanger is going up right next to where we fly in Alpine. The big door will open onto the meadow that we fly from. Right now it is half build, weather (snow & freezing temps) have halt our efforts until maybe mid-January - February. We will be using our Dragonfly next season - hence the hanger. The hanger is 50'x 100'.

We are slowly building our business, we don't want to over extend overselves, so perhaps we are not building as quickly as some people would like, but we're in it for the long haul.

We'll certainly try to get to Big Spring this summer, however we're organizing the aerotowing for the Canadian Nationals, so we have to see how well things go there first, before we can commit to Big Spring. But is sure seems like it'd be a heck of a lot of fun - I hope we can make it down. Right now we're looking for an enclosed lightweight trailer to haul the DF around so we can get to some of these places.

Liability insurance

We pay $140,000 a year

Bill Bolosky|insurance|insurance|USHGA

Bill Bolosky «Bill Bolosky» writes:

This year, it’s around $140,000, not $80,000 like you reported. This is the total for the liability insurance, including the “site insurance” (really just adding landowner names to the policy) and for the sites that have higher limits. It does not include the directors and officers policy that USHGA carries (and that costs much less).

The premium bounces up and down from year to year based on the recent claims, changes in the size of the membership and the insurance market, but $150K is a good round figure for the typical annual cost.

This means that the cost in the US for liability insurance is $15/pilot/year. The cost per pilot in Australia (in Ozzie dollars) is $115/pilot/year ($92 USD). In Canada (in Canadibucks) it's $75/pilot/year (37 Doubloons and a Loonie) ($65 USD).

Discuss "Correction re: USHGA liability insurance" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Thu, Nov 10 2005, 6:00:08 am EST

For US residences

Derek Patterson|extreme sports|insurance|travel

Insurance

http://www.eglobalhealth.com/patriot_extreme_insurance.html

Derek Patterson, President eGlobalHealth Insurers Agency, LLC writes:

First I would recommend for the Australian hang gliding trip a product called Liaison International with the Sport Rider (to cover hang gliding). This product is by Specialty Risk International and will cover an individual only while outside their country of primary residence. Visit our special link here to run an instant online quote and to apply and purchase the plan if you require.

Alternatively (or in addition to the above), we offer a Medical EVAC membership program called MedJet Assist -- the world's premier medical evac program underwritten by certain underwriters with Lloyds of London. You can learn more about this membership program here.

Note that this program is only for US and Canadian citizens and will cover you both domestically in the US and internationally (with limitations depending on the plan you choose). You will want to visit our link noted above and review MedJet's program called the Regular Annual plan. Note that this plan can also be quoted and purchased online as well.

Many people will have the MedJet Assist program as a year around base plan that they always have and then purchase a supplemental medical insurance plan for international exposures. Keep in mind the MedJet Assist program is not insurance, but a membership program that affords its members treatment worldwide evac with no deductible and no other cost than just the annual membership plan premium. It only pays for medical care for an evacuation and not inpatient medical care, thus the reason why most will also purchase the international coverage for the medical insurance benefit.

Wed, Sep 7 2005, 11:00:02 am EDT

What happens when you put your student in the bottom harness?

Bart Weghorst|Christopher Moody|insurance|Tracy Tillman

Bart Weghorst at COWBOY UP HANG GLIDING LLC Jackson Hole, Wyoming www.cuhanggliding.com  «fly»  writes:

Over under harnesses are favored by many tandem instructors. But the ones who don't like them (me) have pretty clear objections like these:

Excess strain on the downtubes from the instructor's hands. Downtubes

- already under compression- are bent by the instructor's input if he's on top.

Strong student can easily overpower instructor if instructor is on top.

Release handle hard to reach by the instructor (if on top) if release handle is left down low on the downtube.

At Cloud 9 Tracy Tillman uses an over/under harness. Then he adds handles to the downtubes to allow the tandem instructor to have great authority when he's in the upper harness (only after a lot of tandem flights with the student in the upper harness). This is what they look like:

The handles are industrial equipment used to push large carts.

Gerry «Gerry» writes:

The over/under harness system. That's the type I use when hauling tandems (platform (truck, trailer, boat) payout, stationary, and aerotow). The common fear among pilots is that you won't have enough control over the wing if the student is exerting on the control bar and won't stop (sometimes they don't realize they're doing it) when you tell them that your taking control again. Happened a few times to me but I've never had problems over-muscling them anyway. Guess it's a combination of motivation, determination, and knowing what sustained forces will get the result required. It's easier, of course, to over-muscle them from the bottom seat.

In the pre-launch talk I tell them that there's nothing that they can get us into at altitude that I can't get us out of. The control bar is like the steering wheel of a car, it doesn't work well if 2 people are trying to steer at once, etc. I cap it off and usually get a laugh because they realize I'm half-joking when I say that if they get worried, just hold on to the harness. If they're holding nylon we're safe, if they're holding metal we're gonna die! :-) They'll remember that if/when the fear sets in.

Tue, Feb 22 2005, 3:00:00 pm EST

Training in Wyoming.

Christopher Moody|insurance|Jim Yocom|Paris Williams|Tiki Mashy

Tiki Mashy «tikimashy» at COWBOY UP HANG GLIDING LLC Jackson Hole, Wyoming www.cuhanggliding.com  «fly» writes:

It's great to see schools and pilots planning fun hang gliding flying events for the summer. Cowboy Up Hang Gliding (Jackson Hole, Wyoming) is pitching its hat into the flying fun arena. In addition to our everyday flying in and around Jackson Hole, here's what we have planned:

April 24 & 23 - Instructors & Pilots Fly-in at Point of the Mountain, Utah. Everyone is welcome.

May 14 & 15 - Tandem Hang Gliding Instructor's Clinic, Jackson Hole, Wyoming - T1, T2 & Tandem Instructor.

MAY 20, 21 & 22 - Big Sky Aerotow Fly-In, Montana - learn to aerotow or just blow off the winter rust and do some Big Sky Big Thermal flying in the Madison River Valley.

June 17, 18, 19, 20 - Cowboy Up XC@Stage Stop 1 (training for pilots with limited to no xc flying experience - Instructor: 3 time National Champion, Paris Williams)

July 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 - Cowboy Up Pony Express XC-Advanced (training for experienced xc pilots who want to add the racer's edge - head by 3 times National Champion, Paris Williams and assisted by #1 ranked National Rigid Wing pilot, Jim Yocom)

Detailed information on all these events can be found on our website: www.cuhanggliding.com. Also, we have other events planned for the Fall, but we'll announce those during the summer.

Aerotowin' in the "Hole" - "big moofoos" in back.

No feeling in her hands and feet.

Elena|harness|health|injury|insurance|landing|Laura Bazan

Elena, a Russian female pilot who is free flying here at the Bogong Cup, hurt herself landing on Sunday when she couldn't unzip her harness. Landing in tall grass she nosed over hard and hit her head. When Laura Bazan found her, she reported that she had not feeling in her hands or feet.

Laura convinced her stop working on her glider and took her to the medical clinic in Mt. Beauty. They took her to the hospital in Albury and at four in the morning she was sent to Melbourne. She had broken to vertebrae in her neck. They took her right into surgery.

The problem with this kind of accident, is that you feel it is minor for your spine is unstable. A week later you twist your neck and you are an instant paraplegic.

She, of course, has no health insurance.

Discuss "Russian women pilot hurt at Mt. Beauty" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Did you ask Jayne?

insurance

insurance|Linda Salamone|USHGA|weather

Salamone, Linda «Linda_Salamone» writes:

At our club meeting last night, the discussion of insurance for our un-paid instructors came up again as we were discussing this year's budget. We had coverage last year, and there is some confusion over this type of insurance.

Some background (and shameless plug): Our training program is very unique. For $595 (increased this year), it includes 60 days (May 1 thru July 1- or thereabouts) of any trainable day from 6pm to dusk during the week, and 9-noon on weekends/holidays. We also have $50 tandems available at a nearby flight park - up to three per student during their training. We use Eaglets and a Falcon later.

We have a 125' training hill that faces every direction except due south and SW. We do have an alternate hill for SW wind but I don't think it is maintained/used much. Generally our students get almost thirty lessons during this time, but the potential for more training days is there if the weather cooperates. They are free to use the hill after the corn in the LZ has been cut in the fall (with an instructor). We have four current instructors.

This is strictly foot launch skills and landings, we don't really teach past the bunny hill as a club. A student must have his/her own equipment before flying one of our mountain sites, and we are sure to have instructors present during their first high flights (although it isn't technically part of the $595 package).

Our students are all USHGA members (part of the $595) and therefore waivered. Our club has no second waiver/release for members. We consider our lessons as "gravy" although it is our single biggest income and we would like to bank it for land acquisition etc. Our member fees cover site maintenance/ misc. expenses- barely. We have seen a sharp decline in students the past two years, but surprisingly more pilots at the mountain sites during the same two year period. Membership is only around 8% decline.

We have had a few broken bones at the training hill since I have been around (8 years). Insurance is close to 2K for the year. What do other schools/clubs do for insurance? I was told that instructors are not covered personally under USHGA.

I am not the financial manager or secretary for this club, nor am I the one who researched our insurance options. I am not even sure I am asking the correct questions. I am just the public relations officer and I had all of these questions last night so I put it to all of you out there to set me straight. Part of my concern (besides expense ) is that having insurance opens us up to the possibility of being sued, instead of protecting the instructors. Like, if an injured student thinks there is a big insurance company paying up, they are not really suing the nice instructor.

Maybe size of training classes is a factor. We had 22 students a few years ago, last year just 5. Thoughts ?

Discuss "Instructor⁣ Insurance" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Seeing America from a bird's eye view.

traveling for hang gliding

Big Spring|Christopher Moody|insurance|maps|Oz Report|politics|site|software

I love maps. I use maps all the time. I especially use maps for traveling to hang gliding spots and for hang gliding when I get there. I plan out courses and see where I flew.

Lately we've had an election in the US and this gives us a chance to look at some very colorful maps. Maps, that in general reflect the vote by state, by county, and by city. I haven't seen any by precinct or census district.

I wanted to look at these maps and compare them with my recent travels throughout the US to hang gliding sites to see if I was traveling to blue areas or red areas or both. I assumed that because hang gliding takes place in rural areas that I would mostly have flown over red areas.

Red stands for areas that by majority voted for George W. Bush. Blue stands for areas that by majority voted for John F. Kerry. Of course, there is a mix of voters in all these areas, and with a very deeply divided country there are for the most part large percentages of voters of each persuasion in all areas shown on the maps which are gross in their representations.

So here are some of the maps I found. On election eve I was hooked on this map because it was so interactive and I could drill down quickly to get the latest county by county data. I could also enlarge the state wide maps to see what was going on in general. I understand that there is some very powerful software underlying this map.

Geography does not equal Electoral College votes. If the states are sized to match their population then this is what the map would look like. (It should be changed to match the actual number of Electoral College votes.)

Click on the map shown here to see the votes by county adjusted for population. You can enlarge it easily and move it around to get a better view.

Here's USA Today's map colored by county which easily allows you to make a comparison with the last Presidential election.

But the most sophisticated view of the country is found here. This is Purple America. A mixture of reds and blue to reflect the fact that the country is pretty evenly split (51% Vs. 48%)

I found that I voted in a red county (Polk) and lived in the Spring in a red county (Lake) in Florida. This is the infamous I4 corridor which gave Bush 400,000 more votes than in 2000.

Zapata is a blue county, but Leahy and Big Spring are in red counties. The south Texas counties are blue or purple unlike much of the rest of the state.

Kansas near Ottowa was red, and Caroline County in blue Maryland was also red. Richmond Virginia was blue, but the county around it was red. Teton County (Jackson Hole) in Wyoming, where Dick Cheney lives when he isn't in Washington, D.C., was the only blue county in Wyoming.

In rural New York, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin, the hang gliding sites are in pinkish counties even in these blue states.

Discuss "Maps - speaking of elections (as we do above)" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Tue, Nov 9 2004, 3:00:06 am EST

Towing in Montana.

Christopher Moody|insurance|photo

Bart «bart» sends:

In Jackson Hole the snow is late also. We had a great weekend at a spontaneous fly-in organized by a local rancher. Tiki is towing me back home to Wilson. The picture is shot through the mirror of the trike.

Mon, Oct 18 2004, 8:00:02 pm EDT

The Houston hang gliding club.

Blue Sky|Christopher Moody|insurance|record|Robin Hamilton

http://www.hhga.org

http://www.ultralightamerica.com

Imagine an aerotowing club with twenty five hang gliding members who've talked seven general aviation  pilots into towing them up behind the club's trike just for the fun of it. The Houston Hang Gliding Club flies out of a small ultralight field thirty miles northwest of Houston.

Their "flight park" consists of two contains that hold the trike and their gliders. The Ultralight America field has two 3400' long parallel grass runways.  You'll find lots of open fields in the neighborhood. It is situated just outside Houston controlled airspace. This is the site Robin Hamilton, British Team member who works from Shell in Houston, set his Swift world records.

Is this a model that hang glider pilots in the flatlands of America can emulate? I've seen many models for how pilots get into the air across America and this is another one. Hopefully pilots in Arkansas and elsewhere can use one of the many models which I've discussed to build their own local "flight park."

I expect to see changes in the next six months near Chicago as Hang Gliding Chicago hopefully moves to its new more family friendly site in the spring. Perhaps Cowboy Up will be able to do tandem towing in Jackson Hole itself. Highland in Maryland will be putting on its first hang gliding competition the first week of June. Adventure Airsports in Ottawa Kansas (near Lawrence) will have four general aviation pilots qualified to tow instead of just one.

Cloud Nine is open to more contact and encouraging more pilots to come and join the club in central Michigan. Blue Sky near Richmond Virginia has improved its facilities providing for more pilot comfort. Twin Oaks in Whitewater, Wisconsin is under new management and has a thriving club of sixty five dedicated pilots. They may be the first flight park to go into a land trust. 

Thu, Oct 7 2004, 8:00:02 pm EDT

More on this European tandem glider in the next issue.

Bart Weghorst|Christopher Moody|Dragonfly|Icaro 2000|insurance|Manfred Ruhmer|Mark Porter|record

Mark Porter Air Sport Africa www.airsportafrica.co.za writes:

We regularly towed up a tandem Airborne Fun 220 using Airborne's Edge X 582 trike from our field with an elevation of 5280ft - no problem.

Bart Weghorst COWBOY UP HANG GLIDING LLC Jackson Hole, Wyoming www.cuhanggliding.com  «fly» writes:

The Icaro 2000 BIP has been around for a while. I was introduced to it through my friend Koos de Keyzer in 1999. We took lessons together and learned to fly tandem. I had a Tecma Medium and Koos bought a BIP. He had some real success with this high performance tandem glider. In 2000 Koos almost completed a 120 KM triangle in Australia, landing 10 KM short of a World Record. Later he flew a record in Chamonix. It was a 25 KM triangle but a world record, nonetheless. (http://www.deltakoos.nl/  for your Dutch readers).

I always told Koos that I would take that record away from him, but so far I've been only talk. The record season is just too busy for a hang gliding school. Also Koos is not resting on his laurels. He's now Dutch National Champion after a hard fought championship in Laragne, France.

Here's why I'm flying this glider now: Our main activity in Jackson Hole consists of tandem instructional flights. The valley floor is at 6,200'. In summertime, density altitude reaches 10,000' regularly. Climb rate on tow is a real issue. Still we want a standard Rotax 582 for our tug.

We're hang glider pilots, not mechanics. And there is lots of expertise in two stroke Rotax engines readily available here because of snowmobiling. Instead of more horsepower, we decided to clean up our act on the other end of the towline.

Manfred Ruhmer brought a BIP for us to demo during the 2000 Wallaby Open. We did tows to 8,000' in a 582 trike with great results. With the BIP we found a solution to our climb rate problem in Jackson Hole while still flying a flex wing tandem and a lightweight, economical tug. I think that our combination of tug-tandem glider can match a "big engine" dragonfly-single surface tandem glider when it comes to climb rate.

Me teaching Glen Simpson on the BIP:

Thu, Sep 30 2004, 6:00:02 pm EDT

It's warm here.

Christopher Moody|insurance|Lisa Tate|Ron Gleason|USHGA

Lisa Tate, the local USHGA Regional Director, says that the best thing in Boise (and she has lived here for eighteen years and would like to go back to Missoula) is the bike trail (32 miles - paved) along the Boise River. We are camping at the Idaho State Fairgrounds right next to the bike path and rode to the USHGA EC meeting which Lisa booked for us at the Double Tree Motel which is also right next to the trail. Smart Lisa.

The trail is simply amazing with many beautiful bridges, including one that I remember as a railroad bridge. The river is still wild even with Lucky Peak Reservoir twelve miles up the river. The Boise River runs right through the middle of town. As we biked in we saw that it was well used by many commuters. 

We drove into town from Jackson Hole on Wednesday and it got warmer and warmer. Today it must have been in the upper seventies. Ron Gleason has been camped here for a few days and says it has been in the mid eighties. Quite a bit warmer than Jackson Hole which is only 1,200' higher.

The local pilot apparently made it clear that they didn't want Cowboy Up to come in and provide tow services for the USHGA BOD members who came here for the meeting.

Wed, Sep 29 2004, 1:00:02 pm EDT

Tiki launches from Phillips Ridge.

Christopher Moody|insurance

http://www.cuhanggliding.com/

Mon, Sep 27 2004, 3:00:02 pm EDT

Is this the most majestically beautiful place to fly in America?

Belinda Boulter|Christopher Moody|Cowboy Up|insurance|PG

http://www.cuhanggliding.com/

Local Report

Bart says the Wallowas in Northeastern Oregon are also spectacular. I can't think of another spot as majestic as this even flying in the heart of the Cascades, or by Mount St. Helens.

Today we flew from Phillips Ridge just above the very small town of Wilson where Cowboy Up is located.  Take highway 22 west heading over the Teton Pass. Take the gravel road off to the right a couple of miles up from Wilson, the Phillips Ridge Trail. Follow the gravel road up to launch (a turn around) near the power lines. Check out the local sites here.

The launch faces south east overlooking Jackson Hole, Fish Creek, and the Snake River. The winds were forecast to be light out of the south. We got up to launch before ten as you often have to launch early there before it blows down with the prevailing winds from the northwest.

We didn't find lift on this day but had great sled rides to the large LZ by highway 22 southwest of town. There are a number of LZ's. Jackson Hole is huge with many large flat areas for landing.

The launch is wide open and quite steep with separate hang glider and paraglider launches. It has been a hang glider launch for at least twenty years and the Aspen trees below are nicely trimmed.

It was like a Wallaby Ranch reunion with Tiki, Bart, Emily, and Davis flying single surface gliders and Belinda driving.

Later in the afternoon all of us other than Bart went mountain biking through Cache Creek and incredibly fun and easy trail that turns into single track after three miles. The ride ended as the cu-nimbs started to drop their rain.

Fri, Sep 24 2004, 6:00:01 pm EDT

It was snowing with snow all around on the ground 70 miles outside of Rawlings, Wyoming as we headed west on Interstate 80  toward Jackson Hole.

Belinda Boulter|Christopher Moody|Dr. John "Jack" Glendening|insurance|PG

We'd driven through Nebraska on Tuesday with temperatures in the lower eighties but the blue skies soon gave way to hard rain before we reached Omaha. Temperatures on Wednesday in Hastings, Nebraska started at 57 in the morning and decreased as the day went on as we headed west and climbed up toward the Rockies. Tiki says the weekend looks good.

They were flying on Thursday in Alpine and it looks like there will be a number of pilots around for the weekend. Cowboy Up tows at Alpine forty miles to the southwest and gets pilots up on the west or windward side of the Tetons.

We're camped just south of Teton Village and there is a east facing foot launched site right above us here at the Teton Village KOA. The road is still open, but there is snow right above the launch. Instead of being at 1,000'or less as we have been for over the last two months, we're now over 6,000'.

Friday:

As I was bicycling around the Teton Village KOA where we are parked I found this:

There was one young bull moose and two females. They stayed around the park eating leaves from the bushes for about half an hour. No fear of humans what so ever.

I bicycled out six miles to the Teton Village, the ski resort base station on the eastern edge of the Tetons, just south of the Tetons National Park. The bikeway made its way through the exquisitely beautiful western country-side of Fish Creek, range lands, poplar and ... trees.

I spoke with a paraglider pilot who had just landed at the designate LZ next to the resort complex and need told me that he was scared out of the cu filled sky after suffering three collapses at cloud base not that far above the top of the range. The winds were very light on the ground and about 10 mph out of the west at cloud base. He had launched on the lee side, as usual here, after going up on the gondola and reported a temperature of 36 degrees on launch.

He also said that there were 100 members of the local paragliding club, but that only about 20 were active. There are five local paragliding teachers. The largest school also truck tows paraglider pilots and student over at Alpine.

In the evening the paraglider preferred spot for glass offs is over by Jackson to the west about ten miles on Nelson, an eight mile ridge. Nice to be able to go to a west facing (windward) site.

On Friday afternoon Belinda and I hooked up with Teton Tiki and Buffalo Bart at the unbelievably beautiful home that they share as business partners. Their log house is a guest house on a thirty six acre spread whose back yard is the Tetons National Forest and whose front yard includes Fish Creek, which is a good sized river running full bore. They exchange some work for the owners of the main house for rent and utilities. Quite a setup.

Saturday:

We drove south out of Jackson Hole (the hole just refers to the valley) and along the Snake River (headwaters at Jackson Lake an marshlands south of the lake) through the Snake River Canyon forty miles southwest to Alpine, Wyoming where Tike and Bart have their towing operation. Alpine is a very small town, now a bedroom community for folks who work in Jackson but can't afford to live there.

 Alpine is right on the border with Wyoming and Idaho at the south end of large reservoir that dams the Snake River and provides a large flat dry area next to the Alpine area and beside the old highway that was moved when the dam was put in. On the windward side of the Tetons and the Salt Range to the south, this large flat area hasn't been under water for at least twenty three years as the west continues to be dry. The reservoir water was way down.

With light wind conditions and under blue skies Tiki towed up a four Falcon (and Aeros Target) pilots behind her Northwing tug to the mountain sides where they had no problem finding lift to get them to over 11,000' (5,400' AGL). There was a good view back to the east to Jackson Hole.

With long mountain ranges just to the east of the tow paddock it looks like great cross country flying south to Utah. You can dry camp right at the tow area on BLM land. No one will bother you.

Bart and Tiki are attempting to get permission to tow up at a commercial operation on some of the ranches closer to their home and actually in the Jackson Hole. Bart is the tandem pilot and most of their business (which has been very good this year for them in spite of the fact that it is been very wet - familiar?) is with tourists looking for adventures. Bart finds that there is more turbulence near Jackson, being on the lee side of the Tetons then out at Alpine, but this is where the tourists are. It is a long drive in the opposite direction away from the parks to take people out to Alpine through a road that has been being rebuilt for the last five years.

Sunday:

It should get to 70 degrees in the sun today. Belinda and decided not to drive out to Alpine today although Bart and Tiki are out there hauling up new pilots who are soaring and having a great time. We might go flying at Phillips tomorrow, a east facing site on the Teton Range just above Tiki and Bart's home in Wilson. You can land near their place (or right on it if you want).

It geot to 74 degrees and even with the scattered cirrus scattered cu's foredm over the mountains. Dr. Jack called for 500 fpm to 13,000'. They were having a good time out at Alpine.

Wed, Sep 22 2004, 3:00:05 pm EDT

Is it as free as the air?

Christopher Moody|insurance|Jim Lamb|Mike Hedblom

As we drove west on Interstate 80 from Jim Lamb's home in Marion, Iowa toward Tiki and Bart at Cowboy Up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I noticed a small sign under the Rest Area sign - free wireless access. Whoa! We had to stop there. I have written previously about how Texas was going to put free wireless access in all their rest areas, but this was the first I'd seen of it any where and here it was in Iowa.

Yes, it actually worked great right from the truck. We had to sign up on-line, but it was free and fast. Here is a directory of hot spots: http://www.ispotaccess.com/Directory.asp

 Mike Hedblom «mhedblom» writes:

Very interesting article on the legalities of war chalking here. Also, you might want to read this amusing story.

"It's a new law, sir; 'theft of signal.' " -- A Nantucket police officer explains a new federal law of his own engineering forbidding use of an open wireless signal in a public place.

Thu, Sep 9 2004, 12:00:01 pm EDT

Starts tomorrow.

Christopher Moody|insurance|Tow Fest Montana 2004

Bart «fly» writes:

Tow Fest Location Change - Big Sky Airport and it totally lives up to its name - A wide valley in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. A 70 mile long mountain range facing the predominant southwest winds, with few foothills. The main ridge is steep standing 3,000-6,000 feet AGL over the Madison River Valley. A retrieval road right at the base of this spectacular range beginning in Idaho and stretching into Canada. The range butts up against the glorious Yellowstone National Park. Rarely has this range ever been touched by a hang glider.

 Since there are no roads to the top, it has only been soared by a limited, but lucky few who were on long XC flights that commenced elsewhere. This range and this valley would make a dead man salivate. This is maybe the best possible reason why we aerotow in the Rockies.

On September 10, 11 & 12 we will be out there aerotowing and everyone is invited to come. You will recall that we previously published this Tow Fest in Three Forks, Montana - but when Montana pilot, Jim Gaither arranged to for us to aerotow at Big Sky Airport (7 miles southeast of Ennis, Montana), we were more then happy to relocate. (Notwithstanding the fact that the Madison River Valley is less than a 3 hour drive for us from Jackson Hole.)

Sat, Jun 5 2004, 9:00:01 pm EDT

The Flats of Southern Idaho

Christopher Moody|insurance

Tiki  at COWBOY UP HANG GLIDING, LLC Jackson Hole, Wyoming, www.cuhanggliding.com  «fly» writes:

We're Tow Festing in Mountain Home, Idaho, which is close to Boise. We'll be camping and operating out of the Mountain Home Municipal Airport. From here it is just over 100 miles downwind to King Mountain along route 20. Warm up for the meet!

Our dates are June 12^th, 13^th & 14^th. There'll be an aerotow clinic and some fun flying. Wills Wing Demo Gliders free to fly for qualified pilots. Try the U2. A special thanks to John Kangas for making the arrangements. Everyone is welcome. For more information: www.cuhanggliding.com .

Thu, May 20 2004, 4:00:02 pm EDT

The first ever aerotow in Montana.

Bart Weghorst|Christopher Moody|Dan Gravage|insurance

Bart Weghorst «fly» writes:

Montana's first aerotow flights were a rousing success this past weekend in Three Forks, Montana.

Cowboy Up Hang Gliding provided the equipment and expertise, Wills Wing the demos and cool guy Dan Gravage secured the site. Montana pilots answered the call "if you build it they will come" and so they did, from novice to expert.

In two days they transitioned from a tandem on the Icaro 2000 BIP (double surface tandem glider) to the Wills Wing Falcon, then onto their very own slippery wing thing without a hitch. There are tentative plans to do another Wild West Tow Fest in Montana later in the season.

This was such a fun time for everyone that we want to share it with other hang gliding communities who want to learn to aerotow in their own back yard. Though our operations are full time here in Jackson Hole, we'll take some time off to bring aerotowing to your home area - you get the site - we'll bring the might!

www.cuhanggliding.com 

Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Deformed carabineer.

Bo

accident|aerobatics|Aeros Ltd|Bob Lane|Bo Hagewood|bridle|G.W. Meadows|injury|insurance|John Claytor

John Claytor «johnclaytor» writes:

I hope Bo pulls through this okay. This is a shot of the bridle attachment and as you will note the rectangular carabineer is deformed with the nut backed off. This is how it was found by others.

Seeing him spiral in, will stay with those who saw it for some time to come. He is a very lucky man indeed.

There doesn't seem to be a need for the second carabineer and that leads Bob Lane here at Quest to speculate that Bo neglected to hook up the main carabineer to the loop at the bottom of the hang strap. This loop is located between the back plate and the outer shell of the harness. It would seem that Bo might have pushed his bridle up between the back plate and the shell and then not got around to finishing the installation. The carabineer would have been slightly bent as it was pulled out of the harness.

G. W. Meadows «justfly» writes:

As many of you know by now, our friend, little buddy and pal Bo Hagewood has had a serious hang gliding mishap. As I write this, his life is not in danger, but he is in ICU in Norfolk Virginia. Current reports to me say that he has multiple punctures in a lung, a lacerated liver and kidney as well as as some damaged vertebrae.

It seems that the worse (most concerning) injury however is his wrist/forearm. I am currently traveling on business, but my wife Jan is working the phone back home to keep me updated. According to her latest update, Bo's wrist is broken in ten places and there is concern about his future use of the arm or even his keeping the arm.

Again, keep in mind that this is early info and may change (this situation has changed in reports to me three times in the last twelve hours - never getting better).

Please pray or think good thoughts for Bo.

There is rumor that he has insurance. If this rumor turns out to be false, then I'm sure that the hang gliding community will continue to do for Bo what it always has.

Regarding his accident, my partner and Aeros Test Pilot - Sunny Venesky is now arriving to the area and will do a full analysis of the wreckage. If any part of the glider failed (which it appears it did) we will determine whether that part was damaged previously and then proceed from there. No stone will go unturned on this investigation. The smart thing at this point would be for all persons flying Combat L's to not perform aerobatics until more is known. Please understand that I'm not saying there's a problem - don't misread this - but there seems to be no doubt that the glider failed for some reason. This is the glider that Oleg flew in both Florida meets.

We will update via Oz Report and our website - www.justfly.com - as soon as we know anything.

Discuss "Bo's bridle" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

insurance|Paul Robinson|travel|Victoria Lee Nelson

Paul Robinson <Paul.Robinson@mas.vic.gov.au> Membership Manager Ambulance Service Victoria writes:

Ambulance Membership Business Rules state that an individual must be resident in Victoria for at least 3 months to be eligible for Membership. On that basis, only those competitors who meet this criteria are eligible for membership so I suspect that we may not be able to assist most competitors.

My suggestion would be to check with Travel Insurance providers who may be able to assist.

Discuss "Ambulance cover" at the Oz Report forum   link»

CIVL|CompeGPS|competition|cost|Dennis Pagen|finance|GAP|insurance|Ivan Twose|NAA|sailplane|scoring|SeeYou|site|transportation|USHGA|Worlds

The actual statement was: “The USHGA, in fact, inhibits competitions in the US (as well as helps).”

I don’t think that Steve and I have any argument here. He mentions a number of ways that the USHGA inhibits competitions and then goes on to come up with even more ideas than I came up with how the USHGA could help to promote competition. I think we are just arguing about words.

Let’s look at it this way. The USHGA has a competition budget of about $12,000/year. It takes all this money and gives it to the NAA or to fund our CIVL representatives. No money goes to support any of the ideas that Steve proposes above. All of the money goes to support a system that allows the very top US pilots to fly in the Worlds or set World Records. None goes to benefit the 99.9% of the membership that might actually take part in a local, regional, or national competition.

Now if there weren’t any good ways to spend that money that would encourage more competitions, then, okay, let Dennis Pagen have his playground. And let us select few get our opportunities to fly in the Worlds and set World Records.

But think about it. The USHGA could fund a seminar where Tim Meaney could train people interested in being score keepers. It could pay Ivan Twose for a license for CompeGPS for all US competitions and specify the changes that are needed to get CompeGPS and Race to work well together.

The USHGA could finance the development (to be paid back from competitions) of a version of SeeYou (the program now used for almost all sailplane competitions) that would incorporate Race, GAP, and other hang gliding scoring systems.

As Steve says above it could finance the mentoring of potential meet directors, scorekeepers, meet organizers. It could send around a meet organizer consultant that would help potential meet organizers get started.

It could eliminate the sanction fee, the deposit (under certain guidelines), and the site insurance fee for meets. All these would reduce the costs to pilots for entering meets. It could encourage meet organizers, by providing a subsidy, to allow new competitors to come to a competition at a reduced fee.

I’ll bet the major inhibitors keeping pilots from attending competitions are the difficulty in getting the time off work to attend and the costs: cost of getting to and from the meet, cost of lodging during the meet, cost of retrieval, and entry fee. More regional meets would cut down on transportation costs. If the USHGA provided support to meet organizers so that they could coordinate getting lodging and retrieval support to competitors, that might encourage more to come to meets. Using virtual goals is one way to cut down the costs that impact the entry fee.

The USHGA might even do a survey among its members to find out if they want more competitions, and what it would take to make them more successful.

All these things are possible if all our competition money wasn’t going into one pocket.

Discuss "USHGA – the competition budget" at the Oz Report forum   link»

calendar|competition|cost|David "Dave" Glover|David Glover|Flytec Championships 2003|insurance|J.C. Brown|John Borton|magazine|NAA|Nick Kennedy|Ron Gleason|software|space|sport|Sport Class|Steve Kroop|USHGA

Steve Kroop <flytec@earthlink.net> writes:

As a meet organizer and a member of the USHGA BOD I would like to comment on the notion that USHGA inhibits competition. I agree that we are not getting our money’s worth with respect to the NAA, but I think that we are with respect to USHGA. While the USHGA may not be doing everything that it could, I do not believe that it inhibits competition. Maybe restrict in the interest of fairness would be a better characterization.

You are correct the USHGA doesn’t train meet directors, provide score keeping software, train scorekeepers and it doesn’t help with registration. As a meet Organizer I do not consider those USHGA responsibilities. I consider USHGA responsibilities to be to create a fair framework for us to operate within and then stay out of the way. To that end, I believe that the USHGA competition committee of the past several years to have done pretty well thanks to the help of John Borton, JC Brown, Ron Gleason (also thanks to Davis for his extensive work on the rulebook).

With respect to cost. It does not cost any member anything additional to enter competitions (e.g., sporting license). The only costs associated with a USHGA competition are sanction fees and event insurance (paid by the meet organizer).

Event insurance is relatively inexpensive and probably only available because of the USHGA. Imagine the look on your local insurance providers face if you were to say that you want coverage for a hang gliding competition where 100+ gliders will be towed into the air by 20 ultralights in 30 minutes and then the hang gliders will fly inches apart for an hour waiting to start the race. After the agents guffaw subsides, and assuming the agent hasn't given you the "bums rush', imagine what the cost of this policy would be. As a meet organizer I consider the coverage that USHGA offers us an awesome deal. I would say that this facilitates competitions not inhibit.

For a class A meet the sanction fees are $300. In the case of the Flytec Championship this represents approximately 0.5% of the total budget (at the upcoming Nationals it will probably be around 1%). In our case this comes to less than $3 per competitor. I don’t think many pilots would say skip the USHGA sanctioning and cut the price of the meet $3. The top pilots want the points that sanctioning brings and the rest of the pilots want the opportunity to fly with those top pilots. Additionally, the $300 sanction fee includes the USHGA publicizing the event on the USHGA website and in the magazine.

The administrative process is very minimal. I don’t think it took an hour to fill out the sanction paperwork and the application for insurance. The performance bond is not a big deal either. $1000 on an event with a $50,000 budget is not unduly burdensome. With the new rulebook, I believe that the bond may not be necessary for “proven” organizers and is not required for class B events.

Where I think the USHGA is "falling down" is in the area promoting new competitions and new competitors. The revitalization of the not yet utilized class B meet (championed by Nick Kennedy, Davis, David Glover, Ron Gleason, and myself) was a step in the right direction. Do I think the USHGA should sponsor or subsidize new competitors…no. Do I think USHGA should underwrite new competitions that cater to new competitors…absolutely.

There are a lot of things that the USHGA could do to help out new regional comps such as: free ad space in the magazine (in addition to the calendar), offer USHGA promotional items for prizes, subsidize a well attended meet director to mentor potential new meet directors, subsidize a top comp pilot to mentor the new competitors, promote a "sport class" ranking system and post scores on the website and in the magazine.

These scores should be listed by region to promote competition between regions. There should also be a Sport Class Nationals where each region can send its best to compete for Sport Class National Champion and the honor of their region. This comp can be a stand alone event or could be piggybacked onto an existing comp. There are incentives that USHGA can offer to entice organizers to host this event as well.

Our comps are filled with more and more grey hair, it is time to bring some young guys up.

Discuss "USHGA – it supports competition" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Doug Keller|HPAC|insurance|USHGA

Doug Keller <skyward@shaw.ca>, president, HPAC/AQVL, writes:

I think our dues this year were about $5000 Cdn. At the current exchange rate that's about US $3500 which is about double what the USHGA pays per capita. There is some question as to whether or not we are getting our money's worth but like you say there is a certain amount of inertia.

This may be reviewed as we look at our budget for the coming year facing increased insurance costs and declining membership as a result of the increased membership fees this year to pay for the higher insurance rate.

Discuss aeroclub dues at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2

Discuss "HPAC – Aeroclub dues" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Bill Bolosky|cost|harness|history|insurance|magazine|power|powered|sport|towing|USHGA

Bill Bolosky <bolosky@microsoft.com> USHGA President writes:

When the USHGA was created in the 1970s, the people who formed the association wrote a legal document called the Articles of Incorporation. These founders filed the Articles with the State of California to form the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc. In the Articles, there is a statement that sets out and limits the primary purpose of the USHGA. In relevant part, it reads:

The specific and primary purposes are to engage exclusively … in the … use of fuel-less flight systems and aircraft capable of being launched by human power alone ….

This places two limits on the type of aircraft that we can deal with: they must not use fuel, and they must be launchable by human power alone. These restrictions cause two problems for the USHGA.

The first is immediate: it's not entirely clear that the Articles permit us to have programs for any kind of towing system that uses fuel. Since towing of all sorts is an integral part of both hang gliding and paragliding, and since the USHGA has programs relating to towing, it seems clear that we need to modify the Articles to remove any ambiguity with regard to towing.

The second problem relates to a direction that we may want to go in the future. In recent years, powered harnesses for hang gliders, and powered backpacks for paragliders have become increasingly popular. We have been receiving requests from our members to develop programs to cover these aircraft, and we have been approached by an association of powered paraglider pilots asking us to provide programs that would encourage their members to join the USHGA.

If we want to do these things, then we need to modify the Articles to allow them. Deciding to take on powered harnesses is a fairly major expansion of what the USHGA does, and even if it wasn't required by law, we wouldn't consider doing it without the informed consent of our members. The membership will make this decision in the form of a vote to modify the Articles and the Bylaws.

We will have a special membership meeting for the purpose of adopting these amendments during the Fall Board of Directors' meeting on Saturday, October 4, 2003 in Kitty Hawk, NC. All members will be able to vote either in person or through the mail in the form of a proxy vote. The official notice and proxy form will be published in the September Hang Gilding & Paragliding magazine.

We will structure the amendments as three separate questions: the first is to add to the purpose clause the phrase "and methods and systems for getting these flight systems and aircraft airborne" right after "human power alone." This amendment will make it clear that we can have programs related to towing. The USHGA Executive Committee believes that this should be a non-controversial question, and strongly encourages all members to vote in favor of it. If it fails, we will have to consider whether we can continue to support towing in the future.

The second question will be to remove the phrase "fuel-less" from the purpose clause. Adopting this amendment will allow us to handle powered harnesses, as long as the basic aircraft are still able to be launched by human power alone. Because we're keeping the human power restriction, the USHGA will continue to be prevented from getting into heavier aircraft, such as trikes or Light Sport Aircraft, unless they are to be used for towing.

The third change will be to amend the bylaws to create a new membership class for pilots using power. This will allow the USHGA to charge different membership fees for powered and glider pilots, which may be necessary because the cost of insurance may vary depending on the presence of motors. We expect that the dues would be the same for pilots regardless of whether they fly unpowered gliders, powered harnesses or both. In the future, however, the insurance company may offer us higher or lower rates for powered harnesses, based on their loss history, and we'd like to be able to reflect that in the dues paid by those pilots. We need a different membership class to make that possible.

The Board of Directors thinks that the right way to go is include powered harnesses. The main reason for this is that we have seen that many of the people flying them are the same people who fly unpowered hang gliders and paragliders. It is common to use a powered harness to launch from flat ground, get into lift and turn the motor off for the remainder of the flight. That is, they are us. Of course, there will be people who will choose to fly with the power on for the entire flight, and if we adopt these amendments we will be working to help them, too.

In the end, this decision belongs to the membership and not to the Board of Directors. We hope that this will be a topic of discussion among the members between now and the final vote so that everyone will have ample opportunity to make an informed and thoughtful decision.

(editor’s note: I certainly want to see the USHGA standing behind towing as an integral part of the hang gliding community. I’m fine with powered harnesses and powered paragliders.)

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Discuss "USHGA – Towing and powered harnesses" at the Oz Report forum   link»

badge|CIVL|cost|FAI|government|HPAC|insurance|job|Martin Henry|NAA|record|Stewart Midwinter|USHGA|Vincene Muller|Will Gadd|world record

Vincene Muller <fly@mullerwindsports.com> writes:

I read the posts on the cost of US sporting licenses and record ‘applications.’ In Canada we have a different system. The fees for members of the Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC) are as follows:

Aero Club of Canada Sporting Licence $55 CAD – a pilot must be a member of HPAC

Fee breakdown is $50 to the Aero Club and $5 to HPAC for paperwork

(editor’s note: This is a similar fee to what US pilots pay to the NAA for a Sporting License. A Sporting License is only needed for FAI Badges, World Records, and CIVL sanctioned competitions.)

FAI Badges, Canadian & World Records $10 CAD - paid to HPAC for paperwork.

The Aero Club of Canada does not charge a fee.

(editor’s note: This as compared to the $275 fee that the NAA charges to homologate records. I’m not arguing that the fee isn’t reasonable given the work required to homologate a record, just that it doesn’t encourage World Record attempts by hang glider pilots, and appears to be much higher than that charged by other countries.)

The FAI charges 100CH (approx. $70USD) for world records processed. I don’t think there is a fee if the record is invalid. This fee has been in effect for the last two years. It is not an unreasonable fee. HPAC has in the past paid this fee for Canadian World Records however in the future this cost will be paid by the pilot as most of the HPAC membership fees go toward insurance payments. HPAC and Canadian pilots have no government funding or assistance for records or attending World Championships.

(editor’s note: And who was charging Canada with being a socialist country?)

The HPAC Office has never handled record and FAI badge applications. This is looked after by a volunteer committee. I have been chairperson of that committee since 1987. I currently have two committee members, Stewart Midwinter (who was the CIVL Committee Chair for several years & knows everything about record procedures) and Ted de Beaudrap. Stew and Ted look after checking the record claims (this is the difficult job) and I just look after the paperwork.

Canada, which has not a lot of hang glider and paraglider pilots, has four current world record holders, Mia Schoker, Martin Henry (Hang Gliding), Jim Neff (Hang Gliding, Rigid Wing) and Will Gadd (Paragliding).

Maybe a volunteer committee would be the answer to cutting the high fees for US pilots attempting record flights. Through your efforts there are many more US pilots interested in record flights. They have become very knowledgeable on the wording in the FAI sporting code. Might be time for some to step forward and volunteer. USHGA could possibly consider a new committee at their next meeting. The committee could then deal with the NAA & FAI.

(editor’s note: What Vincene doesn’t mention here are the dues that the HPAC pays to the Aerocclub of Canada. I wonder what they are. Also, it is not clear that the NAA would allow us to homologate the records ourselves. They use to charge us a fee even when we would homologate them through the SSA.)

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Discuss "How we do things in Canada" at the Oz Report forum   link»

airspace|Chris Muller|competition|cost|Dennis Pagen|FAI|government|history|insurance|Jayne DePanfilis|job|NAA|record|sport|USHGA|USHGF|world record|Zapata

Jayne DePanfilis <jayne@ushga.org>, Executive Director, USHGA and USHGF, writes:

I discussed sporting licenses with the NAA yesterday and more specifically, the possibility of obtaining "free" sporting licenses for the less than 100 USHGA member pilots who might apply for one. The NAA's primary concern regarding the issuance of free sporting licenses to USHGA pilots is not the potential loss of revenue, for example, 100 licenses x $35.00 each, as much as it is the danger(my choice of wording) of setting a precedent. Even though the USHGA member pilots require relatively few licenses, there are other associations that require larger numbers of them that provide a larger source of revenue to the NAA. The NAA simply can't afford to set a precedent of offering free licenses.

Also, it is my understanding that the SSA and AMA do include sporting licenses with their memberships but what I did not know until yesterday is that these associations are paying an additional fee for their right to issue the licenses. The fee is in addition to the per member assessment etc. for their NAA affiliate membership dues. The current management of the NAA did not negotiate these arrangements.

I also asked NAA about the relatively "high" cost of world record attempts for hang glider and paraglider pilots. The USHGA was not in a position to manage the record kit paperwork at the time the NAA agreed to manage this process for us. The USHGA staff is not in a position to manage this paperwork today. The USHGA has had as many as nine employees at one time in the past but today, we have 4.5 staff persons in the office.

It is my understanding that it is not the NAA's goal to process the record setting paperwork as much as it is to be sure the paperwork is forwarded to FAI. I guess the NAA is a conduit to the FAI for this process. You may understand better than I do. In any case, I also believe that the USHGA Board decided at some point in the recent past that the fees associated with world record attempts should not be paid by the USHGA membership at large since so few pilots are engaged in these activities. I believe the USHGA intentionally implemented a policy that required the pilots to deal with the NAA directly on world record attempts.

Chris Muller, a paraglider pilot (super guy), and resident of Canada, attended the WRE in Zapata this month and the US hang glider and paraglider pilots became even more frustrated about these fees when Chris told them that he pays only $5.00 for record attempts. This prompted some of the US pilots to contact me to find out why they have to pay so much more. When I explained this situation to the NAA, they commented that "someone is paying" for that record attempt. Someone, somewhere along the way, is paying an amount in addition to the $5.00 for the record attempt. I guess this seems obvious now that I think about it. I don't know if the Canadian government or another entity subsidizes these efforts, perhaps, you know Davis.

Finally, I was asked to approach the NAA by numerous competition pilots/record breaking pilots to try to negotiate "away" the sporting license fees for you. I believe I did a good job of advocating this position but I regret to report that I was unable to convince the NAA that they should "at least" issue free sporting licenses to the top 100 pilots in the USA. I explained to the NAA that I thought it would be a great public relations coup for them to issue free sporting licenses to USHGA member pilots but the NAA simply can't afford to give away sporting licenses even if it means they have to forego positive publicity.

I understand the NAA's position but I don't think I have enough of a history or background on this issue to have a definitive opinion. I was a true advocate on our behalf but I consider myself to be more of a reporter of the results of our discussion in this venue. My limited experience with the NAA indicates that they are eager to serve the USHGA but I'm not exactly sure how to maximize the benefits of our affiliate membership in this association.

The NAA coordinated a meeting between sport aviation association executives and managers in March. I was unable to attend the meeting and Dennis Pagen graciously agreed to attend in my place. The NAA provided an opportunity for these parties to develop a common ground and consensus on some of the more serious issues confronting us today, like airspace regulations and insurance. I think the NAA would like to facilitate more of these meetings on our behalf. I think they try to be a "neutral" party capable of bridging political differences and helping involved parties to work together in a cooperative manner.

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Bill Bolosky|competition|crash|insurance|Isaac William|lawyer|Oz Report|picture|smoke|sport|USHGA

Bill Bolosky <bolosky@microsoft.com> USHGA president writes:

Rick is all worked up about the new section F in the waiver that says that the USHGA waiver supersedes local waivers. Tim (the USHGA lawyer, and author of the waiver) put this in because he was concerned that people would sign badly written local waivers, and then go into court and claim that the badly written waiver was binding and not the USHGA waiver. While this argument probably wouldn't work if the pilot was suing the USHGA, it's not as clear if he was suing the landowner or some other third party. The idea of part F is to keep that from happening.

Rick has decided that what part F really means is that the USHGA can use any version of the waiver that a pilot has signed, so that we're all bound by whichever version we signed that's strongest. I asked Tim (the lawyer) if this is the case. He said that that's not true, that the latest version of the USHGA waiver is binding and that the old ones are superseded by the new one. Rick (who's not a lawyer) said that he didn't believe Tim, and that he knows more about interpretation of contract language than a lawyer does. I respectfully disagreed with him. It seems absurd to take the opinion of an amateur over that of a professional on something like this.

The second question is about the meaning of the language at the very end of the waiver, where it doesn't use the term "Sports Injuries." Rick is worried that that paragraph expands the class of things that are waived. I think that it probably doesn't (and I'm sure that that was not the intention of it), but I wrote to Tim to get his opinion on it. I haven't heard back from him yet. When I do, I'll let Rick, the Oz Report and now all of these mailing lists know the answer.

Jones, Isaac William <isaac.W.jones@nasa.gov> writes:

In our zeal to protect our sport and obtain affordable liability insurance over the years, the scope of the USHGA "waiver" has gotten out of control. The "waiver" requires pilots (and many others) to accept inordinate risks not related to our sport. Additionally, the "waiver" bars any recourse a pilot may justifiably and legally have (can you say - kick a dog when he's down). EXAMPLE: Hanglider pilot flying at 2,000 feet AGL between turn points in a competition, over-flys a drunken irate farmer's property. Drunken irate farmer hates hang gliders. Drunken farmer whips out his trusty ole smoke pole (gun) and shoots pilot dead (lucky shot). Dead pilot and glider crash into drunken farmer's house. Drunken farmer can sue and collect from USHGA liability insurance for damages to house. According to the "waiver", pilot can't sue or collect for anything. Something is bad wrong with this picture.

Somewhere along the line we forgot about limiting the scope of the "waiver" to cover only those risks necessary for liability sake. If the farmer shot down a Cessna 150, killing the pilot, the outcome would be exactly opposite. The farmer would be jailed and the heirs of the 150 pilot would own the farm. The current "waiver's" underlining premise of "if you fly a hang glider then you've got to accept total and complete responsibility for anything that goes wrong regardless of the cause" is grossly defective and unjust to the pilot community for which the USHGA solely relies as its basis for existence.

Having said all that I can also say that I've been please with the improvements made by the current USHGA staff on other issues and it would be unreasonable for me or anyone else to think the staff can fix everything right now. The scope of the waiver should definitely make the "to fix" list.

(editor’s note: Well, now I’ve done it. I tried to get Rick Cavallaro’s concerns dealt with without too much ado, but it didn’t just quietly go away, so I felt I needed to at least present his argument. Me, I couldn’t care less. I’ll sign anything. Just let me fly.

Now I don’t want the Oz Report to turn into the waiver report, so at some point I’ll just cut this off and let it find its way back to the hang gliding digest or some such similar haunt.)

Discuss the waiver at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2

Discuss "USHGA – the waiver/the complaint" at the Oz Report forum   link»

insurance|Jayne DePanfilis|Kevin Frost|school|site|USHGA

Kevin Frost <kevinfrost@cableone.net> writes:

Speaking of waivers, insurance and USHGA and such. Have you caught wind of the Copper Mt, Colorado situation? Tell Jayne I sent you.

Jayne writes back:

I am working with two paraglider pilots who are in the process of opening a paragliding school at the base of Copper Mountain, but I am unaware of any controversy at this site. Recreational flying at this site was interrupted when the landowners obtained a new insurance company and the new insurance company advised the landowners not to allow the continuation of recreational hang gliding or paragliding. Much has transpired since then and Summit Paragliding is in the process of opening a paragliding school. I've been helping them to obtain the insurance for the site, and the comprehensive commercial general liability insurance for their school.

Is there something I need to know about the flying at this site? Recreational hang gliding and paragliding will also be taking place at Copper once the site insurance is in place.

I don't know what Kevin is alluding to in his note.

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injury|insurance|Jayne DePanfilis|landing|Oz Report|site|sport|USHGA

www.ushga.org Click Forms, then click the Waiver.

Rick Cavallaro <rickcav@earthlink.net> wrote to me back in May:

I have been a long time supporter of USHGA and even served as director of marketing for a year recently. However, I have to admit that I have become an unwilling member of the organization. In brief: while I have always supported the waiver as a way to open sites etc., I have always been un-impressed (to say the least) with how the whole matter was handled. I continue to be unimpressed with the way it changes a little bit every year without notice to the pilots.

While some improvements have been made to the document due to pressure from the members, I think many or all improvements have been lost in the recent document.

Rick had earlier sent an e-mail to Jayne DePanfilis, the USHGA executive director, which is excerpted (and edited for clarity) below:

While I'm fully behind the waiver, and understand its value in helping us to obtain both insurance and flying sites, I'd like to make sure that it accurately reflects our concerns (which I think it does for the most part).

However the last paragraph of the waiver fails to use the definitions which are carefully crafted, stated at the beginning of the waiver, and used in the rest of the document (except for the last paragraph).

To summarize the waiver’s last paragraph (simply removing some of the clauses set off by commas):

I agree that this document will preclude me from recovering monetary damages from … for "personal injury…" sustained by me "…in connection with hang gliding/paragliding."

"Personal injury…" should perhaps say "sports injuries" as used in the previous paragraphs to encompass the definitions found earlier in the waiver; but it is not offensive in that it reasonably reiterates the previous definition for “sports injuries” found in the waiver.

"In connection with hang gliding/paragliding," I think may be in error. The last paragraph should state "in connection with my participation in the sport" as in all previous paragraphs, and it does not use the definition of “participation” to limit this to "launching, flying, and landing".

This definition of “participation” had been added to the waiver quite some time ago to address members concerns about "hang gliding activities" being overly broad. By saying that I cannot recover monetary damages for injuries suffered in connection with hang gliding, I am waiving the right to any recovery even if I am an innocent bystander (even if I am not at a hang gliding site).

I think simply using the terms that were defined earlier in the waiver here in the last paragraph would make this statement clearer, and would reflect the purpose for which we have a waiver.

(editor’s note: I will continue with a series of articles on this issue in the next issue of the Oz Report.)

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Alessandro "Alex" Ploner|Alex Ploner|Angelo Crapanzano|bridle|Europe|Gerard "Gerry" Farell|harness|insurance|Laurent Thevenot|parachute|Rich Pfeiffer|safety|spin

Angelo Crapanzano <angelo@metamorfosi.com> writes:

Recently, while speaking about rescue parachutes, Alex Ploner told me in US there is quite a bad reputation for "diaper" deployment bags (flat pods with, normally, four flaps), while there is a good one for "envelope" ones (a bag normally opened on one side only). I already knew in US there was a preference for envelopes (while in Europe there is for diapers) but I didn't know it was so strong.

The deployment reliability of a rescue parachute depends mainly on the pod design; that's why I feel important to point out the differences between different concepts and, even more important, what makes a good or bad pod. I'm a manufacturer and of course my own design is my preferred one (otherwise I would make it different), but I'll try to be as general and objective as possible.

In a good deployment bag we need to have: easy extraction from the harness very low risk of accidental deployments, lines stowed inside the pod before deployment, ease of throw, very low risk of untimely opening, easy opening of the pod, staged deployment sequence.

1) An easy extraction may concern more the harness parachute container design than the pod itself. We need to have a big enough handle (remember it's always easier and safer to catch the handle using the thumb) and reachable with both hands (one could be injured or one hand could be better than the other in case of a spin).

The use of Velcro to keep the container closed is not reliable: often holds too little or too much. The Velcro should also avoided to keep the handle in place because if the pilot, at first try, peels out the Velcro but misses to catch the handle, then the handle could become unreachable (this is especially true in paragliding for dorsal mounted parachutes).

Be extremely careful there is not male Velcro on the handle itself: it may stuck on the lines loop holding the pod closed, thus impeding the opening. It's not only a theory: I've seen this happening during parachute clinics and, unfortunately, a German pilot died in Castelluccio di Norcia a few years ago, because of it.

There is one way only to know if your parachute is easy enough to extract: hang into your harness and try! Don't be too much surprised if you cannot get it out: during parachute clinics I've seen several pilots not at all able to extract their parachute.

2) Low risk of accidental deployments means the parachute must not come out by itself. The biggest improvement on this subject were the safety pins (introduced in the hang gliding world long time ago by Rich Pfeiffer) used at first as a safety for the Velcro but, if properly designed, are perfectly safe by itself. In some cases one could add an elastic or a sewing tread to hold them in position (check you are strong enough to break it pulling the handle!).

Be sure there is no way for the handle to get tangled in the side cables or in the base mounted instruments (there have been several accidental openings this way). Be also sure the pins are not too long (longer than the slack in the handle) otherwise there is no way to pull the parachute out of the container. Pins should be properly curved or flexible (straight pins could stuck if pulled in the wrong direction, as shown in several accidents) and be careful the head of the pin cannot pass through the loop (there have been several accidents this way too).

3) The lines stowed inside the pod before deployment are mandatory to reduce the chances of lines getting tangled into the wreckage (one line tangled is enough to get the parachute useless). Unfortunately there are several old pod designs where the lines are exposed.

4) The ease of throw depends on parachute weight but also in handle shape and length. A long handle makes it difficult to control the throw and could tangle on cables (some handles designed as an anchor don't certainly help). A handle attached to the pod in two points gives a more solid hold compared to the, unfortunately now common, single point attachment.

Never attach the pod to the canopy: to save some dollars in case of deployment, you definitively increase the risk of a tangled parachute!

5) Low risk of untimely opening means the deployment bag shall not open before you throw it and let it go. This can easily happen in an old style envelope pod where the handle is in the opposite side of the opening because only the elastics are holding the canopy inside the bag: if they are too old or weak the canopy will fall out before one throws it while, if they are too strong, the pod would be hard to open.

A good envelope pod design is to have both the handle and the opening on the same side, so the elastics don't have to hold the weight of the canopy. On some diaper pod designs the canopy or the lines can fall out if one shakes the pod (still holding the handle). In any case it's important to leave the right amount of slack in the bridle: the pod must not open until you let it go!

6) Easy opening of the pod is mandatory because, in case we cannot throw it forcefully (much easier to say than to do in reality), there is only the difference in sink-rate between broken hang glider and closed pod to open it. Please note that, in most common accidents, the closed pod falls faster than a broken hang glider or paraglider.

In case both glider and pod are falling at the same speed there is still the aerodynamic drag on the bridle which could open the pod. It's clear we are never speaking of big forces, so we need to have the pod open with a very light pull.

7) The correct staged deployment sequence is: bridle - lines - canopy. We first want to have the bridle coming out because we want the pod (still containing lines and canopy) to go away as far as possible to reduce the risks of entanglements. Then we want to have the lines, and finally the canopy must come out only when bridle and lines are stretched. This is the best way to reduce the chances of canopy malfunctions and to reduce the opening shock on the parachute. In a well designed pod, regardless of the strength of the elastics, the lines shall not come out until the bridle is stretched and the canopy shall not come out until the lines are stretched. Speaking of lines and bridle, I would like to point out that we need:

- long bridle to reduce the chances of a tangled parachute,

- long lines to get better sink-rate and stability from the same canopy

- short sum of lines plus bridle to get a faster opening time (it looks impossible at first, but there is a clever solution to this problem).

IMPORTANT: To check out the extraction, hang into your harness, put your thumb into the handle, grab it and pull it out slowly: the pod must come out effortlessly.

To check out a pod for untimely opening, while still hanging, stretch your arm sideway to check the slack in the bridle, then shake the pod without leaving the handle: the pod must not open.

To check out if a pod opens easy enough, put the pod on the floor then pull up slowly the bridle and then the lines: the pod must open easily without lifting the parachute and the canopy must get out easily. The deployment sequence, during the previous test must be: bridle - lines - canopy and must be correctly "staged" (should be the same regardless of the relative strength of the elastics used).

These simple test doesn't take more than 10 minutes (plus repack, which is always useful to get a fast opening) but could save your life: much cheaper and much more useful than a life insurance, but your partner could think different :-) :-)

While you are there, check out how old is your parachute: if it's more than 10 years old consider replacing it. An old parachute behaves exactly as a new one, of the same model, if you are going to deploy it at low airspeed. However parachute fabric is quite sensible to aging and ultraviolet rays: an old parachute cannot withstand the same high speed as a new one.

If your deployment bag doesn't work as it should, fix the problem if possible (and check it again!) or, much better, have an expert professional check and fix it (but check what the professional is doing too. It's your life which is involved!).

I practically didn't speak about the differences between envelope and diaper pods because it's not much important. What is important is that a pod works in the correct way and you can get it both with an envelope or a diaper one. Remember:

- Pods which don't stow the lines inside increase the chance of a line getting tangled.

- Old style envelope pods with the handle on the opposite side of the opening are dangerous because, in case of warn-out elastics, the canopy can easily fall out untimely (it happened to Gerard Thevenot: the pod came out of the harness but the parachute stayed inside!)

- Pods without a correctly staged opening sequence, bridle - lines - canopy, increase the risk of entanglement and malfunctioning.

Well… of course I do prefer my 5 flaps diaper pods because they fulfill all the previous requirements (as a good envelope one) but are "softer" to better adapt to the harness container, require less force to open and, when open, let immediately the canopy fully free.

If you ask a good American manufacturer I bet he would agree on everything… except the last sentence :-)

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bicycle|competition|flight park|injury|insurance|lawyer|Paris Williams|Quest Air|safety|Steve Kroop|Worlds

Doesn’t that sound just like a “real” newspaper headline? Paris is sitting on the couch at the Out of Control bar at Quest Air Flight Park, keeping his legs straight after an elderly women in a Cadillac almost killed him swiping him off his bicycle yesterday on highway 50. She kept right on driving down the road but thankfully was chased down by a driver right behind her and was in custody last evening at the Winter Garden police station.

Paris was riding his bicycle against the traffic on the shoulder along the four lane highway as he was apprehensive about riding with the traffic to his back. He kept noticing cars drifting to the shoulder as they approached him and was concerned about his safety.

The car that hit him drifted onto the shoulder and then at the last second swerved further into the shoulder as Paris was at the grass edge. The driver accelerated and Paris jumped to the side just as he was hit. He took out the headlight, tumbling head over heals along the grass only to have the headlight roll to a stop next to him, his bicycle mangled and thrown off into the bushes.

X-rays at the hospital showed that there weren’t any breaks, but he had deep bruising and a cut on his knee. He won’t be able to walk around much for three or four days at he keeps his legs straight. He should be in reasonable shape in about four weeks.

The driver is insured and the insurance company has already attempted to contact Paris. Steve Kroop is making arrangements with a personal injury lawyer. The driver who watched the hit and run followed the suspect, called the ambulance to get Paris help (he tried to wave down cars to no avail) and got the police to get the hit and run driver.

Our top two flex wing competition pilots have taken some big hits lately. Let’s hope that their lives calm down and they are able to recover fully in time to make a good showing at the Worlds.

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CIVL|competition|cost|Europe|FAI|FAI Sporting License|HPAC|insurance|NAA|sport|Vincene Muller

Vincene Muller <fly@mullerwindsports.com> writes:

I have looked after badges, records & sporting licences in Canada for the past 20 years. Currently the interest in competitions is at an all time low. Our Meet Directors are going to great lengths to try and encourage pilots to enter competitions. For our Nationals in 2003, the meet director has applied for Category 2 status. It is unfortunate that CIVL is insisting on all competitors having a sporting licence. This 'rule' will ensure low attendance at our National competitions. This I am sure is not the intent of CIVL.

I have never understood why CIVL requires a sporting licence for cat 2. In North America , unlike Europe, very few pilots have a sporting licence unless they represent their country or attempt records. There does not appear to be a valid reason to force pilots to have a sporting license for a cat 2 event. CIVL does not benefit financially, the FAI doesn't get additional fees. The only body that benefits is the Aero Club of Canada.

The Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association of Canada are having financial problems due to a huge increase in insurance premiums (the same as other organizations in the FAI/CIVL). Each year they question the reason why they are paying huge fees to the Aero Club of Canada (who in turn pays to the FAI). The majority of pilots receive no benefit from the FAI/CIVL membership. Over the years I have strongly urged the HPAC to continue membership however it becomes more and more difficult as our Board of Directors try to justify huge fees and now the latest demands regarding pilots entering a national meet to have to purchase a sporting licence.

The sport of hang gliding is dying in North American, paragliding is barely surviving and it is our aim to encourage pilots to enter competitions which give great publicity and hopefully brings in more participants. I believe that CIVL should be working on increasing participation rather than imposing additional rules and fees.

We have had several prospective competition directors back out of holding national championship because of the CIVL rule regarding a sporting licence. The message the you just sent threatens to destroy future competition in Canada & possibly other countries as well.

(editor’s note: FAI Sporting License cost: $35.00, for non-NAA member $25.00, Individual NAA Membership Dues U.S.-$34)

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Aeros Combat|Aeros Combat 2|aerotow|Alessandro "Alex" Ploner|Alex Ploner|altitude|antenna|Belinda Boulter|Betinho Schmitz|Brett Hazlett|Bruce Barmakian|cart|Christian Ciech|cloud|competition|control frame|David Chaumet|dolly|Eric Raymond|fire|flight park|Florida|Flytec Championships 2003|gaggle|game|GPS|Icaro Laminar MR|insurance|Jerz Rossignol|Kari Castle|Mike Barber|Moyes Litespeed|Oz Report|Paris Williams|Quest Air|Steven "Steve" Pearson|survival|transport|Wallaby Open 2003|Wallaby Ranch|Wills Wing|Wills Wing Talon

http://www.wallaby.com/wallabyopen/2003/

In the competition between the flight parks, 93 entrants at the Wallaby Open and 110 for the Flytec Championship. I guess that bragging rights (for quantity at least) goes to the Quest Air Flight Park (largest aerotow meet ever).

Here at Wallaby the rigid wing class was decimated with the number of pilots falling from 28 to 17. You’d think that once that got here with their difficult to transport rigid wings, they would continue flying in the Wallaby Open.

The launch line on the first day.

So the top two American flex wing pilots have taken themselves out of this premier US competition. Yesterday Mike Barber cut open his knee (the pictures were gross and I publish the least gross one – see below) down to (but not into) the ligament. Today Paris Williams bounced off the cart and smacked into the ground taking out his control frame. You’d think he would be familiar with dolly launching at aerotow parks in Florida. ☺

The story according to Belinda who watched it happen (and who spoke with other observers) is that the cart hit a bump while he was going plenty fast (just at the point where you would take off), the glider came off the cart (Paris wasn’t holding onto the rope), his hands slipped off the control bar, and the Aeros control frame dug into the ground in front of the cart. The glider pancaked into the ground. People rushed over and took the glider off Paris who was then up and walking around. He didn’t fly the task.

Mike Barber didn’t fly the task today either. He is on crutches and happy enough with the fact that he will make the US team without doing well in these meets and get to go to Brazil. Same for Paris.

Speaking of the task here it is:

There are two separate tasks today for flex wings and rigids. The rigids are to start from a start circle seven miles to the south on highway 27, then go through the Bok Tower control point (to keep us away from the sky diving contest at Lake Wales airport), next to Avon Park airport (25 miles miles further south) and then back (through Bok Tower waypoint) and on to Wallaby Ranch. With a five mile start circle radius this puts are start point twelve miles to the south of the Ranch. A total of 81 miles.

The flex wings will be starting behind us (to the north) in order to separate the classes. The assumption being that it is harder for the flex wings to catch the rigid wings rather than the other way around. Their start circle is centered one mile north of the Ranch but with a five mile radius they will in fact be starting four miles south of the Ranch, eight miles behind the rigid wings. A total of 89 miles (from the edge of the start circle).

To keep the two classes further separated, the rigid wings will be starting at 1:15 only and the flex wings fifteen minutes later at 1:30 PM. That’s right it’s a race start, as predicted/urged in the last Oz Report.

With launch opening at noon there is plenty of time to get everyone off in time for the single start time. Many of us will get to the edge of the start circle twenty minutes early, but eventually everyone will be there. The lift is diffuse enough so that we don’t get in each others way too much.

I hear from Oleg that the flex wing start gaggle is not too bad either. There are plenty of cu’s with 4,000’ bases to choose from so perhaps they spread themselves out in a sensible fashion.

It’s great to have a race start. No worrying about whether someone is behind you catching you. You get to see all your competition and the guy in front is winning the day.

We are at cloud base at 1:15 as the start window opens and everyone together takes off spreading out to find the next lift. I’m on the left side with Alex Ploner wandering about. He’s got a good glide, but it seems only slightly better than mine. David Chaumet doesn’t display any better glide either. Interesting how things change each day.

Staying to the left I get a little better line and then hit the first thermal 3.5 miles out. Christian Ciech and the other pilots behind me come and join me, while David, Alex and a few others continue on not knowing that we are climbing behind them. We get a thousand feet on them right away as they don’t find any lift.

I’m leaving with Christian trying to keep him from getting away from the group (or at least from me). I’m just a few hundred yards behind him as we glide and a hundred feet below him climb through Bok Tower and to Lake Wales.

It’s a long glide into Lake Wales and Christian finds something that I can’t seem to find right under him. I’m down to 1,800’ when I get under him but under a cloud with lots of sunshine around and I go looking around for the lift. I don’t find any for eight minutes.

I will spend the next seven minutes below 750’ AGL, getting down to 340’ AGL. That’s fifteen minutes of rescue time, getting myself out of a hole that I have dug and back in the game. I just didn’t want to go back home tonight having screwed up so early in the task.

Fortunately the light lift that I find is next to the only cleared field within gliding distance, so I can both feel the comfort of turning low to the ground knowing that if I don’t get up I can land safely. This lets me let the bar out a bit more and milk the broken weak lift down low.

As I climb out of there I keep my head down and concentrate on survival keeping thoughts about my stupidity at bay. Just enjoy that fact that the lift is weak and therefore not too turbulent. As I climb up it turns on strong and within fifteen minutes I’m back at base. Almost a half hour of slowing myself down. Now it’s time to race.

I make a point of going for the clouds as I don’t have any pilots to help out. I get back on the course line upwind to the east over the lakes and find lift, while most pilots follow highway 27 to the left with few clouds. I can hear from Johann that the lead gaggle (minus Christian who is way out ahead) is only five miles in front of me. I catch most of them by the time we get to Avon Park taking a completely different course to the east.

Now I head downwind to the west to the clouds as the ground gets shaded from the high overcast. They are working great and I’m getting high under them while all the other pilots have disappeared.

The overcast gets darker as we approach Lake Wales and the Bok Tower turnpoint. I stop over a fire finding 100 fpm. Its light lift like this for the next nine miles as we creep toward the tower and I spot the other rigids circling near it.

Fortunately one of them finds strong lift in the sun to the north a mile as the high overcast begins to break up. I hook up with Mark P., and Johann, with Alex Ploner and Bruce Barmakian over us.

There are still plenty of shaded areas with light lift in front of us but we are back high enough to give a few areas a look see to see where the best of the light lift is.

Eight miles out and at 3,400’ high the Brauninger IQ/Comp tells me I can just make it to goal. Belinda, at goal, says Alex and Bruce just came in low and Christian came in a while ago. Well I’ll get a chance to see if the new version Brauninger behaves any differently as I go on glide. Will it be more stable?

An article in https://OzReport.com/pub/Ozv7n106.shtml describes the changes to the Brauninger IQ/Comp.

The sky is dark and so is the ground so I don’t expect to find any more lift, but I also didn’t expect to find any bad sink. There iss no wind (a report from Belinda confirmed this) and I figure there will be net no sink or lift going to goal.

Mark P. and Johann are way off to the right working a bit more lift as I continue on glide. They want the extra insurance.

The go to goal target showed up on the Brauninger, but I couldn’t tell if it was more stable than the previous version. It seemed that way but it was hard to tell for sure. Steve Pearson sent in the description that said a distance above your MacCready altitude would be displayed, but it wasn’t. This was perhaps because the go to goal symbol never flashed while I was climbing. Who knows?

I just saw that the vario said I could make it. I saw that my sink rate was 200 to 400 fpm. I saw how far out I was and how fast I was flying and could calculate how many minutes it would take to get to goal and whether I would still be in the air for that time period. It looked good to me.

I just kept the glider at less than 40 mph for the first six miles just to keep the needle at the best glide over the ground speed as I knew I was close to not making it. When I got within two miles at 1,200,’ I could go sixty mph with ease.

Fortunately our group was able to make it in before Manfred smoked the course starting eight miles and fifteen minutes behind us.

So Alex Ploner won the first day and Christian Ciech won the second day. At the moment David Chaumet’s Tsunami looks mortal, about the same as Christian and Alex.

It seems to me that pilot skills are really being tested here (and maybe a bit of the drag of harnesses and other bits). The gliders are very close to each other (with or without tails) and David’s may or may not be that much better. Alex and Christian are just much better pilots than the rest of us (at least that is my tentative conclusion based on my scraps of observations). Maybe I’ll get more relevant observations later.

One interesting twist was the fact that we had to go by the Bok Tower which is a place where we know that under some circumstances your GPS loses coverage. This is probably due to some nearby antenna that overpowers the GPS signal. Piltos were told that if their GPS coverage goes out but that their track showed them headed for the tower, they would get the turnpoint.

I’m thinking that if you get low near Chalet Suzanne (near Bok) your GPS signal goes out, but not if you are high. Mine does go out on the way back when I’m low, but I get a Mark Enter in the .25 mile circle just before I lose it completely. What luck.

It’s easy to see the Bok Tower so there is no problem flying close to it to get the waypoint. Hopefully all pilots will do this.

The story I heard from the flex wings is that on the way back it got very iffy near Lake Wales with light lift. Just the same as we experienced. The lead gaggle was low over the Orange Juice factory, and Manfred was climbing better than the rest of the group in the lift broken stuff.

He gets high enough to go search for better lift. Brett Hazlett who doesn’t get high enough goes with him and doesn’t make goal. The rest of the flex wing pilots know their place and work the light stuff until they do get high enough to move along.

Very preliminary results for day two:

Flex wings:

Totals so far:

Rigid wings:

Totals after two days:

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cost|health|instruction|insurance|Mark Forbes|sport|students|USHGA

Mark G. Forbes <mgforbes@mindspring.com> Region 1--OR/WA/AK writes:

Traditionally our national association (USHGA) has been a pilot organization, focused for the most part on pilot services. Instruction is a part of that, but unlike PADI or NAUI (scuba groups) we've been first-and-foremost a pilot group. PADI and NAUI are both *instructor* associations, with recreational divers a secondary consideration.

One of the philosophical points I'd like you to ponder is this:

For the long-term benefit of hang gliding as a sport, and pilots in general, is this really the right thing to do? Should we consider putting more of our effort and resources into instruction, even though the direct benefit may only go to a relatively small fraction of our members? (i.e. instructors)

The specific example that I'm thinking of is instructor liability insurance. Right now, our insurance covers recreational flying, but it makes an exemption for commercial general liability coverage. Many instructors don't carry this coverage because it's expensive to get individually, and they don't do enough business each year to have a prayer of justifying it. Other folks decline to even consider instruction, because they've got houses, bank accounts, investments and the like which they're not willing to put at risk for the dubious honor of running up and down a sand dune all weekend.

One cure for this problem would be to purchase a group policy that covers commercial liability. That would cost more (How much? I don't know yet… let's just assume 'enough that it matters') but would provide coverage for anybody who wants to be an instructor. But many pilots aren't planning to teach, so they'd be subsidizing those that do. On the other hand, if the pool of instructors and new students dries up, the long term health of the whole sport goes down the tubes.

Another option would be to just surcharge the instructors for the cost of the extra insurance, but given the relatively small number of instructors compared to overall pilot numbers, the cost is likely to still be too high for the vast majority to afford.

I'm not thinking of this as just USHGA-centric, though that's the specific context I'm asking about. How do other countries handle this, and what's the perspective from there?

It's an issue that we'll have to consider and hopefully find a good solution for, and I'm curious about what you think is the right course of action. Ponder this, and let me know of your opinion.

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climate|cost|insurance|James Gaar|sport|students|USHGA

http://www.AdventureAirSports.com

James R. Gaar <jim@adventureairsports.com> writes:

Your readers might want to know about our commercial liability insurance from First Flight out of Kitty Hawk, N.C. Their premiums are based on total annual income. As we don't even come close to their minimum of $20,000, our premium is the lowest figure, that being $2332 annually, for a $1 million policy, at $250,000 per occurrence. There are other per occurrence amounts. We split the premium between the LLC partners and to help make the payment it is due at the end of the flying season.

As for instructors, for another $250 we can create an umbrella for any instructor that becomes a member of Adventure AirSports Flight Club. That small fee can easily be assumed by the instructors. The more instructors we have the greater the division of cost, thus lower cost overall for insurance. It simply pays to be part of our LLC at that point. We hope to create a base of students for any instructor that comes on board.

Members and Instructors must be USHGA members, sign all applicable forms and follow First Flight's guidelines in order to guarantee coverage, but that is all spelled out in the policy guidelines and instructions. I strongly suggest that pilots start to consider getting a group together to pool resources in order to take advantage of First Flights offering and to help create a favorable climate for instructors. This may well compliment the direction that the USHGA is moving with regard to increasing the number of qualified instructors and help to encourage a favorable climate for growth in this great sport. Your readers may email me if they have any questions.

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