2001-03 - Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada

AIRS p r i n g In the AirDepartment’s3 President’s Message4 Editor’s Message6 AirBuzz13 AirTech14 AirEvents15 Transport Canada16 AirSafety23 AirBag31 AirImages9Air Feature’sTow Nationals 2000by Dean & Margaret Lutz19Triangular Madnessby Tomas Suchanek37 AirTech38 HPAC Membership10From Hero to ZeroBy Chris Muller24HPACBy Andre Nadeau39 AirTraffic12Golden Airtimeby John Janssen29Radio’s &Wizardryby Peter Bowle-EvansAir is printed four times yearlyand is a publication of theHang Gliding and ParaglidingAssociation Of Canada / AssociationCanadienne de Vol Libre.Designed and produced using anApple G4, Imac andG3 Laptop Powerbook.Air design, editorial andproduction completed byTony P. McGowan.All views expressed in thispublication are not necessarilythose of HPAC / ACVL,it’s directors or editor.Printed by Winnipeg Web Press.1718AGM 2001by Andre NadeauRescues at MT 7by Peter Bowle-Evans3240SOGA Updatesby Mike GatesIparaglide.comCover: Chris Muller wangs it over Cochrane.Above: Jayson Biggins takes advantage of the coastal winds.

Hang Gliders and TrikesFast ServiceHigh QualityLow PricesSupportSatisfactionAero-Towing Flight ParkNow in Central CANADA- Platform, and Aero Towing to 2,500 feet!- Grass Runway 4000’ - wide open LZ’s!- Excellent XC potential - Record 100 miles!- Motel, restaurant, and camping on site!- Golf, beaches, & tourist attractions nearby.- Available 24/7 year-round by appointment.FLYTEC INSTRUMENTS - Excellentprices starting at $475. Check it out! ---->Prairie Wind Flight SchoolYOUR DEALER FOR :Flex Wings: Wills, Aeros, Airwave, North WingRigid Wings: Flight Design, AIRVarios: Flytec, Ball, SuuntoHarnesses: Woody Valley, High Energy, C of GChutes: High Energy, Free Flight, BRSHelmets: Charley InsiderUltralights: North Wing, Rotax, Wasp HarnessFREE SHIPPING WITH ALL MAIL ORDERSNorth Wing Illusion & Tandem 2Flytec GPS Access$995Rigid Wings and Trikes!Wasp Motor Harness(in stock) - $74004 Almond BayWinnipeg, MB. R2J 2K4 (204)254-4056 www.hang-gliding.caPrairie Wind Flight School Now Offers:* Ultralight Trike Sales* Dual Flying Instruction* Aero-Towing Instruction* Rotax Engines and Parts* Topless and Rigid WingsSeveral models available to suit your needs:Compact (4 ft) - AIR TIME FIXSingle Place - MAVERICKDual Place - APACHEAeroTow CapablePrices starting at only $7,995ATFTrikes byMAVERICKAPACHEDesignwww.hang-gliding.ca (204)254-4056 CALL FOR AN INFORMATION PACKAGEA I R I N F OWhen to SubmitNext deadline is May 15What to SubmitAll articles must be submitted before thedeadline to be considered for publication.If you do not see your article or submissionplease be patient. I will make everyattempt to get your article printed in theupcoming issue.Where to SubmitBy Email at cunim@excite.comTony McGowanc/o 1430 Church Ave.Winnipeg, MB, R2X 1G4Advertising RatesRates can be viewed on the web at:http://www.hpac.ca/hpacsop/air/backissues.htmDesign and LayoutPlease call me for pricing if you needyour ad designed or touched up.Sur Vol Editor - Line Turcotteline@tractionsports.com850 Claude de Ramezay,Marieville, Québec J3M 1E8Deadlines: Feb. May, Aug and Nov 15th. Spring www.hpac.ca

Presidential Address or Peter’s Way (cont’d)Motion 5 is the pivotal item, the cruncher. It is the Terms Of Reference of the Transition Committee - so this becomes the TC-TORs. Thecore of it defines the Chair of the TC, as Andre Nadeau, defines a budget of up to $3000 in $1000 increments, and endows thischair with the ability to enact PRDs if the BoD fails to respond. This is the pivotal issue, and at the time of writing, is still in the process- and believe me, it is some process. It puts pressure on the BoD to do our part. It is a good thing I can survive on minimal sleep.This document should also be up on the web site if passed. It sounds wild, but the idea is to actually get something done. Once allenacted, we can amend, add, and change as is seen fit as time goes by. The terms of reference of the Business Manager have stillto be fleshed out. Indeed, that is a key component of the re- structure. The Board gets to define the manner of appointment of theBusiness Manager. We have our work cut out.If you are new to the sport, and are still in that state of euphoria where, like being in love, all rational thought has vanished and youare blinded by obsession, all you need to know is that once you have left the shelter of your instructor, the HPAC is the organisationthat keeps the whole thing going. Support us by joining, and we will support you. Note, however, that there is no portfolio of DivorceAdviser on the Board. You may be on your own there.In closing, and if you can bear with me for a few more lines, substantial thanks go to Andre Nadeau, whose exemplary ground workhas brought us to this point. It is our wish that we will be thanking him for a great deal more in the future. It is the intention of theExecutive and the BoD to capture Andre's energy, enthusiasm, expertise and work to the best possible advantage. Many thanks goto Kevin Thomson, who has ably shouldered the Presidency for many years, and who has been continuing to work for us.I have known the other two members of the executive, Phil Siscoe and Martin Polach, for many years, and am very pleased to havethem to work with. The fact that we live in relatively close proximity to each other means that we will have the opportunity to gettogether in person on a regular basis. I can tell you that when I brainstorm with these guys, we get something out of it.I am in this for flying, for fun, and to make a contribution. I am a firm believer in the need for our national association, representingeach individual member. My thoughts and opinions expressed here are echoed by Phil and Martin.When I pass this job on to whomever may be my successor, it is my goal to pass on a clean, efficient, and happily run association.Anyone who made it all the way through this - Bravo!Peter Bowle-EvansPresident HPAC/ACVLGolden, BC...if you build it they will comeFrom the Editoran you believe it! Here I was thinking that this would be a piece of cake, after all the first issue was easy. Well little did I know...”ifCyou build it they will come”...the flood gates were officially open. Awesome! was the only word I could use to describe theresponse I got from the last issue. The amount of articles I received for this issue was absolutely staggering, which made it hard tochoose the final pieces. I now have enough material to last the rest of the year. But don’t let that stop you, I still need quality articlesfor feature pieces and general interest.You can always tell when Spring is in the air. Suddenly you see cars and trucks driving around with long tents on them, groups ofstrange men looking around for anything that wasn’t flooded to run off, hillbillies showing up at monthly meetings with long beardsand smelling like they’ve been in hibernation with their cats all Winter...ahh the fun of being a hangbum.It always boggles my mind at how pilots, and I use that term loosely, show up at club meetings (which have been going on all Winter)in the Spring, hang around in the back of the room, say a few words, then disappear till next year. What’s up with that! Do theseghostly apparitions long for a time once forgotten, or do they just need some human companionship after a long cold winter, I cannever figure this out. Does every club experience this strange phenomenon?Anyway...I hope you enjoy this issue and remember your suggestions will always be appreciated in helping me move closer to finalizingthe look and content of our national magazine. Let me know what you think.Tony McGowanAir Editor Spring www.hpac.ca

Departing Prez Messages I leave the position of President toAmore capable hands a new phase inour national association begins. The lastfour years were fun and probably many ofyou will find that suprising for someone tosay about volunteering their time.The experience of working with others,whose main interest is in airtime butwhose commitment and concern is highenough to agree to give up some personaltime to help run the show, is a rewardingexperience.I've been involved at various levels of theexecutive of the HPAC (started out asHGAC) since 1983. The association hasalways had to depend upon the efforts ofvolunteers which means that on average,very little gets done quickly. The importantreasons for the HPAC existing werealways taken care of, such as ourinsurance policy and our relationship withTransport Canada.However, in the past number of years thedemands on our lives are making it harderto find volunteers with enough time tolook after even the important things. Thisis part of the reason why the new structurehas been defined and why we are makingsome changes.Other articles within this issue willdescribe what we are doing so I won'twaste ink here but I think that the feelingis that this is only something that has justbegun to happen in recent times. Havingbeen invlved for almost 20 years now Iknow that is not true.The work that got done always dependedon a few key individuals but when itworked the best it was when those fewtook on the work and did it themselves. Ithink that is just the nature of an volunteerorganization like this. You can imaginethe frustration of Andre, an ex-military officerwho is used to having things run efficientlyon command, who comes into theassociation with big plans but unable toget any action out of the BoD.The new structure will allow things to happenfast if there is someone with the interestand the willingness to try. It will stillrely heavily on the commitment of volunteersbut our hope is that it will be moreefficient and less frustrating to those whowant to make something happen. I lookforward to the ongoing experiment.Fly safe!Kevin ThomsonWOWWOW does not begin to describewhat I felt when I check the issue. Iam flabergasted at what you havedone. This issue will do more forthe good of the HPAC than all myeffort to date. That is what wasrequired to kick some life into thismoribund association and that'sthe break the Executive neededbefore heading into the AGM. Icannot thank you enough for volunteeringto do the job.Andre NadeauMay I say you have done "ADAMN FINE JOB" It's the besteffort I have seen for years...Thereis actually something to "READ".Sort of harken's back to the olddays of the British mag ..Wings..back when Brian Milton was theeditor. Cheers!Martin PollachWow. If the cost to the HPAC isclose to being within the limitswe've set then this is even moreimpressive than it already looks tobe. Congratulations on a greatjob!Kevin ThomsonI just got to see the new AIR at theAGM in Ottawa. I think you did agreat job. The look is exciting. Justa nice all round job. Cheers!Judith NewmanHere’s what you had to say!The new AIR Magazine looksgreat! Nice change in today's"world of color" to actually getsomething in color from HPAC!Keep up the Good Work!Jim ReichLove the new Air! Great layout andgraphics, with articles to match,and at a fraction of the cost ofUSHGA's mags.Steve Wodz, Kelowna, BCThanks for taking on the challengeof Air Editor. I truly enjoyed thenew format; the addition of colouris definitely an outstandingimprovement. Keep up the goodwork!Guy Leblanc, Cold Lake, AlbertaGreat job on the new look and contentof Air Magazine. This is a substantial,good looking magazine,and I like the colour. Keep up thegood work!PhilI just finished reading that snappynew issue of AIR (Yes, I'm that slow)and I gotta say; that was a greatjob. Congratulations to TonyMcGowan for having the vision tomake a change AND the determinationto actually pull it off. Way togo, Tony.Terry Ryan, TorontoTony, What a spectacular production.Quite tremendous. BTW, I preferthis non-glossy paper. I know itmay seem cheaper in quality,butwithout the glare it is more readable.Fantastic. My accolades could goon for awhile. thank you very much.Peter RodriguesI just got my copy of "Air" and wantedto tell you that it looks GREAT!(although if you cross your eyes a littlebit, you can see an "AutoTrader"...). I think you have comeacross the right size and format forour national magazine. (anythingcould better that terrible waste of thelast issue) Any ways, I just wanted tosay good job, I look forward tomore.Cas Wolan, Saskatoon,SkFirstly, I’d like to congratulate you onthe stellar job relaunching Air. To saythe new look knocked my socks off isan understatement. I read it back toback to back. Loved it, loved it,loved it. A few pilots I’ve talked within Vancouver agree that the new look(and the pride of ownership theyfeel) has motivated them to thinkabout writing articles. I’ll keep buggingthem on your behalf (one localpilot in particular has just returnedfrom flying in Tibet, and I’m personallykeen to hear about it!)Dean Truemanwww.hpac.ca Spring

airbuzzFlying and Stargazingit doesn’t get any better!dgdThe South Okanagan Soaring Association is hosting a weekend dedicated to kids andspouses. For once, pilots take second stage to one of the most fantastic weekend getawaysyou will every experience.Join the Kobau Star Party and Fly -In, Friday night Aug.17th to Aug. 19th at Mt KobauSummit, Forestry Campground, Oliver / Osoyoos BC.The Oliver area is home to one of the most spectacular flying sites in Canada. Kobaumountain - with multiple launches at the 6000 foot level and staggering scenic views of theOkanagan valley and the world famous Cathedral Parks mountain range.The XC potential is a triangle including Midway, Hedley and Penticton. Altitude gains to11,500' are common - and now legal thanks to a new Class E airspace designation forthe whole area. Think of Chelan with a 6000' Launch. And if you have always dreamedof landing at an Airport, now's your chance. The LZ is the Oliver Airport!dBut all this pales in comparison with what happens August 18 - 26 during the week of newmoon. You see, Oliver is home to the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatoryhttp://www.drao.nrc.ca/. Each august, astromoners and enthusiasts bring their personaltelescopes to the summit of Mt Kobau for a week long star party and let the public viewthe night sky. Some of their "toys" are worth in the tens of thousands of dollars! Read allabout it at http://www.bcinternet.com/~mksp/THE TALKSThe scheduled night time talks include a presentation by one of our own. Sean Doughertyis an employee at DRAO. Plus, Sean has offered to host a tour of the Dominion RadioAstrophysical Observatory.Osoyoos is a recreational paradise - with lakes galore and more things to see and do thanyou can shake a stick at. But for one week each year, starting August 17th, it is the bestplace on or off planet earth for kids and family.Camping is under the stars. Blackout rules apply. See you there.Fred WilsonTOW GROUPA yahoo group has beenset up specifically forhang glider towingissues. Some of the issuesto date discussed haveincluded:Circle towing,winching,type of rope to use etcetc.The reason for setting upa different group to theops and safety listis thatwe wanted to only havethose people on the listthat wereinterested intowing. In doing so it ishoped that towing issuescan be more deeplydebated without boringthose who are hill flyersonly.The current topic is usingpulleys in short fields.All hang glider/paraglider/sailplanepilots whoare interested in towingare welcome to join. Ifyou would like to joinsimply go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skysailingtowingNews DribblesEver had that potencially fabulousflight cut short buy thepressures on your bladder andthe dire need to pee? Ever notwanted to take a single sipfrom the camel back so to notrisk explosion? Well there ishelp - guys!At www.stadiumpal.com youcan order your very own " stadiumpal". Yup you guessed it,the product is sized providingyou enter the correct info andit attaches to a pantleg - likelynot meant for strolling thosehot 35 degree launch days butthe condom like catheter lookslike it could be quite effective. Spring www.hpac.caCamping with the “TOW”ban’shJoin 2 experienced Manitoba pilots who are planning to take theweek of May 28th off to try some towing at a couple of preplannedlocations around the province. This may include up to 3towing locations in southern Manitoba. A tandem glider will alsoaccompany the crew.Anyone interested in participating in this fun camping and towingweek please feel free to call Hans at 204 791 5733 or Doug at 204 489 4762. Anyand all are welcome for 1 day or one week. Book your spot now!High Perspective Instructors CourseWe are having an Instructors course (HG) at the High Perspective Tow Field Toronto onVictoria Day weekend. It starts the evening of the 17th of May (Thursday) and runs untilthe 21st. We are also having a Tandem course (HG) on the 5th & 6th of May. Details canbe found on our web page under upcoming events or contact Peter Darian @ HighPerspective HG & PG School. peter@flyhigh.com www.flyhigh.comCheck out the NEW Vancouver Island Hang/ParaGliding websitewww.islandsoaring.com

Meet Head Wanted!PG NATIONALS MEET DIRECTOR -LAST YEAR FOR RANDY PARKINFor the eigth year in a row Randy Parkinis running the Paragliding Nationals at Mt7 on the August long weekend. His pastrecord ensures us all that the meet will beanother success. However, all good thingscome to an end, and Randy has notifiedme that he must retire from this job, andthat this will be the last year that he will berunning this meet.So, three things:1.New Tow ManualairbuzzThe 2002 PG Nationals is looking foranother meet director. Mt 7 is open, butthe whole thing is open for bids. Don'tanyone try to tell me this is not enoughnotice! We want to see bids for the 2002PG Nationals at the AGM next February -if not before.2. This is your last chance togive Randy your support for this meet.I am looking forward to hearing him tellme how helpful everyone was at his lastplay at PG Nats Meet Head.3. This is myfirst, but by no means last, place to say"Thank you" to Randy for all his work.Much of his fun and easy going but stillbusiness like personality is embodied inthis meet. I am sure all those of you who Give us a hand!have participated in his meets will concur.Peter Bowle-EvansPresident - HPAC/ACVLWAGThe FAI and 2001 ECO are pleased to announce the opening of the WAG on-linestore. This new E-commerce store will offer a wide variety of merchandise featuringthe WAG II logo, the FAI's WAG logo, "Quillo" (the WAG II mascot), andcustomized embroidery for FAI teams. http://www.worldairgames.comAs a start, the store will offer apparel items for cooler weather, such as highquality sweatshirts, long sleeve T-shirts, and hats with embroidered WAGlogos. Soon, items will include warmer weather apparel such as T-shirts andshorts with silk screened WAG logos. As the Games approach, many nonapparelitems will also be offered, such as sport bags, hand-telescopes forwatching air sports, and children's items related to flying.As a special service for teams attending the World Air Games in Spain, the WAGstore is offering custom embroidery on all of its apparel. Team names, athletes'names, national flags, etc., can be embroidered right on the official WAGapparel. Custom embroidery with sport-specific Quillo logo's will also beavailable for all WAG apparel.The website for the WAG store will include a photo gallery of air sports images,and links to many FAI-related sites. The WAG store will take orders on-line,and accepts several major credit cards. Please visit the new WAG store at:http://www.worldairgames.com .The HPAC has started the job of putting together a Towing Procedures Manual forhang glider & paraglider towing in Canada. The Australians already have onethat's fairly complete, so we thought that we'd start there and adapt it to Canadaand to how we do things here in ManiTOWba.The original document (text only) from the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia, andthe same one converted to HTML without any changes are posted at the MHPA website: http://www.soar.to/mhga Take a look through it if you'd like.The most current version of the new Canadian Towing Procedures Manual is here athttp://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/mhga2/towManual/HPAC_Tow_Manual.htmFigure out what you'd add, remove, or change, and email yourcomments to Gerry Email: TheNodeWarrior@usa.net. Please be specific about exactlywhere and to what section your comments apply to.Paraglide CanadaInstructors/Tandem CourseParaglide Canada Instructors and TandemCertification Course. Instructors will beGlenn Derouin, Wayne Bertrand, bothSenior Instructors and Senior TandemInstructors.Dates are April 28, 29th, 30th, 2001Tandem course 1st, 2nd, 3rd of May.Location: Vernon, B.C.Come and recertify or become a newinstructor. Check out the requirements forinstructor / Tandem on the HPAC website.For booking or more info Ph./Fax 250503-1962 or E-mail glennderouin@hotmail.comOr my site at www.paraglidecancada.comAlso Paraglide Canada hosting a ReserveDeployment Course.Location: Blue Grouse Mtn, KelownaDates: June 2nd 3rdWe will be tossing out laundry over thewater, and landing in it !! For those of youwho really want to know what it;s like toland under a reserve chute...Instruction and Boat will be provided.www.paraglidecanada.com for details oremail glennderouin@hotmail.comPh /fax 250 503-1962www.hpac.ca Spring

airbuzzNews from GoldenMark Fraser, Hugo Tschurtschenthaler andFlorian flew PGs from Mt 7 on New Year'sday. I think it was short, but a couple ofdays ago Mark & Hugo got 45 mins. Theyare helicoptering up.Gordon’s little incidentGordon rigg@btinternet.com wanted totell his own story of his little incident. He'sstaying in a cabin next to us here at theHay Caravan Park, and came over thisevening to type in the following report:Things were fairly laid back as regardssetting off until one of the tugs broke aprop and then all the top pilots pulledrank and pushed in the queue. I followedsuit ending up third from the front of theright hand queue when Gerolf joined atthe front so I shifted to the left-hand line infront of Oleg. Guess it was Oleg's luckyday! Things went OK for about 400 ft ofclimb straight into the 10-15 mph of wind.There had been a long delay calling atask because the wind seemed strong andwas blowing us away from the goodroads, but they'd set the task quite crosswind following the unmetalled roads.At about 450 ft the tug went through aboomer and as I followed through it myefforts to stay in line accelerated me overthe tug as he fell out the front. This big lifthadn't tipped me or thrown me off line,just lifted me and when I pulled in I shotforward over the tug (this was common inHungary with the low power tug trikesthey use). I'd considered releasing to usethis lift and glanced at my altitude (600and something) but now I was just tryingto get myself in line with the tug again andsave the weak link.I slowed up to let the tug pull in front andthen dived, but not enough and the ropetwanged tight and broke my weaklink.Now at I suppose 550 ft or so I turnedback thinking that the boomer was stillthere (and it hadn't seemed rough to meon the tow). I needed to go that way foranother tow anyway.I accelerated in the sink toward the lift andI was just thinking that it was taking toolong to get to the lift and I was getting toolow when suddenly the nose pitched upviolently and ignored my control input(bar to my knees). The glider was soupright that I was just lifting myself up andnot getting through the control frame atall. Everything felt wrong and all the airspeedwas gone. Spring www.hpac.caThen there was a lot of clattering andthings felt even more wrong. However Istill had a logical thought sequence inseeming slow motion and I decided tothrow the chute now as height was marginaland it would soon be a waste oftime. I ripped it off my right side andthrow it into the blue with my right arm. Isaw the bridle go straight but not thedeployment bag come off.I think I still had the control frame with onehand, and looking at the ground it didn'tseem to be coming up too fast. Momentslater the bridle pulled tight and thedescent slowed to something definitelysurvivable. I landed on my feet somehoweven remembering to bend my knees androll to the side ending up resting on anose wire. I was immediately becomingmore concerned about the subsequentdragging which lasted 20 yards or sountil Matt out driver (a local non pilot fromHay) arrived and sat on the chute.Bill carried the glider back and Zupyhelped carry the harness and chute. I feltfine and wanted back in the air. Laterinspection showed the harness back platewas broken. The glider was quicklyshown to have bent sprogs on one sideand not flyable but with a pretty goodchance of surviving again.Hero of the day was Oyvind Elleffsen(NOR) who called me from the launchqueue on the UHF to offer me his glider tofly the task. I also loaned his harness andcame in 15th on the day to hang on to3rd place for now.In hind sight it was stupid to fly back intosuch a radical thermal, though to me onthe tow it didn't feel that bad. For now I'llhave more respect for anything roughnear the ground and I'll be well awayfrom any dust devils that might seem tooffer a low save! I know that several witnesseshave landed out rather than use turbulentlow saves in the last two days too!The strong pitch up to the glider robbedthe airspeed so any inherent stability inthe glider was irrelevant in my opinion.The glider had 1/4 VG and the sprogswere one turn of the thread below whatcame out of the factory (which put the barpressure quite a lot higher than the gliderI was flying all last year, including veryturbulent stuff in Innsbuck and St. Andrewithout any frighteners). The opinion ofthe experts is the glider would have easilypassed pitch tests at this VG setting asit was set. I really don't think the set up ofthe glider was at all relevant to the accident.Major things that contributed to my safetywas the impressive strength of the gliderthat meant it was still there to slow my falland might have flown on if I'd been higher.We rebuilt it this afternoon and it wastest flown this evening. We replaced allthe sprogs some of which only had veryslight bends, the keel which had a slightindent in the top from the cross bar, andjust one batten at the root that wascreased. Only one other batten neededreprofiling! The centre section of the crossbar we also replaced but you had to closeone eye before you could see the slightbend in that. I guess Steve wanted tomake sure I had everything like new incase anything might make me nervy! Theharness, a prototype M2 Cigar has thefront section back plate creased along thecentreline and we are working on thatnow so I can fly it at Forbes. It looks likethis was broken in the tumble, as my chutegoes to the shoulders not the hang strap.Eyewitnesses reckon it was much less thana second from the glider pitching to mydeployment bag coming off the chute. Thechute filled with me at less than 100 ft.Certainly the M2 side mounted chute systemworked really well and my occasionalsearches for the handle while ridgesoaring probably made the difference insaving a few milliseconds. The harnessshell and hang strap are all OK the onlydamage there is the back plate. I'll neverget a chute behind my legs!Glider: Moyes Litespeed 4 - Very strongindeed and I'm very sorry to have registeredthe first tumble on this very stableglider!Harness: M2 Cigar prototypeChute: Apco Mayday 18 PDA.My first deployment. I've been flying allthe hours I can since 1984. Mr Miskinmight have been wrong when he said itwas so small I'd probably die. Could Ihave thrown a bigger one hard enough?Who knows. If there's a next time maybeI'll be looking at it for ages hoping it wasbigger!Oh and in the comp I'm still third and thefirst two Attilla and Gerolf have beaten meslightly every day so far... ...My day willcome, after all I'm feeling VERY VERYVERY VERY LUCKY!!!!

Canadian Towing Nationals 2000By Margaret and Dean Lutznce the domain of T-Rex, in July Eastend, Saskatchewan was the setting for theOCanadian National Towing Competition. They refer to "The Valley of HiddenSecrets", now it is home for deer, antelope, pheasants and gray partridges. The CyprusHills, Frenchman River Valley and fields of wheat, canola, and peas all contributed to thestriking beauty of this setting.The competition opened with a pancake breakfast and welcome from Rob Johnston, localorganizer and Ian McArthur, meet director from Kamloops, BC. Maps, competition informationand GPS instructions were distributed. The pilots were told to meet at TOW site #1by l:00 p.m., where the task for the day would be announced. This was the routine set forthe week with a morning pilots meeting occuring at the T-Rex museum. Each day wasunique due to the changes in weather and cloud cover. Some pilots left, others arrived -the gallery of local observers varied and, of course, tasks were set according to winddirection.Pilots from Calgary, Edmonton, Moose Jaw, Kamloops, and Winnipeg each had their towrigs. Pilots were launched alternately. Each tow rig had its own cachet with CraigLawrence's, "Towzilla", being perhaps the most impressive! How appropriate the settingwas for him there in T-Rex country! It had 8,000 feet of line, pilots could sky out withouteven leaving tow! This countryside was conducive for towing due to miles of straight, unobstructed,low traffic roads. Lots of fallow ground provided great LZ's.Top: Steve Pederson, JamesGross, BJ McCaskill andDean Lutz wait for launch.Above: Comp winner GerryGrossnegger launches.Congratulations to all the Manitoba pilots who participated. Special mention goes toGerry Grossnegger who won the competition. Gerry accumulated the most points and wasthe only pilot to reach goal! It was the last day of the competition, with a light southwestbreeze and a short launch window with only light lift. Gary flew 80.4 kms. in four and ahalf hours! The window closed and half the pilots sank out!Special mention goes to Barry Morwick who flew the farthest on day two and won theday! He flew approximately 37 kms.! Barry took third place in the competition.Congratulations Barry! Two Manitoba pilots flew cross country for the first time, JamesGross and Dean Lutz! We may have trouble keeping them home now!On day six Dean Lutz won the day by flying 12.4 miles. The lift window was very narrowand many pilots sank out early. If one listened to the whispers of a twenty year veteranpilot, you could hear some strategy planning. "I'm going to get some of those big wheelsand a tail fin so that I can get ahead of Dean tomorrow!" There were a lot of laughs andjoking especially over dinner at Jack's Cafe.Steve Pederson did well and came in sixth place! We used his truck to pull the club winchand launch pilots. This was very generous of Steve. The air conditioning and supply ofpeanuts kept the driver comfortable and fed! B.J. McCaskill also did well by coming ineighth place! He was acknowledged for being outstanding in his willingness to help otherpilots in various ways.Margaret Lutz was given the driver award for her help to the Manitoba team.Finally, a special thanks goes to Ian McArthur, affectionately known as "meet head". Hegave a great deal of time to insure that the meet ran smoothly and all important bases werecovered. His attitude was that this should be firstly a fun meet! And it was! Congratulationsto Ian who came in second place, narrowly edging out Barry.www.hpac.ca Spring

HerofromtoMy trip to Tapalpa was fairlyuneventful. Two days of airline,cab, and bus travel took me fromCalgary international through LA, Mexicocity, Guadalajara, and finally Tapalpa.Tapalpa is the site for next years firstPWC, making this years event a Pre-PWC.The town of Tapalpa is small, quaint, andis a tourist town for residents ofGuadalajara. It is also quite cold (forMexico), as it is situated on top of theplateau we were launching from atapprox. 7000 ft. The night I arrived therewas a huge fiesta going on in the mainsquare with lots of music and of course,fireworks. Mexicans defiantly know howto do fireworks.By Chris MullerZerobe heard saying "good thing its a rental",and" there’s nothing important underthere, just the floor pan", as the large,jagged rocks grinded the belly of the bug.The Mexicans at the takeoff couldn'tbelieve our little bug was up top parkednext to their SUV's. Jim and I had reallynice flights down the range, in pretty epicconditions, and landed with plenty of timeto drive to Guadalajara to pick up my girlfriend,Kristi.The next day, Sunday, was the first day ofthe comp. There were approximately 40pilots entered with a large Swiss contingent,a handful of Brits & French, OtharLawrence and Ryan Swan from the US,two of us from Canada, and a couple ofMexican pilots rounding out the field.One of the main attractions involved aguy running through the crowd with awooden bull above his head that wasloaded with firecrackers. Risk of injury:High! The main event featured a 30ft tallapparatus with various sorts of fireworksstaged to go off. Spiny things, roman candles,and even the Virgin Mary wouldlight up, hiss around, and launch into thecrowd. Not safe, but asuper good time! I managed to look overand catch a ten-year-old kid takeone of the big pieces of shrapnel in theface. His good buddies just laughed as hedropped to his knees covering his face.These fiestas had apparently been goingon all week.There are two launches that were usedduring the comp, one off of the plateau,and one at San Marco, on the other sideof the Valley. The next day, I met up withfellow Canadian Jim Reich, and we madeour way to the launch at San Marco as thewind was blowing over the back atTapalpa, a common occurrence.The ride up to the launch at san Marcodefiantly pushed the clearance limitationsof our VW bug, and Jim could repeatedlyFor the first day we called a short 45kmout and return. It wasn't a great callbecause we knew we would have to comeback into the lee of the plateau to get up,but the organizers wanted us to finish inthe Tapalpa lz. Been here before, mediabefore safety... Anyway, the day startedpretty light while we waited for the startbut improved as we headed out oncourse. Watching OJs SATs while we waitedfor the start was pretty cool, and defiantlypassed the time!The race was straight forward up until wehad to return to the ridge after the turnpoint, and as expected, we were in strongleeside conditions! FUN! I was 20 ft awayfrom my buddy Matt when his wingplayed hide and seek on him and one ofthe hill side trees played catch. Not pretty.Anyway, he yelled up that he was OK,and I was outta there. I had a couple ofSwiss guys to catch up to.The ride home was pretty uneventful oncewe escaped the gulch, and just beforegoal I was able to pass the Swiss, andmanaged to bring it home first. Not badfor a days work. As it turned out Matt wasfine, and made it back to Tapalpa before Spring www.hpac.ca

Talapa Awards CeremonyPhoto by Kristi Ohlhauserwe did. More than half of the field wentdown at the turn point, so I wouldn’t saythe task call was a good one. Followingme in were Christian Maier, and KasparHenny, Switzerland.Day 2We had a similar race along the ridge thistime jumping out to the flats near SanMarco, approximately sixty km. The daywas almost a repeat of day 1 with theconditions getting better as the day wenton, and I managed to get home firstagain, with the help of a bit of lift a halfkm from the goal.Day 3The wind at the Tapalpa launch was overthe back so we made our way over to theSan Marco launch. The route to SanMarco included having tocross a dry lakebed. The bus driver takingthe pilots to San Marco decided to switchtracks crossing the lake and managed todig the wheels in and highcenter the bus leaving the pilots stranded.By the time the organizers sorted everythingout, and we shuttled everyone to thetakeoff, things were getting a little late.Still the task committee decided to call a75km task up and down the ridge.The conditions were strong, and a strongheadwind at the first turn point turned outto be the deciding factor, decking a lot ofpilots. Only three to goal, with me followedby Patric Berod (f), and Steve Ham(gb). While the results didn't show it, Ican't say enough about the young Swisspilots, who were constantly out front pushing.Give these guys a couple of years...Day 4Back to Tapalpa. A couple of turn pointsout front made this task a little more difficult,with a lot of good pilots going downearly. One of the young Swiss guys,Christian Maier, was in first, closely followedby Patric Berod, then after a fairgap I came in just ahead of Ryan Swan,and Shaun Stone. This meant the next daywould be a showdown between myselfand Patric Berod, as he was within a hundredpointsDay 5A similar task as the day before, with theexception of goal, which was on top ofthe plateau. All I had to do was finishclose to Patric to maintain the lead, butearly on I managed to get really low makingthings a little more difficult. After gettinglow I had topretty much haul ass to catch up. As itturned out, I was able to close the gap towithin a minute of Patric Berod, and finishthird for the day, with Kaspar Henny infirst. We would have been a little furtherdown the list but a couple of the earlyguys landed just short.The gap was small enough for me to holdon to the lead, so it was party time! Wewere treated to free alcohol, and food atthe awards ceremony that night, and wetook full advantage of it, or maybe it tookadvantage of us! The poison of choicewas called 'pancho', and it did a numberon us! Kristi was the international chuggingchampion, as she took out the competitionone by one. That’s my girl!The Results were me, followed by PatricBerod of France, and third was ChristianMaier of Switzerland. The comp was ahuge success, and next years PWC shouldbe even better!The next day was spent regrouping, andpacking. A bunch of us decided that wewould head to Puerto Vallata to try andget in some kite surfing, surfing, and flying.When I say a bunch, nine of uspacked into an econoline 350, and testedits max load capacity! We actually gotsome kite surfing in that afternoon nearManzanillo on a piece of deserted beach.What a blast!We decided to go to Yelapa to visit ourbuddy Tihi and chill on the beach for acouple of days. Yelapa, for the most partit is only accessible by boat and is parttourist venue, part hippie colony, with noelectricity, and few of the material comfortswe were used too. We spent threedays there doing sled runs, and hangingout on the beach. After that we made ourway up to Bucerius, and spent a few dayssurfing.All in all the break was awesome,but after dropping Kristi off at the airportit was time to make our way to Valle deBravo for the millennium cup. It was toughto leave but we hopped on the all nightbusI forgot to mention that the econolinestarted acting up so we decided that thebus might be the 'safer' option) and by tenthe next morning we were in downtownValle.If I had to recommend a destination flyingspot based on good, consistent flying, itwould be Valle. I had been twice before,and had not missed a day of flying yet!The town of Valle is a lot like Tapalpa,only a little more touristy. Also, I thinkValle is a little more suited to the après-flyingcrowd with more restaurants andshops, and the landing area by the lake isa nice place to hang out. There are twolaunches in Valle, one, a nice ridge soaringsite over the lake, and the other at ElPenon, approx 20km out of town. ThePenon launch is where the competitionstake place.Well, that’s pretty much where my vacationended. On day 1 of the comp., I triedtoo 360 in to close and managed to pega good sized Mexican pine. The rescuewas excellent; I was quickly immobilizedon a backboard, loaded into an ambulance,and sent to meet a helicopter.Obviously no one wants to be in that position,but it is nice to know that such a highquality of rescue exists there. I can't thankthe pilots enough who helped with myevacuation, and who helped pack mygear.So what did I do wrong? Well, basically,I thought I had more room than I actuallydid. When I turned back towards the hill Iwas anticipating lift,which would have kept me above theridge, and it just wasn't there. Just poorjudgment. Kind of a letdown after theTapalpa meet... The end result is that I amwearing a neck collar right now, and willbe wearing the apparatus fora three months. I had a surgery to fusetogether C4 and C5, plus I have a littletitanium in there now. Not bad consideringwhat could have happened.…www.hpac.ca Spring

ClassicGoldenAirtimeBy John Janssen"August evenings did not let usdown. After years of flying here,there are still a few of theseevenings that I will remember.The one to single out was theone with Serge Lemarsh andJohn Janssen, where the comingof darkness did nothing todiminish the everlasting lift, andeven when we finally gave in tothe need to see the ground onlanding, it was liftingover the LZ too."Spring www.hpac.cahat was how Peter Bowle-Evans described (in the last Air issue) a very special dayTabove Mount Seven. It was also one of my most memorable flights of the season.The day began with thermals kicking up dust in the campground just after breakfast. Withthermal activity this early, I was optimistic about good lift later in the day. Over severalyears of camping in Golden, my family has established a bit of a daily routine... breakfast,bike ride, lunch, flying and then a dip in the pool to cool off after a hot day. On ourbike ride, we stopped at the skateboard ramps to get airtime of a different sort. Then wewere off to the airport to check the weather. As we rode through town, I detected a southwind. The airport wind socks indicated that it was a strong south wind. My hopes of greatflying conditions began to fade. A south wind at Golden means no XC to the south (thepreferred direction), and a strong south is usually no fun at all. Hoping the wind wouldsubside, we decided to change our daily routine and go swimming first then fly later.By 4:30, we were onlaunch and severalpilots were already startingto set up. The windhad just started to calmdown. Although a coupleof pilots hadlaunched earlier, theyhad not been able tostay up. Pilots werewaiting for someone tolaunch first to test theconditions. SergeLeMarsh (local Goldenpilot) was willing tooblige. He didn’tappear to be havingany trouble with thewind strength and waseven starting to climbout. As Serge circledseveral hundred feetover launch, the scramblewas on and theremaining gliders tookshape rapidly. Pilotswere wasting no time and launched like lemmings. At that point my wife came over andsaid, "Don’t be the last one off, I’m not getting out on that ramp to hold your glider."Conditions were still on the strong side and a wire assist at launch was required. TomKorte, who is usually one of the first to launch, had already assumed the roll of launch masterand had launched several others before he helped me launch. After I took off, he hadto finish setting up his glider and then launch on his own. Thank you Tom.The first thermal is often the most elusive, and that was also the case on this flight. The liftwas there, but not the type I was willing to commit to doing a 360 in. So I "S" turned tryingto share the lift with a paraglider who had launched immediately after me. Eventuallywe both got above launch, and went our separate ways. That first thermal took me to2500 feet above launch. That should be plenty, I thought, to get me over to the summit ofMount 7.Three quarters of the way across the bowl south of launch, I had lost 1000 feet and I wasn’teven close to the summit yet. There was definitely still a south wind. I was beginningto have second thoughts about my decision to go to the summit. I was well below summitheight now, and even below the upper paragliding launch. I glanced back at launch butimmediately dismissed the notion of going back there to find lift. It had taken me almostan hour to get this far, and I didn’t like the idea of starting all over again. I worked thecliffs below the paragliding launch, and was soon climbing steadily. A few more turns andI was above the PG launch. This gave me enough height to work the bowl just north ofthe summit.It only took a few turns in that area to connect with a thermal that took me to 10,500 feet(about 2000 feet above Mount 7). I breathed a sigh of relief. It is usually a lot easier tomaintain your altitude above the mountain than it is to get there in the first place. I had...continued on pg. 35

airtechqSci FlyTechnology and ScienceBy Dean TruemanArtificial LiftAviation Engineers are tinkering with oneof the most radical concepts since poweredflight began: artificial lift. The basiclaws of physics dictate that for an aircraftto stay in the air, it must have air flowingacross its wings. Airflow creates a lowerpressure on the top surface than on thebottom, and the ensuing difference presesan aircraft upwards. The more air pouringover the wings, the more lift. As an aicraftslows, it loses the necessary airflow andstalls; nothing is keeping it up and gravityis in command. Scientists say they mayhave found a way to reduce stall, bydirecting small jets of pulsing air throughholes near the rear edge of a wing. Thisairflow can help keep the aircraft fromstalling and even do the steering.Using the technique to pump extra airacross the wings, a team successfully initiateda roll maneuver on a remotely pilotedaircraft during a recent flight.Equipped with a small tank of pressurizedair, the test planes wings were fitted withholes about the diameter of a cocktailstraw, allowing the air to exit at a speedslightly faster than an adult could blow airthrough that same straw. The air jets areactivated only when needed, preservingpressure in the tank. When the air jets onthe left wing were activated, increased lifton that side caused the plane to roll on itshorizontal axis. A second flight gave thesame results. Now that the aero-engineershave demonstrated that their flow devicecan actually steer a plane, they canexplore the possibility of creating anemergency lift system for stalling aircraft.If enough air streams could push sufficientflow over the wings, there may be achance of recovering height and control.As well as avoiding that mountain....Natures VarioResearchers say that a cockroach's abilityto scurry out of the path of an oncomingshoe or rolled up newspaper is aided byan organ that senses the slightest changesin wind speed and direction. It's an organthat most other creatures, includinghumans, lack. After analyzing nerveimpulse patterns, researchers learned thatthe microscopic hairs covering the organ,which sticks out their back end, couldsense minute changes in wind patternsfrom an approaching predator or anarmed human. The hairs, called cerci, typicallyallow the roach to determine thedirection of the danger soon enough toescape. Even with wind blowing aroundthem, the insects can detect the particulargust created by an approaching animal.NEC, known best as a computer company,funded the study to learn more aboutthe cockroach nervous system, to aid indeveloping sophisticated electronicdevices in tiny packages.Goodbye to the PLFParachutes may glide serenely through theair, but their landings can be anything butgraceful. Parachute landings are a majorcause of injury and damaged equipment,but engineers now believe they havesolved the problem.All it takes is a simple distance sensor,similar to the type used to help truck driversreverse safely, and a pneumatic pistonthat decelerates the load just beforeimpact. The retraction mechanism restsbetween the parachute and the load, andcontains two pulley blocks, through whichthe parachute cable is attached to a piston.When the chute opens, the suddendeceleration on the cable pulls the lowerpulley block upwards, compressing the airabove the piston and in the gap betweenthe two cylinders.The damping from the piston's motionhalves the impact of the jerk. Duringdescent, the radar system, which is fittedto the bottom of the load, monitors the distanceto the ground and relays this informationto a microcomputer. At a criticalpoint just before impact, the microcomputertriggers a solenoid valve, which releasesthe compressed air back into the innerchamber. This drives the piston to the bottomof the cylinder again and draws thecable back into the cylinder, pulling theload upwards relative to the canopy.The process is timed to draw the load upat the same speed at which the load isdescending, momentarily stopping it afew centimeters above the ground. Duringtesting, the retraction mechanism reducedthe deceleration to 2.7 g. (about equivalentto the force on your foot when youstep up onto a curb).Although designed to handle large cargodrops, the researchers believe a similarmechanism could reduce injuries to parachutists.Eagle population threatenedPilots that have flown with bald eaglescan testify to being held captive by theirbeauty and flying skills. Recently, a mysteriousdisease has killed more than 80birds, and may upset the delicate eaglepopulation. The afflicted birds initiallyhave trouble flying, walking or swimming,begin to develop lesions and ultimatelydie. Scientists have yet to discover howthe eagles are contracting it, and are conductingautopsies to search for clues.The diagnosis work so far has not foundany evidence of bacteria, virus or parasites,so researchers are now looking forsome type of compound, either natural ormanmade, in the environment that mightbe causing the problem.Over the last three decades, bald eagleshave made a remarkable recovery inNorth America, thanks in large part to theEndangered Species Act, which protectsthem and their habitat.Self healing down-tubesResearchers have developed the firstmaterial that automatically repairs itself,offering a potential way of fixing the hairlinecracks that develop in the space-agecomposites used in everything from tennisrackets to aircraft. The scientists' secret:tiny capsules of glue that are added to thecomposite material. Composite materialsconsist of fibers of glass, carbon or othersubstances mixed with a resin. Damage tocomposite materials often begins as tinycracks, and as they grow, they weakenthe material until it breaks. To heal tinycracks automatically, the researcherssprinkled capsules about the thickness ofa human hair throughout an experimentalfiberglass-like compound. When a crackappeared, capsules in its path brokeopen, spilled their contents and sealed thecracks. The compound retained 75 percentof its original strength after the crackshad healed for 48 hours. The materialcontains 100 to 200 capsules per cubicinch. While all of the capsules will eventuallybreak, objects made with the materialcould last several times longer thanthose made of current composites.Objects such as spacecraft, artificial jointsand bridge supports, which are difficult orimpossible to reach, are prime candidatesfor self-healing materials. Materials suchas the self-healing composite are part ofthe infant field of smart materials.Dean Trueman is a Vancouver-basedparaglider pilot. On rainy days, he worksin the technology sector.www.hpac.ca Spring

aireventsCanada / USAApril 7 - 8Fraser Valley Annual XC Hang GlidingCompetition - week #1 (Brett Hazlett)April 13 - 15The Kamloops Valley Racers will be holdingthe annual Easter meet HG event. Thisyear we will be requiring all comp pilotsto fly by GPS co-ordinates for ease of scoring.We will also have a rec comp forpilots wishing to fly that don't use GPSyet. This is a great get together for HGpilots and paraglider pilots both.e-mail DaveFerguson mold@canada.comApril 15 - 21Flytec Championships@ Quest in FloridaApril 21 - 22Fraser Valley Annual XC Hang GlidingCompetition - week #2April 28 - 29Fraser Valley Annual XC Hang GlidingCompetition - week #3May 5 - 6Chelan Speed Gliding CompMay 12 - 13Fraser Valley 4th Annual Paragliding XCCompetition - week #1May 19 - 21Lumby Club Cup (WCSC)May 26 - 27Fraser Valley 4th Annual XC ParaglidingCompetition - week #2June 2 - 3Fraser Valley 4th Annual XC ParaglidingCompetition - week #3July 1stSOGA Fly-in & Open HouseThe normal introductory rate of $25 fornon-members will be waived for the 3 dayweekend. Pay only for your earotows upto 2500 feet. We encourage you to joinus chasing thermals instead of the wind.Camping is free, just make sure you takeyour garbage home with you.For more info contact Ken Kinzieken@kswater.on.ca or (519)524-1689http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SOGAJuly 28th - August 3rd2001 HG Nationals to be held at Mt 7,Golden.This meet will also constitute theHG part of the Willi Muller XC Challengethis year.Check the HPAC Web Site forfurther details.July 28 - Aug 3Willi HG and PG Challenge in GoldenAug 4 - 6SOGA CompetitionThis is a fun competition with somethingfor everyone. Open distance XC, spotlanding, and a XC seminar. The 5 dayspreceeding this event will bepractice/free flying days. This is primetime for this site. For more info contactKen Kinzie ken@kswater.on.caAug 4 - 6Western Canadian HG ChampionshipMt. 7, Golden, B.C.Format and scoring TBAContact: Karen Keller, 403-293-4008email: skyward@cadvision.comAug 4 - 6Canadian Paragliding NationalsMount 7, Golden, BCMeet Sanctioning: As last year, our intentis to seek Category 2 sanctioning from theFAI for this event. Those intending to gainpoints for world meets will need SportingLicenses.Aug 11-12 Aug 18-19Grouse Mountain Fly-in (HG & PG)Aug 18 - Aug 25US Nationals - TexasAug 25 - 26Can-Ams at Black MountainWashington (Mark Dowsett) (HG & PG)Sept 1 - 3Cache Creek Team MeetSept 1 - 3Qu’Appelle Valley Classic, SaskatchewanCompetition run by the MHGA. Pilots meetat the Waverly Hotel in Melville Friday.Contact: thenodewarrior@usa.net for infoThe WorldJune 6 - July 1, 2001World Air Games HG ChampionshipAlgodonales-Cadiz (Spain)June 6 - July 1, 200113th World Hang Gliding ChampionshipAlgodonales-Cadiz (Spain)Spring www.hpac.ca

Regulations2PartHang Gliding and Paraglidingn the first article of this series, I described the process forIamending the Canadian Air Regulations (CARs). I also mentionedthat there are a number of amendments to the CARs thatpertains to HG and PG that have already been approved by theCanadian Air Regulation Advisory Committee (CARAC) and thatare currently being reviewed by the Justice Department – theyare still there as of 27 January. In this second article, I summarizethe most significant amendments and I explain their significance.I break down the amendments into two categories: structure andcontent. I will tackle each in turn.Structural AmendmentsStructural amendments relates to the way the regulations are organized in the CARs, notchanges to the individual regulations. Currently, the regulations for hang gliders are combinedwith regulations for ultralight aircraft in CAR 602.29. Transport Canada has recognizedthat this is less than ideal and is reorganizing the structure of the CARs so thathang gliding regulations are consolidated into their own sections. In fact, there will be twosections that deals specifically with hang gliders. The first one is CAR 603.77 that specifiesthe general hang gliding operation rules. The second one is CAR 605.114 that specifiesequipment requirements for hang gliders. Note that this does not mean that the onlyregulations that apply to hang gliders are in those two sections. There are other CARs thatapply to all aircraft and those are still relevant to hang glider pilots.Content AmendmentsThere is nothing earth shattering in the amendment to individual CARs themselves. Theamended regulations, for the most part, close existing loopholes, clear up some confusingissues and eliminate some regulations that are not necessary. This list is not exhaustivebut these are the changes that will interest most pilots. I will cover some of the more esotericamendments in future columns.Flights in Class B, C, D and E: The current regulations only addresses hang gliderflights in Class E airspace. There is no mention of other controlled airspaces.The amended CARs specify the conditions that hang gliders must meet to fly in Class B, C,D and E controlled airspaces. This eliminates a potential source of confusion.Cross-Country Flights: The current regulation specifies that hang gliders are onlyallowed in Class E airspace if they conduct XC flights.The CARAC has approved the deletion of the above regulation and non-cross-countryflights are now allowed in Class E. Furthermore, there has never been any regulation specifyingthat flights in Class B, C and D had to be cross-country flights so non cross-countryflights are also allowed in these airspaces as well as long as the pilot obeys the other regulationsthat apply to those airspaces. This change eases regulations imposed on hanggliders.Requirement to Contact FSS: The current regulation specifies that hang gliders mustinforms the nearest flight service station of the time of departure and estimated duration ofthe (XC) flight in Class E airspace.The CARAC has approved an amendment that removes this requirement entirely. Thischange eases regulations imposed on hang gliders. Note that since a pilot must be inradio contact with an ATC unit when they fly in Class B, C and D, there is no requirementto inform an FSS of a flight in those airspaces either.Requirement to carry a compass: The current CARs specify that a hang glider flyingin Class E must carry a compass.The CARAC has approved two amendments to this regulation. First, a GPS can now beused in lieu of a compass. Second, the new regulation specifies that a compass or GPSmust be carried in Class E for XC flights and at all times in Class B, C and D. This meansthat a compass is no longer required in Class E for non cross-country flights....continued on pg. 36TRANSPORT CANADAwww.hpac.ca Spring

airsafetySafety Notification’s1. Parachute Deployment Pouchdesign flaws.The HPAC has confirmed that severalmanufacturors have sold Harness mountedParachute Deployment Pouches withserious design flaws which could resultin a failure to deploy.Problems to various degrees have beenexperienced with some models of Charly,Sol and Edel harness mounted deploymentpouches. Please note that I am notpicking on these particular manufacturors.We know of other harness pouch problemsbut can not identify the manufacturorsat this time.Several different problems have beenidentified. Some parachute pouches aremade of neopreme which stretches andcompresses the the reserve parachute in avise like grip. Other harness pouchdesigns may eliminate or severely restricttimely deployments. Other problems arecommonly identified.THE ONLY WAY TO BE SURE IS TOATTEMPT A PRACTICE DEPLOYMENTIN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT.Attend a Parachute Deployment andRepack Clinic. It could be a critical factorin saving your life.2. PRACTICE DEPLOYING WITHBOTH HANDS.If you have a side mounted reserve, practicedeploying with the other hand.Dislocated shoulders has made thisrequirement a reality.3. INSPECT NEW RESERVEPARACHUTES.I encourage owners of new reserve parachutesto inspect the contents insidedeployment bags. At least one manufacturorhas supplied products which were"packed for shipping purposes" - not"deployment purposes"...Meaning fourrubber bands were wrapped commpletelyaround the parachute. Deployment wouldhave been impossible.A large and growing collection ofInternational Safety Notifications areposted at:http://www.fai.org/hang_gliding/safety/safety_notices.aspFred WilsonFSS (Flight Service Station) ServicesNAV Canada is centralizing pilot service province wide across the country to new "FlightInformation Centres" (FIC) Your new 1-800- HAGAR Flight service calls will soon be routedto these new facilities. FIC will be responsible for Advanced Pilot Weather Briefing,Flight Planning and Enroute Radio Communications.Smaller Airports FSS will stay operational, but their sphere of influence will be reduced toprimarily the 5 NM radius around the airport, plus the upside down wedding cake controlledairspace around the Airport. They will become responsible for local traffic advisories,vehicle control and emergency services.A couple of BIG messages come out of us for this.1. NAV Canada is prepared, at NOT COST TO US, to schedule in extra staff - even onovertime! - if we need extra help for major events, given the need. Talk about FlightService!2. FSS is no longer a part of Transport Canada. They are private enterprize as part ofNAV Canada.This has very important implications for us.Canadian Airspace is grossly over-regulated in Canada. If you compare a US VFR chartwith any Canadian version, our over regulation is glaringly obvious. You can fly to18,000' ASL just about everywhere in the USA - where there is 10 or 20 times the air trafficin a country half the size.I firmly believe that controlled airspace should only be where there is effective control. Ifyou take a look at most populated areas in Canada, you are hard pressed to find anythingbut controlled airspace. FSS is totally focused on the 5 - 20 NM controlled airspace"wedding cake" around there airport. A few years ago, we would phone our HAGAR intoKamloops etc from places like Golden - hundreds of miles away and get our ears burnedoff by busy FSS attendants. Thankfully this has changed.But the real message is that now, we finally have an opportunity to lobby TransportCanada to get rid of the vast majority of this grossly over-regulated "controlled" airspace.Nav Canada, FSS are no longer part of Transport Canada. TC will listen hard to lobbygroups like the Canadian Sport Aviation Council (CSAC) who represent us, and COPAamong others.The TC contact relating to Ultra-Light Aeroplanes and Hang Gliders is the RecreationalAviation and Special Flight Operations Division of Civil Aviation in Ottawa. The Chief ofthat Division, encourages HPAC officials to contact him on issues important to us. That ishis job.To find out if your sites are affected by Controlled Airspace, your and / or your club needto buy VFR and LE charts for your area. The VFR charts are semi topographical maps thatshow where controlled airspace and Airways are. LE charts are what you need to find outhow high you can go. They tell you the base altitude of the controlled airspace level aboveyou and the base altitudes of Victor / Radial Airways.In extreme situations, you may need to refer to the Designated Airspace Handbook - whichgets down into really fine details on this topic. The downside is it's expensive because itis updated every couple of months... but this is no longer a problem. Tranport Canada hasposted it for free in Acrobat format on the Web at: http://ats.nrcan.gc.ca/ (look in IFRproducts)Note: you can buy your VFR / LE Charts from an HPAC member pilot! Roger Nelson atMap Town. Web site: http://www.maptown.com/ or Toll Free 1-877-921-6277Fred WilsonSpring www.hpac.ca

he main topic of discussion at the AGM was the restructure of HPAC. Following a presentation by AndreTNadeau, the Directors spent most of the AGM discussing various options to get the Association backon tract. Andre Nadeau’s article in this issue of AIR describes the rationale and the end result of the neworganizational structure so I will not discuss it further. The BoD had some time for a few other items andmade some decisions that we hope will be beneficial to the Association as a whole. The items that werediscussed and the associated decisions are as follows:Investment of HPAC FundsThe BoD recognized that it would be advantageous for the Association to invest some of its reserve infinancial instruments that would return a better yield that GIC over the long term. Martin Pollach will investigate.Master rating for Philippe ThibodeauPhilippe Thibodeau died in February 2000 of a trike accident in Mexico. The AQVL nominated Philippefor a posthumous Master rating. The rating was awarded unanimously.Philippe may not be well known to pilots outside of Quebec but he has made an important contribution tohang gliding and paragliding in Canada. The following are but a few of his many accomplishments overeighteen years:• Philippe opened l’Ecole Vol Libre, the older school still operating in Quebec.Philippe trained hundreds of pilots over the years including a significant portion of the flyingpopulation in Quebec. His school was featured in a USHGA Hang Gliding magazine in 1994;• A Senior instructor with a Tandem II endorsement for hang gliding and paragliding,Philippe trained numerous instructors over the years;• Philippe taught in France, Mexico and French Antigua amongst other places. In 1995, he wasinvited by the Sultan of Oman to demonstrate hang gliding, conduct interviews and such to helpOmani open a local school;• Philippe was featured in multiple print articles and TV programs over the year;• Philippe promoted our sports through his participation in numerous static displays and air showsthat were seen by thousands of people; and• Philippe authored a pilot formation guide for the AQVL.Air MagazineThe BoD recognized the high quality of the December issue of the Air magazine. The BoD unanimouslyagreed to raise the compensation of the AIR editor to $500 per issue in addition to 25% of the advertisingrevenues the Editor raises. In addition, the BoD unanimously agreed to raise the budget of the nexttwo editions of Air by a thousand dollars each. Finally, the BoD decided that the Editor would be responsiblefor mailing the magazine to pilots and $100 per issue (in addition to the cost of the stamps) wouldbe provided for handling. The BoD discussed a proposal to add an on-line magazine but that decisionwas deferred until there was a better feeling that there were too many articles for the current four issuesof the AIR magazine.TranslationThe lack of translation was recognized and this will be addressed in the restructure of the Association. Inaddition, it was decided that Phil Siscoe would investigate the availability of Federal grants for translation.NationalsThere was only one bid for the PG Nationals. That submission was accepted. The PG nationals will beorganized by Randy Parkin and will take place on Aug 3-6 at Mt 7.There was no bid for the HG nationals. The directors will solicit bids from within their ProvincialAssociations and will forward the bids to the Competition Director and the President.Web SiteThe BoD noticed that the web site(s) were disjointed and confusing. It was decided to create a new sitefrom scratch. It was also decided that the BoD would approach Charles Warren who has offered to takethe site over. Judith Newman volunteered to work with Charles on design. The implementation of thenew web site will be a responsibility of the Transition Committee.School InsuranceThe purpose of the school insurance was discussed. It was noted that the school insurance is just an instrumentto raise funds towards paying the annual insurance premium and does not provide additional insuranceper se. The third-party liability insurance for instructors and their students is automatically providedunder the current policy. The BoD discussed a few methods to raise insurance premium from instructors.It was agreed to discontinue the school insurance, but the matter of instructor fees was left to be addressedlater. At the time of writing a motion on this is in progress. We are hoping that voting will be completedin time for announcement in this AIR.Election of New ExecutiveThe new Executive for 2001 are President – Peter Bowle-Evans Vice President – Phil Siscoe andSecretary Treasurer – Martin Pollach.Andre NadeauAGM2001Record of Discussion at the HPAC AGM, Ottawa, Jan 20-21, 2001www.hpac.ca Spring

Rescues atMt.7irst off the bat, this is not bad, it is all good! It is about where the current arrangmentsFare at, not about a series of happenings. Is has nothing to do with skeletons or close,not that any of the readers will have any of those things, of course. So here goes:HELICOPTERS & CREWSWire sling helicopter rescues are now much more available than previously. Somechanges happened last summer, actually during our meets here. Alpine Helicopters, whosetup a base here the previous year, and who scooped the best two local pilots in theprocess, were already in the current dictated state of the art rescue business. This meansthey were fielding machines equipped with the latest equipment demanded by regulations,although they did not have one in place at Golden at the outset. This happened last summer,when they stationed one of these machines here.Both resident, local Alpine pilots have not only the necessary endorsements to operate thismachine and its associated equipment, but they have the so important experience. Theplacement of this machine was well coordinated with Parks Canada. Now although thenew regulations do permit people other than Parks wardens to be certified for sling rescue,for the time being that is where the presently certified personnel are. In relation toGolden, there are wardens at Glacier Park to the West, and the Yoho and Banff Parks tothe East. This means access to wire sling crews from the Rogers Pass summit, Field or LakeLouise. The point is that they are close by. I have worked in machines between Golden andRogers Pass. You are there faster than you can drink coffee.The situation of a machine having to be dispatched from as far away as Canmore shouldnow be a thing of the past. This means quicker response and less cost, a good combination.In addition to the adjacent Parks crews, the are moves within the ProvincialEmergency Program to train wire sling crews. This is likely several years away from crewsin place, but this is the direction of intention.COMMUNICATIONWe need to avoid unnecessary searches. Last summer we had some, through nothing morethan good intentions all round. Helicopters flew several hours looking for pilots who,although they had gone down sort of unexpectedly, were in fact doing OK, and did notneed helicopter rescue. What happens sometimes is that one event is seen by several completelydifferent people. I have been able to field a few of these in the past, when the localRCMP has called me up at work and told me they had just received a call from someonewho was say hanging up their washing on the line and had seen a PG going all over theplace and must have crashed.A phone call or two or a quick spin out the NLZ and I have learned that nothing of the sorthas happened, or so-and-so was doing wingovers or the like, and I call back and tell themthanks but relax. Last summer we had a PG who most definitely spun in, in full view ofNicholson and probably all over town. He spun in just below the cliffs just below the upperPG launch. Some pilots there saw it all, ran down and discovered that clean underwearwere the greatest need. Others further away feared the worst, and pretty soon those of uson the HG launch are wondering what this chopper is doing buzzing around just aboutwhere we want to go thermalling.After a while we were able to get enough confirmations of events to call the pilot on theair band and tell him he could stand down. By a scramble of rescue organisations' errors,there was never any bill for this. In subsequent debriefings about this with Alpine, PEP andthe RCMP, here is what we came up with:If something has happened that could be construed as requiring a rescue, but either doesnot at all or that we have in hand by whatever other means, then please do call the RCMPat 344- 2221 and inform them as to what is going on, where and so on, and give thema name and phone number or even a radio frequency to call back to. Then if other thirdparty calls come in to them, they will either know right away if this is the all the same thing,or can at least call to discuss. They will be much happier doing this than sending out unnecessaryrescues.Spring www.hpac.caObviously, do your best to cooperate with whatever they may ask. I have personally beenthrough the routine of calling in for a possible rescue from a phone about 50 kms downrange, on a weekend when the calls are all routed to a central dispatch in Cranbrook,which is about 240 kms from Golden, and been asked, 'which one, there are three goingon already'. In this case, there was enough information properly called in that a fifteenminute round of phone calls determined that my sighting was under control by othermeans....continued on pg. 36

Wilcannia...thrills in the outbackBy Tomas SuchanekPreface by Bill MoyesGerolf Heinrichs returned to Europe with his newdesign the Litespeed and he took one for Tomasto test fly. A few flights later Tomas told Gerolfthat he believed that the glider was capable of a 600 kmflight.Gerolf relayed Tomas's opinion to me and I called Tomasto tease him into a return to hang gliding from his newlove, sailplanes. I said " Are you going to just tell us of thegliders capability or are you going to show us." Tommy'sanswer was "Are you going to send me a ticket toAustralia or are you just going to talk about it!The next day the word was out that Tommy was comingto town. The phone rang hot from pilots wanting to jointhe trip to our favourite record site Wilcania. Bob Baileyand I decided that we would need to take two dragonflys,as the towing from the flat dessert terrain would be myresponsibility. The choosen time period was December togain an advantage on the length of the day's summerheat.The final crew...A totally international assault.Tomas Suchanek - Czech RepublicAttila Bertok - HungaryGerolf Heinrichs and Thomas Weissenberger - AustriaConrad Loten - New ZealandVictor Becan - SloveniaRadek Bares - Czech RepublicNoma Yasuhiro -JapanBob Bailey - USABill Moyes - The only AustralianDaily launches were from a clay pan on the Riversideproperty. The hard clay was a good smooth surface forthe tug and the dolly but was like standing on a mirrorwith the sun’s heat reflecting up. 40 degrees plus everyday and an extra 10 degrees in the clay pan. The pilotswere all pleased to get out of the clay pan and the crewwere pleased to see them go so we could get into air conditionedchase cars.The guys flew up to eight hours each day. This was themost gruelling week I have witnessed. Tommy nevermissed an opportunity to better a record and pushed theenvelope to its limit.When the lid was nailed on the coffin of the last record ,we were all pleased to pack up and drag our poor dehydratedbodies back to the cars and some moisture.Tommy was the exception. He treated the exercise as awarm up for the World Sail Plane Championship to beheld in South Australia in January.Twenty four hours aftercompleting a 300km flight Tommy was in a sail plane inNaromine flying a 750km triangle.That guy is different!www.hpac.ca Spring

Back in ‘’93 the Moyes gang started to explore the Australian outback with the vision of longflights, which would move the existing distance and speed hang gliding world records furtherforward.When looking back, I can say, that we succeeded with three tandem world records flown fromHillston in December 1994 and also the speed over 150 km triangular course in 1997 from Hay.The little town of Hillston was no longer suitable due to the relatively closeness to the GreatDividing Range, where we had to land on the tandem flight with Corinna after covering 360 km,so Captain Bill yelled that famous saying "go west young men", and we went. The last fragmentof civilisation before running into the Simpson desert appeared to be a little town on theDarling river called Wilcannia. It's a pretty rough place with an 80% aboriginal population andthe highest number of policemen per citizen in Australia, of course a few wild stories kept us onour best behaviour, but I tell you, the thermals there can be even wilder and stronger, than theground stuff, and that's why we based our operation nearby at Riverside farm.Lots of pilots did their personal longest flights out of Wilcannia and Hillston including mine,Corinna's and Bob Baiers 367 km with the landing in Corryong, Attila Bertok's 405 km toVictoria, Darryl Cooners 360+ or Drew Coopers longest flight in OZ, 428 km from Hillston toSt. Arnaud in the state of Victoria back in 93. Because of this potential, Bill Moyes kept encouragingthe old crew during the year to try once again and that's why the wheels started spinningon December 5th 2000 in the Moyes factory at Botany, chopping down the 1000km drive toWilcannia.Above Left - Left to RightBack Row: Attila Bertok, Conrad Loten,Bobby Bailey, Tomas Suchanek,Viktor Becan, Bill MoyesFront Row: Tomas Weissenberger,Gerolf Heinrichs, Noma Yasuhiro,Leo (Tomas’s driver)Above Right - Left to RightLeo (Tomas's driver that came fromCzech with him), Gerolf Heinrichs,Attila Bertok, Tomas Suchanek,Radek Bares, Tomas WeissenbergerAbove:Atilla poses after his200km record flightThe first little bunch included my Czech mates, Leo the driver and Radek and Kiwi pilot Conrad,in civilian life working as an emergency doctor, (he was considered a great support for our intentions),and tow pilot and designer of the Dragonfly, Bob Bailey, whose only fear was the totalabsence of any McDonalds restaurants in our destination. But he survived it for next two weeksanyway...The Dragonfly was assembled the next day and on the morning of December 8th, Wilcanniawelcomed us with a south westerly breeze and blue sky. We decided to have a little warm upflight up the Darling river, taking off with our stock Litespeed's around 1PM in good hot 25 km/hwind. Struggling between five to fifteen hundred, I was the only one reaching the first clouds twohours later near Tilpa, while Radek and Conrad landed and started their longest sightseeing tripby car in the Australian outback. The first cloud surprised me with a solid five meters per secondand suddenly everything looked much better from 3500 m AGL at cloudbase. Not taking anythingunder 3m/sec I covered 180 km in the next two hours to reach Bourke and the 300km distancemark at half passed five. The gap between my position and the retriving car became muchwider, some 120 km, although the boys were probably breaking all speed limits on the dirt roadsand the police cars could simply not keep up with them anymore. By the way, when passing thetown of Louth, I hit the strongest thermal of my life, wide and solid 8.5 m/sec on my Flytec averagerall the way to the cloudbase!The afternoon and evening part of the flight was considerably slower, recent flooding of theDarling river affected the thermal conditions there and twice I found myself down to 400m abovethe deck of course in the middle of nowhere, but I managed to get the lift as well as the radioconnection with my retrieval and finally I landed at 19:45 on a dirt road some 50 km NE ofBrewarrina and 430 km from our Riverside take off. I passed Drew Cooper’s old distance recordby only 2 km. Not bad for an afternoon joy flight, except that the landing area was full of thirstymosquitos and the nearest farmhouse was beyond the horizon. I started walking towards civilisation,that is the least pleasant part of nearly every distance attempt here in the outback. Spring www.hpac.caI had only covered some 8 kilometres, when suprisingly I could hear my crew on the radio. Restwas easy, we made it back to Wilcannia the next day to meet hungry Attila (the Hun) Bertok fromHungary, known in the flying community by his nickname, and the rest of the pack also includingour legendary driver and psychologist Jed Gilmour from Stanwell Park.

The next morning there was no wind at all and we decided to take advantage and have a go attriangular courses. Attila, suffering from his, as Gerolf says "kilometre bug", declared the longesttriangle in the world of 249 km , we left Riverside shortly after midday together with JapaneseNoma and Conrad. I prefered a shorter course and tried speed over 100 km triangle. The skystayed blue the whole day, although some lifts strenghtened to 5 m/sec and I rounded my trianglewith a start and finish point at Riverside and turnpoints White Cliff JCN and Capon farm within2 hours 39 minutes in the new world record speed of 40.54 km/h. Celebrating in the eveningwe were pleasantly surprised, when Attila rounded his triangle and landed after seven and a halfhours, establishing the new world record for the longest triangle flown on a hang glider, 249 kmFAI. He later reported strong lift over the red ground area southeast and east of Wilcannia, withthe strongest thermals reaching 2900 m AGL. There are only two major roads this way, BarrierHighway going to Cobar and Cobb Highway to Ivanhoe, but the second leg, Cobb highway isa dirt road and there is a very poor track system in between. We all admitted Attila’s courage,when crossing the road between his first and second turnpoint. We were not to know that wewould be crossing this area ourselves every second day during the next week .Below: Set-up on the clay panCenter: Bob Bailey waits for his next victimBottom: Tomas declares 357km triangleDecember 11th and 12th could be considered as serious rest days, we only flew some 140 kmto Ivanhoe and to Tilpa, although the boys reported very strong lift on the second day, reachingaltitudes of 4500m AGL, the highest in Australia as long as I can remember. They were stoppedby cold, the cloudbase was another 700m higher!December 14th was the start of an excellent period of weather, the sort of weather that allowsyou to fly more then you can handle and start praying for rain after a couple of days. Bill Moyespushed delicately, as he only knows how, for long ones. A very light southerly with early cloudsencouraged us to say "why not" and we all went for a 300 km triangle from Riverside via MountManara and Narraport. The heavily populated area on the second leg was really promisingregarding some walk and fun in the case of outlanding,but not one of us fortunately did. The firstleg was pretty rough going light headwind, averagethermals between four to six meter per second, butthe 3500m cloudbase saved us from the unexpected!Both Attila and I had a low save after the secondturnpoint near Emmdale surf club, while Attilaalso scratched the ground right after the first one,but finally we both rounded the course in the newdistance world record around a triangular course. Icould also claim the speed world record over 300km triangle with the average speed of 45 km/h.Two in one, I never can resist a good offer! Thesmile on Attila's face also documented his mood, Isuppose, he completed one of his dreams this day,he was always pushing for the long ones, home inHungary or home in Australia. I still remember thefirst day after the Forbes Flatlands six or seven yearsago, when he completed a 200 km out and return,while the rest of the field was recovering from theprevious day's party!Gerolf Heinrichs and his mate Thomas arrived in Wilcannia on December 15th, the boys wentfor speed over a 200 km triangle, declaring the course from good old Riverside via Bushleysand Alma Park farmhouses. Finally Attila went around in less than five hours, establishing thenew world record with a speed of 41 km/h and Conrad also managed to complete the task.They reported strong lift and cloudbase at 3200 to 3400 m AGL and a bit stronger SE wind. Itook the day easy and declared baby tasks, first 50 km and second time 25 km triangular coursesnear Riverside, with the landing in between them. That was a good day again, some 7 m/secthermals were found around and I completed the first triangle via Nettalie farmhouse andWilcannia airport in 1 hour 05 min in the new world record speed of 46 km/h and then lateron the little triangle I averaged 50 km/h, also the world record for speed. Three in one day, evenbetter!December 16th started pretty early, first clouds appeared in the sky shortly after 11 am and aftera short discussion we declared a 357 km long triangle via Cobb Highway and Marfield RD JCNand the second turnpoint at Bulla farmhouse. Bob took us gently to the thermals with good helpfrom Bill Moyes and we all could head down following Cobb Highway. A light NE breezeformed nice cloudstreets, making the first leg easy for me. Attila and Gerolf went a little bit lateron the course and suffered some delay from different conditions. The second leg to Bulla farmheaded more east compared to previous days, where 'no man's land' turned into tiger plainswith an absolute lack of roads and farms in some sequences of the flight. Cloudbase rose from2500 to 3200m later and I had to test the abilities of my Litespeed to climb from low right afterthe second turnpoint on the edge of heavy rain. Well, nothing special, but I managed to climband to get away. But my exposed hand held radio suffered some damage from the rain so I couldnot rely on help from the ground crew anymore. The second critical point came at half passedsix in the evening, when I went down to less than 200m AGL in the middle of the bush and farwww.hpac.ca Spring

Check out therecords flown atWillcannia:Record 1Date: 10.12.2000Pilot: Tomas Suchanek - Czech RepublicHang glider: Moyes Litespeed 4Record type: Speed over 100 km tri.Start point: RiversideFinish point: RiversideReached speed: 40km/hRecord 2Date: 14.12.2000Pilot: Tomas Suchanek - Czech RepublicHang glider: Moyes Litespeed 4Record type: Speed over 300 km tri.Start point: RiversideFinish point: RiversideReached speed: 45km/hRecord 3Date: 15.12.2000Pilot: Tomas Suchanek - Czech RepublicHang glider: Moyes Litespeed 4Record type: Speed over 50 km tri.Start point: RiversideFinish point: RiversideReached speed: 46km/hRecord 4Date: 15.12.2000Pilot: Tomas Suchanek - Czech RepublicHang glider: Moyes Litespeed 4Record type: Speed over 25 km triangleStart point: RiversideFinish point: RiversideReached speed: 50km/hRecord 5Date: 15.12.2000Pilot: Attila Bertok - HungaryHang glider: Moyes Litespeed 5Record type: Speed over 200 km tri.Start point: RiversideFinish point: RiversideReached speed: 41km/haway from the road. One hour of torture, when low, was finally remunerated with 1 m/s gainsome 28 km from goal, final glide was a piece of cake and I crossed the finish line at 7.52 PMafter an 8 hour flight, averaging 45 km/h speed on the course. Unfortunately, Attila could notcross the death area due to the later time and landed some 50 km short, while Conrad cut thecorner to Emmdale and made it back home flying some 300+ km triangle. Gerolf and the otherswent down on the second leg and they all had been picked up by Bill or Thomas and made itback home right in time for Bill’s barbecue.December 17th started with a fresh NE breeze on the ground, although the pressure gradient uphigher was not too promising regarding the strong wind. We declared a far goal in Horsham,Victoria, just to give it a go. Bob was excellent with the Dragonfly once again and placed all ofus near to the Riverside start gate. The first one hundred kilometers were in blue, some stuffexceeding 4 m/sec and then we reached the troughline and cloudsbase formed at 3400m. Thebad news was the wind stopped. Some of us kept going and I finally landed 311km fromRiverside just SE of Mildura, close to where Attila landed four years ago. Typically a pre frontalday, the last two thermals went to 4050 m AGL and even my special Moira thermal wear didnot keep me warm enough. Seven hours after take off, I had to land just before a gust front ofthe approaching southerly. Radek reached his longest distance when he landed 260 km fromthe start point and was saved by a local farmer from hail and thunder. Bill picked up the rest ofthe pack except Lukas, who decided to follow the Cobb HWY and then spent an unforgetable24 hours waiting for retrieval at the Ivanhoe pub.Finally I would like to thank all who helped us on this trip, especially to Bill Moyes and Bob Baileyfor getting us airborn, to Moyes Gliders for providing the best tool and I should also say, that allthe records were done with serial Litespeeds in standard configuration, not equipped with funkycarbon uprights or base bars.Jed, Leo, Thomas and Bill were excellent as the pick up drivers and my personal thanks goes toAttila for his "pushing for distance" force.That’s all folks. See ya there next time!Tomas gets congratulations from Bill!Record 6Date: 16.12.2000Pilot: Tomas Suchanek - Czech RepublicHang glider: Moyes Litespeed 4Record type: Distance over 357 km tri.Start point: RiversideFinish point: RiversideReached speed: 45km/hReached distance: 357 km overtriangular coursePlease consider these performancesnamed above as new claims for worldrecords pending FAI approval.Spring www.hpac.ca

airbagthrough the week gazing out of their office windows at a bird soaring on an odd thermalor a cloud passing by, reminding them of great flying conditions. This small but increasingnumber of paraglider pilots have been silently building up as the sport’s popularity catcheson in the state. According to Sandeep Dikshit, Equity Research Director with W.I.CarrSecurities, it is "a fulfilling passion, relaxing hobby and completely in harmony withnature".110 Km from Mumbai enroute to Pune, soon after Lonavla, lies Kamshet, the paraglidinghub of the region. Here numerous favorable takeoff sites, great flying conditions and dramaticscenery provide a splendid backdrop to some excellent flying. Add to this the factthat flying is possible almost every day of the long season and you have the perfectparagliding destination. All these factors and more have converted this sleepy area intothe paragliding stronghold in the Western Ghats!The area is fast becoming a popular flying destination in the world paragliding community.The low hills, rocky terrain with endless flatlands around that once lent itself perfectly toguerilla type warfare today seems to be sculpted specially for paragliding. Pilots trudgeuphill, spread their vibrant wings and fly effortlessly along the ridges, limited only by theweather, their skill & endurance. Around them the ruins of the Lohaghad & Visapur forts,and the Bhaja and Bhedsa cave temples that have stood sentinel for hundreds of yearsgaze upon the colorful canopies and their exhilarated occupants, silently watching asman’s age old dream of free flight finally becomes a reality.KamshetA Paragliding Getawayhe Mumbai–Pune road is an arterialTroadway leading out of the city tracingan ancient trade route that once connectedthe coast to the hinterland. Rock cutcave temples and hill fortresses along theroute stand witness to the silk & spicebearing caravans accompanied byadventurous Greek merchants, Chinesetravelers and Buddhist monks that bravedthe perils of wild animals and fierce tribalmarauders, praying to goddess Tara tolead them out of danger.Over the past few years a strange breedof adventure seekers have been plyingthis route. They too pray for a speedycompletion of the Mumbai PuneExpressway that will whisk them toKamshet (about 11 Km from Lonavla) intime to alight from their cars and attach apair of " wings" on their backs and stepoff the hillside and fly in solitude as theevening sun casts a golden hue over thecountryside below.Consisting of an unlikely group of people;professionals, executives and businessmenfrom Bombay and Pune, these‘paragliding enthusiasts’ wait patientlyIn India, paragliding is still a relatively new sport, introduced as late as 1991-92 by somevisiting foreign pilots in the Kullu valley. In fact some of the sites in the big mountains arebelieved to constitute the best in the world. The Himalayas may have experienced the firstwave of paragliding in India but in certain pockets in the western region the sport is fastcatching on. In the scores of sites around Pune, Kamshet and the further reaches of theWestern Ghats a few paragliding outfits have been operating in the last few years.Notable amongst them are Harley India and United India Paragliding at Pune, Omair inPanchgani and Nirvana Adventures in Kamshet. Nirvana Adventures set up operations inKamshet about three (3) years ago and have since then discovered a variety of flying siteswithin a 30 km. radius of their base at Kamshet suited for beginners training, hobby pilotsand the more adventurous pilots. Say’s Sanjay Rao of Nirvana Adventures " Our mainemphasis is on teaching people how to fly and enjoy the purest form of free flight knownto man".Nirvana Adventures course pattern, flying operations and pilot rating is in accordancewith the United States Hang Gliding Association’s standard operating procedures and pilotproficiency systems. Residential courses running through the week and on weekends, greataccomodation overlooking the serene Vadivali lake and a sizeable fraternity of recreationalpilots - an amazing mix of people of varied age groups and diverse backgroundsis what one may expect to encounter on any given day of the season.In July 2000 a team from Nirvana Adventures made a trip to Oludeniz, Turkey to fly atBabadag the ‘Paragliding Mecca’ of the world. This was the first Indian paragliding expeditionof its kind till date. The purpose of the trip being to fly at one of the worlds best ratedsites and to get a first hand experience of ‘Safety in flight’ which the site is famous for.Back at Kamshet, the paragliding capital of the Western Ghats, the sport bridges the gapbetween tradition and modernity. At one end of the spectrum is the paraglider, an aircraftmade of a combination of advanced aerodynamics with space age materials, and theother is the bullock cart, an ancient mode of transportation on which the pilots sometimeshitch a ride to the takeoff site!sanjay raoCopyright © 2000 Nirvana Adventures (Bombay)For more information on the sport log ontowww.nirvanaadventures.comEmail sanjay@nirvanaadventures.comTelephone (91-22)- 6493110 / 6053724www.hpac.ca Spring

HPAC...a new beginningBackgroundThe HPAC has not been in great shape over the last few years. It has suffered from adecline in membership and a general disinterest by the Canadian pilot population at large.This threatens the ability of the Association to defend Canadian pilot interests.By Andre NadeauOver the last year, considerable effort has gone in identifying what ails the Association.The following have been identified as some, but not all, of the problems facing theAssociation. In no particular order:• Lack of focus;• Lack of prioritization of activities;• Unreliable and untimely decision-making;• Lack of empowerment of people doing the work – too much micro-management;• Failure to adhere to Government Regulations;• Failure to adhere to By Laws and SOPs;• Inability of the Provincial Association to meet their commitment;• Poor utilization of scarce volunteers;• Uneven service levels;• Marginal allocation of financial resources;• Poor Communications with Canadian pilots;• Poor configuration control over documents;• Dismal maintenance of historical records; and• Lack of French Services.Once the problems were identified, the Association conducted an option analysis to determinedhow best to resolve them. It was determined that incremental changes to the structureof the organization and in the way the HPAC conducts its business would not resolvethe problems effectively and timely. Consequently, the BoD decided at the January AGMthat a major restructure of the Association is necessary. The first steps towards this restructureare now under way.This article describes the objectives of the restructure of the HPAC, describes what the newHPAC will look like in the future and explains how and when we are going to get there.ObjectiveThe criteria that have been considered when selecting the new organizational structure arelisted below. It was felt that a new organizational structure meeting these criteria wouldgo a long way towards resolving the current problems:• Representative. The Association should be responsive to the need of Canadian pilots.Thus, pilots should have a say on the selection of the HPAC Directors;• Simple. Adopt the KISS principle and avoid unnecessary complexity;• Flexible. Do not handcuff the association needlessly through over-regulation. Put inplace only those regulations that are required and ensure that they can be amendedeasily in the future if there is a need to do so. Trust the Directors and their representatives to make the necessary decisions when faced with issues and problems;• Focus. Ensure that the HPAC focus on activities that are achievable and does not getdragged down by activities that are outside its mandate or that it does not have theresources to do properly;• Effective. Ensure that the HPAC performs all activities correctly and to the satisfactionof its members; and• Efficient. Perform the activities in a timely manner with the minimum use of resourcesconsistent with effectiveness.The intent of this restructure is not to achieve perfection but to create a structure that is superiorto what currently exists. It is expected that future BoD will continue to improve theAssociation incrementally over the years to the benefit of all members.Spring www.hpac.ca

Vision, Mission and ObjectivesThe HPAC has been lacking a clear vision, mission and goals for years. The recognitionof this problem has lead to the establishment of the following.The Vision of HPAC is to have 2,000 members by 2005.The Mission of HPAC is to provide its members with those services of a national nature thatenable and facilitate their participation in hang gliding and paragliding in Canada.The Goals of the HPAC are to:• Promote the growth of hang gliding and paragliding in Canada to maintain a viablepopulation of active pilots;• Promote the safety of hang gliding and paragliding in Canada;• Provide and manage a national third-party liability insurance program;• Develop and manage a Cdn. pilot rating program to help standardize pilot skillsin Canada;• Support a hang gliding and paragliding instructor formation program;• Manage a national competition program to select a Canadian hang gliding andCanadian paragliding champions;• Represent the interest of hang gliding and paragliding pilots at Transport Canada;and• Represent the interest of Cdn. hang gliding and paragliding pilots internationally.The New Organizational StructureThe new organizational structure of the HPAC will be as shown in Figure 1. A BoD consistingof seven Directors, each one elected by the pilots from within one of seven regions,will lead the HPAC. The regions are BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario,Quebec and the Maritime Provinces. This smaller BoD will improve communicationsbetween directors and will make it more affordable to hold the annual meeting ofDirectors. The BoD will focus on policy.HPAC OrganizationThe officers will consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and SafetyOfficer. All officers will be appointed by the BoD and will report to the President. ThePresident, Vice President and Secretary will also be Directors. The President will head theBoD and the Vice President will replace the President as required. The Secretary will beresponsible for the minutes of the meeting of the BoD. The Treasurer will manage the budgetand funds.The Business Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day activities of the Association.The Business Manager will be responsible for implementing the policy and he will have theauthority and responsibility to do so. His duties will go well beyond the currentAdministrator functions. He will report directly to the President.All standing committees will be dissolved. Committees will be formed as required by theBoD to tackle specific projects and will be dissolved once those projects are completed.Volunteers currently doing some activities as members of existing committees will continueto perform these activities if they wish, but will do so under the direction of the BusinessManager who will retain responsibility for the effectiveness and timeliness of these activities.All the roles and responsibilities of the BoD and officers will be captured in the documentsdescribed further on in the next section.HPAC DocumentsThe current HPAC documents consist of the By Laws, a constitution, operating proceduresand tens of forms. None of these documents have been under configuration control overthe years so their accuracy is suspect. In addition, few people know that they exist, theyare not widely available, they are difficult to find and, for the most part, they are onlyavailable in English.The new organization will replace all these documents with a new By Law and a set ofdocuments called the Policy and Regulatory Directives or PRDs. These documents will beavailable in both official languages.The new By Laws will be written to allow as much flexibility as possible, while meetingIndustry Canada's guidelines, to minimize the need to amend them in the future. Mostdetails about the structure, policy and regs of the Association will be captured in the PRDs.www.hpac.ca Spring

Lessons Learned...I thought some of you may relatethis to what we do and how weshould respect what some of the veteransin our sport have to offer.Think about it...What a Winch!There's something aboutRemembrance Day that makes methink of the enormous contributionsof our veterans to aviation progress.My friend Art had to bail out of hisbomber at night over France, andlived to fight another day. When wemeet in the coffee shop, and I listento Art's stories of those times, I realizehow incredibly smooth, powerful,and reliable our modern aircrafthave become. Heck, we don't evenhave to wear fur-lined boots anymore! And nobody has to "bail out"any more.Out at the airport, a bunch of skilledenthusiasts were pre-flighting anenormous Grumman Albatross forthe Remembrance Day fly-past. Thisspotless monster WWII seaplane ispowered by almost unknownengines, and is flown usingunknown flying techniques! How dothese guys know about these rare,complicated, old aircraft? Most ofthem weren't flying when Art wasshot down over France, and no flyingschools will teach you how to flyan Albatross.Well, it's the old principle of one-onone.Each one teach one. Each oneof them collects old information,and they share it with each other inorder to keep these old birds flying.I was thinking of these guys after myvisit to the airport today when I waslooking through some of the newtitles in our "History" catalogs.There! That's how they do their "livinghistory"! They collect information,restore aircraft, fly them, bendthem occasionally, and write morebooks for the rest of us. Over andover again.Thanks, Art, and all your mates, forall the pioneering that you've donefor us! See you at the Cenotaph.Reilly BurkeTechnical AdvisorCFI AerotrainingSpring www.hpac.caCheck out this stationary winch system designed by the HangGlider Dudes from Neepawa, Manitoba. If you wanna take aride on this baby then attend the Neepawa Fun Fly-in TowComp being held this May Long Weekend, 2001.This comp will be a pre-event to the possible hosting of the2002 Tow Nationals in Neepawa by Manitoba.Check out the details in “airtraffic” or contact the MeetDirector John “Downtube” Rempel at 204-667-8464.My wife's impression of PGHusband gets up at ungodly hour of 4am.Drives 5 hours for best thermalling launch.Either:A. Hikes 1 hour to the top of a really high placeB. Drives 15 mins to the top of a really highplace...in the process losing muffler on car.Shakes out an assemblage of brightly colouredbed sheets. Ties himself to said bedsheet assembly,Yells Banzai!! and jumps from the reallyhigh place.At this point Husband either:A. Reaches terminal velocity prior to suddenlystopping when confronted with planet earth.B. Floats around aimlessly watch the stitchingcome undone on the bedsheet assemblage.Once wife is suitably driven insane with anxietyhusband then:A. Lands in field covered almost completely inthe dung of large herbivorous animals.B. Approaches the ground and sticks his leg ina gopher hole.C. Approaches the ground only to decide thatit looks like fun to hang from high-voltage wiresfor a bit.D. Lands without incident only to approach wifewith huge grin on face because he is a sh*t andenjoys watching her suffer.Husband then talks incessantly for the nextweek about how great the next outing will be.

HPAC - A New Beginning (cont’d)The PRDs are documents that are issued under the authority of the Board of Directors (BoD)of the HPAC. They contain policy, regulations, procedures, responsibilities and other informationto be applied to the administration of the HPAC. Basically, if an activity is not identifiedin a PRD, then the HPAC does not do it. The PRDs will be under tight configurationcontrol and will be made available on the HPAC web site. Printed copies will be madeavailable to those members who do not have access to the Internet and who request them.TransitionA Transition Committee of three members is being formed to manage the transition to thenew organizational structure. The Transition Board Chairman is Andre Nadeau who willalso act as the Program manager for the transition activities. Andre Nadeau will report toPeter Bowle-Evans, the current President. The Transition Committee will be responsible forall transition activities that include, but are not limited to, the following:• Develop the Transition Plan and all timeline associated with the transition;• Develop the new by-laws and PRDs;• Organize and conduct the election of the new directors; and• Improve the HPAC web site.The Transition Committee primary objective is to ensure an effective and timely transitionto the new organizational structure. The Transition Committee will have broad authority tomake decisions to ensure that these goals are achieved.Tentative Schedule for TransitionThe tentative schedule for the transition is below. This schedule will be reviewed duringthe development of the Transition Plan:• The new By Laws will be approved by the BoD by mid March 2001;• Candidatures for Director will be accepted in July and August 2001;• PRDs will be promulgated NLT than end October 2001;• Election of Directors will be conducted in October 2001;• The first meeting of the BoD will be held in January 2002. The new BoD will takeover control of the Association at that time.Information DisseminationThe Transition Committee intends to disseminate information as widely as possible. Thefollowing means will be used:Information about the transition and transition activities will be posted on the TransitionWeb site at http://members.home.net/andre.nadeau/transition/home.htm.A mailing list has been created to disseminate information to those pilots who do not haveaccess to the WWW. To register to this mailing list, send an empty e-mail to: HPAC-AQVLTransition-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Note that this is not a discussion list. Theonly individual that will be allowed to post e-mails on this list is the Chair of the TransitionCommittee and the only information that will be posted is about the restructure. Postingswill be made in both official languages.The AIR and Survol will be used to disseminate information to those pilots who have noaccess to the Internet. Because of the delay associated with page setting, printing and distributingthese magazines, the information may be slightly stale by the time it reaches pilotsthrough those means.Request for VolunteersThe Transition Committee is looking for volunteers to help with transition activities. A listingof activities for which volunteer assistance is required will be kept current on the transitionweb site. If you are interested in helping, please send an e-mail to the TransitionCommittee Chairman at: andre.nadeau@home.com.Andre NadeauChair Transition CommitteeThe following motions havebeen passed through an onlineprocess since the AGM.Motion 2001-02-#01The BoD has passed amotion to charge an annualinstructor fee of $65 peryear.This followed from thediscontinuing of the schoolinsurance fee previouslycharged, that was agreedat the AGMNet proceeds toHPAC are expected to beless than previously ratherthan more .Motion 2001-02-#02The BoD has passed amotion to reduce the feecharged for named insuredcertificates from $50 to $10Motion 2001-02-#05The talked about re-structuringis now able tobegin!The BoD has passeda motion that enables theestablishment of aTransition Committee toengage in the business ofeffecting the HPAC re-structuring.The motion includesthat the Chair of this committeebe Andre Nadeau.Motion 2001-02-#06The BoD has passed amotion that agrees in principlewith a set of documentsthat form the basis for thecommencement of theHPAC re-structuring processthat the TransitionCommittee will start workfrom.Peter Bowle-EvansPresident HPAC/ACVLwww.hpac.ca Spring

InstructorInsurance Feeshe HPAC holds a third-party liabilityTinsurance with our insurer. This insuranceprovides up to three million thirdpartyliability insurance to pilots AND TOSTUDENTS that are under the direct supervisionof HPAC-CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS.In turn, the HPAC recoups the cost for theinsurance policy through membershipfees, school insurance (now instructorfees) and site insurance certificates. Theschool insurance and site insurance certificateswere only instruments to generaterevenues. They did not confer any additionalinsurance per se to school or sites.The concept of "school insurance" wasfound to be less than ideal for the followingreasons:• Student and school operators were easilyconfused about what "school insurance"was all about. For example, aschool could hire a non-certified instructorand still think that their students would beprotected under the "school" policy whilethis was not the case since the student wasactually protected by a certified instructor'spersonal insurance. Similarly,studentsmay have thought that they were coveredby the "school insurance" under these circumstanceswhen that was not the case.Thus, there was the risk that both theHPAC and the school was misrepresentingthe "school insurance";• Under the old system, no school actuallyneeded to pay for "school insurance"because they were not getting anythingmore than what their certified instructorsalready received automatically under theHPAC insurance policy i.e. their studentsare automatically covered. If school operatorsknew better (sometime a lack ofcommunication is a plus?), they would notpay the "school insurance" fee since it hasno real value and the HPAC would loosean important source of revenue; and• The school insurance process addedunnecessary administrative overheadbecause the HPAC had to track schools inaddition to instructors while there wasreally no need to do that.Eliminating the "school insurance" altogetherand not replacing it with anyinstructor's fee at all was actually passedin principle at the AGM pending a financialanalysis of the cost. That analysisshowed that the HPAC could not affordthe loss of revenues. Since all directorswere heavily opposed to raising the membershipfee, the logical solution was tocharge instructors a fee as a condition toretain their instructor's rating.Notmaking the fee a condition for theretention of an instructor's rating would bepointless because the instructor's studentwould be covered automatically under ourinsurance policy just by virtue of the certifiedinstructor holding the certification.I agree that the instructor's fee is not a perfectsolution but money has to come fromsomewhere. An increase in the number ofHPAC members would help raise the necessaryfunding and would allow the HPACto reduce or even eliminate the instructor'sfee as the Director really wanted to do.Since I estimate that up to half of the pilotsin Canada are not members, we have asignificant potential source of funding outthere. One of the reason we are restructuringis to try to offer these pilots somegood reasons to join (or rejoin) the HPACso we can generate the additional fundingto subsidize instructors and undertakeother useful projects that will benefit thesports in Canada.In response to Charles Warren's commentthat he did not hear anything about thisissue until it was said and done, I justwant to mention that this topic was addedto the AGM agenda in mid-Novemberand a discussion paper was posted on theAGM web site. Having said that, it is theresponsibility of the Directors of the HPACto communicate with their provincialmembers.This may, or may not have happened. Inany case, another reason for the restructureof the HPAC is to make sure futuredirectors are elected and accountable tothe pilot who elects them. This shouldhelp foster bettercommunications in thefuture.Andre NadeauSpring www.hpac.ca

Radio’s&WizardryBy Peter Bowle-Evanshere would we be without the wonders of technology in free flight today? Unable to communicate, notWknowing our altitude, rate of ascent, heading, airspeed, windspeed, speed to fly to goal, or to direct ourdrivers, order dinner ahead of time, call home, call the office, check up on the staff, check the email, make afew quick stock trades, download an audio-visual and space-and-time record of our flight and analyse the finedetails with mathematical precision; indeed, even to know where the heck we are in at least three co-ordinatesystems - we would be like space travelers projected into the ever expanding universe that leaves them furtherand further marooned in nothingness and nowhereness.From the marvels of the vox unit, I now know just how much effort some of my friends exert in the flying of theirhang gliders, as one day every huff, puff, pant and grunt was relayed faithfully to my ear. Just how much grunthe exhorts while engaging in certain other physical activities is open to speculation, but I know what my leaningis toward.The simple radio is a truly a masterpiece on its own. I have yet to come to the end of the permutations by whichone can function other than as the manuals describe. At one time I had as many as eight or more connectionson my system, by the time I was hooked in, any one of which alone could, and did, provide puzzles and amusement.After I got smart and re-configured the system, getting it down to half this number, things got much morechallenging as more quirks arose from less obvious sources. A good radio livens up the dullest flight. You justnever know what it will do. Well, actually you, because they follow every version ofmurphy's law that ever was.So, when you wish to convey something of importance and immediate relevance, suchas 'this air is not suitable for novices', as happened to me one evening, or 'I will belanding at such-and-such spot in five minutes and it is in the opposite direction tothe way I said I was going to fly before I launched' - there is, of course, no conceivableway that anything will be received, at least by anyone that matters.Whether these messages are actually transmitted could be a subject for a postdoctoral thesis on space-time continuums. If they are, then there must be a hugerepository of them somewhere. Anyone gaining access to it should be able totrace many pilots' entire life histories, just supposing that there was a webbrowser tailored to searching through it. Conversely, of course, should youinadvertently curse - not that any of you do, you understand - or if you shouldbe chatting with someone about the hamburgers you at for lunch, then everysyllable, complete with tone and inflections, will be meticulously both transmittedand received far and wide.Skips will jump several hundred kilometers, and the content will be relayedfrom HG to sailplane to base stations to 747's, and pretty soon multinationalastronauts will be coming back with requests for details on the fries and gravy.We must realise that the humble hamburger is very likely a much dreamt ofluxury for those marooned space men, and seeds of discontent must not besewn. This must be the real reason behind the regulations against frivolous talkover the air bands.Partial receptions are always good IQ tests. Notice I say receptions, as the relationshipbetween transmissions and receptions seems to be an unknown akin tolife after death; you just are not able to be at both ends at once - at least until...continued on next pagewww.hpac.ca Spring

we all fly with flight recorders, and untilhijacking of HGs and PGs becomes aproblem, this is hardly likely. Come tothink of it, close to some international borders,this could be not so far fetched. 'Youvil vly me to town Greener Grass in countryof Utopia or I vill shoot you to death,avter ve land.' How about a section onhijacking in the tandem manual? It shouldn'tbe boring. I digress. Take the word'die', or was it 'dying'? - on its own. Noone in their right mind would say theywere dying, would they? Obviously, theirbattery is dying, maybe for their vario orradio, so we just won't hear anythingmore from them till they show up somewhere.Great, let's have a beer! Too badwe will have to drink theirs too! You know,one day, the message really was, 'I amgoing to die'. It was one of thoseepisodes, although happily he thoughtwrong, and lived.Never mind for a moment whether or notwe can tell anyone what we are doing orwhere we are going right now, so long aswe know. Providing we have taken thefew simple steps of programming all theworld's airports' coordinates into ourGPS, along with some of the more likelyplaces we might actually fly to, haveflown the requisite umpteen sledders tocalculate our polar - we won't discuss pilotweight gain just now, have successfullycorrelated all the corrections between theinput from our airspeed indicator, ourGPS, and perhaps that polar,and have kept it straight inour head - no, in our programming,that altitudedoes not require a correction,have correctly set ourlaunch altitude in relation toour potential LZs, bearing inmind AGLs, MSLs, Ms, ft,inches or mms of mercury,time zones,UTM zones- you doknow Spring www.hpac.cathere is a UTM zone line running plumbthrough the middle of Calgary, don'tyou?, declination - this one is for real inCanada, and possibly angle of dangle.We will have no trouble at all charting ourcourse, following our coordinates,inputting our requirements, and obtainingprojections of our necessary speed andheading to fly to arrive precisely at ourintended goal and at an equally preciselypre-calculated time. Plainly we will haveno difficulty evaluating the windspeedsalong the intended route. Why, we cancall up any number of meteorologicalservices, which should be able to automaticallyinput a steady stream of data toour equipment.What do you mean, you have neverheard of Yahk? Actually, we could do thewhole thing from our PC at home, withoutall the messy details of not having a driver,wearing out the SUV, getting cold,scared or sweaty and dirty. We could geta much better print out from the laser thanthe minuscule inkjet we plug in to the cigarettelighter. You mean you don't haveone of those yet?As a friend pointed out one day, it is somuch more satisfying to know that insteadof having flown about forty-five kliks, youflew 38.2, or as I can imagine thatinstead of 'blasting me out of there like acork out of a bottle', it was 1813.02 fpmfor 79.75 secs.At least when we do get down on theground again, even if noone else knowswhere we are and how great our adventurehas been, or even we do not ourselves,it is comforting to relax in theknowledge that we can check our investmentsand make whatever trades wedeem necessary - providing our cellphone is not so small that we cannot findit without our glasses on. We will assumethat we were thoughtful enough not to forgetthose glasses, or the little gizmo withwhich we connect the cell to the palm PC.Further, now that the location of any cellphone can be traced once it is turned on,we can be retrieved with no problem. Atleast the cell phone can, even if it is inbears stomach. Biologists need to developan environmentally acceptable pukepotient for the retrieval of non- biodegradablecellular telephones from man eatingcarnivores. As a Parks Canada wardenonce remarked to me, 'we do not want thebears to have indigestion'. Please fly indigestible, biodegradable clothing.Me, I like my simple vario, with numeralslarge enough I can read it without myglasses on, and buttons big enough I canpress them with gloves on. It dies everynow and then too, but so far I have not.Myself, by the time I get away from theoffice and all the PCs, RAMs, DRAMS,SDRAMS, RAMBUSSES, GIS, GPS, SA,UTMs, NADs, EDMs, TTMs, TINs, DEMs,DTMs, PLYs, GWN, USTN, UCMs, BATs,CFGs, GBs, NSs, routing, cabling, transfers,protocols, gender benders, passwords,codes, equipment that is NFGright out of the box, incompatibilities, multitudinousmismatching formats andmedias, data recorders and downloaders...anyone in this domain will have theirown pet list, I have had enough of it! Forpleasure and fun, I want as little of all thisas possible.Once I am airborne, in a sense, I don'tcare where I am, just that I am flying. Infact, I quite like that I simply disappear forseveral hours. With my simple gaze thathas retained its long range faculties verywell, I find I can tell where I am quiteeffectively. As to how high, the mountainsare a pretty good yardstick, and variodoes his job, although the pit of my stomach,which requires no batteries or programming,also tells a story. Some of thesensations that flow from my hands, alongmy arms and through my shoulders tell meall sorts of things about the air and thermalconditions I am actually in, and theclouds and soaring birds tell me thingsabout the air currents in other places. Myears, dulled as they may be from years ofair driven equipment, loud stereos, andjust plain years, still hear the sound of thewind going by with so many varyingtones, and my face can feel the coolnessor warmth of that same air. In this, perhapsthe most free environment I know, inthe absence of a bank of electronic beepsand bops requiring constant attention, Ican enjoy - what do you think? Freeflight !!One of my friends with whom I fly mostregularly does not even own a vario, letalone all the other wizardry. Know what?He flies, perhaps not quite always, butmost often, higher, further, and for longerthan any of the rest of us - and his wing isnot new either.I read several articles now about HGpilots who have sort of re-adopted a slowerwing. The more usual term for thesewings is beginner or novice, but sincethese are very far from beginner pilots, Iam just calling it slower, which they are. Itseems they are having a lot of fun, andthey are also competing with them, in variousways. What about a meet where thebig rule is, "No electronic wizardry"? Inthe interests of safety, I am sure we wouldhave to allow radios. All the rest - leave itall behind.How about it - free flight anyone...?

The NationalsLeft to Right...Barry BatemanAndre NadeauTyler BorradaileChris MullerPaul ThordarsonPhil SiscoeShots from Jayson BigginsJayson gets readySpring launch at Woodsidewww.hpac.ca Spring

he S.O.G.A. club competition has always been a primarily fun event, with friendly rival-and spot landings for Tries entertainment!Last year we decided to alter the X.C. scoring system to take into account the ever-changingconditions in Ontario. (Three days of comp-one rained out, one perfect-one blown out)The tasks were all open distance, the furthest pilot would have his distance multiplied toone thousand and all other competitors would have their mileage multiplied by the samefactor. It actually worked out! - The lead pilot always received the maximum points-no matterhow far he flew, and the rest of the competitors always scored no matter how far (ornot!) they flew. A real confidence boost for some of the less experienced pilots. Prizes wereawarded for spot and X.C. but the scores were kept separate so that those that didn’t wantto go (or couldn’t) could always try for the spot points.The second day of competition dawned with winds W.S.W. 10-15 K, puffy cumies startedearly and the pilots rushed into line by the dollies. Ken Kinze all business and on the launchcart first, had a good tow and was soon on his way. Most of the pilots got under way inone tow and conditions were good all day long.Ken took the day with an outstanding flight of 81 miles landing just short of Orillia followedby Joe Hockin with an excellent 53 miler that was cut short by Georgian bay (helanded on the beach in Collingwood!) Martin McLeod came in third with a 42 miler. Therest of the field was as follows: Steve Younger 30.5 , Mike Gates 22 , Gary Ticknor 21,John Pop 16.5 and last a rookie, Shane Wright with 15 miles.The last day was virtually blown out and most of the pilots decided to stayhome, strong Westerly winds gusting 25-30 K were called for and onlythe die hards (sorry-optimistic) set up. As you can tell the winds abatedsomewhat at the end of the day and Ken again beat out the rest of thepack with a hard fought 28 miles. The rookie Shane followed with a 17mile flight which seriously threatened Joe Hockin’s second place standingas Joe was not going to bother to compete that day. He called fromToronto and upon hearing that we were setting up, raced up to fly justbefore the window closed! Gary managed to fly 7.1 miles, Joe 7 ,I managedonly 6 miles after getting dumped in the turbulent air and watchedShane sail over me at 5 grand! Martin faired even worse with a 1.7-milehop!The final scores for the X.C. portion are as follows;1st Ken Kinze………….2000pts2nd Joe Hockin………….905 pts3rd Shane Wright……….792pts4th Martin McLoud……..579pts5th Gary Ticknor……..512pts6th Mike Gates………..486pts7th Steve Younger……377pts8thJ ohn Pop…………204ptsIn the spot-landing portion Rick Hines nailed the spot on his first try, dead center! (The spotwas laid out like a dart board-no pun intended) and recieved50 points for his trouble, followedby Kevin Thompson who also nailed dead center for 50. Steve Younger made thespot (but not in the center bullseye) for 10 points. Many other tries were made but as thepilots were unable to hit in the spot they made no points.The final scores were as follows;1st Rick Hines………….50pts2nd Kevin Thompson…...50pts (2nd flight tie breaker )3rd Steve Younger……...10ptsSpecial thanks go out to Christene Nidd who put hundreds of miles in her car chasingpilots, Joel, Greg and Steve for driving the tug and to Pam and Graham for their assistanceas ground crew.As meat head for the second year running I can honestly say that I personally had a lot offun at this competition, there were no incidents/accidents and we all had a good laugh. Iwould recommend any pilots to come over to S.O.G.A. and experience the fun and easyairtime!Spring www.hpac.caMike Gates

H a n g G l i d i n g a n d P a r a g l i d i n g A s s o c i a t i o n o f C a n a d a# 1 3 , 1 3 6 7 0 - 8 4 A v e , S u r r e y , B . C . , C a n a d a V 3 W 0 T 6P h . & F a x : 1-6 0 4 - 5 0 7 - 2 5 6 5A P P L I C A T I O N F O R 2 0 0 0 M E M B E R S H I PHPAC MEMBERSHIP Full membership in the HPAC: with all the benefits and privileges.Worldwide $3 Million third party liability insurance. Aero club of Canada / FAI membership. Air or Sur Vol MagazineSubscription. Choose one of the following:B.C, Alta., Sask., East Coast Residents ................. ( includes $15 Prov. Fee ) $85 $__________________Man., Quebec Residents .............. ( includes $25 Man or $38 Qc. Prov. Fee ) $95 $__________________Ont. Residents ........................................................ ( includes $10 Prov. Fee ) $80 $__________________FAMILY MEMBERSHIP: The same as a full member except no Air Magazine:(Must reside at the home of a full member) ........ $50 plus appropriate Prov. Fee$__________________AIR SUBSCRIPTION Four issues of the “AIR” magazine (For non-members) $35 $__________________TOTAL AMOUNT DUE:$__________________HPAC is a non-profit organization and Donations are Tax Deductible.Request a receipt? Y N Donation Amount: $ __________________HPAC Membership # _____________ PLEASE PRINT CLEARLYNew Member ( Y/N ) _________Name: __________________________________ Fax: ( _____ ) ____________________________________Address: __________________________________ Cell: ( _____ ) ____________________________________City: __________________________________ Email: __________________________________________Province: _________________________________ Radio Type & Call Sign:____________________________Postal Code: _______________________________ Hang / Paraglider Pilot: ____________________________Country: __________________________________ Male / Female: ____________________________Phone: ( _____ ) __________________________ Date of Birth: (day) _____ (month) _______ 19 __________Work: ( _____ ) __________________________ Medic Alert:______________________________________In Case of EMERGENCY contact: __________________________________ Relationship:________________Phone: ( _____ ) __________________________ Address: _________________________________________City: ____________________________________ Prov.: ________________ Country: ___________________It is MANDATORY to carry liability insurance to fly most sites in North America. HPAC Liability Insuranceis only available to financial members of the HPAC. If you are applying for full membership please completethe attached Liability Waiver.I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS FORM IS AN APPLICATION FOR LIABILITY INSURANCEAND THAT ALL THE INFORMATION GIVEN ABOVE IS CORRECT.Dated: ________________________________ Signature: __________________________________________Did you have an accident in the past year that was not reported? Y N HPAC Form A- Rev.2000-6www.hpac.ca Spring

RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISKI, _________________________________, hereby acknowledge and agree that in consideration ofbeing permitted to participate in Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities, I hereby agree torelease and discharge "Owners and/or Lessors of land who have granted permission for the use of property for HangGliding/Paragliding programs or activities, the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada a/o AssociationCanadien De Vol Libre, their officers, directors, representatives, employees, members and all other persons or entities actingin any capacity on their behalf" (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Releasee") from all liability and I do hereby waive asagainst the "Releasee" all recourses, claims, causes of action of any kind whatsoever, in respect of all personal injuries orproperty losses which I may suffer arising out of or connected with, my preparation for, or participation in, the aforesaidHang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities, not withstanding that such injuries or losses may have been caused solely orpartly by the negligence of the "Releasee"1. And I do hereby acknowledge and agree;a. that the sport of Hang Gliding / Paragliding and Hang Gliding / Paragliding is very dangerous, exposingparticipants to many risks and hazards, some of which are inherent in the very nature of the sport itself, others whichresult from human error and negligence on the part of persons involved in preparing, organizing and staging HangGliding/Paragliding programs or activities;b. that, as a result of the aforesaid risks and hazards, I as a participant may suffer serious personal injury, even death, aswell as property loss;c. that some of the aforesaid risks and hazards are foreseeable, but others are not;d. that I nevertheless freely and voluntarily assume all of the aforesaid risks and hazards, and that, accordingly, mypreparation for, and participation in the aforesaid Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs and activities shall be entirelyat my own risk;e. that I understand that the "Releasee" does not assume any responsibility whatsoever for my safety during the courseof my preparation for or participation in the aforesaid Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities;e. that I have carefully read this RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK agreement, that I fullyunderstand same, and that I am freely and voluntarily executing same;g. that I understand that by signing this release I hereby voluntarily release, forever discharge and agree to indemnifyand hold harmless the "Releasee" for any loss or damage connected with any property loss or personal injury that Imay sustain while participating in or preparing for any Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities whether ornot such loss or injury is caused solely or partly by the negligence of the "Releasee"h. that I have been given the opportunity and have been encouraged to seek independent legal advice prior tosigning this agreement;i. that the term "Hang Gliding/Paragliding programs or activities" as used in this RELEASE, WAIVER ANDASSUMPTION OF RISK agreement includes without limiting the generality of that term, the Hang Gliding towingprograms and activities as well as all other competitions, fly-ins, training sessions, clinics, programs and events;j. this RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK agreement is binding on myself, my heirs, my executors,administrators, personal representatives and assigns and;k. that I have had sufficient opportunity to read this entire document. I have read and understood it, and Iagree to be bound by its terms.Signature of Participant: _________________________ Print Name: ____________________________Address: _________________________________________________________________________________Phone: _______________________________________ Date: _____________________________Signature of Witness: ___________________________Print Name: _____________________________Spring www.hpac.ca

Golden Airtime...continued from pg. 12now been flying for over an hour, and Ihadn’t seen anyone in the air besides theinitial paraglider. At 10,500 feet theshapes below get very small, the air iscool, and the space around you is limitless... until you spot another glider. Therewas one at my altitude coming back fromthe south end of Mt. 7, and another oneworking its way up the spine north of thesummit.Tom was also airborne by now and wediscussed the conditions over the radio.Both of us were experiencing sink at thatmoment. He was barely maintaining severalhundred feet above the summit and Iwas on a steady descent from my perch at10,500 feet. He suggested that we wereprobably just between cycles and we justneeded to hang on till the next thermalcame through.Since I had hooked such a good thermalin the bowl north of the summit, I decidedto return there to find lift to get me back upagain. The bowl did not disappoint me,and up I went again. I revisited this areahalf a dozen times throughout this flightwhen the altitude tank was getting low. Itwas like pulling up to the gasoline pumpsand saying "fill’er up," and up I’d go.One of the thermals was soooooo big,(how big was it?) ... it was so big that Iflew straight for 10 seconds and the climbrate was still increasing. Just out of habitI began to circle and went right back upto 10,500.The Purcell Mountains were beginning tocast a shadow on the entire valley. I knewit would not be too much longer beforethat shadow would start to creep up theslopes that had so consistently providedme with lift. I figured that I had probablybeen up there a while when the GobStopper gum, which my son Conner hadgiven to me prior to the flight, began todisintegrate in my mouth.They should put a warning label on thegum package stating, "This gum will selfself-destruct in two hours."Another indication it was getting late wasmy wife’s last radio transmission, "John,there is no sun in the landing field, andwe’re getting eaten by mosquitoes. Weare going back to the campground to getmore clothes. We will be back in a bit."The sun was getting lower and I could seeTom heading out into the valley.When he got to the landing field, he usedthe radio in my truck to contact me. Thebattery on his radio had shut down 1.5hours into his 2.5 hour flight. He wantedto know what my position was.My reply was, "I’m directly above thesummit of Mt. 7 still duke’n it out with thetwo local boys." At that point Peter, Sergeand I were the only ones still in the air. Ilater found out that the two Cold Lakepilots, Guy and Corey, had gone south(25 km). It was Corey’s first ever crosscountry flight. James Lintott of MedicineHat and Charlse from Vancouver hadflown, but I don’t know where they finallyended up. Since Peter and Serge werestill up, I figured I was in good companyand was willing to keep flying as long asthey were.Sometimes you get a particular instanceduring a flight that sticks in your mind likea photograph, only it’s more vivid than aphoto because it is three dimensional.One such instance occurred when I hadjust flown out of a thermal that was driftingme east of the summit. It was takingme too far back and I wanted to get backout in front of the mountain again.I was flying in a straight line to the west,and just about over the summit at 9800,when I noticed Serge was flying straightout as well just off my right wing,. Peterwas off my left wing doing exactly thesame thing. It was like we were formationflying without any prior communication.45 degrees to the right the sun was gettinglow over the Purcells, and at the sameangle to the left a full moon was creepinginto the sky.Formation flying above Mount Seven andthe sun and the moon in opposing positions:A 3D image that words can hardlydo justice, but an image I’ll not soon forget.With the light starting to fade, I began towonder when to land. On most flights,the lift runs out long before the light does.It was now just after 9:00 p.m. and therewas no sign of the lift running out. Fromthis height a straight glide to the LZ wouldstill take 30 minutes. Just as I was ponderinghow much light there would still bein 30 minutes, Peter and Serge began flynorth toward launch.I took this to mean that they too were gettingready to head for the LZ. However,on a warm summer evening floatingaround in endless light puffy thermals, it’sdifficult to ignore lift and fly straight to thelanding field. It’s kind of like a kid walkingto school and finding all kinds ofthings to investigate before actually gettingthere. The destination is inevitable,but definitely not the focus.As I followed a ridge line away from themountain, the vario beeped once more."Well O.K. just one more." I banked theglider and lazily began to climb again.This is crazy I thought to myself. It is after9:00 and I’m hitting better lift than I’vehad mid afternoon on some flights. I onlyclimbed about 600 ft before I left the thermaland continued toward the LZ. Peterand Serge were now well away from themountain and heading slowly for the LZ aswell.As we flew over the middle of the valley,an evening convergence had set up andthere was lift everywhere. The view of thevalley in the purplish twilight from 4000feet above the LZ was awesome. Some ofthe street lights in Golden had now comeon the town looked like SPARKLINGGOLDen.It was time to pull in the bar and get seriousabout getting my feet back on theground. Bar to my waist and a few steepturns finally got the glider descending. Itwas ironic that the hardest that I’d have towork all flight, would be trying to getdown!My daughter’s (Nikkia) voice came overthe radio, "Dad, where are you?" "I’m3000 feet directly above you," I replied."Can you see me waiving at you," shesaid. "No," I said, "you look like a littledot from up here." To which she replied,"I’m jumping up and down. Can you seethe dot moving up and down?" Ofcourse I told her I could.Serge landed first (4.5 hours flight time),then I came in two minutes later (3.5 hoursflight time), and Peter landed two minutesafter me (4 hours flight time). My wifeand kids greeted me with an icy coldCoke!They helped to quickly disassemble theglider before the mosquitoes had achance to fill up on their drink of choice.It was hugs for all, as we discussed whata spectacular flight it had been.Thanks to Tom for helping me get off theramp. Thanks to Peter for guiding mearound the sky over the mountain in hisback yard. And thanks to my family fortheir support.A candle light (Coleman lantern actually)dinner at 10:30 was the conclusion to aperfect day. I didn’t fly cross country andit wasn’t my longest flight, but sharing theair with friends at a special site, likeMount Seven in Golden British Columbia,is what flying is all about!www.hpac.ca Spring

Transport Canada...continued from pg. 15Requirement to carry an altimeter:The current CARs specify that a hang gliderflying in Class E must carry an altimeter.The CARAC has approved an amendmentto this regulation. A hang glider mustnow carry an altimeter in all controlledairspace. This change just acknowledgesthat hang gliders can fly in Class B, C andD airspaces and removes a potential loophole.Aerotowing: The current regulationspecifies that a person operating a FlightTraining Unit (FTU) can use ultralight aircraftto tow hang gliders for the purposeof providing hang gliding flight instruction.The CARAC has approved an amendmentthat specifies that a FTU can use ultralightaircraft to tow hang gliders for recreationalflights as well.The significance of this change is obvious.After a pilot completes its training, he cancontinue to be aerotowed for recreationalflying, something that is not currently permittedby the CARs but is happening on aregular basis at Canadian flight parks.Note however, that recreational aerotowingis still permitted only at FTUs. Notealso that there are some conditions thatmust be met before aerotowing operationscan begin. I will address these in a futurearticle.Flight Training: Presently, a "person"cannot conduct flight training for a glider(including hang glider and paraglider)unless they are a club, school or otherorganization.The CARAC has approved an amendmentthat specifies that a person can now conductflight training as well. That is selfexplanatory.Note that the new regulations are noteffective yet. I will advise the HPAC memberswhen that has occurred. Also notethat I am using "hang glider" throughoutthis article. I do not wish to offendparaglider pilots but a paraglider is ahang glider so the CARs apply toparagliders as well.I intend to make this a regular column inthe AIR. The next article will look at myplanned efforts for this year. Bureaucracynever stops.Fly safe,Andre NadeauTransport Canada LiaisonSpring www.hpac.caRescues at Mt. 7...continued from pg. 18THE COSTSThere is nothing new about the allocationof costs, more than the reduced costs fromless flying time. Flying time also dependson more than point of dispatch. There issearch time and rescue site location toconsider, and there can be others. For thetime being whether we or you get a bill isdependent upon whether or not it is anambulance call. This means whether anambulance would be called for due topilot injuries.So, picture a pilot hurt in the middle of afield in the valley bottom, and ask thequestion, does this need an ambulance? Ifthe answer is yes, then an ambulanceshould be called for. There is a discussionabout where the injured person is, andvery quickly the questions, "Is there aroad?" and "Can an ambulance getthere?" get asked. When the answer isplainly "No", because this person is not ina hay field but in the middle of a cliff halfway up a mountain, this is the point atwhich to start requesting a helicopter rescue.In these cases then, the helicoptertakes the place of the ambulance, and itscost are charged as such.If you are properly covered with medicalinsurance, then no bill is issued for the rescue.More about the medical coveragelater. If the answer to the need for anambulance is a "No", then we or you willbe getting the bill - and this is where ourContingency Fund comes in, because thenone of the designated site persons willassess the need and if appropriate authorisethe rescue to proceed, acknowledgingthat the costs will be invoiceable toour fund.Alpine personnel in Golden know that wehave the funds in place to adequatelycover this scale of cost, and they will proceed.If the pilot in need of rescue has notcontributed to our fund, then there will bethe discussion of who IS going to pay, andtheir personal family and/or friends willbe invited to put down their credit cardson it. We have to hope that the event ofno contribution, and no solvent family orfriends does not arise.MEDICAL COVERAGEThis has been brought up a number oftimes, by people like Fred Wilson, AndreNadeau and others, and I am going to gothrough it some more. The lack of it washighlighted by the horrendous situationthat a Quebec pilot got into one or twowinters ago, and I dare say there are others.This site is in British Columbia. So,those of us who live here make use of theBritish Columbia Medical Plan, which werefer to as BC Med. There may be otherplans, but for ordinary folks, this is theone, and it works. Now, many of us havethe premiums paid for through ouremployment, and a number of thoseemployers have extended benefits plans.Whichever way, we are covered. This BCMed coverage pays for the lions share ofambulance services. There is a minimumfee of $54, and Golden to Calgary lastsummer was $137. But pay attention now- that is NOT the full cost.I happened to have to assist a friend withambulance trip fees recently, and in theenvelopes were cards describing somequite sobering information. One part containsthe preamble over how the ambulancecosts are subsidised by the BCGovernment for residents of BC coveredby BC Med insurance. The other side presentsa different reality.For Non-Residents/Non-Beneficiaries, thecosts are $396 for ground service,$2400 per hour for helicopter service,and $6 per statute mile for fixed wingservice. While you are absorbing this, donot think that these costs will not increaseover time.Now lookup your own personal medicalcoverage. Does it cover out-of-provincecosts? This applies equally to BC pilotsgoing elsewhere as to non-BC pilots cominghere. Of course, ambulance fees arejust part of out-of-province costs that maybe incurred. There are all sorts of medicaland emergency insurance plans all overthe place. I must urge everyone to look upthese boring details and make sure youare covered. When you get right down tothe number of days or length of time thatyou need this coverage for, as a HG/PGpilot, for most it is not really that long thatyou are away from home base. The planthat I know of, thanks to Fred Wilson, andwhich Andre has highlighted too, isthrough the Canadian AutomobileAssociation.The CAA has a plan that you as a thirdparty can even sign up a visitor for whodoes not speak either of our languages.Start from www.caa.ca and browse fromthere. It is divided into provinces, and allhave 800 numbers. At the last count itwas of the order of $2 per day for a planthat would look after everything fromcrash to getting home. Read the smallprint of course, and ask questions - thingsdo change.Hoping you all protect yourselves fully -and then never need to use it.Peter Bowle-Evans

ImoreRadio Q & A'sndustry Canada & SpectrumManagement are here to answer questionson radios and frequencies; and toprovide a couple of "news items on thetopic. This is a timely topic due to anincreasing proliferation of Radio typesand frequencies in the sport.The HPAC has been issued two official frequenciesfor Air to Air and Air to Groundoperations: 123.4 MHz Aircraft Band forSoaring Purposes and 173.64 MHz FMfor Hang Gliding Club Use.There are other radio types in use, includingHAM and the Family Radio Service,but this article will begin by focusing onour two official channels. Q's come fromthe HPAC forum. Answers are fromSpectrum Management.Aircraft RadiosThere are many benefits to using Aircraftband - often stated, but still worth repeating.It remains the easiest way to both fileyour HAGAR and get an up to dateweather forecast. It allows you to land atsome airports and to fly through uncontrolledairports.Q. What licenses and fees apply toAircraft Radios?A. Aircraft Radios on board aircraft nolonger require licensing fees or registrationin Canada and the USA. A considerablecost savings over a lifetime.From a licensing aspect, the radios on theground require a license. "This becomessome what of a hard sell when you arelikely dealing with the same portablepiece of equipment either strapped to thepilot or used on the ground. Nevertheless,this is the current regulatory regime."Q. Do I still require a Radio OperatorCertificate?Yes. The Radio Operator Certificate is stilla requirement for anyone who may beoperating the aeronautical radio equipment,regardless of whether a radiolicense is required.Q. How should I identify my hang glider,if I no longer require a radio license?A. Non-registered aircraft, such as hanggliders or other soaring craft, should useany reasonable method that will allow forthe identification of their station. We suggestthat you use "Hang glider SUR-NAME" as a means of identification.Q: Would Regulations re aircraft radiosdiscourage, if not prohibit, air to groundcommunication, unless the ground is acontrol tower?A: No. Quite the contrary. Soaring purposesincludes ground crew communications.Q: Can additional frequencies beobtained for special events / competitions?One frequency gets jammed.NEWSA. It is possible to be granted authority byIndustry Canada, on a short term basis, touse other aeronautical frequencies in theGeneral Aviation Communication (GAC)band for hang gliding purposes duringspecial events. For authorization of specificfrequencies, the event organizer shouldcontact the local office of IndustryCanada well in advance of the scheduledevent. (up to 60 days) As long as the frequenciesto be used are for hang glidingoperation and are in the aeronauticalmobile band, there is no fee associatedwith this authority.If deemed necessary, Industry Canadamay direct the event organizer to liasewith a contact person in NavCanada withrespect to coordinating this short termoperation.FM RadiosQ. Is there a designated FM Frequencyfor Hang Gliding in Canada?A. Yes. 173.64 MHz is designated for"Hang Gliding Club Use." It is a PrivateCommercial Band shared with theCanadian Ski Patrol and the RoyalCanadian Golf Association and is restrictedto 1.0 watts."The reason no hang gliding is assignedon 173.64 is because FM radios requirea license and no Hang Gliding clubs havebought a license."Clubs?Yep. You heard right. Clubs are permittedto buy a bulk license for all radios in useby club members. Unlike otherCommercial FM frequencies you are notrestricted to local area use. This frequencyis allocated for hang gliding Canadawide.airtechQ. Are there other FM Frequencies wecan use?A. The Department would be extremelyreluctant to allocate any other such spectrumoutside of the Aviation Band. Soaringis an aeronautical service and shouldhave it's radio communication needs servicedfrom within the aeronautical bands.As a national group, if more frequenciesare required then this should be sufficientlyput together in a comprehensive letterof intent to the Department and possiblyNav Canada as well.CommentIllegal use of commercial FM frequenciesis becoming an increasing problem inCanada. Many pilots use a local frequencybut fail to realize that a commercial FMfrequency is resold to many different companiesin different regions of eachprovince. Example: a business band soldin Kelowna will be resold in Kamloops.Secondly, outside of 173.64, commercialFM frequencies are sold with the expectationthat they will be used for groundbased transmissions. As soon as you gainaltitude the probability of interfering withother users increases.The advantage of FMs the possibility toengage in idle chit-chat with flying buddiesin the air. But once again, manypilots are using the radios illegally andignorantly - they don't know that there arespecial frequencies for repeaters, specialcommunications purposes, restricted frequencies,and the like. You can't just gopicking any frequency and start talking.So the apparent infinity of channels thatFM provides is only an illusion. You canlegally transmit on just one frequency.HAM RadiosMessage, Caps locks from SpectrumManagement "I can't emphasize stronglyenough except to say..... AMATEUR(HAM) RADIO EQUIPMENT CAN ONLYBE USED BY CERTIFIED AMATEUR RADIOOPERATORS. As we discussed, theprocess of becoming certified is quitearduous and time consuming. There areno regulations regarding altitude restrictionsalthough the Amateur fraternity mayhave self imposed limits to help preventinterference.""We are highly dubious that all your membersare meeting the licensing requirementsof Ham radio."...continued on next pagewww.hpac.ca Spring

Radios Q/A...continued from pg. 37Using a Ham Radio Air-to-Air or Air-to-Ground IS NOT illegal. However the bottomline is that Spectrum Managementfeels that it is inappropriate to use Hamradios for flying. The problem stems fromrepeaters. Simplex repeaters may pick upyour transmission and rebroadcast it onanother frequency. These users wouldhave no way of reversing the process tospeak to you to say you are creating aproblem.With good antennas, Ham radios haveexcellent range - in excess of 100 km airto air without repeaters and on low poweroutput. They have nifty new features suchas APRS available which integrate GPS.Family Radio ServiceA New service for Radio users is theFamily Radio Service FM UHF 450 MHzfrequency range. This has 14 Channels, isrestricted to a low: 1/2 watt power whichis good for 3-5 km and would be applicableto teaching purposes or local soaring.There are no Licensing requirementsor fees associated with its use.For further information:Statements from Industry Canada andSpectrum Management are posted on theHPAC web site in the Safety SectionArticles. The HPAC Links page will alsoget you to Industry Canada andSpectrum Management web sites. "Thetopic of radio communication is obviouslya complex one. If anyone has any doubtsor questions call any of our District Officeslisted on our website.'www.hpac.caPresidentPeter Bowle-EvansBox 2035, Golden, BC, V0A 1H0H: 250-348-2227F: 250-344-5260kapristo@rockies.netVice PresidentPhil Siscoe502 19th Ave NW, Calgary, AB,T2M 0Y6Hm: 403-289-7750 Wk: 403-295-5419Cell: 403-809-7750Phil.Siscoe@cdcgy.comTreasurerMartin PollachBox 1442, Cochrane, AB, T0L 0W01-403-932-3680polachm@cadvision.comAdministratorGerry LaMarsh#13-13670 84th Ave.Surrey, BC, V3W 0T61-604-507-2565hpac@istar.caAir EditorTony McGowanc/o 1430 Church Ave.Winnipeg, MB, R2X 1G4cunim@excite.comCIVL / FAIStewart Midwinter213-24 Ave. NWCalgary, AB, T2M 1X2stewart@midwintercanada.comTransport CanadaAndre Nadeau1-613-837-5482andre.nadeau@home.comRatings OfficerGerry LaCroix310 Bouchard Rd.Petersfield. MB, R0C 2L0lacroix@mb.sympatico.caInstructionChris MullerBox 2, Site 13, RR#2Cochrane, AB, T0L 0W01-403-932-6760fly@mullerwindsports.comCompetitionBernard Winkelmann2012 - 35 St. SWCalgary, Alberta1-403-249-6763benyl40@hotmail.comAccident Review &Safety Committee ChairmanIan McArthurBox 41 Heffley Creek, BCVOE 1ZO, Canadaianmc@direct.caInsuranceGregg Humphreys2388 Epworth,Victoria, BC,V8R 5LI1-250-592-8428humph@island.netCross Country / FAIVincene MullerBox 2, Site 13, RR#2Cochrane, AB, T0L 0W01-403-932-6760fly@mullerwindsports.comSpectrum management does get out intheir vans and hunt down evil radioabusers but in reality the radio usage isbuilt on the honour system.Very few Paraglider pilots have boughtinto Aircraft Radios. For HG / Pgers alike:if you are not calling in your HAGAR,don't hold your breath waiting for theHPAC Insurance policy to pay out in theevent of a mid-air. It won't. Filing yourHAGAR is like filing a flight plan: thelegal minimum to warn other VFR / IFRaviators of your presence.On an airway, airspace above 12,500ASL is class B, 12,500 ASL down to2200 AGL is class E, except a transitionarea (such as where there is an approach)and then class E goes down to 700 AGL.Below 2200 or 700, other than controlzones, it is class G.Fred WilsonSpring www.hpac.caB.C. Hang Gliding andParagliding AssociationMark Dowsett – BCHPA President353 East 19th St.North Vancouver, BC V7L 2Z4604-984-2588Alberta Hang Gliding andParagliding AssociationPO Box 2011, Stn M. Calgary,Alberta, T2P 2M2Manitoba Hang GlidingAssociation200 Main St, Winnipeg,Manitoba, R3C 4M2Ontario Hang Gliding andParagliding AssociationBox 151, 1792 Liverpool Rd.Pickering, Ont. L1V 4V9SaskatchewanHang Gliding Association741 King St.Regina, Sask. S4T 4E1Hang Gliding andParagliding Association ofAtlantic Canada32 Chelsea Lane, Halifax, NSB3M 1K9, CanadaL’Association QuebecoisDe Vol Libre4545 Pierre de Coubertin, C.P.1000, Succ. M,Montreal, Quebec, H1V 3R2For more info on clubs in your areacheck out the new and improvedHPAC website @ www.hpac.ca

Stuff for SaleAirwave CalypsoLow airtime HG,excellent shape,light blue.Perfect first gliderfor less than$1500.Contact Guy at780-594-7282 orguylau@jetnet.ab.caAirwave Pulse10M, 35 Hrs,new wires, sparebase tubeand down tube.Great shape!$3300.00Contact Dave atBox 336,Stonewall, MbR0C 2Z01-204-467-8643PG Instructor/TandemCourseApril 5-8, 2001Savona, BC$ 300 for 4 days$ 175 for recertificationInstructor Requirements:HPAC Intermediate ratingTandem Requirements:HPAC Advanced Rating(with Advanced Manoueverscourse recommended)Seminar in Savona Location tobe determined. Space is limited,please book early!Email is: flybc@hotmail.comwww.flybc.org604-618-5467Sponsored by FlyBC ParaglidingairtrafficHang Gliding Champions2000A decision has been reached on the HG Champion for 2000. In discussionswith the competition chair, Bernard Winkleman, it became apparentthat there was no mathematical procedure available to accommodate thedual meet format that was run last year. Therefore, it has been decided thatwe shall have two champions for 2000, being Chris Muller from the Lumbymeet, and Gerry Grosnegger from the Saskatchewan meet. Both names willbe engraved on the trophy. Congratulations Chris and Gerry!REMINDERRemember deadlinefor the Summeredition of Air will beMay 15, 2001.If you do not see yourarticle in this issue itwill be in theSummer edition,so don’t worry.I still need somegreat photos...so sendthem in and you couldbe on the next cover.Email Articles tocunim@excite.comSTOP THE PRESSThe Manitoba Hang GlidingAssociation in conjunctionwith the Neepawa Clubhave just announced aTow Competitionto be held this comingMay Long Weekend.The comp will be apre-cursor to the possiblehosting of the2002 Tow Nationalsby the MHGA.The competition will be heldin the town of Neepawa,MbMay 19 to 21, 2001.Contact:Meet Head John Rempel @204-667-8464 for more infoIf you got the time come onout and explore the XCpotential of this fantastic siteand get a jump on nextyear. It’ll be tons of fun!!www.hpac.ca Spring

For more details on these adventures go to www.iparaglide.comFly Hard Southwestern USA, April 7 to April 22, 2001. Join us for a 16-day "Fly Hard"adventure tour through California, Nevada, and Arizona USA. The tour will commence in SanDiego, California on Saturday April 7 and end in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday April 22. OnApril 16, 17, 18 we will meet up with Anne and Enleau O’Connor at Lake Havasue forSimulation of Flight Incidents (SFI) training.Calenderof Events3-Day Simulation of Flight Incidents (SFI) Clinic, April 16, 17, 18, 2001, LakeHavasue, USA. We teach you recovery and prevention techniques for all possible unintentional,non-standard flight occurrences. We will emulate the entire series of DHV test maneuvers thatare used to certify your glider. In this manner, you will gain valuable insight of the DHV testprocess and see first-hand how your glider reacts at the limits of the flight envelope.Emphasis during the course will be on: deliberately inducing the particular non-standard flightconfiguration to understand how it may occur inadvertently; maintaining the configuration to beable to see and recognize when it has occurred; and then learning the most efficient techniquesfor rapid recovery to normal flight. Your instruction team will be comprised of Anne and EnleauO'Connor, top US aerobatic pilots of Seattle Aerobattle fame. These pilots have executed thousandsof aerobatic maneuvers and have mastered control of their gliders at the limits of the flightenvelope. They are capable of controlled changes of heading during spins and stalls, backwardflying, asymmetric spirals, loops and the all-new SAT maneuver!For your safety, all clinics will be conducted over a lake with a rescue boat on standby. We usea specialized tow rig and boat to tow you to three thousand feet above the lake where you willrelease and begin your routines while guided from the shore by your instructor.Fly Hard Central West USA, April 28 - May 13, 2001. Join us for a 16-day "Fly Hard"adventure tour through California, Nevada and Utah USA. The tour will commence in SanFrancisco, California on Saturday April 28 and end in Salt Lake City, Utah on Sunday May 13.We will have the great opportunity to meet up with top US aerobatic pilots Anne and EnleauO'Connor of Seattle Aerobattle fame (Redding, California). They will be available for guidingand for theory sessions and question/answer periods.Fly Hard Northwestern USA, May 19 to June 3, 2001. Join us for a 16-day "Fly Hard"adventure tour through Washington, Oregon and Idaho USA. The tour will be a circuit, commencingin Seattle on Saturday May 19 and ending back in Seattle on Sunday June 3.Fly Hard Beautiful British Columbia, September 1 to September 16, 2001. Join us for a16-day "Fly Hard" tour through British Columbia (BC) Canada. The tour will commence inVancouver, Saturday August 18 and end in Calgary, Alberta on Sunday September 2. This willbe a great opportunity to fly with Dani Loritz, Firebird test pilot and one of the world’s top aerobaticspilots.Fly Hard Southern Europe, September 22 to October 7, 2001. Details to be announced.Dani Loritz, Firebird test pilot, world class aerobatics pilot, and close personal friend, will beorganizing this for us. Not sure exactly where, but Dani knows Southern Europe better than anyone,and this trip is guaranteed to be GEIL! (Swiss slang for "the best?").Fly Hard Mexico, November 17 to December 2, 2001. Join us for a 16-Day day "Fly Hard"adventure tour through Mexico. The tour will commence on the Pacific in Puerto Vallarta onSaturday, November 17 and traverse Mexico arriving at the beautiful waters of the Gulf ofMexico in Vera Cruz to depart December 2.CANADACanada’s first paragliding e-commerce site has been launched at iparaglide.com. The site offersconvenient, fast and safe on-line shopping for the very finest paraglider brands includingAirwave, Firebird, Gin, Nova, Ozone, Renschler, Sup’Air, Windtech and XIX. Also available isevery imaginable accessory from large to small: harnesses, reserves, safety equipment, instruments,clothing, books, videos and cd-roms. Worldwide delivery is available to your door. Thefirm is first to offer paragliding adventure tours that span the entire west coast of North America.The flight school offers advanced levels of training with world class pilots flown in for mentoringat clinics including simulation of in-flight incidents and aerobatic maneuvers.Big Vision Productions, iparaglide.com’s sister company, presents the newdigitally mastered video, Seattle Aerobattle, North America’s paraglidingaerobatics championship. Marvel in the energy of extreme aerial maneuversbeyond the cutting edge of the sport, including controlled change ofheading during spins and stalls, asymmetric spirals, and loops. Witnessa successful reserve parachute deployment when a competitors maneuvergoes awry. Set to high-energy music, this video is a surreal play of color,sound, and mind-bending moves that will take you higher.Spring www.hpac.ca