February 2001
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February 2001
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XC DinnerBy Dennis Cavagnaro Reserve February the 24th for the winter meeting and XC dinner! This is the event that kicks off the flying season. Come and dine with your flying buddies, catch up on winter happenings, plan that Wallaby trip and more. See the info below: Directions to Angelos Restaurant From the North: Route 93 south to the Hookset tollbooth, Take Route 93 south/101 west. Exit 6 (Hanover St. /Candia Rd) Turn right off exit onto Hanover Street. Go 0.2 miles on left is Angelos Restaurant. From the South: Route 93 north to exit 6 (Candia Rd/Hanover St). Off exit go straight to next light. Turn Left on to Hanover Street. Go 0.2 miles on left is Angelos Restaurant. From Portsmouth: Route 93 north to exit 8 (Bridge Street) Then Route 93 south/ 101 west to Boston. Exit 6 (Hanover Street/Candia Road). Turn right off the exit to Hanover Street. Go 0.2 miles on left is Angelos Restaurant Thanks from the EditorBy Gary Trudeau I would like to say thank you to all the pilots who have taken the time to write and submit articles to the VHGA newsletter in the past. Without you writing and submitting articles there would not be a newsletter. I know the whole club appreciates your effort and stories. Hopefully more will get involved in writing articles for the upcoming publications. Once again from the whole club I say THANKS. Greeting from the PresidentBy John Arrison Greetings from the frigid north. I don't know if it's me or if the winters are longer than ever. A trip south is not in the cards for my family this year, and I envy all of you guys who will be going south in the coming weeks. Don't forget to make your reservations for the winter party, February 24th. It is always a good time and fun to see everyone. The BOD will be meeting later this spring to set the schedule for meetings and other events for the coming year. Watch the next newsletter for the schedule. If you have any issues or ideas, please contact one of the BOD members, so that your ideas can be brought forward. I would like to see the regional competition held this year; we did not do anything last year. Please let us know your preferences for the format. Last year's change in format for the cross-country competition was not as successful as I had hoped. Part of the problem was that the XC conditions just weren't that great. The other problem was that not many pilots turned inscores, which is too bad. We'll try the same format in 2001. I hope more scores will be turned in. The format is simple: no entry fee, flight must originate within our region, 5 classes: 25m, 50m, open, tandem, and paragliding. Turn in your longest flight by 12-31-01. Do not forget to renew your club membership, and fly safe in 2001! An Australian AdventureBy Tom Lanning Our adventure started even before we left Boston. On the morning of the day we were scheduled to leave for Australia, Qantas airlines refused to take Mark Vaughn and Rob Jacob’s gliders along for the ride. Mark despondently took his glider back home, while Rob found a ride for his glider on British Airways. British Airways told Rob his glider would head around the globe in the opposite direction, but would arrive in Australia at the same time we would. Meanwhile, I avoided the entire hassle by arranging to borrow a glider in Australia. After a "refreshing" 23 hours of traveling in a tin can, we touched down in Sydney. Native Australian and former New England pilot Robert Willows greeted us at the airport and helped us load our 4wd Pathfinders. Robert watched in amusement and horror as the yanks learned to drive on the left side of the road. After we discovered Rob’s glider was "still in transit", we drove south to the house we rented in the small seaside village of Stanwell Park. The house was just the right size to hold the three families. The yanks down under were Rob, Sandy, and Nathan Jacobs, Mark and Janice Vaughn, and Amy, Scott and myself. The house had many large windows and a deck that overlooked the beach and launch. We could look out the front window and see the ocean, the beach, and launch. I was eager to check out the site and get my temporary membership in the Australian hang gliding association, so I dragged Mark down to the town park, which doubles as the LZ and entrance to the beach. We soon had our membership papers, several new friends, and Mark even had a glider to fly for our first evening there! However, by the time we drove to launch, setup the glider, and moved to launch the wind shifted to an unfavorable direction. Although Mark wanted to fly, it wasn’t destined to happen that first evening. The next day, Amy and I met Robert, his wife JoAnne, and their daughter Victoria in the small town of Blackheath in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. Robert introduced me to Allan Bush, the generous pilot who loaned me his older Airborne Desire for a "beer at the pub". The terrain around Blackheath was unlike anything I had seen before. The launch is on a high plateau that drops into a broad valley with rolling hills and pastures, exposing rugged cliffs several thousand feet high. Although most of the higher terrain was covered with a variety of eucalyptus trees, you could tell the area didn’t get much rainfall. As usual with most mountain flying sites, the views were spectacular. I met and talked with many of Robert’s flying mates as we waited for thermal cycles to blow into launch. Unlike the pilots before me, I had a quick climb right after launching. When I finally took a look around after approaching cloud base I was immediately awestruck with the scenery; I was definitely not in Vermont! After an enjoyable evening sitting outside at the pub with the local pilots, Amy and I drove back to Stanwell Park. After confirming that British Airways was not sure where Rob’s glider was, it was clear Mark and Rob needed to find gliders locally. After a bit of pleading on the telephone, Rob talked the folks at the Moyes factory in Sydney into renting gliders. Once there, Steve Moyes gave us the grand tour of the factory, teased us with freshly constructed Litespeed gliders, and introduced us to the Moyes crew. We also met Tomas Suchanek who was preparing to set world records in Australia the next week. Mark and Rob rented gliders and I caved in and also rented one to avoid problems with Allan’s personal glider. After a trip to a unique hardware store down the street, we constructed a PVC glider rack and headed back to Stanwell with our precious cargo. (Rob’s glider did finally show up several days later.) The flying at Stanwell Park was also a new experience for me. Although it is a coastal site, it is nothing like flying at Cape Cod. The rock cliffs stand a thousand feet above the beautiful but deadly surf that crashes into jagged rocks below. The pounding surf created a rumble I heard while flying in the air high above it all. Valleys along the mountainous coast opened to the sea and produced hardy thermals worthy of many inland sites. On our first flight at Stanwell, the wind was crossing from the south, so we decided to forgo any XC flights down the coast and just explore the local area. A couple of days later, I awoke to find the wind blowing in, the sky blue and everyone else in the house sleeping. While everyone else in the house headed into town to have breakfast at a little café, I headed to launch and grabbed some nice morning flying. The views of the ocean, the breakers, and the cliffs were picture perfect. Later on, Mark flew with his camera and got some nice photos of the shoreline, passing ships, and fellow pilots. However, Mark missed the best shot of the day. The view of Mark flying far out over the water to fill his camera’s frame with a passing sailing ship was itself a "calendar" shot. Maybe I should start flying with a camera! After flying all morning, I decided to land on the beach and get something to eat at the restaurant in the LZ before going back up to launch for an afternoon flight. Robert pulled into the LZ just as I was landing, so I quickly broke down the glider, grabbed some "chips", and rode to launch with him. The quiet launch I left that morning was now crowded with pilots and spectators. It was so busy that Mark and Rob decided to use the more northerly launch to avoid the crowds. After playing around launch for a short while, Robert and I decided to try some more ambitious XC flying. We both worked deep into the valley back of the town and were attempting to move south to a promising ridgeline, when it became obvious that we were not going to make it. Robert headed north across the mouth of the valley along the beach while I headed back inland to the ridge. Unfortunately, Robert didn’t get back up and ended up in LZ. I got back up and joined Mark and Rob to the north of launch. I made several runs to the north that afternoon, once with Mark and another time with 5 colorful paragliders. I remember the paragliders because they flew like a pack of wild dogs, swarming along the coast. After landing to get some supper, we joked about going for an evening flight, but 7 hours of flying was enough for that day. On our last full day in Australia, Amy and I headed southwest of Wollongong where the plateau rises from a large coastal plain. We saw hang gliders soaring a large cliff near the entrance of a scenic drive up the plateau. We stopped at a roadside stand the top of the plateau that sold "meat pies". We met a couple of novice pilots that were heading to launch to fly that day. Although we never made it to launch, we saw several gliders drifting downwind over the open grasslands on top. I don’t want you to think we tortured our families with aviation all through this trip. We spent several days touring Sydney, played on several beaches, visited animal parks, cruised across the harbor, shopped at big and little shops, had early morning walks among the tropical birds, stumbled along the shore by the moonlight, and ate until we wobbled. We want to thank Robert for all his gracious help and plan to return the favor when he visits here next summer. We also want to thank the folks at Moyes for allowing us to distract them for an entire afternoon while they entertained and helped some ground-bound yanks. We cannot forget to thank all the pilots who welcomed us and made us feel like a part of the gang from the moment we said "hello". Many people have been asking me if I would ever considering going again. I quickly respond that I am already planning my next trip to the land down under. WINTER GET AWAYBy John Gallagher For the past few years three years I have escaped in early January to Valle de Bravo, Mexico for some winter flying. For my first two trips to Valle de Bravo, I signed on to an organized trip where hotel, transportation and some beer were included. This is a great way to get introduced to Valle de Bravo because it's not easy to identify hotels, drivers and transportation from here - especially if you don't speak Spanish. There are some HG and PG instructors/schools putting together organizing trips to Valle de Bravo. Valle de Bravo is not a site for new H2 or P2 pilots. You fly in some big air in mid-day, typical 500-1500 FPM ringing from the vary. We recruited a group of six thermal experienced pilots. Stephan Pfammatter, Bianca Heinrich, Richard Baudin, (English) Rob Iliffe, Peter Grease and myself pooled our limited Spanish and made the trip. Peter Greis, who lives in Switzerland, decided to head to South Africa at the last minute. Niece Miller, our Treasurer, and Don Massone were also enjoying the January warmth of Mexico as part of an organized trip by Super Fly Inc. of Sandy Utah. We rented a roomy Chevy van for the two hour trip west to Valle de Bravo, a resort community located in the mountains (6,000 ft MSL) 70 miles west of Mexico City. A seven mile long man made lake gathers water and generates hydro power for Mexico City. It also provides water sports for the wealthy weekend visitors. The mountainous region of Valle de Bravo is covered with tall pine trees more closely resembling the Northwest USA or a European country. The people in the countryside were friendly and at no time were we concerned for our safety. December, January and February are the best time for flying in this area of Mexico. Spring brings "real big air" and flying can be quite dangerous. The summer heat and humidity bring rapid over development of clouds and rain most days. Valle de Bravo has two primary flying sites. El Torre is a beautiful lakeside thermal and ridge soaring site (1,000 ft. AGL) located right above the town. El Torre is famous for its evening glass-off flights and scenic lakeshore landing zone. El Pinon is a great morning and mid-day thermal site (7,600 ft. MSL and 1,900 ft. AGL) located 15 miles (30-40 minutes) from Valle de Bravo. Late afternoon thermal and glass-off flights can add an additional 1-2 hours to your flying day. The goal for flying El Pinon is to fly the ridge and catch the thermals to 10,000 ft before flying to the Pinon, a 2,400 ft rock pinnacle that produces some big elevators. From the Pinon you fly to the mesa and thermal to cloudbase (10,800 ft) before going cross-country. 50 to 70 mile cross-country flights are common from El Pinon. A typical goal is to fly 15 miles to the village of Valle de Bravo and land lakeside and have a cold beer while your glider is being folded. The primary LZ at Pinon is a large field called the Piano located directly out in front. Landing in the mid-day heat makes for some pretty interesting landings, especially in a PG. A swarm of kids all willing to fold and pack your glider for 5 Pesos (50 cents) greet you on landing. Choosing a kid is the hardest decision we made all week. Most of us logged 12 to 15 hours in 5 or 6 days of flying. Valle de Bravo is the most consistent flying site anywhere in the world. There are some other flying site in the area. Tisca is a spectacular site about 50 miles southeast of Valle de Bravo. It over looks a large valley and the town of Texcaltitian. The Tisca LZ, located 1,900 ft. below, is a large field adjacent to a grade school in the center of town. 100+ school kids chase you on landing. The Navado de Toluca Volcano is a 14,000+ dormant volcano located half way between Valle de Bravo and Mexico City. Last year we drove 1.5 hours to get to the top of the volcano. After paying two Pesos (20 cents) access fee and a half-hour climb up to the rim we took a 3,000-ft sled ride to a large field below. The air was quite thin for the sea level creatures from New England. Malinalco is another unique ridge soaring and thermaling site located next to some of Mexico's more spectacular pyramids. Rest up for one of these trips. This is a trip for the flyer and not the sightseer. A typical day started with an 8 AM breakfast in the hotel or at Miguel's HG/PG store/restaurant. The locals and visitors enjoy meeting at Miguel's for a great $3-4 breakfast and the discussion of where to fly today. After a few days we realized that never had to check the weather. The weather every day was the same. Mornings were always clear and cool with temperatures in the high 40's to low 50's. By noon the thermals build some clouds and the temperatures reach the 70's. In the late afternoon the clouds dissipate to a beautiful sunset. After breakfast we typically headed for El Pinon. Pilots trickle up to launch mid morning and it's not uncommon to see 40 pilots on launch. The thermals start around 10:30-11:00 AM and the flurry starts after a few successful wind dummies. Thermal up and off to the Pinon. Thermal higher and cross-country you go. Back to the Pinon launch by 4 PM for the late afternoon thermals and glass-off. Touch down in the LZ at sunset to an enterprising young kid. Beers and flying stories while you pack the trucks before the 30-minute ride back to Valle de Bravo. We routinely head out for dinner and flying stories around 8pm. Cocktails, appetizers, dinner and tip usually ran about $12-15 per person. The fresh trout from neighboring trout farms was outstanding. You can get a room in Valle for as low as $10 a night. Typical rooms room $30-50 per night for two. If you really want to treat yourself, or a significant other along for the sun, consider staying at the Avandaro Golf and Spa Resort for $110/night. Miguel Guterria's, HG/PG shop, Alas deHombre, is located on the water in Valle and provide rides to launch and local retrieval for just $6. You will meet pilots form all over the world in Valle de Bravo. Please feel free to contact me if you would like further details on going to Valle de Bravo. John Gallagher 2001 VHGA ShirtsBy Scott Leanord OK VHGA pilots/friends, here is the latest information on the 2001 VHGA shirts... Approximately 150 were sold last year in 3 batches. Everyone seemed happy with the logo, colors, sizes, styles, ordering/delivery procedure and the price(s). I just finished reviewing and making final adjustments to the new millennium logo design with famous artist Lori Sanchez (she is expecting a baby boy, Addicus, in late March) and have been seeking the best price, high quality 100% cotton shirts, delivery and screen printing. The new logo is a spin-off of the original. This year there will be the addition of another small hang-glider and two (large and small) paragliders flying over the Vermont Green Mountains (Mount Ascutney). All gliders are different colors (red, blue, teal, and purple) and are being flown by different farm animals including a cow/sheep/chicken/pig. The millennium logo is very colorful and this year instead of changing the color of the gliders/season-scenes, I am trying to provide different colors of shirts (yellow, light blue, pink, light green), but I cannot make any promises on this yet. I feel certain that at least the first batch should be a pastel yellow and perhaps (depending on the number of orders and material/garment price) we could get a different color for subsequent orders. The out-of-pocket expenses are estimated to produce prices along these lines; $14.50 for tee shirts, $16.50 for long sleeves shirts (depending on the number of orders and final negotiations with the purveyor). Many ‘establishments' charge nearly double these prices for less quality, fewer colors and mediocre creativity. I anticipate that in addition to the garment, screen-print/workmanship, and order mailing/shipping costs, initial setup expenses to produce the shirts will include ‘approximately’; $300.00 for the screens/graphics adaptations, $200.00 for the contracted artwork, plus a few long distance phone calls, anticipated shipping, some handling, and perhaps a few 'promotional' (I think there were 18 promo’s last year)... for an estimated total of about $650.00 +. These costs are below average and may be even lower depending on the number of orders. I am trying to deliver a high quality product with some variety and customization at a reasonable price and not charge any profit (just enough to cover any expenses) to hopefully help encourage synergy and interest in (joining/renewing membership) the VHGA Club, update our flying wardrobes, and perhaps provide something worthy for a promotional gift. I will have to pay ‘up-front’ for all the above costs and hope to deliver the shirts in 3 installments. I am trying to have the first order ready for the VHGA dinner meeting in Manchester, NH on 24 February 2001. Some may get delivered at the Region 8 meeting and the rest will be available by mail and throughout the flying season as supplies last. Please get your first-come-first-served order in ASAP, preferably via e-mail (GliderDude@AOL.com). Warm Thoughts 101By Mark Vaughn Winter is here and I'm sure some of you DERN! Fools are still enjoying the brisk feel of air under your wings. Well I'm sure, staying warm is very much on your mind, that is unless Hypothermia has already set in HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA A good understanding of why we get cold will aid us in fighting off it's effects. So let’s start off by clearing up a misconception. When it's cold out, we put on warm clothes because they make us warm, Right? WRONG! Our internal furnace, is what makes us feel warm. Hang a jacket on a coat rack for a while and see just how warm and fuzzy it makes the coat rack feel. Our jacket merely helps us regulate the heat our furnace produces. Our Clothing is nothing more than a layer of insulation for the body just like insulation is for the walls of our house. If your furnace is producing heat but there is no Insulation in the walls, your going to get cold. The furnace can't keep up with the heat loss. Likewise, if your body is producing heat and you don't have a Coat on to trap it, you’re going to get cold. So there you have it. Our heat producing body is what makes you warm; your so-called "warm clothes" merely attempt to trap the heat it produces. Now that we understand what our clothes do and where the heat comes from, we should ask the question how does our body loose the heat it produces and how can we slow this process? Well, we could stay in doors but I have found its very annoying to the wife trying to set the glider up in the Living room HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. So given the fact we'll be going outside to fly, we better figure out what robs our bodies of heat so we can slow the process down. The following are ways in which we part with our precious body heat. Understand and control these heat robbing sources and you’re on your way to a warmer flight. 1- Exposing yourself to the cold: Now, If you go out flying in just your skivvies your going to freeze your Keeeeeeester off, Plain and simple right? SO, PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, YOU AIR HEADED FOOL OR A GET BACK IN THE HOUSE.(;->)
There I was, thought I was gonna dieBy Jim Colella There I was, thought I was gonna die. Well not really, break some aluminum maybe. It was a windy Saturday in September when Pete J., Steve P, Eric P, and I left the parking lot at Morningside and headed to the Mountain. We had done this many times this summer but this day would be different. On launch it was blowing a gusty fifteen. The clouds were not moving to fast over the back but they did have a strange look to them. We watched as the wind rolled up the sides of the mountain turning the leaves as it spilled over the back. There was a slight cross from the west but not bad enough for concern. We decided it was safe to launch and Pete stepped up to go followed by Eric Steve and myself. We had a good wire crew from Morningside, new pilots checking out the mountain. My turn to launch was met with gusty west crossing conditions. It was only blowing fifteen when I left the ground. It didn't take very long, about ten seconds, before I knew I had made a big mistake. My left wing was grabbed and pushed back behind me until I was turned about fifty degrees from my original heading. The wind that was blowing fifteen on launch was blowing thirty just out in front of the rock. A stiff crossing wind and strong thermals created a dangerous situation for a hang glider pilot. Needless to say I should have known better than to get myself into that kind of air. The only mistake I made that day was leaving the ground brought about by a severe lapse of good judgement. Although flying in turbulent conditions doesn’t bother me all that much landing a hang glider in those same conditions can kill you. After flying around for almost an hour I watched Eric head out to land followed by Steve and me. Over the LZ the thermals were breaking off mixed with turbulence coming off hills, houses, trees and the thermals themselves. As I descended I watched Steve land. Eric was already down and now it was my turn. I hit bad air all the way to the ground. The trees at the end of the main LZ were twisting violently as I descended into the field on final. True to the header of this article I thought I was gonna die. My trusty fusion stayed upright through the worst air I've been in a long time. Although the wind on launch was only blowing fifteen I should have considered the effect of the cross on the velocity. One hundred feet out it was blowing almost thirty. Although I landed safely I considered the flight a failure of judgement. Next time I'll take the safe road and chose NOT TO FLY. Go Long, Region 8 MeetingBy Doug Sharpe I am planning to have a USHGA Region 8 Meeting again this year. I would like to conduct it again on Saturday March 3rd from 9:30 AM till 4:00PM. Please give me feedback about whether your or members of your local clubs will be able to attend this year, and what issues your clubs may wish to bring to the meeting. I will also try to call some of you. Please call me if you want to at in the evenings at 978-318-9714. You can also page me during the day at 800-632-2578 This will be an opportunity for the various Regional Clubs to again get together for an Annual Meeting from New England. I need to get representation from as many of the regional clubs, schools, and pilots groups as is possible for the meeting. This will be a chance for each club to cross communicate with the other New England clubs for the coming 2001 flying season, and to find out more about what has been going on with USHGA on the national scene. Please pass on the word about saving this date, MARCH 3rd, from 10:00 AM till 4:00 PM. Let me know if your club can send a representative to the meeting. I plan to have a mailer sent out about the meeting to all Region 8 USHGA members as an invitation. If anyone has suggestions for a guest speaker they might like to see at the meeting too please let me know. Mainly, I am interested in trying to plan to be sure Hang Gliding & Paragliding Interests/Concerns gets represented. I have arranged to have the meeting this year at a NEW LOCATION, it is planned to be at the VFW Hall in Westford, MA. (This is one town over from the Littleton VFW Hall where the meeting has been in the last 5 years. The Littleton VFW Hall is undergoing repairs and can't be used this year.) Directions to the Westford VFW Hall will be as follows: Get to the Rt. 495 Beltway around Boston. Take Exit 31 heading West toward Westford (this is the same exit but the opposite direction we used to go to get to the Littleton VFW Hall). Go 3-4 Miles on Rt119 till you come to the Four Corners Chinese Restaurant, there, take a right onto Rt. 225 heading toward Westford. Go approx. 2 miles, look for the VFW Hall on the right, VFW Hall Post 6539, 67 West Prescott St. (Rt. 225), Westford MA, 978-692-7015. P.S. I am trying to finalize the arrangements for this meeting by the end of next week so the mailing may go out. After that please pass the word on to others about the meeting.
Letter from the EditorBy Gary Trudeau I am encouraging any member of the VHGA to submit articles to the VHGA Newsletter. Any article submitted will be considered for possible publication. The editor reserves the right to publish and edit any articles submitted. The editor will accept classified ads pertaining to hang gliding and paragliding. Classified ads must be resubmitted if you wish them to be published in the next VHGA newsletter. Articles, classified and upcoming events may be submitted to the VHGA Newsletter at Gary B Trudeau 595 Outlook Ave USHGA Fall BOD 2000 Meeting HighlightsBy Doug Sharpe Status of USHGA Headquarters Office & Exec. Dir Position:
SAA Joint Venture Update:
Insurance Update:
Awards: - Instructor of the Year Awards went to Rob McKenzie for Hang Gliding, and Marti DeVietti for paragliding, (works for Dixon White). Newsletter of the Year Award went to Ridge Dance of the Bay Area Paragliding Association. Next BOD Meeting: The next BOD Meeting is scheduled for Feb 9-11 in Indianapolis IN.Sub-Committee News: All of the normal USHGA subcommittee meetings were held at the BOD Meeting: Organization & Bylaws, Publications, Awards, Towing & Tandem, Safety & Training, National Coordinating, Site Management. I have copies of the minutes of all of these meetings, and am willing to discuss results of any with any interested regional members. Personal BOD Focus: 1. General My primary focus at the meeting this fall was to Act as a Regional Director at the National Meeting and represent interests from or region to the meeting and collect and overview of what is going on at the national level for others in our region. I am available for discussion any association issues or regional issues you need consideration of. 2. Site Management Committee Involvement I participated extensively in the Site Management Committee. We are interested in developing a Nationally Endorsed Site Stewardship Program. We are continuing with ongoing efforts to support he NPRM initiative.3. USHGA Foundation: I was elected to be a member of the BOD of the USHGA Foundation along with David Glover, Pres. of USHGA, Mark Fergeson, VP of USHGA, Randy Leggett (Head of the USHGA Site Mgmt. Committee, and Jim Maze (Financial Portfolio Mgr. For Merrill Lynch from NJ), and Steve Onstead (another financially involved pilot from New York). We are working on clarifying the mission of the USHGA Foundation and to include a new objective for it related to Site Preservation. We are interested in seeing it become better aligned with both the USHGA Site Management Committee and with Local USHGA Chapters and or regional groups interested in Site Preservation and Development. Any members expressing interests or suggestions in these areas are urged to please be in communication with me as we work on developing these areas. Many of these issues are long term but will help to assure there is long term focus on protecting and developing the flying sites we love Safety NoticeBy Gary Trudeau I am publishing this article again as a reminder that it is a good time to check your paraswivels during your spring repack of your reserve. I have seen paraswivels that belonged to friends of mine. These paraswivels came apart with only minimal pressure trying to pull both halves apart or by spinning both halves in opposite directions. If these swivels came apart this easy could you imagine what will happen in the minute when you really need it. This is too important to ignore. Your life could depend on it. There is a safety notice of paraswivels manufactured by Willswing before March of 2000. Willswing is the producer of paraswivels for most of the manufactures of back up parachutes for the hang gliding and paragliding community. They are blue in color and have a bolt holding both halves of the paraswivel together. This can identify these paraswivels. They also have a locking bolt or setscrew that can come lose or were not seated properly. This can cause separation of the paraswivel in use. I encourage everyone with a paraswivel on their backup parachute to have it checked out immediately. Marilyn at Nichols sail loft located at Morningside Flight Park has been authorized to check, identify and repair these paraswivels. Marilyn is charging a small fee of $3.00 for this service. Again I would recommend that everyone have this done before it is too late and you need your backup. Besides your backup can not do it job if you are not attached to it. ClasifiedsFOR SALE: Wills Wing FUSION 150 Glider has Approximately 70 hours of air
time. 2000 FUSION SP Modification for improved handling, Comes with a Wing
Camera Mount and a 2001 Calendar. Accessories: Lambskin/wool barmitts barely used, $20, extra high quality, very warm (not good with folding speed bars) Rodger Furey, 508.880.7709, Furrod@aol.com Note from the SecretaryBy Gary Trudeau General Membership had a meeting on 10/21/00. This is a summary of the meeting. Officer Attendance- John Arrison, Dennis Cavagnaro, Gary Trudeau, Jim MacNutt Membership Attendance- 17 members Meeting called to order- 7.10 PM Former minutes- Former minutes read and vote to be accepted Treasurer report- The account balances are: Checking $4193.09, Money market $15036.90 Site Report: Rutland- There was discussion about keys to the gate at the lower end of the road. Both the ideas of giving keys to everyone or going back to the way it has been done in the past with a key hidden near the bottom was discussed. There might be some problems with the landowner of the camp with both of these ideas. John Arrison and Hans Zoph to follow up on these ideas and come up with a solution by spring flying season. The people renting the house where we park our cars has asked us not to park in the driveway at all. We can still park our cars on the side of the garage but stay out of the driveway. The officers are trying to find a solution to the parking problem. For now try not to be too much of a problem for the people in the house. On good news we have a new owner of the house on the edge of the domed field. They seem to be more receipted to us landing and maybe cutting across or maybe breaking down in their yard. For now lets try to keep it the way it is now, breaking down and exiting via the driveway at the corner of the field. Ascutney- The Park is closed for the season. We must use the Apostle list for flying there until spring when they reopen. We are suppose to help be watch dogs for the park in the off season. If you see anything happening up there please report it to the officers so we can report it to the state. Burke- Niece Miller reported that Burke Academy now owns the mountain. They are very receipted to us still using this as a flying site. We might need to add them and Burke 2000 LLC as landowners to our insurance policy as landowners. Niece to follow up on this. The state still owns the access road. We are investigating the best way for our club to have access up the road. Washington- John Arrison met with the MT. Washington Commission, which was comprised of Federal, State government and private companies. There was a discussion on who owns the land at launch as far as us making any improvements or changing the location. The auto road people still control who uses the road and at what time. They might be willing to open up the before 11am or after 4pm launch window but that will depend on how busy they are. We should not depend on that happening so plan on following the old time rules. Remember there is no flying over the Great Gulf (the gully on the north side of launch) Old business- Weather Station Walt needs to deal with a person knowledgeable with computers. Tom Lanning was volunteered. They will discuss possible options over the winter. New business- Winter Party – Will be held at Angelos Restaurant and will be paid by the pilots and friends attending. Regional Director – Doug Sharpe has indicated that he would like to step down at the end of his next term in two years. Anyone interested please step forward and let it be known. Jim MacNutt has stepped down as treasurer. Club Vote- Niece Miller as volunteered to be treasurer and she was voted in as a new officer. All other officers were vote in to another term. Another vote passed to make part of the club budget to include a $500.00 yearly donation to the regional director to help with expenses of the job. A vote was passed to make a $50.00 contribution to the Ascutney Fire Dept. for letting us use the hall for our meetings. Meeting called to a close- 8.15 PM |
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