Oz Report

Fri, Dec 2 2022, 4:22:27 pm GMT

Fly-In, Academy, and National Foot Launch Competition

camping|competition|foot launch|oxygen|record|Richard "Ric" Caylor|Red Rocks HG Event 2023|instruction

(Monroe Pk, UT, USA)

«Ric Caylor» writes:

Are you interested in flying at a premier foot-launch competition site? If so, we are organizing an event for this June 2023 located in Monroe, Utah, just for you! We are promoting Hang Gliding at one of the best mountain sites in the United States.

This competition will be a seven-day, category two national event (June 17^th- 24^th) for pilots with experience flying in the mountains and strong foot-launching skills. We recommend an oxygen system, 2-way satellite communication/tracking systems, and 2-meter ham radios with a helmet headset for clear communication. A Fly-In is open to all pilots who wish to participate in recreational flying and social activities, too.

Before the competition is our three-day Red Rocks Mountain Flying Academy. (June 14^th -16^th). These courses are designed to help pilots refresh their high-altitude flying skills. Our instructors are world record-holding and national champions who will be mentoring ground school classes, launch and landing clinics, and navigation with aviation-assisted training. The mission of this training is to emphasize safety, awareness, critical situation analysis, and to employ the proper use of gear and equipment. We expect to provide several zoom classroom training sessions, too, this winter. Complete the embedded survey to be on our first-choice selection list.

The reputation for excellent conditions in this area is well deserved. Expect to see cloud bases between 16,000’ and 20,000’ most days. Cloud streets and convergence lines are typical. Anticipate tasks of 100 miles and more with race-to-goal, triangles, and out-and-back options. Tasking is possible in all directions, with predominate routes running North and South along the Wasatch and Sevier Plateaus. Flights over 100 miles have occurred in the last two years. Safe landing fields are abundant, and retrievals are generally convenient with good highway and road access. Four-wheel drive is recommended but not necessary. The lower Cove launch (8,800’ MSL) is a 45 min drive and is more commonly utilized. The higher launch on Monroe Peak (11,200’ MSL) is a 1:15-hour drive from the main LZ. These launches can accommodate north, west, and south winds.

Central Utah Soaring Association, CUSA, and the town of Monroe are welcoming. They have a dedicated landing zone in town. The LZ has a shade shelter, and one block away are camping sites. The city of Richfield is 20 minutes away on highway 70, which offers several hotels, restaurants, and other amenities.

We look forward to seeing you in Utah next summer!

We need your help! Please complete the survey below to receive future updates, and provide us with critical data to help the meet organizers plan a successful event.

Pilot Survey Link

Discuss "First Annual Red Rocks Hang Gliding Event 2023" at the Oz Report forum   link»

March 14, 2007, 4:01:40 pm EDT

Camping

Sharing around the world

camping|Doug DuBois

Doug DuBois writes:

I just discovered www.couchsurfing.com, and wanted to pass it along in case you haven't seen it. It's a networking site for finding "couches" upon which to sleep wherever one might be traveling. Looks like it could be a good resource for wandering hang glider pilots, and if you promote it I imagine we could establish a hang glider network therein pretty quickly.

There's a really good article by a user in a recent University Daily Kansan issue (KU's newspaper), but it doesn't appear to be online. Looks like there are a lot of measures in place to make it as safe to use as possible. We haven't joined yet -- I haven't checked out the terms yet -- but it's very likely we will join soon.

Discuss Camping at the Oz Report forum

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

I thought all meets were supposed to be fun

Morningside

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

(Morningside Flight Park, NH, USA)

Jeff Nicolay «morningside» writes:

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

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

Fri, Aug 19 2005, 9:00:03 am GMT

Collapse and then a spiral dive.

Mario DeLuca

camping|Chris "Chopper" Smith|fatality|Marcello DeBarros|Mario DeLuca|PG|radio|Rob McKenzie

(LP, Crestline, CA, USA)

Chris Smith «andnowcompletelydifferent» sends:

http://www.mountain-news.com/articles/2005/08/11/news/news2.txt

From Today's Orange County Register newspaper: (The print version has graphics depicting the accident created by PG pilot and OC Register employee Monica Edwards).

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Pilot's death a loss to many Paragliding accident came as Lake Forest man was celebrating a great day of flying.

By ERIKA I. RITCHIE The Orange County Register

LAKE FOREST – It started as a "beautiful flying day" at Lake Elsinore, and Mario DeLuca wanted to keep on gliding.

The paraglider pilot, 42, drove from Elsinore north about 30 minutes to Andy Jackson Airpark in San Bernardino to finish the day Sunday on smooth afternoon winds.

The Lake Forest family man – rated intermediate by the U.S. Hang Gliding Association – launched from a 2,300-foot peak overlooking Badger Canyon.

"It seemed to me that he was celebrating his beautiful day," said Marcello DeBarros, a fellow paraglider pilot. "He had been flying for more than an hour and was just rocking his wing back and forth, he was so happy."

The joy didn't last.

The rocking motion - known as a wingover - got out of control. About 200 feet above the desert sagebrush, one portion of the wing on DeLuca's paraglider folded over and he began a downward spiral, traveling at about 40 to 50 mph.

"I called him on the radio and told him what he was doing was wrong and that it was dangerous," said DeBarros, who trained DeLuca in the sport two years earlier. "I told him to stop. I kept giving him instructions to recover and to reopen his wing. I kept repeating to 'pull the brake' but nothing worked."

DeLuca continued the steep, 15-second spiral, plunging to the ground.

"It would be like someone riding a bike at 20 mph off a six-story building," said para glider pilot and instructor Rob McKenzie, who, with DeBarros, rushed to DeLuca's side.

Thick padding - a harness that protects the spine - didn't help. He was unconscious, his breathing was shallow and labored, and his pulse was weak.

According to the San Bernardino County coroner's office, DeLuca was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he died in surgery from internal injuries three hours after the 6:10 p.m. crash.

For DeBarros, DeLuca's death means more than the loss of a flying partner. It is the loss of a friend so close they could have been brothers.

The DeBarros and DeLuca families shared common bonds. Both were Brazilian with children close in age, and the families spent every birthday and family celebration together.

"He was the most intelligent, most wise and most loving person I've ever met," DeBarros said. "He was a peaceful person. His two kids, his wife, they were inseparable. Everywhere he went - camping, flying, traveling - they were together."

Neighbor Jesus Gutierrez can't believe DeLuca won't be coming home anymore from his engineering job in Costa Mesa, his motorcycle rumbling into the garage behind their townhomes. Gutierrez's wife, Esperanza, continues to listen for the happy whistling each morning. Their daughter, Jasmine, 9 - best friend to DeLuca's eldest daughter, Karina, 11 - remembers sleepovers where she ate pasta and homemade soups. DeLuca called Jasmine his "adopted daughter."

"It made me feel comfortable. That's why I kept coming back," Jasmine said. "He was really generous, nice and friendly. He made a lot of jokes with us."

Gutierrez wondered Tuesday how DeLuca's daughters will deal with the loss of their father.

"The children were always hanging on their father, they enjoyed every moment," Gutierrez said. "It was almost like they knew something was going to happen."

Gutierrez remembers the last time he saw DeLuca.

It was Saturday and he seemed lonely. DeLuca's wife, Ana, and daughters were in Brazil, where he expected to join them soon for a vacation.

Gutierrez had gone over to return a sewing machine and DeLuca asked him to stay for a barbecue.

"I had plans with my wife, so I said no," he said.

"Now I regret it. I didn't know it was the last time I would see him."

Discuss "Fatal Paraglider Accident at Crestline" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sat, Sep 20 2003, 9:00:00 am GMT

altitude|camera|camping|competition|David "Dave" Wheeler|Honza Rejmanek|Kent Robinson|PG|spin|sport|Thayer Hughes

Steven Wilson <steven_wilson@hotmail.com> writes:

I write this report with very mixed feelings. As Forrest has reported, Bruce Trace died Thursday on the first flying day of the competition. Those who witnessed the event report that they saw his wing in a negative spin close to the hillside and he was thrown backwards hard against a cliff face. Pilots (including Dave Wheeler) were on scene within about 10 minutes and administered CPR until Search & Rescue arrived, but Bruce apparently died on impact.

I had been hiking with Bruce all the previous day and we had been camping together so this came as a tremendous blow when we finally found out that the pilot was Bruce. All those who knew Bruce know that he was a good man and a real pioneer in the sport. He will be greatly missed.

Friday’s competition went well, with the lead pilot completing a 25 mile task in 1:14, which is pretty amazing. A number of NW pilots made goal, with Thayer and Yariv in the lead. I managed to limp into goal as the last pilot in with a time of 2:46.

I also found myself at just under 18,000 feet for the first time in my flying career--and I pulled out of smooth 1200 ft/min. lift at 17780 to maintain the 18,000 ceiling we have been given. Unfortunately, it was too cold at that altitude for my camera's batteries, so I did not get any pictures.

The forecast for Saturday is similar to Friday's, so we should end up with a good task.

Tim Meaney sends the results:

Task 1

Place	Name	Glider	Nation	miles	Total
1	VOEGELI Jan		USA	19.5	188
2	ORLIK Martin	Mac Para Margus28	CZE	19.1	186
3	COHN Josh	Windtech Nitro		18.9	185
4	ROSENKJER Luis	ProDesigh Titan 2	ARG	18.1	178
5	HUNT Jon	Advanced Sigma	USA	15.8	164
6	BEN-TOVIN Yariv	ProDesigh Project	ISR	14.2	155
7	BELCOURT Bill	Gin Boomerang 3	USA	13.8	152
8	EWALD Joerg	Firebird Hornet SP	CHE	13.1	148
9	SZAFARYN Len	Gin Boomerang 3	USA	12.6	144

Task 2 (fifth column is speed):

1	ORLIK Martin	Mac Para Margus28	CZE	20.29	486
2	REED Eric	Gin Boomerang 3	USA	14.56	376
3	REMANJEK Honza	Edel Millenium	CZE	14.16	367
4	GUNNUSCIO Brad		USA	14.05	362
5	VON ZABERN Rob			13.98	359
6	MESSENGER Jaime	Advanced Sigma 4	GBR	13.96	356
7	PRENTICE David	Ozone Prototype	USA	13.88	353
8	EWALD Joerg	Firebird Hornet SP	CHE	13.79	350
9	ZAENGLEIN Brett			13.07	336
10	DYER Kent	Windtech Syncro	USA	12.87	331

Cumulative:

1	ORLIK Martin	Mac Para Margus28	CZE	672
2	EWALD Joerg	Firebird Hornet SP	CHE	498
3	MESSENGER Jaime	Advanced Sigma 4	GBR	491
4	VOEGELI Jan		USA	488
5	REED Eric	Gin Boomerang 3	USA	482
6	ROSENKJER Luis	ProDesigh Titan 2	ARG	479
7	VON ZABERN Rob			468
8	PRENTICE David	Ozone Prototype	USA	460
9	ZAENGLEIN Brett			450
10	HUGHES Thayer	APCO Bagheera	USA	437

Discuss "2003 PG Nationals" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Tue, Jul 1 2003, 5:00:05 pm EDT

camping|Dan Critchett|flight park|Florida|Florida Ridge|harness|tandem|tug|weather

Marco Oliveira <marco@boston-tech.com> writes:

The Florida Ridge Alumni invite you to join us Saturday, July 12^th for an all-day fly-in. As you know, the Ridge is closed for the summer, but the Alumni have rented the flight park on the 12^th -- and want you to join us!

We'll have two tug pilots, a ground crewperson, and a flight park manager to provide us with all the flying service we'll need, plus a $10 catered lunch, plenty of shade, and experienced pilots on hand to assist if need any set-up help or flight tips. (No official lessons, though, sorry.)

What's more, we encourage you to bring your friends because we'll be offering 2500-ft tandems for just $75. And mile-high tandems for only $150. You'll never get a chance to introduce your friends and buddies to hang gliding for less! (Conditions permitting, of course. Come early - by 8am - or be prepared to stay late - up until 7pm - for optimal tandem conditions.)

Solo tows are $10 all day, camping is free, and glider and harness rental are available at their usual prices (courtesy of the Ridge). Weather and demand permitting, we may extend the fly-in through the next day, Sunday.

If you have any questions, please contact Marco Oliveira (<Marco@boston-tech.com>) or Dan Critchett (<Dan@Critchett.net>). And be sure to check your email late Friday evening in case we have to call the event for weather.

(The Florida Ridge Alumni are a dozen eager pilots who are underwriting our own weekend flying this summer while the Ridge is closed. On occasion - like July 12^th - we invite other pilots to join us. If you are interested in joining the Alumni, contact Marco or Dan.)

Discuss fly-ins at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2

Discuss "Florida Ridge Alumni Fly-In" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Mon, Jun 23 2003, 1:00:06 am GMT

camping|PG|site|XC

Kiernan O'Donovan & Andrew Jeffrey, Royal Fellows of the RMHGPA <kiernanzz@attbi.com> write:

The RMHGPA, Rocky Mountain Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, is having a Fly-In at Dinosaur, Colorado over the July 4^th weekend. We'll be flying from July 3^rd to the 6^th. It's an open distance fun fly in. Dinosaur is very good for open distance XC. The fly-in is for HG's and PG's. It's a h3, P3 site with plenty of mountain experience necessary. Otherwise it's h4, P4. h2's and P2's may be able to fly early mornings and late in the day depending on the conditions.

There's lots of spectacular camping sites on top of the ridge and Mike Warden at the Sky View Motel, 970 374-2267, has a couple of rooms still available. The fly-in costs $25. That includes a great Barney Fly-In T-shirt. The shirts were designed by Craig Bradley here in Denver and they're awesome.

Preregistration is not required. Just show up on the 3^rd or 4^th and fly. You can let me know at <kiernanzz@attbi.com> if you're coming so we get some idea of the number of pilots that will be there. Drivers may not be available locally. Dino is out there in the stix, but every time we've gone out and flown we've managed to scavenge up some sort of drivers. So come along and we'll sort something out.

Discuss "Dinosaur Fly in July 4^th" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Fri, May 9 2003, 2:00:05 pm EDT

aerotow|Australia|camping|competition|school|Steve Chesters

http://www.triptera.com.au/canungra

Steven Chesters <thechesters@optusnet.com.au> writes:

The Canungra Classic dates have been confirmed from the 27^th September to the 4^th October 2003. These dates coincide with the Oz school holidays of the east coast and South Australia.

Last year we had great conditions with seven days flyable out of eight.

Canungra is situated in the beautiful Gold Caost hinterland in Queensland. International pilots can take advantage of the close proximity to Queensland’s awesome and world renowned beaches and all manner of non flying activities making this a great comp for the whole family.

There are plenty of cheap accommodation options including camping, motels and at the pub (probably the best option).

Shortly following the Classic, there will be an aerotow competition at the recently formed Dalby Hangliding facility a couple of hours from Canungra. Two comps in two weeks, what more could a pilot ask for.

For more details contact Steve Chesters at <thechesters@optusnet.com.au> or visit our website where online registration can be completed for both comps: http://www.triptera.com.au/canungra just follow the links to 2003 St Bernards Hang Gliding Classic.

Discuss flying in Australia at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2

Discuss "2003 Canungra Classic" at the Oz Report forum   link»