Hi folks - it's been a little while since I wrote one of these. The weather has been good and I've been busy flying. Hopefully you all have as well!

This month I wanted to write about the new sports people who have started flying with us at Mussel Rock: the Ground Launchers.

I've asked some of them to write a short article for an upcoming Ridge Dancer describing their sport. In the meantime, here is a quick summary as I understand it:

Ground Launchers hike up steep slopes with skydiving or base jumping canopies and harnesses. They kite their canopies much like we do our gliders and launch off of the hillside. Because their glide ratio is so steep, they glide down the ridge very close to the ground - 5 to 20ft above depending on the slope. At Mussel Rock they tend to land on the beach, though they can also land up-slope near Walkers or the dirt road to Walkers.

Because their canopies are small (relative to paragliders) they need strong winds to kite and can launch at Mussel Rock in winds from around 15 to more than 20mph. The small canopy also means that they fly (fall) and land fast. Their flares are low and aggressive.

From a paraglider pilots perspective they can look out of control - both when kiting, arms and legs flailing to control a small fast canopy attached at their shoulders, and when landing at high speed.

Despite rag-doll kiting and fast landings, a good ground launcher is in fact in control. They have control toggles, just like paragliders, and additional make direct use of their risers - pulling the front risers to accelerate, and rears to slow down or flare.

Several ground launchers joined us for our last BAPA meeting to describe their sport and listen to our concerns about sharing Mussel Rock. We told them that we ourselves have experienced resistance bring our sport to places with established sporting communities (hang gliders and RCs). And that we are happy to share the site as long as we work together to keep it safe and open.

To this end we asked them to:

• Be respectful of the neighbors and launch out-of-sight of the houses on top of the ridge.
• Always clear their launches - timing them to avoid any airspace conflict with hang gliders or paragliders.
• Land clear of fishermen and other civilians.
• Not launch through fog.

They assured us that they want to keep the site open and launch safely.

There have been reports of ground launchers breaking these basic guidelines. It's important to note that the ground launching community, like ours, is made up of individuals not all of whom are going to be careful and respectful.

Several launchers I have spoken to have offered to keep an eye out and speak to their fellow launchers about these guidelines. And we should as well.

Fog seems to be a particular sticking point for some of them as they believe that as long as they can see the ridge, they can launch safely. I disagree and have pointed out the flying or jumping through fog is against FAA regulations. I think part of the problem comes from not quite understanding each other.

My personal concern is that launchers be able to the ridge, the ground, and a distance along a ridge to clear their jumps. But I have been at Mussel Rock on days where the fog was far to thick to fly, but had gaps-clear from the top of the ridge to the beach-that people were safely launching in. In other words, there was no where the soar side to side, but plenty of space to fly straight down.

JJ, the launcher from Pacifica who pioneered the site for them, has offered me a run on his rig (with supervision). Not sure that I'll trade in nice hour long soaring flights for the hike+30 second launch, but I'm looking forward to trying it out!

So please say hi to the ground launchers. Welcome them to the site. Take a few minutes to explain to them the guidelines for keeping the site safe and open.

I'm pretty sure that if we share the site well and get along, the ground launchers are going to get jealous of our flights and end up as paraglider pilots soon enough.

In fact I've already been approached by one ground launcher looking for lessons!

Fly safe. Play well with others.

Jeff

I hope the summer is going well for everyone. This is the time of the year when our large and diverse flying community fans out in all directions to many different flying locales. On any weekend, pilots are thermalling, ridge soaring, comp flying, attending maneuvers clinics, fly-ins, going camping and having all sorts of adventures. Along with all the flying, there are sometimes incidents and accidents which we would like to learn from in case the knowledge will help us to avoid finding ourselves in the same situation.

On July 4^th, many folks went to Lakeview, Oregon for the annual hanggliding and paragliding fly-in there. On Saturday around midday, pilots were launching at Black Cap into moderate cycles. Earlier the cycles had been lighter and more sporadic. An experienced Bay Area pilot had just launched when he hit the edge of a strong thermal which caused his glider to frontal. The glider seemed to recover but in a second or two, proceeded to negative spin. The pilot tried to recover but the wing went on to spin another two or three times. The risers became twisted, probably on the second spin. At this point, the pilot gave up on recovery of the wing and threw his reserve. Everyone was relieved to see the reserve open quickly as the pilot did not have that much clearance above the ground. Just before landing the pilot was headed toward some rocks but managed to speed up his still-inflated canopy so that it surged over the rocks and he landed on a big bush.

A couple of points on this incident:

1. The pilot told me that he remained calm and able to think clearly during the incident. This was a key in his soft landing.
2. Another pilot said that they were only about 30 feet away from the pilot who had the incident when the whole thing started. It seems like a good idea to keep some distance between pilots when flying in turbulence in case something unexpected like a spin or big collapse occurs.
3. Most of us encountered some pretty strong turbulence during this time and quite a few of us had a good view of the spin and reserve throw incident. I had a small tangle in my left brake line during this flight. The brake still worked but not at 100% effectiveness. After seeing the incident, I made my way directly to the LZ because I realized it would be beyond stupid to fly with an impaired control on one side in these conditions.

Another incident that I witnessed occurred during the second week of July. It was early evening at the coast on a good flying day. I had flown earlier and then left for several hours and came back for an evening flight. As I walked in, I stopped to check with pilots who had recently landed. They said conditions were still good but that there was a strong gradient and it was quite windy a few hundred feet up.

I launched and flew around for a while. At one point I was about 2/3 of the way along Walker Ridge and felt it was getting too strong so I put on Big Ears and full speedbar and did sharp S-turns to come down and then penetrate out. At the time there were two other gliders in the air, both further out in front of me. I did a touch and go at Walkers so I could mention to a friend who was about to launch that it was really strong higher up. (This shows how big the gradient was - if it was strong all over, I would not have been able to set down on Walkers.)

When I was in the air again, I saw that one glider was further back and higher up than where I was when I decided to penetrate out. Soon the glider was in Big Ears but it was too late. The glider eventually got blown back and the pilot landed at the school to the southeast of the Dump. The pilot was not injured but the whole event seemed avoidable.

A few observations on this incident;

1. Some other pilots told me later that they had spoken to the pilot and said that it was windy with a strong gradient. It's always a good idea, particularly if you do not fly a site often, to check in with people who have been in the air recently to find out how the conditions are. If someone says there is a large gradient, then it's best to stay low and out front.
2. If you are light on your wing, you will have only a small window of opportunity to come down and penetrate out in strong conditions. Larger, heavier pilots have more time to take action. Pulling Big Ears, putting on full speedbar and doing sharp S-turns has more of an effect if you have good wing loading. For those of us who are light, we need to recognize the signs sooner and take action sooner. The best idea, of course, is to not get in that situation in the first place.
3. If you see someone else trying to get down and out, it's not a good idea to go where they just were unless you are much bigger than they are and want to live dangerously.
4. I was surprised that a couple of other people did not notice the pilot being blown back. There were only three of us in the air at the time. It's a good idea to watch what others are doing because it can give you valuable information for your own flying and because we should all watch out for each other. Don't fly around totally wrapped up in your own flight - look around and be aware what's going on with other pilots.

Also in mid-July there was an accident at Ed Levin involving a student. Apparently the pilot launched from the 300' with a knot in his lines which caused a slight continuous turn to the right. Despite instruction on the radio to counter the turn with some left brake input, the pilot did not seem to respond and continued to drift to the behind and to the right of launch. He clipped a Eucalyptus tree and this caused him to crash near the trees. The pilot suffered a broken pelvis that required screws and a plate. The pilot is currently recovering and has been released from the hospital but it will take some months to fully recover.

A few thoughts on this incident:

1. In the face of a malfunction or problem, try to stay calm and take action. In this case, the wing was still inflated and could have been flown straight to the LZ.
2. Of course, try to pre-flight your wing carefully and make sure the lines do not have tangles or sticks or whatever.
3. Perhaps instructors could discuss with their students in advance what to do if the student finds that they have launched with a knot or tangle. The course of action will depend on the severity of the problem but in general, the wing can usually be flown with careful countersteering and should be flown straight to the LZ. The pilot should monitor the situation and make sure they are not flying too close to stall point if, for example the brake line is tangled and the trailing edge pulled down.

Finally, I would like to encourage everyone to read Jeff Wishnie's article on the ground launchers who are out at the Dump on some days. We hope that we can work together to co-exist safely but we want to firmly discourage launching in fog and alarming fishermen and pg and hg pilots who are flying at our great site.

Here's to safe and enjoyable flying in August!

Lee has been flying hang gliders for more than 30 years and paragliders for 10; Vicki has only been flying paragliders for four years (but likes to imagine she's catching up fast). At our home site, Marina/Sand City, HGs and PGs share the ridge whenever possible.

In general, hang glider and paraglider pilots get along fine. We share sites, we share the air, and we share a love of flying. But there is definitely still some division between the two "disciplines." And like most divisions among humans, this one comes mostly from a lack of mutual communication and understanding.

Here are some thoughts on how to improve HG/PG communication and safety. Not a complete list, by any means-and much of this will be obvious to experienced pilots--but hopefully there will be tips here to help everybody stay safer and happier.

Communicating On the Ground

We've all seen this launch or LZ scenario-HGs off on one side, PGs on the other. It's like the other group isn't even there. Then, in the air, we're all expected to communicate expertly as a matter of survival.

Lee: Better communication really needs to start on the ground. Even very basic misconceptions about how the other aircraft operates can cause problems. Speed is one obvious difference, but we also have different abilities to control vertical movement, as well as different blind spots.

Vicki: Plus it's important to know the experience levels of the pilots we fly with-or who's new to the site or who's flying a new glider. Who to watch out for-and who you can fly closer to. And the only way to find that out is by interacting on the ground.

Lee: Also, better communication means better solutions when problems happen in the air. We're all continually improving, and there are new pilots all the time-so there will be occasional glitches. If everyone is friendly to begin with, we can talk about those later in ways that are productive and not threatening.

Vicki: Some area sites have better "integration" potential than others (such as Ed Levin and Sand City/Marina). But at the Dump/Funston, for example, PGs and HGs don't interact on the ground. So I think it's great that we're starting to see HGs and PGs taking mountain trips together (like the Goat and New Idria trips Ben Rogers and Wayne Michelsen are doing). And the Northern California X-C League, now mostly PG pilots, welcomes HGs, too, so hopefully more will show up for those.

Communicating In the Air

Paraglider pilots complain that HGs come out of nowhere; hang glider pilots complain that PGs are always in the way and don't clear their turns; HG pilots believe that PGs collapse for no reason; PG pilots think that HG's always "whack" when they land.

Vicki: When I first starting flying, if I saw an HG coming, I'd immediately turn and stay as far away as possible. Of course I found out later they really hate that, because they were never sure I even saw them!

Lee: And because HGs move so fast, it makes us very nervous when other pilots (especially people we don't know) make unexpected moves. So I would say you can't overdo communication when you're flying with HGs.

When an HG is approaching a PG, especially on a narrow ridge, we start looking from the minute we first see the other glider for clues as to what we can expect when we reach it. These include a general pattern of flight that might indicate how experienced the pilot is (and therefore how much control and awareness they are likely to have). When we get closer, we look for eye contact-but since we're all usually wearing sunglasses or visors, also try a friendly wave, just acknowledging that you see the other pilot.

Vicki: Yes, at least one accident was caused by a failure to do that. But sometimes I'll wave at an HG pilot and don't get an immediate response. That annoyed me until I realized that they can't always just let go of the bar and wave the way PG pilots can.

Lee: Another common HG complaint is that PGs don't properly clear their turns.

Vicki: And I agree that some PG pilots are fairly casual about that. They figure, "I know he/she is back there, and I'm not going to hit him/her, so what's the problem?" In other words, clearing the turn isn't just to find out who's there, it's like using the turn signal on your car. I polled a few HGs, and they said they like to see definite and even multiple head turnings to indicate that a turn might be in the works." One said, "When somebody turns their head the first time, I assume they're maybe thinking about turning. The second time means they're getting serious about it."

Lee: Hand signals are good too, especially if there's any ambiguity about a situation-or if you feel it's appropriate to deviate from standard ridge rules for some reason. For example, pointing to yourself, then in the direction you plan to go.

Vicki: And to be really cautious, here's a suggestion from Stephen Wasson, one of the Marina HG pilots, about turning when another pilot is behind you on a narrow ridge:

One of my favorite maneuvers is, after clearing my turn, to turn just 90 degrees and pause; this allows me a moment to see if the pilot that I'm turning towards wants to zip behind me (though I might technically have the ridge right-of-way), or whether they want to turn outward. Whatever they choose, I can then do the opposite. If they're confused and keep flying at me, I abort my turn.

Vicki: Also, many HGs assume that PGs have the same vertical control they do-that we can dive to avoid them. At Marina (coastal ridge site), I've had HGs park right overhead when I'm coming in to top land--not realizing that I might be unavoidably popped up when I hit the ridge lift. Also, on a strong day, an approaching HG pilot might not realize that a PG doesn't want to be right at the ridge, for fear of getting blown back.

Lee: Close flying definitely needs to be done carefully, since lift and sink vary with each craft and each situation. For example on lighter days, when both HGs and PGs need to stay in a narrow band of ridge lift, PGs have the advantage. Although ridge rules still apply, in light conditions, it's helpful if the PG can give up the right of way to the HG--since a PG has better ability to work light lift.

Thermalling Together

Vicki: So how about thermalling-it can be challenging enough in the same thermal with a couple of other PGs-and really tricky when HGs are added to that, especially when they come in below you.

Lee: Well, although lower and slower aircraft technically have right of way-in practical terms, lower pilot trumps slower pilot. For the PG pilot, it makes sense to let a lower, faster-moving HG move up past you, since it's easier for PG to maneuver and stay in a limited lift area. Plus the higher HG can help you spot the core.

It's also safer, because HG pilots have very limited overhead visibility. As the pilot looks up, the wing obscures a large area; it's like a horse with blinders on. PGs have a narrower and smaller blind spot because the wing is so far above us. This means that a PG pilot has to fly even more defensively. Also, in thermalling situations, PG pilots need to be very aware of the height of canopy, to ensure there's room for those above us.

Seeing the Bigger Picture

Lee: A lot of this comes down to general situational awareness. On a ridge or thermalling, it's important to know where everybody is all the time. This is especially true flying with HGs because they come at you a lot faster; plus their flat profile can make them much less visible. It takes practice to see hang gliders against terrain, a skill that newer PG pilots don't always have an opportunity to develop.

Vicki: I periodically take mental "snapshots" of the air around me and keep updating that mental picture. If a glider has "disappeared," I'm very suspicious! Hopefully situational awareness comes with experience, but I suspect that HG pilots are forced to develop these skills earlier and more highly, because they are moving so fast themselves.

And one other suggestion someone made (Susan Kent, actually) is that HGs and PGs who fly the same site regularly should (if licensed) keep in radio contact-that's also a great way to share info on conditions.

While kiting his wing one day, Andy, a pilot, heard a distinct but quiet voice saying, "Hello". "What?" asked Andy. Echoing through his risers and brakes, the wing quietly whispered, "You must listen closely, and I will help you become One with my fabric and the air you fly in. I will teach you to speak the physical language called 'Winglish'."

Andy, lost in thought over this unexpected communication, let the wing fall back to the ground. He attempted to talk to the wing by asking questions in his head, but no response. Finally, he gave up and decided to go back to his practice. As soon as the wing was airborne again, he heard, "Hello again, Friend. I can only communicate with you through your risers and brakes."

Andy had always struggled with kiting and how to anticipate events while flying. When his instructor had been teaching him the basics of kiting, he coached him with his braking to enable him to keep the wing up. The teacher would often say "left brake" several times before Andy could react as the wing moved to the left. At first he took too long to react and the wing would fall to the left side. Eventually Andy began to learn to react quickly enough to catch the wings movement. Still, there were many times when his reactions were not quick enough.

Andy began kiting again and suddenly heard, "The key to kiting, is more than using your eyes. Winglish can only be communicated through your risers and brakes. Before you can 'hear' Winglish, you must relax your entire body and feel the changes in riser tension and brakes. Winglish is a physical language, so the way to hear it is through the body".

The wind gusted suddenly and slightly changed directions. The wing said, "Feel the pull changing on your harness!" Andy noticed that the pull did change the feel on his harness. The wing began moving to the right so he reacted by pulling the right brake a little after it began moving. His pull was too late and a bit too much, causing the wing to overreact to the left side and fell back to the ground.

When Andy had lofted the wing again, it continued, "You see, I have a delayed reaction to the wind when it changes. In Winglish, I can only tell you of the change through your risers and brakes. I always try to warn you of a change before I move, but you have not been listening."

Andy had always thought his eyes were his best tool for kiting. But he now put his attention toward the feelings in the harness and brakes more than before. He waited for the wing to talk to him. Finally, he heard "Your arms are too stiff and this makes your entire body stiff," Andy immediately he noticed that his arms and body were, in fact, too tense. He concentrated on relaxing his arms and body. Like magic, the sound from the wing's communication became clearer.

The wing spoke again, "Close your eyes and try to feel the wing move to the side". At first Andy laughed. But, to continue this amazing experience he tried it. At first the wing remained overhead, but then he felt it move to the side. The wing asked, "When I moved to the side, could you tell which side it was?" Andy admitted he had snuck a peak and checked which side the wing had moved to, but that he did guess which side the wing had drifted toward. The wing laughed, and said, "You will get this yet. Once you feel this a few times your body will become more connected to me. You see, since you got more relaxed, your kiting has already become more connected." Andy asked what specifically he would feel in the harness when the wing moves to the side. The wing answered, "Winglish is too complex to explain that simply. It is more general of a feel than that. Your body will learn it as long as your mind is observing."

Andy kited for a while, trying to 'hear' the Winglish. He worked on becoming more relaxed, specifically his arms. He also began to sense and become aware of the wing's pull on his risers and harness. He noticed that just prior to the wing's moving to the side, he would feel it in the harness. He closed his eyes and began to be able to feel the wing move to either side. He realized that when the wing surged forward, just before it would collapse, the lift would diminish. The first few times this happened the wing would shout, "Going, going, gone!" as the wing surged and collapsed. Andy soon learned to become aware of the diminishing lift that related to a surge so he could catch them before the collapse.

The wing spoke to Andy for the last time, "Andy, you now have learned my language. The truth is, I am really communicating to you through your body and the words you are hearing in your head are not part of the language. I will continue to speak to you in Winglish whenever you fly or kite. And if continue to use your senses fully we can look after each other."

General Members Meeting

The July meeting was called to order by President Jeff Wishnie. Additional officers present were Co-Activity Directors Chip Sheppard and Rich Leggett, Co-Safety Directors Ann Sasaki and Wally Anderson and Secretary; Pete Norlander. A total of 26 members and guests were present. The meeting was held at the Round Table Pizza on Gellert Blvd in South San Francisco.

New Members/Visitors

Four new members and six guests joined us for the evening. The four new BAPA members were Tim Serranni, Alex Koorkoff, Mitch Dougherty and Chris Hilliard. Tim is a pilot from Minnesota. He did mostly tow flying in his previous home state. Mitch has done some flying in New Zealand. Chris goes back to the early days of paragliding having learned to fly 1991. Our six guests for the evening were Tim Matson, Dave Royer, Ryan Brownlow, Patrick Aiken, Bodi Aiken and Shawn Foley. All 6 are experienced sky divers with over 1,000 jumps each. They recently began ground based launching at The Dump / Mussel Rock area. They responded to an invitation by Jeff Wishnie to join us at a BAPA meeting to share aspects of their sport and discuss how members of their community and the paragliding community can coexist in a safe and friendly manner.

Officers' Report

Ann Sasaki announced that informal permission has been received by an engineer for the city of Daly City to post a sign at the Mussel Rock flying area. The sign will be aimed primarily at new and visiting pilots notifying them of safety issues and potential hazards that may exist. Ann talked about an incident at a recent fly in at Lakeview, Oregon in which a reserve was thrown. It served as a reminder of the importance of maintaining situational awareness and adequate space both horizontally and vertically while flying.

Wally Anderson noted an incident at Ed Levin in which a pilot launched before sticks in his lines were cleared. He flew over the back side of the 300' launch into the Eucalyptus trees. Emergency personnel were called to the scene. The extent of injuries, if any, were not determined at the time of the meeting. Wally said he would report additional information later after he had learned more.

Rich Leggett reviewed the upcoming club calendar of events. A fly in at Potato Hill / St. Johns is scheduled for the weekend of July 22, 23, and 24. An XC Social League Competition will be held for the weekend of August 13, 14. Greg Gamma will be holding a First Responder First Aid Clinic on Saturday, August 20. A 'Community Day' at Mussel Rock is planned for the last weekend in August, Saturday the 27 and Sunday 28. The non flying public from the neighborhoods near Mussel Rock will be invited. The goal is to be good neighbors and develop a rapport with those that live adjacent to and in the area surrounding our flying area. Saturday will include a Demo Days in which various vendors, schools and instructors will be on hand for paraglider pilots. Sunday will be an open house aimed at the neighbors. Tandem flights will be offered at a reduced price. The proceeds will be donated to local community groups.

Raquel Lopes mailed in a Treasurer's Report. The club account has $4,200.00. Current membership is 137.

Old Business

Minutes From Past Meeting - A motion was made to approve the June Minutes as published in the Ridge Dancer. The motion was carried and approved.

Ann Sasaki reported that a new LZ at Dunlap has been established. After it being on again, off again, Dunlap is once again open for flying. The new LZ is uneven and has some trees but is larger than the previous LZ.

Old Business

A motion was made to allocate $150.00 for a new sign at launch at Mussel Rock. The motion was approved.

A new city park for Pacifica has been approved. It will be located on the bluff across the street from the Post Office. A proposal was made to ask the city for permission to use it as a launch site.

Following the paragliding meeting, there was a discussion about ground launching at the Dump. The six ground launchers who attended the meeting talked about the equipment they use, the skills, speed, maneuvers and methods of control required for ground based launching. Following adjournment of the meeting Rich Leggett showed a video on a paragliding maneuvers clinic. Tim Matheson, one of the ground based launchers showed a video on BASE jumping (building, antenna, span, and earth). A thank you to our 6 quests for sharing with us details of their sport.