[ridgerunner]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys!

I'm just now starting to read some of the threads...

[Bob Kuczewski]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys!

You're more than welcome ... Jeff.     

I believe we have some of the best people in the sport of hang gliding here. They are creative people, thoughtful people, and most importantly, fair-minded people. Many have been bullied for speaking up about problems in the sport, and several have been banned from the "other" sites. We're all here because we love recreational hang gliding, and we want to promote, protect, and serve it (see our motto in our site logo).

I'm just now starting to read some of the threads...

Uh oh. We may be more heavy on the politics than you'd like to see. If that's the case, please help us out by starting a few non-political topics. Maybe you could tell us a little about tbat rudder tail in your picture. How long have you used it? How do you like it? Have you found any unexpected "features" with it?  

[Bill Cummings]

Interesting tail feathers there. Welcome aboard.

[wes]

Hello everyone. I'm Wes, and I live near St. Louis, on the Illinois side. I am H2, foot-launch rated, and mainly fly out of Lookout Mountain when I have time off from work. I'd love to get something going near my area, so reach out to me if you live in the STL area!

[Bill Cummings]

Hey Wes,
Wow! About 19 driving hours away from Las Cruces, NM.
If you have mostly flat land near you scooter tow may help you with airtime. I used to think only a H3 should learn to scooter tow but
since I watched it up close and actually did it myself I now know it is a safe way to learn from H1.
I was mostly a tow pilot when I lived in Minnesota but now mostly foot launch here in NM.
You can find my videos on YouTube at Bill Cummings Channel. There are several with my same name that happen to be someone else
but look for my emoji for the right channel. Some towing can be found there that is actually car towing but my end of the tow
is rigged the same way for car or scooter.
My Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmA81pY5Pg1iXE74vbJb4YA?view_as=subscriber
_______________________________________________________________________
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6IFmX3t2vg
Car tow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmsiOr5vOrs

[Bob Kuczewski]

Welcome Wes!!!!



Bill has been towing since the beginning of time (where time is measured from the start of modern hang gliding). He's a good resource.

We also have a Chapter in St. Louis called the "Mo Hawks". They've been somewhat stalled for lack of members, but you might bring them to critical mass. Sometimes it just takes one energetic person to change the world. You might be the spark!!

Thanks for landing at the U.S. Hawks!!!

[SamKellner]

Hello Wes !

If you are in these parts, Southwest Texas, where the world records are, ........

We'll scooter tow. What glider do you have ?

[spydermike]

My name is Mike Christian. I just joined up as I am reenergizing my interest in HG.

My history with hanggliding goes back to 1975-1976 while starting high school. I
bought a basic Rogallo for some $200 at a garage sale and my brothers and I
taught ourselves to fly and crash at Cape Kiwanda, OR. After a year or so
of that, my parents thought it was too dangerous so they let me get my
fixed wing pilots license. I have been flying "things" off and on since
then. I have been involved in aviation, in one form or another, most of my
life (business and personal).

I started hanggliding again 4 years ago when I realized that a site near
where I live half the time was a great place for it (Woodrat Mountain in
southern Oregon). I got to Hang2, bought a used Falcon 3 and a new CG-1000
harness, and made 5 flights off Woodrat before life took some turns and I
took a hiatus. I still have the equipment, an instructor nearby (James Tibbs), and a few
HG pilots around (mostly PGers around here).

The other half of my time is in So Cal, although I have never flown around there.
I live near where the old Escape Country used to be back in the day.
I did a tandem PG at Torrey Pines a while back just to check it out, but that is it.

I am looking to get back into HG and I see things have changed quite a bit since I left just 3 years ago (USHPA in
particular and HG activity in general).

I am really interested in checking out the suprone type of flying in the
future.

There you have it!

Mike

[JoeF]

Welcome Mike Christian!
Waiver free for Dockweiler?

[Bob Kuczewski]

Welcome Mike!!!

The first thing you should do is sign up for free flying at Dockweiler beach. I've attached the waiver to this post. It may take a few weeks for the County of Los Angeles to process, so It's good to get it started as soon as you can. There's no membership requirement in USHPA or any other club.

Then you can join us on Mondays and Tuesdays for some fun flying. That's how Frank Colver (USHGA #7) eased himself back into the sport in his 80's. He ended up flying at Point of the Mountain Utah just about a year ago. You can find pictures and video here on the forum. Just search for topic titles "Frank Colver Flies High In Utah".

And speaking of Frank, he's also been working on a seated harness that he flys at Dockweiler. Also, Jim Fennison has been working on a FlyBar concept for seated flying. You might look into both of those.

Mostly ...

Welcome to the U.S. Hawks!!!