Affordable Aviation

ST. PAUL, MINN. — I recently paid a visit to Lookout Mountain Flight Park. What changes! Back in the early ’80s, I ran a flight shop and school called Crystal Air Sports. I’d been at it five or six years when Matt Taber came to Chattanooga. He took over the already-well-known site at Lookout and […]

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Following on bits left over from October’s "Product Lines"… ••• In the land of hurricanes and tropical storms, we find the East Coast’s Turbulent Talent Triangle… I’m referring to the movement of talent, to headhunting (yes, within our little sport!) and to new relationships among leading east coast centers of hang […]

ST. PAUL, MINN. — I very rarely refer to something already Published in Hang Gliding MagazineHG mag, but this time I feel driven to make an exception. The subject is accidents, a topic eruditely addressed (as always) by Mike Meier in the September issue. ••• Before getting to his essay, I first read what I […]

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Response to the mention of Mondial De L’Air (the French light aviation airshow) was surprisingly strong. Though I believed Americans were only mildly interested in international hang gliding news, evidently some readers perceive that European innovations are worth following more closely. Examples of recent impactful developments include topless gliders and D-cell […]

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Long recognized as the premier hang gliding contest of the year, the 1998 Nationals are over and we have a winner. Well, in a sense, "we" don’t because the two top placing pilots in flex-wings (Class I) are not Americans. Congratulations to one of the world’s winningest pilots, Manfred Ruhmer, flying […]

Tallard, FRANCE — Across the big drink this month for an airshow lending some international flavor to "Product Lines." ••• Perhaps the most fascinating thing I observed was the proliferation of D-cell wings. The question in my mind is no longer IF D-cell wings will proliferate, but perhaps instead, "Will flex wings survive?" In truth, […]

ST. PAUL, MINN. — The season seemed to take off in particularly significant way for me and about a hundred others, as the Wallaby Ranch hosted top-ranked pilots at the Atlantic Coast Championships (ACC). The place was a hotbed of activity as the event opened, right on the heels of the Sun ‘n Fun airshow […]

ST. PAUL, MN — Well, I don’t know about you, but I was most impressed in March when I looked at the then-new Hang Gliding. The issue was full of new four-color ads. These were from American companies, too! Terrific. ••• Welcome to eye-catching displays from U.S. & UK Airwave for their Xtreme, developed at […]

ST. PAUL, MN — Folks, right off, I have a couple items of interest that don’t relate to hang gliding products. ••• In the December ’97 issue I wrote about industry leader, Ken Brown. The story mentioned Ken’s employer, a man named Jim Lee, who was killed in an ultralight accident. I didn’t focus on […]

ST. PAUL, MN — Back home in the not-so-cold north (with a surprising "thanks" to El Nino), the year started off with some unhappy news. ••• In mid-January, Acme Glider Company boss Terry Reynolds wrote all TR3 owners and other interested parties. "We have given it our best and we just cannot go on any […]