2007 News Summary

12/04/07
Wills Wing Spring 2008 Fly-In at Wallaby Ranch, March 25-30th
Come to the 11th Annual Wills Wing Fly-In and Party atWallaby Ranch, Florida USA.
Help us celebrate 35 years in the Hang Gliding business!
We will have all our new models available to demo, and five Dragonflys to tow you to cloud base.

Gliders ordered by January 15th can be delivered to Wallaby on a first come first serve basis, with no shipping cost.

11/26/07
Thanks for building my dream machine.
Getting a Sport 2 175 has changed the way I view flight forever! My body weight is 270 and I hook in at 300-310 with all my bags, cross country gear, and water. I’ve only been hanggliding a year, after learning on a Falcon 225 I became somewhat frustrated with the lack of performance gliders that would fly my weight, until a friend of mine let me fly his Sport 2 175. I was sold in seconds! Whether it’s flying ridge lift at Point of the Mountain or thermal flying the mountains of Utah, the Sport 2 does it all. Even with the density altitude in Utah and light wind conditions, great launching and landing characteristics give me the confidence to go for it. The S2 175 not only thermals a “big guy” like me great, but has the performance to zoom between areas of lift expanding my cross country desires. Just the other day I launched first from Hurricane in light ridge conditions with two experienced pilots one flying a topless and one flying a U2. The S2 175 gave me the sink rate to hang on for over an hour and staying aloft as long as they did. Many new pilots don’t realize Gravity is a myth… the earth sucks. When it sucks me as hard as it does that type of flight doesn’t happen unless your flying something special. Wills Wing has done something special again, built a glider that has expanded the dream of flight to a guy my size. Of course this is no surprise to people who know their level of commitment, integity, and passion for making dream flight come true.

I fly many special aircraft, but as I fly around the world I can’t wait to get back to Utah to fly the “most” special one, the one that allows me to fly as I fly in my dreams, my Wills Wing Sport 2 175. Thanks for building my dream machine.

Capt. Shadd Heaston
ATP, CFII, MEI, G
Lear Jet 20,30,50 series
Gulfstream II,IIB, III series
Boeing 737, 757
Glider Instructor
P-4 Paraglider Pilot
… and newly addicted hang gliding pilot.

11/26/07
T2 Pilots Strong in Paulista Season 2007
Brazilian T2 pilot Ricardo Camphana, who has been competing for about three years, writes that he finally won his first task – the last task from “Paulista Championship” in Andradas-MG!

Further information here and here
Congratulations Ricardo and the other T2 pilots!

11/22/07
Second Generation Carbon Speedbar
Wills Wing is pleased to introduce our 2nd generation carbon speedbar.

The new carbon speedbar will fit all gliders fitted with Slipstream or Slipstream 2 control bars (Talons, T2’s). A Litestream compatible version will be available in the Spring of 2008. Features of the new carbon speedbar include a re-designed shape, with a deep offset planform. The grip positions are optimized for comfort, control and aerodynamics in all phases of flight. Specially designed flares in the grip area allow for effortless maintenance of optimum bank angle when thermalling.

Structural features include an extra thick laminate constructed from aerospace-grade carbon and Kevlar pre-preg, cured at 230 degrees Fahrenheit and 105 psi pressure. A stainless steel internal safety cable and corner fittings machined from solid blocks of wrought aluminum (Wills Wing has never used the far less reliable cast fittings) insure the structural reliability of the basetube.

The 19mm x 77mm speedbar airfoil section is analytically optimized for minimum drag and wind tunnel tested, and includes linear and “V” boundary layer trips for further drag reduction.

The new carbon speedbar can be ordered as an option on any new T2 for the upgrade price of $420 retail.

11/20/07
WW T2 Pilot Jeff O’Brien on Cover of Cross Country
Jeff continues to make some great hang gliding images!

11/05/07
 Dustin Martin Wins the Canoa Open 2007 (Ecuador) with T2
Wills Wing T2 pilot Dustin Martin finished in first place in the Canoa Open 2007 in Ecuador. In addition, pilots flying Wills Wing hang gliders finished in positions 3 through 9. Rafael Arcos reports that they had very good weather and very competitive races for the three-day event.

Congratulations Dustin and the rest of the WW Pilots!

10/16/07
Michel Louzada Wins ‘Super Race’ and Paulista Comp with T2
Wills Wing T2 pilot Michel Louzada finished in first place in the Camo do Rio Claro leg of the Super Race and won the Paulista Comp 2007 in Brazil.

Congratulations Michel!

10/16/07
Wills Wing Internet Connection Outage
Starting at approximately 8:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time on October 15th (yesterday), until approximately 4:00 PM PDT today, our internet connection was inoperable due to a technical problem with our DSL line.
During this 32 hour period, we could not receive email from the outside, nor send email outside of our internal network, and we could not receive orders placed on line through our web site.
We MAY receive some of those emails and / or orders now that the connection has been restored, but you should assume that ANY and ALL emails that you sent, and any and all online orders you placed during this period have been lost, and you should re-send them.
We apologize sincerely for the inconvenience.

09/17/07
Michel Louzada Wins Brazilian Comp with T2
Wills Wing T2 pilot Michel Louzada has won the Campeonato Paulista De Vôo Livre 2007 in Brazil, followed closely by T2 pilots Nenê Rotor and Máskara.

Congratulations Again to Michel, Nenê and Leo!

09/17/07
Wheels – New Product – New Prices
We have added a larger Finsterwalder pneumatic wheel to our product line:

The new Finsterwalder wheel is 3 ¼ inches wide, and offers significantly increased protection in a wheel landing situation. The larger, wider wheel is great for use in training situations, or for pilots who prefer to land on the wheels on a regular basis.

We have also had to increase prices on the 8 inch diameter Finsterwalder wheel, and on the 5 inch Hall wheel, due to increased costs over the years.  And finally, because the Hall Wheels come from the manufacturer in sets, with only one of the wheels made to accept a VG cord, we are now pricing and selling the Hall wheels as a set of 2, instead of individually. The Finsterwalder wheels are still priced and sold as individual wheels.

09/09/07
T2s Finish Strong at Brasiliero de Ansa 2007
Wills Wing T2 pilots Nenê and Leo combined to win 3 of the 4 tasks in the Brazilian Nationals (Brasiliero de Ansa 2007, http://www.superrace2007.blogspot.com/).
Leo writes: “Hi Steve, In our national at Brasilia this last week, Nene and I did well 2nd and 3rd (I attached the results). The gliders were very good, I think that they were gliding better than any other. ”

Congratulations to Nenê, Leo and Michel!

09/04/07
T2 Aerobatics Clip
Andrea Lemma (3rd at Vertigo this year) has published a short video compilation of clips he made last summer with the camera on his Wills Wing T2 hang glider.

08/12/07
Jeff O’Brien and T2 Set New Utah Flex Wing Record
Jeff O’Brien writes:

Yesterday, 8/12/2007, I was able to fly my T2 154 220 miles into Wyoming and across the Continental Divide breaking the Utah flex wing record of 190 miles set in 1994. My airtime was 7 hours 20 minutes, and max. altitude was 17,500ft. MSL. All, (altitude, distance, and duration) were a personal best for me. 

I’ve got just over 100 hours on my T2 now, and it’s as sweet as ever. At the recent Hang-On competition in Oregon, I was able to fly head to head with Jonny Durand Jr. on the glider he’s currently flying in the worlds. Over seven days of competition, I was able to win four of them, and only lost to Jonny by 20 points out of 5000 because I fell down one day. My point is that the T2 is state of the art, and has world class performance. 

In addition to gliding far, the T2 continues to let me get away with less than perfect landing technique. In Oregon, I had to land in a sloping LZ with five foot high vegitation. My approach and flare timing wasn’t the best, but the T2 parachuted in, not penalizing me for my bad technique. Two days ago when I landed in windy conditions after seven hours of hypoxic flying, the glider forgave me when I floundered around coming into the ground. 

Finally, the Rotor harness I have continues to perform perfectly. It’s sleek, and I still have storage for all my XC gear with glider bags. I can access my spare radio and GPS in flight, ‘go’ when I need to easily, and it cradles me in comfort and warmth on long flights. 

Thanks to all the WW crew for the products and support that make our sport so much fun! 

Jeff O’Brien

07/24/07
T2 Pilots Set New XC Records in Finland
On May 1st, 2007 Finnish T2 pilot Kari Suhonen set a new out and return record for Finland with a 100 km out and return flight on his T2 154.
On June 24th, Kari and Vesa Lappalainen, on a T2 144, jointly set a new Finnish 100 km triangle record, and Vesa set new speed records for 50 km and 100 km triangles.
Vesa reported that the T2’s performance has expanded the possibilities for out and return and triangle records due to its enhanced ability to fly effectively into the wind.

07/21/07 
New Michigan, Cloud 9, and Sport 2 Record
Davis Straub has flown a a href=”prod2.asp?theClass=hg&theModel=Sport2″>Sport 2 155 an impressive 170 miles, starting from Cloud 9 Sport Aviation in Webberville, Michigan and ending up in Ohio.
This feat certainly shows that the Sport 2 is capable of some impressive XC in the hands of a skilled pilot. Read the whole story on Davis’ Oz Report.
Nice Flying Davis!

07/08/07 
T2 First Place in Super Race Brazil 2007
Michel Louzada takes first place in the 4th edition of Super Race Brazil 2007 in Itamonte on his Wills Wing  T2. It was a three day race with over 60 pilots. Michael’s sponsors include Cellep, Prorider, Rotor, and TerminalX.
Congratulations Michel!

06/25/07
Rob Kells Inducted into the Rogallo Hall of Fame
Here’s a couple photos of Rob at Kitty Hawk last month from his induction into the Rogallo Hall of Fame. The first one is with Francis Rogallo, the NASA engineer who invented the ‘first’ hang glider.

06/25/07
Andreas Olsson Does Well at Pre_Europeans with T2
Andreas Olsson, flying a WW T2, finished in 3rd place, close behind Oleg Bonderchuk (Aeros) and Pizmo Gricar (Aeros) at the 2007 Pre-Europeans in Greifenburg.
Congratulations, Andreas!

06/25/07
Nene Rotor Wins Brazilian Comp with T2
Dustin Martin Writes:
Nene won both days and the comp. It was a small comp but the entire good Brasilian field was there. First day was a complete crapshoot, but the second was a good race and his glider is the best of the comp, no argument.

CAMPEONATO PAULISTA DE VÔO LIVRE 2007
Resultados Oficiais Apuração Finalizada da Etapa

CATEGORIA OPEN

T1 – 3ª Etapa Prova1 52,4 km
T2 – 3ª Etapa Prova2B 51,5 km

06/21/07
Custom U2
Here’s a nice custom-lettered U2 160 after being test-flown at Andy Jackson Airpark. Photo by Dianne McKenzie.

06/18/07
Kari Suhonen wins Finnish Championships on T2
Kari Sunhonen placed first in the Finnish Championships on a Wills Wing T2 154 and Vesa Lappalainen took third on a T2 144. T2’s also took four of the top eight places.
Congratulations to all of the pilots who competed!

06/11/07
T2 Pilot Paul Kelley Wins East Coast Championship
Wills Wing T2 pilots took two of the top three and five of the top ten places in the recently completed East Coast Championships, including an impressive first place finish by Paul Kelley.

Congratulations to all of the pilots who competed in the meet.

06/09/07
Andreas Olsson Sets Swedish Record With T2
Oggy Ougrinov writes:
Two day local competition in the south of Sweden was blessed with 2700 and 2900 m cloudbase. Out and return tasks were flown over the flatlands of Skane. Two trikes towed twelve pilots. 1st day had a task of 79 km, made by four pilots, while on the second day Andreas Olsson set the Swedish record for an out and return flight. He flew 129.8 km (80.6 mi.). 

06/07/07
Site Record from Hurricane, Utah, for Len Clements & T2

Len Clements and another pilot decided to try for a long XC flight at the end of several days’ flying at Hurricane. Conditions were not promising, and they struggled at first, the other pilot sinking out early. Len got up and continued on, finding good altitudes and a steady tailwind. Len credits the flat glide of his Wills Wing T2 with getting him across some big gaps in the lift, and had at least a couple of key low saves along the way. Len has posted a full description of his flight on the forum at www.ahga.org

Congratulations Len!

Launch: Hurricane Cliffs, Utah Monday June 4, 2007 12:39 PM Arizona time Landing: Shonto, Arizona at 6:00 PM Arizona time. Shonto is a Navajo village, about 50 miles southeast of Page off of Highway 98.
LZ: N 36 35.294 W 110 39.250

Flight Time = 5:21
Distance = 151 statute miles
Avg. Groundspeed = 28 MPH
Max. Altitude = 17,208 ft. barometric (approx. 17,999 ft. GPS)
Old Site Record: 107 statute miles
Route: Hurricane to Colorado City to Coral Pink Sand Dunes to Kanab to Big Water to Page to Shonto

06/07/07
Site Record from Hurricane, Utah, for Len Clements & T2

Len Clements and another pilot decided to try for a long XC flight at the end of several days’ flying at Hurricane. Conditions were not promising, and they struggled at first, the other pilot sinking out early. Len got up and continued on, finding good altitudes and a steady tailwind. Len credits the flat glide of his Wills Wing T2 with getting him across some big gaps in the lift, and had at least a couple of key low saves along the way. Len has posted a full description of his flight on the forum at www.ahga.org

Congratulations Len!

Launch: Hurricane Cliffs, Utah Monday June 4, 2007 12:39 PM Arizona time Landing: Shonto, Arizona at 6:00 PM Arizona time. Shonto is a Navajo village, about 50 miles southeast of Page off of Highway 98.
LZ: N 36 35.294 W 110 39.250

• Flight Time = 5:21
• Distance = 151 statute miles
• Avg. Groundspeed = 28 MPH
• Max. Altitude = 17,208 ft. barometric (approx. 17,999 ft. GPS)

Old Site Record: 107 statute miles
Route: Hurricane to Colorado City to Coral Pink Sand Dunes to Kanab to Big Water to Page to Shonto

05/23/07
Sport 2 Pilot Sets New Site Record
Greg Heckman, flying his Sport 2 at the Whitwell site in Tennessee, decided to go over the back, getting to 10,400 msl and staying there or near most of the way to near the Kentucky border, smashing the site record by getting about 111 miles.

05/10/07
Phippsy Wins British Open Flying T2
Graham Phipps writes:
Managed to get my new T2 144 the day before the start of the British Open comp’ and even managed to put it together and give her a 15 minute check out flight, needless to say everything was fine straight out of the box. First Task of the comp was a cross wind leg to turn point then semi crosswind to goal only 31k but conditions were challenging. Pleased to say glider flew superbly no doubt contributing to my flight to goal where I arrived as the only flex wing to make it, the only other  goalie  was Nevill Almond on his ATOS. 

Unfortunately the rest of the comp proved untaskable so (more fortunately) resulting in a T2 144 winning the British Open and currently leading the overall series. Thanks for another great glider.

04/27/07
T2s Go Long
On April 26, 2007, Dustin Martin (T2 144) flying together with Jonny Durand Jr. (Moyes) shattered the East Coast Open Distance Record with a 283 mile flight from Quest Air north into Georgia to near the South Carolina border. The previous flex wing record was 218 miles and the rigid wing record was 238 miles. Read about it in the  Oz Report blog and  Oz Report v.11 no. 86

On April 14, 2007 Davis Straub flew a T2 144 154 miles from the Florida Ridge flight park for a new flex wing site record. Read about it in the Oz Report

04/26/07
Custom U2 Burns Up the Sky
WW Final Assembler Peter Swanson admires a spectacular new U2 with a hot bottom surface design. Click the image to see a hi-res version.

04/26/07
T2s Excel at Race of Champions
The Race of Champions was an invitational meet limited to the top pilots of the 2007 Flytec Championship. Each day, the top three pilots split a large cash prize and the bottom 10 pilots were cut. Wills Wing T2s were the only glider to finish in the money every day. Congratulations to Davis Straub (2nd on day 1), Nene Rotor (2nd on day 2) and Leo Daubber and Nene (tied for 3rd on day 3).

04/16/07
WW Paragliding Changes
As of today, Wills Wing will cease the distribution and sale of paragliders and paragliding harnesses. We will continue to sell helmets and parachutes for paragliding, and we will continue to offer our very popular, and recently updated book – “Paragliding – A Pilot’s Training Manual.”

In cooperation with Swing and Airwave we have established new distributors in North America for Swing and Airwave paragliders, and all of our paragliding dealers will continue to have ready access to both product lines. Please see our paragliding pagefor accessories and resources.

This has not been an easy decision for us to reach, as we have been in the paragliding business for more than 16 years. We love aviation in all forms and we’ve very much enjoyed being a part of the growth and development of paragliding in the United States. At this time, however, we have a number of important projects under development in the hang gliding side of our business, and we feel that it is necessary for the success of those projects that we re-focus our somewhat limited resources in that direction.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all of our paragliding customers for their business and support over the years. We remain at your service with regard to supplying your needs for helmets, parachutes, and the Paragliding Training Manual.

04/12/07
Falcon 3 Short Pack Transport / Storage Containers Are HERE

The shortpack containers for the Falcon 3 145, 170 and 195 are now available!

The deluxe transport bags measure 13 inches wide by 11 inches high by 72, 78 or 84 inches long, depending on glider model. They feature sturdy luggage type wheels on one end, padded carry handles on the side and each end, an identification tag window pocket, external cinch straps, and an included tool kit – stored in an internal pouch – that provides all tools needed for the short pack breakdown of the glider. The bags are constructed of heavy duty ballistic cloth, and feature a protective corrugated plasti-board liner inside. (Note: Bags are shipped partially disassembled, post shipment installation of wheels is required. A detailed set of instructions is included.)

04/07/07
T2 Pilots Place Well in Brazil 2007 Super Race
Congratulations to Leo Dabbur and Nene Rotor, flying Wills Wing T2 hang gliders, for finishing 2nd and 5th in the highly competitive Brazil 2007 Super Race.

Good Job Guys!

03/14/07
WW Scooter Tow Resources Page
We’ve put together a page on getting started with teaching hang gliding using the Scooter Tow method as developed by Blue Sky’s Steve Wendt. You’ll find links to a detailed written manual, a comprehensive video, and more. These materials will be great prep for instructors wondering what Scooter Towing is all about and for those planning to attend one of the upcoming Scooter Tow seminars in Florida.

03/11/07 
Rio de Janeiro XC Record (Again)
Brazilian HG pilot Nader Couri reports that on March 11, five days after Geraldo Nobre’s record flight, it was his turn for a record – Nader broke the Sampaio Correa city record by flying 113 km. This season tere have been four HG flights in the Rio de Janiero area farther than 100km – all on WW T2 hang gliders.

Because Rio is a big city with many airspace restrictions, XC flights are harder, and 100km flights are rare. In 32 years of HG in Rio, no more than 10 pilots have flown 100km or more, according to Nader.

Nader Couri – WW T2 Over Sugar Loaf, Rio

03/09/07
Rio de Janeiro XC Record
Geraldo Nobre writes:

Hi, Wills Wing Team. 

I, Geraldo Nobre, flying a T2 broke the Rio de Janeiro XC Record on Sunday 2007/03/04. One hundred milles from Nova Iguaçú (Rio de Janeiro) to Lorena (São Paulo). 

Thanks, thanks, thanks and thanks again for the wonderful T2 glider 
The perfect glider for who loves to fly. 

Geraldo Nobre P.S. On 2007/03/06 I broke the Sampaio Correia XC Record (91 km) and on 2007/03/08 I broke the Petropolis Triangle Record (101km) 

Details:
Rio
Sampaio Correia
Petropolis

03/04/07
T2 Pilots Win Paulista Open in Brazil
Leo Dabbur and Nene Rotor, flying Wills Wing T2 hang gliders, finished first and second in the recently held Paulista Open competition in Brazil.
Great Flying Guys!

02/11/07
T2 Reviewed in February Hang Gliding & Paragliding
Dennis Pagen wrote a detailed review of the T2 for USHPA’s Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine (Feb 2007), with photos by Jeff O’Brien, among others.

02/07/07
Big Sport 2 is Watching
A new Sport 2 175 headed for the Netherlands features a simple yet striking bottom surface design.

01/25/07
Holy Iconography, Batman!
A new U2 ordered by Highland Aerosports will soon be drawing some attention in the Maryland area. No word on whether the glider will be launched over Gotham when the mayor needs a hand or if it’s for use by the Caped Crusader himself.

01/24/07
Jeff O’Brien on the T2 – “You’ve got a winner!”

I’ve just returned from a three-week flying trip in Australia. After some tuning advice from Andreas Olsson, the T2 154 I was flying in the meets was performing every bit as well as the hottest race ships from Moyes and Aeros. Forbes was a great venue for comparison with six tasks covering almost 700miles! The level of competition was also world class with 30 of the top 50 ranked pilots in attendance. I was able to stick with the lead gaggle, when I made the right decisions, and wasn’t out performed climbing or gliding. The glider enabled me to finish 16th in the meet.

An Italian pilot who I flew with frequently commented, “The T2 is gliding much better than last year.” Additionally, after talking about tuning with a Brazillian pilot he said, “Don’t change a thing. Your glider’s going really well.”

With a faired instrument pod, and cleaner peripheral gear, I’m anxious to see how much better the glider will perform. Thank you for your technical support and building a quality glider that goes like stink!

Cheers,
Jeff O’Brien

01/23/07 
“Right Stuff For Hang Glider Pilots” – Back! By Popular Demand!
Erik Fair’s inimitable classic – “Right Stuff For Hang Glider Pilots” – is now available again, while supplies last, for the incredibly low price of $5 per copy. Right Stuff is a timeless collection of Erik’s (mostly) informative and (always) entertaining instructional columns, originally published in Hang Gliding Magazine. “Talking Downdrafts With The Pear People,” Erik’s story of a Superbowl Sunday misspent answering questions on hang gliding for wanderers-by at a shopping mall, is, all by itself, more than worth the price of admission. Beyond just entertainment though, there’s a wealth of useful information for advancing hang glider pilots, presented in an easily accessible style. Every pilot’s library should have one.

70H-1503 RIGHT STUFF FOR HG PILOTS $5.00

01/22/07 
Announcing the Charly Breeze Helmet
The Finsterwalder Charly Breeze Helmet is an extremely comfortable, very light weight, (495 grams / 1.1 lbs), CE EN 966 Certified helmet that features a strong, ABS shell, and high quality EPS shock absorbing foam. The helmet shell is cut above the ears, and the ear pads are removable, providing the option of having the ears completely open to the outside, enhancing both airspeed recognition and the ability to hear. Available colors are glossy white or “soft” black. The helmet is ideal for student pilots, tandem passengers, and for anyone looking for Certified protection in a very comfortable, lightweight, open helmet.

01/22/07
T2 Pilots Take First Round of 2007 Brazilian Open
Pilots flying our T2 hang gliders finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th at Igrejinha in the first round of the 2007 Brazilian Open. Our first place finisher, Leo ‘Máskara’ Dabbur, continues to dominate!

Results – Igrejinha 2006

01/15/07
Falcon 3 Tandem Released
Wills Wing is happy to announce the release of the Falcon 3 Tandem. Like the other sizes of the Falcon 3, the Falcon 3 Tandem features a nose cone, an improved sail cut and cleaner sail, and a new washout tube configuration that supports both the number two and three battens via a carbon transverse batten, and allows for a reduced bridle line count (3 per side instead of 4). Unlike the Falcon 3 145, 170 and 195, the Falcon 3 Tandem does not feature a short pack airframe – the minimum pack length for shipping or transport for the Falcon 3 Tandem remains 156 inches. The pilot weight range, and the price for the Falcon 3 Tandem remain unchanged. All Falcon Tandem orders are now being produced in the Falcon 3 Tandem configuration.

01/10/07
Paragliding – A Pilot’s Training Manual – 8th Edition Released
Wills Wing has released a new 8th edition of its very popular book, Paragliding – A Pilot’s Training Manual. The 8th edition includes an expanded Bonus DVD, now with a full 90 minutes of narrated video footage. Enhancements in the new 8th edition include numerous additional photos and improved illustrations, and significantly expanded content, including new material on the latest and most proven kiting techniques. Both the written manual and the accompanying DVD have been expanded and enhanced. The eighth edition is now available in two bindings, paperback or hardcover.

First published in 1991, the Training Manual has sold more than thirteen thousand copies. Following the release of the greatly expanded seventh edition in 2004, Paragliding – A Pilot’s Training Manual has become the complete resource of choice for both new students of paragliding and experienced pilots looking to expand their knowledge and understanding of this dynamic sport. The book covers all of the basic essentials of aerodynamics and principles of flight, along with pilot techniques from the beginner through expert level. The focus is on presenting technical subject matter in a manner that is easy for the average pilot to comprehend without the need for complex theory or equations. The authors emphasize safety throughout with techniques for risk management and dealing with common emergency scenarios.

The companion DVD allows the pilot to see the specific techniques described in the manual actually being demonstrated, and to review the demonstrations as often as desired to enhance the learning process. The introductory section of the DVD is also a great way to introduce your friends and family to the great sport of paragliding.

Paragliding – A Pilot’s Training Manual is available from paragliding schools and dealers, or direct from Wills Wing, from Amazon.com or from the (USHPA for only $39.95 for the paperback, or $44.95 for the hardcover.