ST. PAUL, MINN. — Based on the flow of information, the last year in the current millennium could be interesting. I have news about Altair, Wills, Brightstar, US Aeros, and the Exxtacy. As the first snow finally flies in a weirdly warm winter in Minnesota, all this flurry of news seems positive for an exciting 1999. Let’s run through each briefly, but first a last minute gift mention or two for those of you who got cash for Christmas. ••• Lisa Tate has started Soaring Dreams, and offered a color catalog of tasteful gifts you might want to consider. Fortunately it isn’t all Christmas oriented although some attractive ornaments are part of the inventory. Tate also has some very distinctive trophies to use for competitions, plus mugs and mobiles, wood and glass picture frames and more. Art takes form in several mediums and although we’ve seen gift offerings before, Lisa achieves a singular niche.
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Product Lines – January 1999
ST. PAUL, MINN. — At the recent Board of Directors meeting in Colorado Springs (USHGA’s home), our capable Executive Director Phil Bachman presented a typically thorough report. In his presentation, Phil referenced several recent statistics which might interest you. • Membership sits at a bit over 9,500 members of which 71% are HG pilots and 35% are PG. The numbers don’t add to 100 as they include Dual memberships. We’re almost exactly a two-thirds, one-third split these days. • Nearly 20% of all members are new, a figure that surprises many old timers. In fact, though, we lose about 20% every year as well, so we’re staying about even. If we could trim some of those losses and keep adding a few extra new members, we could grow at a comfortable pace. Attrition comes from HG; growth in PG makes up for the difference numerically. • Thirty percent of HG ratings are Is and IIs, a healthy total of learning pilots, I feel.
Product Lines – December 1998
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 quickly proved to be a worthy competitor. Eighteen years after his arrival, his business shows the results of long hours and hard work. Its a sprawling, ambitious enterprise of million-dollar proportions. ••• Recently, Wallaby Ranch’s David Glover jumped tracks and took employment from Lookout after several years with Malcolm Jones’ operation in Florida. On my visit, Glover had logged a couple months in north Georgia and was becoming quite comfortable with his new digs. He and Taber gave me the royal tour of the place, although they couldn’t produce quite the right conditions for me to sample some of the park’s flight toys.
Product Lines – June 1998
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 only 35 miles away. After four days and four rounds, the action was slowed a bit by weather. But I’ve got preliminary results for you as this issue goes to press. You are sure to see a thorough report in the magazine. And those of you on Davis Straub’s eMail list got daily updates. In fact, after fetching results from the web (GW Meadows’ JustFly site) on most days, I got the final figures from Straub’s eMail list. Thanks, Davis! Wired pilots can subscribe at ozreport@kurious.org for no cost. ••• From that report, here’s a summary: After flying consistently for the whole meet, Ramy Yenetz won the rigid wing and overall class flying a new Brightstar Millennium that he borrowed for the contest.
Product Lines – March 1998
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 longer. We have to cease operations," he expressed. • After facing the true cost of building his exotic glider in small volume Terry concluded, "There is no chance that we can charge enough to cover reasonable costs of production and distribution at present volumes." Acme says the TR3 had direct manufacturing costs of $8,000 per glider, before accounting for R&D payoff, office expenses, and any other non-manufacturing expenses. • Acme made arrangements with Lookout Mountain’s Matt Taber to provide future support for their gliders. "Matt has assured us that he is wholeheartedly enthusiastic in taking on this project," the company reported.
Product Lines – December 1997
ST. PAUL, MINN. — Can you believe another year is about to slip away? Sure seemed to fly by to me. I’ll bet the same is true for Ken Brown. He’s had quite a year since about this time last fall when we discussed activities at Pacific Airwave. ••• As you are all aware now, the Salinas company became history shortly after that conversation in late 1996. By the Sun ‘n Fun airshow in Florida last April, Ken was working with Jim Lee, a producer of float-equipped trikes. It looked like a great business opportunity, putting Lee’s expanding business together with Ken’s experience in wing making. (Smaller trike builders often buy wings from other suppliers for trike carriages they manufacture themselves.) • However, Lee was tragically killed while flying a modified ultralight-type aircraft at Sun ‘n Fun. Ken’s future with Jim’s company faded quickly for reasons beyond his control. • After more adjustments, Brown has landed what appears (to me) to be another excellent chance to stay in the fly biz.
Product Lines – November 1997
ST. PAUL, MINN. — Whew! I’ve never seen rigid wing fever like this. Based on several reports received — plus intensifying chatter on various Internet lists — these gliders have more inertia than during any of the 19 years that I’ve been writing this column and reporting on rigid wing developments. Throughout that long period, rigids as a group held a fairly steady 4-5% of the market, but they never found the mainstream. ••• That may be changing! One glider in particular, the Exxtasy from Germany is showing some serious market strength. Reportedly, producer Flight Designs has already sold more than 150 copies including better than a dozen in the USA. However, Exxtasy is not alone and the others appear to be benefiting from the general excitement surrounding these wings. ••• To date, I am familiar with the Exxtasy, the Pegasus, and the Millennium. Less well documented (as of late Sept.
Product Lines – September 1997
ST. PAUL, MINN. — As I prepare for the big Oshkosh Airshow (like getting ready to meet an 800-pound gorilla, say some), I’m baffled by surging interest in powered trikes. For years, European producers have tried to sell these machines to Americans. It was always slow going because those who knew weight shift, delta-winged flying (that’s US!!) overwhelmingly didn’t want to fly with power. And the guys who wanted engines on their birds didn’t know weight shift. How to bridge the gap? Whatever method they used — it isn’t clear to me and I’m a close observer — trikes have gotten much hotter lately. Sales are happening and pilots are flying. • Now… why do I prattle on about this in a hang gliding magazine!? Because these people are showing an interest in our kind of wings, that’s why. • USHGA leadership is taking steps to find new members to grow the association and along comes a new and growing number pilots who at least like the type of wings we have.
Product Lines – March 1997
HENSON’S GAP, TENN. — When I have the opportunity to write from Dunlap, TN — the self-declared "Hang Gliding Capital of the East" — I enjoy writing "Henson’s Gap" at the head of this column. I’m still here and loving it. ••• News this month includes some different stuff. First is a fascinating project just getting underway by my old friend, Tim Morley. Many Californians know Tim and a number of others will remember him as the longtime Wills Wing touring rep (a few souls before Larry Tudor took over nearly a decade ago). After his WW tenure, Tim had an accident when flying tandem. A fairly minor incident injured his spine in a way that took him out of foot-launched hang gliding. Talking to him on the phone, you’d never know, so upbeat is his attitude and enthusiasm for light flight. • Morley’s got a great idea to help disabled folks sample light flight.
Product Lines – November 1996
OSHKOSH, WISC. — In a different location this month, "Product Lines" comes from the headquarters of the EAA or Experimental Aircraft Association, the folks who build their own aircraft. The occasion was the assembly of the USHGA Board of Directors Planning Committee. This group of some the industry’s most important leaders gathers with the goal of looking longer range for the health and capabilities of USHGA. It was my pleasure — and honor, I must admit — to keep company and work with this group. • The PlanComm meeting took place at EAA after Executive Director Phil Bachman and I had met with EAA president Tom Poberezny last May. He offered their venue (versus an hotel somewhere) and we jumped at the chance. After Tom addressed the committee on two occasions, most felt satisfied that we had gotten some sound advice. EAA represents 165,000 members, has 145 employees, and an enormously impressive facility which includes a very professionally executed museum.
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