Spring has arrived!
Dear Pilots,
We hope your winter was filled with fun in the snow or sun! As much fun as we had speed flying this winger Denise and I are getting excited for the flying season to get under way at the Ranch! The snow is melting fast and it is looking like we will be ready for an official opening date of Saturday April 17th. So, whenever you are ready to schedule give us a call or email and we'll get you in the book. We look forward to seeing everyone soon and getting in as much airtime as possible this coming summer!Spring Tune-Ups
We are always available for spring tune ups and getting dialed back into your kit, so if you would like to work on your launches, landings or anything in between, including thermal flying/XC, don't hesitate to contact us.
We want to remind everyone to get their reserves repacked for the season. You can come over and fly with us and get a repack or you can send it to us if you're comfortable taking it out of the harness and getting it back in. The cost for our students is $35. After a reserve deployment where the pilot landed in trees, it was discovered that having a quick way to disconnect the reserve from the harness could be helpful in removing gear from the trees. For this reason, we are recommending that pilots consider switching from the standard girth hitch to a metal mallion. We will have those available for $10 and can install that here or send one out to you if you can take your reserve out and put it back.At this time we don't have any SIV clinics lined up as we are having difficulty finding a suitable location for spring conditions. We will keep looking and let everyone know if/when we can get one together. Anyone interested in traveling out of state for an S IV clinic, let us know and we can get you pointed in the right direction.
Chelan XC Open
Just a reminder for those of you interested in competition flying, the registration is now open for the Chelan XC Open, a Pre-PWC and Canadian Nationals event! Please visit the website for more information visit www.chelanxcopen.com. Anyone interested in being involved with the competition as a volunteer and/or wind technician, please contact us.
Ozone Rush 2
The Rush 2 is Cross Country Performance with safety and stability. It is a top-end LTF 1-2 with all of the ingredients for long flights; all it needs is a pilot to lead the way. The wing likes to bite into thermals and the handling is direct and well coordinated, which makes coring even the tightest or most disorganized lift a pleasure. Feedback is transmitted to the pilot in comfortable amounts, and it is feedback that the pilot can understand and use, not just turbulence or noise. Advancements in profiling and sail tension have increased both the glide performance and the in-flight comfort of the Rush 2 over the original Rush. Rush pilots will notice a higher trim speed, better glide in accelerated flight, and a mellower feel in active air. more info
Ozone Addict 2
The Addict 2 is the most cutting edge XC/Sport wing we have designed. This latest creation from David Dagault is a result of more than a year of development and testing, and is designed for the experienced, discerning XC pilot. Research and technology from our competition wings has combined True High Performance with the famous agility and DHV 2 safety of the original Addict. more info
New Rating Systems
The rating system are in a state of change. There are 2 new ones you'll see, LTF and EN. The LTF is basically the same tests as the DHV, just carried out by different agencies. The EN is a new testing standard that has been developed under the auspices of CEN the European Committee for Standardization and is known by some in the sport as the CEN standard, referred to as EN A-D. The new classes are as follows:
Description of the paraglider classes
| Class | Description of flight characteristics | Description of pilot skills required |
| A | Paragliders with maximum passive safety and extremely forgiving flying characteristics. Gliders with good resistance to departures from normal flight. | Designed for all pilots including pilots under all levels of training. |
| B | Paragliders with good passive safety and forgiving flying characteristics. Gliders with some resistance to departures from normal flight. | Designed for all pilots including pilots under all levels of training. |
| C | Paragliders with moderate passive safety and with potentially dynamic reactions to turbulence and pilot errors. Recovery to normal flight may require precise pilot input. | Designed for pilots familiar with recovery techniques, who fly "actively" and regularly, and understand the implications of flying a glider with reduced passive safety. |
| D | Paragliders with demanding flying characteristics and potentially violent reactions to turbulence and pilot errors. Recovery to normal flight requires precise pilot input. | Designed for pilots well practised in recovery techniques, who fly very actively, have significant experience of flying in turbulent conditions, and who accept the implications of flying such a wing. |
Please contact us if you have any questions on these topics or any others. We look forward to seeing all of you this season, if not here at the Ranch, then at some other site and in the sky!
Happy Flying!
Doug and Denise
