hibbys blog

One December Morning

2012-01-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a short vid I made of flying the Point last Friday. It was unseasonably warm and very soarable. Many pilots showed up to enjoy this rare treat - eleven all together. Also, I forgot to give credit to my good friend Phil Keaggy for his great music I used as background in the vid.

The Kaysville House

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is what I've been doing for the last seven months. We bought this great house in Davis County and gutted the main level. Here are some before and after shots of the kitchen. More to come!

Still More to Mention!

2011-11-25T07:47:00.000-08:00

A pic taken at the South Side a few years back for the Salt Lake Tribune. Me in my old Talon.

Just a few more flights to mention. One more Randolph day and a South Side flight. Saturday October 22nd proved to be another epic weekend flight at Randolph. Lots of pilots and great air. A few newbies got their first high altitude flight, getting 3500 over in the glass!! I was able to add a few more hours to the log.

Monday November 14th, I made it down to the South Side. Cal was the only other Hang at the top, sporting a broken keel - a set-up issue. Even though he couldn't fly, Cal was kind enough to stick around and assist my launch. The wind was gusty, exceeding 25mph. Once in the air, it was reasonably smooth for late morning conditions. I quickly gained 500 over and explored the consistent lift out front over the houses. Cal was still hanging out in the parking area when I landed. Thanks Cal!

Dave buzzing Randolph launch in his Falcon.

A Couple Of Flights To Mention

2011-10-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

The Crawfords. From a previous flight.

Last week I flew the Crawfords with Cody. Wednesday we drove up to Randolph and both logged 2hr flights. Friday, Sam and I added an additional 1:45 to our logs. Both days were typical fall Randolph flying. However, Wednesday I had to actually put some effort into my flight. As I took off the wind turned a bit south sending me below launch. I thought I was heading to the LZ, but did a bit of scratching until the wind straightened out.

Nice Landing

2011-10-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Cody aces his landing at Randolph last weekend.

2011-09-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

A chosen few made the drive up to the Crawford's this past Sunday to experience a rare day of soaring. The forecast didn't look that great, just decent looking winds for the afternoon. We arrived at launch around 2:30pm to observe light southwest winds with some thermal induced spikes. I slowly set up expecting it would be a late glass-off. Cody, Greg and crazee Mike followed suite. Mike suddenly appeared harnessed up and on launch. Soon Mike was a grand over launch, leaving the rest of us scrambling to get in the air. Initially, we were experiencing nice reasonable climbs to 10k. The lift wasn't abundant, but consistent enough given the south component. There was an interesting cloud street dissecting the hill at a 45 degree angle. We suspected a convergence line, due to an approaching weak cold front. After a short while the wind clocked around, perfectly t-boning the hill.

As with prior flights on the Crawford's, I ventured out front at the end of each climb expecting to find broken light lift. Today was different! The cloud street was with us during most of the flight, dissipating a bit toward the end of our 2+ hour flights. Along a corridor a quarter mile wide and directly below the street, I was getting significantly strong climbs 13 to 14k all the way out to the foothills west of Randolph. Greg was finding the same amazing lift out front.

Everyone enjoyed this phenomenal soaring day landing with an additional 2+ hours to fatten their flight log with. Cody took the airhog award for the day, landing last with a perfect no-steper.

Just Great Flying! 9/3/11

2011-09-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

S K U N K E D

2011-08-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

Cody and I flew the Short Divide on Saturday. We knew before hand it might be a gamble given the soaring forecast. There weren't very many other options for flying because of the over development and possible thunderstorms in the area.

We launched around 4:30pm, a little late probably. I was the first off. I was scratching from launch to landing in the powdery, downhill, plowed bailout field. I actually pulled off my landing with several long strides, sinking past my ankles in the loamy soil with each step. I did drop the control frame on the last step.

Cody launched after I landed. His flight was shorter than mine. Cody executed his perfect crosswind landing, specially developed for this LZ.

2011-08-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday Lisa V and myself had Heber to Ourselves. Mike Glassgow was along as driver. Heber hasn't been flown much this year. in fact, I believe Lisa and I were the first hangs to fly there a few weeks ago this season. The conditions were similar Saturday as it was a few weeks back - with a bit more moisture. We launched around 1:30pm into a thready 8-15mph wind. It wasn't a gimme! The thermals were hard to core. They were small and punchy with a definite shear cutting the lift off at 10.5k. We groveled around for an hour in the turbulence, then finally Lisa found a great core out front. Finally full turns in consistant 500 -1000 ft. per min. lift. We took that one to 13.5k and I headed over the back. Lisa hung back and rung out the thermal, climbing to 14.5k. We met back up over the cement plant outside of Park City, and worked some light cores until a fatty landed us over Rockport Reservoir at 14k again.

There were great cumulus developments on route, and several climbs took me close to cloud base. Back to the southeast heavy OD was dumping rain and hail over parts of the Uintas. The storm cells were not a threat given the distance from our route.

After topping out over Rockport, we headed N.E. to Coalville where my flight ended. Lisa flew a few miles further, up Chalk Creek, and landed in a great field in the narrow valley.

Great flight, awesome visuals, good friends!!

Bruce over launch.

Buce getting ready

Bruce launching

Lisa Verzella launching.

Steorts Arete

2011-08-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

My friend Arno Ilgner Came out for the Outdoor Retailers show this week. Arno is the author of the the Warriors Way climbing books. Not only is he a successful writer, he's not to bad of climber either. I had the opportunity to break my two year climbing slump.

I Love This Place!

2011-07-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

Cody, Dan M and I had a quintessential Randolph session on Friday. We arrived on launch around 2:30pm and were all airborne an hour later. The conditions were really perfect with the wind coming around t-boning the hill half an hour after we launched. It could have been a great XC day had we planned it out and brought a driver. Cloud streets were lined up heading straight out to Oyster Ridge. Oh well, we made due with 2+ hour flights. Definitely a flying site that deserves our praise!!

Oh, and of course Don Pedros in Evanston post flight!!

Archived picture of the ridge

2011 King Mountain Championships

2011-07-31T09:00:00.001-07:00

June 11 through the 17 I was in Moore, Idaho for the 2011 King Mountain Championships. It's a hang gliding comp that happens every year at one of the greatest flying sites in the world. This year there were about 70 competitors at the comp, which is a good turnout for a hang gliding comp. Our team took second place in the comp. Lisa Verzella, one of the team members, placed fourth overall and had an outstanding 100 miler during the comp. Paul Alen, another team pilot got longest flight of the meet - 125+ miles. I must say, I was in awe of my fellow team mates. Most of the comp days saw big over development. Pilots willing to fly the tasks took on additional weather related risks.

Lisa Verzella, me and our awesome driver Sharon Lepardi (color girl).

Upper launch

Lisa launching

Our team Me, Lisa Verzella, Paul Alen, Sharon Lepardi and K.C. Benn.

FAVORITE THINGS- flying randolph

2011-07-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is a vid shot last month at Randolph. The Bear River is way out of it's banks, and the flooding is evident. The regular LZ is under water, so we had to use the alternate LZ close to the hill.

Beautiful as always!

More Inspo

2011-05-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

here's a vid I took from Saturday -

Inspo Photo Session

2011-05-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

I got out to Inspo on Saturday. With the sky showing the possibility of overdeveloping, I continued, believing the incoming high pressure would dry things out later in the day. When I got to launch a PG instructor was launching students - about 8 to 10. Most were getting high, a few several grand over launch. As I set up, the the sky began filling in, and by the time I launched there was over 90% coverage. Surprisingly, there was strong lift everywhere.

I met a photographer and his wife on launch. They drove my car down. He was kind enough to send me the pics he took -

Thursday 5.5.11

2011-05-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

Cody and I got out Thursday for some great spring flying. The Short Divide was on. We set up in soarable winds, and were soon in the air enjoying smooth lift. Both of us got high enough to fly down to Gunsight Peak. A high level cloud formation spread out and effected thermal production later in the flight. We landed at the Chevron station close to I-15.

A friend of Cody took some shots from launch.

Cody over launch

Cody somewhere over the ridge in back.

Spring at Inspo

2011-05-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

It was great to get out to the mountains after a loooong winter. Exceptional views and great thermals. Lisa V is seen on her bag near the end of the vid. Great climb0out!

TODAY

2011-04-28T19:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a slow start for flying this year. Most mountain sites are still snowed in. Makes one appreciate the Point of the Mountain.

Today I was out early. I was able to take advantage of the mornings strong pre-frontal conditions.

Very Funny.......But True!

2011-03-27T07:12:00.001-07:00

2011-03-02T23:03:00.000-08:00

Just a pic from the archives.

2011-02-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

The following courtesy of Sherry Williams.

Only two blacks were newly elected to congress this cycle, and both are Republican. Ret. Army Lt. Colonel Allen West is from southern Florida, a bastion of the Democratic Party. He won in a walk. Check this out.

This new Congressman was an extremely popular commander in Iraq. He was forced to retire because during an intense combat action a few of his men were captured. At the same time his men had captured one of the guys who were with the Iraqis who captured his men.

Knowing that time was crucial and his interrogators were not getting anywhere with the prisoner, Colonel West took matters into his own hands. He burst into the room and demanded through an interpreter that the prisoner tell him where his men were being taken. The prisoner refused so Colonel West took out his pistol and placed it into the prisoner's crotch and fired. Then, the Colonel told the prisoner that the next shot would not miss. So the prisoner said he would show where the American service members were being taken. The Americans were rescued. Someone filed a report on incorrect handling of prisoners. Colonel West was forced to retire. Colonel West was just elected in November 2010 to Congress from Florida. During the elections he was part of a panel on how to handle or how to relate to Muslims. You will see his answer here.

Here is one of the new congressmen from Florida explaining very definitively in just over a minute the truth about Islam.

Wills Wing Poster Boy

2011-01-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

A surprise last month when I received a text from Lisa V, "wow, great full page spread!". Turns out Wills Wing used a pic Ryan Voight took of me at Heber this past summer. The ad is a nice full page spread. The pic was also used for the USHPA annual hang glider calender.

December at the South Side

2010-12-14T18:26:00.001-08:00

I usually don't fly after the middle of November. It's just to cold and the motivation isn't there. In fact, the last few years the end of October has been the end of the flying season for me.

This year's been different. We've had some unseasonably warm weather that's given the opportunity for some late season flying. Yesterday and today the abnormally warm temps got my flying juices moving. Yesterday, John L., Sam, Cal and myself flew in great conditions at the SS. Today it was stronger. I did the unfathomable and actually got set up before the sun came up. The sunrise was amazing! Sam, John and I managed an hour of sorties with multiple top landings in reasonably smooth air. I even climbed up even with Blue Balls in the pre-nuking conditions. By 9:30 it was over with gusts pegging over 35mph. Very worth the effort.

Sam gets an unwanted obstacle on one of his landings.

Notice Sam in the upper right hand corner.

John L. was heard saying, "at least we can say we flew".

Flock Of Birds

2010-11-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

A lil' vid of flying in Salt Lake 2010

The New CPR

2010-11-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

A very interesting development in the delivery of CPR. As a member of the PCMR Ski Patrol, I wonder if or when proffesional rescuers will adopt this new technique?

11/02/10

2010-11-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Dan Moser and I drove out to Randolph. The conditions were a bit iffy, with most wind forecasts calling for light west. We were joined by Matt Shoemaker and his parents (potential tandems). Later on Shadd, Ryan and Carl showed up. As we set up the wind slowly clocked around from NNW to WNW and the Glass once again faithfully turned on. Everyone got over an hour of smooth evening soaring, even Matt with a passenger - his mom.

Matts Mom.

Hmmm!

2010-11-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Randivous

2010-10-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

A little movie from yesterdays activities. One note of interest, Cody is back flying and is seen launching first on the vid. Wes, Cal, Matt, Greg, Dan, Casey and I, also flew. It was a strong day wind wise with thermals topping out over 12g. Casey Ben had a gain to 12.5g. Greg and I had fun coring up in one of the stronger thermals of the day. The lift was consistent over the valley later in the day. Matt penetrated all the way out to the highway and was still high returning to the LZ. Shadd and Liz were also present at launch, but opted not to fly because of the wind strength. Great day.

Randvous 10/15/10 from Bruce Hibbard on Vimeo.

Centerfold

2010-10-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

The recent August issue of HangGlider ParaGliding magazine, featured an unknown pilot in the centerspread. I actually had the mag a few days before realizing it was me in the pic. My first reaction was - what a bad pic for the centerspr..... oh god it's me!

Duran Swooping a Hotel

2010-09-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Randolphing

2010-09-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 25 hangs made the drive to Randolph from SLC and the surounding areas. I believe, 25 hangs had great soaring flights over the Crawfords.

I launched around 4pm and soon after a litteral swarm of hangs followed into a premium Autumn sky. The wind was perfectly T-boning the hill at 18 to 20mph, with nice thermals that topped out around 9000asl.

Dave Holmgren passes beneath me.

Flying out over the flats.

Looking down at launch.

The LZ after most everyone is down.

Fantastic Video

2010-09-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

A great base jumping vid. Thought I'd share.........enjoy!

Last Walk Around Mirror Lake - Boom Bip (Boards of Canada Remix) from FroschYankee on Vimeo.

Just Good Fun (part 2)

2010-09-11T19:59:00.001-07:00

Once again, the Crawford's produced! Eight pilots converged on one of Utah's favorite and most scenic flying sites. The day began with less than great looking conditions, with light winds and almost 80% cloud coverage. Once set up on top, the wind picked up and the clouds began to dissipate. Dave Chapman launched first in light winds and immediately climbed out. One by one, all eight of us launched and found great soaring conditions. I ended up spending most of my flight over the flats. The lift was just abundant everywhere. I climbed to cloud base on three occasions, one of which was right over the the town of Randolph. I had to fly south of Randolph a few miles, and away from the cloud coverage just to get out of the lift.......cold!!

Looking back toward the Crawfords from the valley.

Dave, ready to go.

Jeff Sharp, a Colorado pilot, finishes setting up.

A few pics from my glider.

Just Good Fun

2010-09-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

A shot Ryan Voight took of me launching at Heber.

I've been so pigeon holed with XC on the brain, I forgot how much fun it is to just go flying without the expectations of big miles.

Friday was a great day at Randolph. Liz, Berg, Greg, Steve and I had one of those days. Steve launched his new Atos, and what a beautiful wing. We all had great local flights. There was one mishap on launch (no injury), that prevented liz from flying. Liz came back Monday and had a good flight.

The new T2's are so nice, especially in stronger conditions. Greg, Steve and I penetrated up wind into a strong WSW flow at will. The abundant lift was topping out around 10.5. Steve and I shared one of the strongest cores of the day, averaging around 800 fpm. One minute Steve was there, the next he was a shimmering thin line a quarter of a mile out, then gone.

We all landed, then off to Don Pedros.

A Few Flights to Mention

2010-09-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

This summer has been slow coming, with few great flying windows. However, there are some mentionable days to account for.

In August, A new sight called Red Cliffs produced a few spectacular flying days. On one particular day, I was the first to launch among five other pilots. In the first half hour of my flight, a nice organized cell landed me at 15k. With a brisk southerly component, I was able to cruise downrange toward Salt Lake and make Mt. Nebo in minutes. I have always wanted to soar Nebo. The mountains around the Nebo Area are some of the highest and most majestic peaks in Utah. There was a cloud street pushing northeast from Nebo all the way across the Spanish Fork area. The street looked like it dissected the Wasatch and extended into the next state. I ended up getting flushed and landing close to Pason for about 23 miles. My flight was eclipsed by John Glime and Shadd Heaston. They were able to fly back toward Salt Lake. Shadd flew to Provo for 50+ miles, and John almost made the point for 60. I was just happy to get on Nebo and enjoy the grand scale of the area.

Heber produced a few disappointments, as well as a few fun local flights. On one particular flight, I got the opportunity to fly a few miles east of launch to a mountain I have thought about pioneering. The lift on the mountain was workable and actually sustained my flight for ten minutes or so. I landed in a nice big field just below a possible launch.

Yesterday, Ryan V drove for a few of us. Kip, a pilot from the East Coast, Brian from SLC and myself had nice flights at the Crawfords. I was able to work some interesting wave type lift out front. After launching, I drove forward toward Randolph climbing through light patchy lift. As I continued there were short cycles of sink, then back into lift. This cyclic lift continued a few miles to the west. I dove back toward the ridge and enjoyed the rest of my flight thermaling on the Crawfords. After landing, Kip and Brian went back up top for a relight. The wind picked up a bit and we had to wait out until the anticipated glass off happened. They ended the day with rewarding sunset flights.

Concrete Counter Tops

2010-08-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Six years ago I built a 4'x5' concrete counter top for a kitchen island that I built. I somehow forgot the pain and what a complex process the whole affair was. So this summer I decided to replace all of our kitchen counter tops with polished concrete tops that match our island top.

This section has a under counter mounted sink. A sink pop-out is incorporated in the mold.

The pop-out is positioned and secured in the 3/4" melamine mold. All of the inside corners are sealed with silicone.

3/8" rebar is used for strength. The concrete will be a 2 1/2" pour! How could anyone afford to have this done? Just buy granite!

South Side 9/01/10

2010-08-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

Pics from Saturday at the South Side.

Short Divide

2010-07-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday as with every weekend this summer, the weather was hard to call. The day before was another skunk, so I was in no mood for any more bad calls - crap! Given the instability still present and possible over development lingering, we decided to drive north to the Short Divide, where there was less chance of OD.

Lisa V was set up and ready to go within the hour of arriving at launch. The wind at launch was strong but the site handles strong conditions amazingly well. However, after getting Lisa in the air I was a bit concerned about getting myself to launch, much less launching unassisted.

Cody called before I was set up to inform me that he was available for driving, and that he was on the road heading for launch. Since Cody lives pretty close, I was hoping he might be on top to help me into the air. He instead informed me he was an hour away and not to worry about the wind, "just inch your way down - you'll be OK".

It wasn't as bad as I thought, and soon I was launched and in the air with Lisa. To the south, in front of launch, the air was clear but over the back there were a few cells that were dropping virga - pre gust front conditions, not good. Once well established above 10 grand and well above Gunsight peak, Lisa headed north along the mountains on the east side of Malad Valley. I soon followed as it appeared the OD would stay NE of that area. We soon realized the wind at our altitude was out of the west, which typically makes for turbulent conditions. The air was quite textured with plenty of strong lift, as we made our way north under the building cloud development.

About as far as I got was Portage, about seven miles north of Gunsight. Lisa flew a bit further crossing into Idaho. In lieu of the strong conditions and fear of getting swamped by the OD, we both decided to call it and head back to the Short Divide. We drove back south and had nice landings in a field close to the Plymouth Chevron Station, thanks to Cody's guidence. As soon as we landed the clouds above Malad Valley were dropping Virga!

Even though it wasn't a long flight, the fun conditions made up for the lack of miles.

Cody At The Crawfords

2010-07-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pictures I've taken. Cody Dobson landing at the Crawfords. Hurry up and get well Cody!

2010-06-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the start we've been waiting on. Saturday was one of those days that didn't look all that great from the info the soaring forecasts provided. Horse Heaven was the obvious choice for the day given the wind conditions. Even though the thermal index was mediocre, a few of us decided to make the drive south to Levan.

Lisa launched first around 2pm and had to do some groveling out front. Julian and I launched next and found solid lift immediately. By the time I was climbing through 12k, Lisa was at 15k+ and heading over the back. I was soon at 15k and made the jump over the back as well. Julian headed out front and landed providing a chase.

It was obviously one of the first great XC days. Even though the day could have easily yielded a 100+ flight, I ended up in Indianola for a meager 26 mi tour of Skyline, but a great season starter. Lisa landed in Mount Pleasant.

The Day

2010-06-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

The day was........amazing. Driving in from the backside through Provo Canyon, the cumulus clouds were hanging low over the back of Timp and Cascade. Some of the cu's were well developed with pretty high cauliflower tops. As I continued through the canyon I had my doubts about the day. Once on top it was obvious the big cu's were drifting from the NE (the wrong direction). Cloud base was about 500 ft below the peaks, however as the day progressed the bases lifted a bit.

Set up! A truck load of panties arrived, which was cool because I was alone. amazingly the cu's coming over the back weren't penetrating to far west. Smaller Cu's were forming in front and drifting toward launch with nice accompanying cycles blowing up the face. I launched and to my suprise got drilled and headed out front. I found a bit of lift in Provo Canyon and drifted with it to the north side. It turned into something workable, but disappeared after a few hundred feet. Finally over the water tanks, above the soccer field, it came together. The lift was strong and disorganized, but cohesive enough to get me to cloud base. I tried diving back toward Timp, but that was poor judgement. Very ratty - still some lee side turbulence close to the hill. I flew back out front and was joined by three of the PG's. We all bobbled around close to cloud base for a while before they headed north. I flew out over Provo finding an abundance of lift. I played around over town for a while and landed in the soccer field. Airtime - 1.5 hours.

2010-06-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

Got out late this afternoon at Inspo just in time for conditions to go south - litteraly. Just a short flight, but still fun. Was joined by Tom and Lisa.

The new T2.

Tom, Bruce and Lisa.

Sunday At Inspo

2010-06-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

I did get to fly Last Saturday at the South Side. OB was there as well as half a dozen other pilots. It was a bit of a raw morning. The typical glassy morning air didn't last long. The wind was bumping up to 25 by 9am, and by the time I was set up and ready to launch at 9:30 we were feeling gusty spikes close to 30. I was able to squeeze in a few sorties on my new T2 before it was blown out.

This weekend We had a friend out from Minnesota. Dan and I flew hangs together back in the day. For all His reasons, Dan gave up flying in the late eighties and never picked it up again. Dan has remained interested in hang gliding so it wasn't to hard to convince him to drive for me on Sunday. Inspo looked like the most obvious choice for the day. It was my third - launch in a good cycle, get drilled, catch something over the sub-station just before unzipping, work zero to 100fpm lift to 7000asl......this year. I am thankful for that flight, but man, this year has been a bugger!! Is it just me? I am getting in a few flights on the T2, and realizing what a great wing it is - solid!

Not the T2. A vintage photo of one of my first flights. Circa - 1976.

Men Walking On Water

2010-05-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

I saw this on a FB post - worthy of sharing.

Catching Up

2010-05-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

just a bit of catching up. Flying has been inconsistent lately, but I guess with a few broken ribs mending it's been a moot point. Last weekend I volunteered to drive for Lisa V, and it turned out to be a great day for Lisa and fun day for me being on the support end of things. Lisa launched from Horse Heaven and flew to Payson for a 40 mile flight.

Today I got to fly Inspo (ribs are good). I got there a bit early and worked on the Bailout LZ. The forest service closed the road to launch to do some brush removal, but not before Shadd and a few other pilots passed. They were able to launch early and thermal up to the top of the inversion, which was around 9000asl. The road opened at 4pm. I launched around 4:45 and found a nice thermal near the sub station that took me up to around 7100asl. Lisa V launched a few minutes after me, and found lift in the same thermal. I raced over to the foothills above the water tanks, but didn't find much there. I settled for a nice landing in the big green LZ. Nice flight!

Inspo Season 2010

2010-05-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

Got a nice flight Saturday at Inspo on my new T2. I arrived at launch a bit early and ended up waiting out some pretty strong cycles. There were some 30+ gusts on launch, and it wasn't till 3pm that I decided to harness up. I Finally launched about 4pm and was rewarded with a nice 1hr flight on the new wing. Great glider!!

Just a random pic of the area around Inspo.

Kettle Squats

2010-05-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a great lower body/core strength exercise that's easy, and you can do it at home with a barbell.

Use a relatively light weight to begin (15 - 20 lbs.). Start with your stance slightly wider than shoulder width, with feet turned a bit out. Hold the weight with both hands - arms extended down. Keep your back straight as you squat touching the weight to the floor (I used a kettle weight, which is a ball with a handle).

With the weight touching the floor, your quads should be parallel with the floor. Return to starting position. Do two reps of ten three times a week.

Thanks to Aaron Mathes (personal trainer) - Silver Mountain Sports Club, Park City, UT.

More later.

Hang Gliding Boot Camp

2010-04-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

This flying season I'm going to do my best to get my mind and body in great flying shape before the XC season. Typically in the spring when the conditions are good, I just start flying. Slowly my body tunes in to what's demanded of it, and by summer if there's enough flying, I'm in reasonable shape. I talked with a personal trainer at my gym and described the different elements where specific physical demand is required as a hang glider pilot. Take-offs and landings are the most physically demanding aspect of hang gliding, and in certain conditions flying in and of itself can be physically challenging. The personal trainer gave me a series of exercises designed to address several deficiencies in my hang gliding fitness.

On a warm summer day at altitude in light wind conditions, a pilot might be required to accelerate his body and a 70 lb. glider from 0 to 10 mph in less than four seconds. Most of the time if there is a light wind coming up slope, launching is more about technique than physical training. However, there is an occasional launch in which a pilot will benefit from muscle-specific strength training. Landings tend to be the most physical aspect of hang gliding by a good margin. Having a strong core and a developed lower body could be the difference between landing successfully in no wind conditions and giving up prematurely, resulting in a hard landing.

More later.

Digging Out

2010-04-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

Digging out. We got covered a few weeks back and expect more this week.

The last month has been interesting to say the least. Just when you think it's time for things to warm up, mother nature does just the opposite. Three weeks ago we got over four feet of snow over a four day storm cycle. My snow plow broke into the second day of the cycle, and I had a nasty fall in the driveway while shoveling and broke three ribs. I've broken ribs before, but don't remember it being so painful. In fact, a few days after my injury I decided to get a doc to check me out. The xray of my ribs showed three fractures of which one was slightly out of alignment. Anyway, three weeks later I am feeling like I'm mending well and even contemplating flying soon.

Something new on the way. My new glider (green and black), was test flown a few weeks ago.

AIRTIME!

2010-02-26T19:03:00.000-08:00

Has it really been For months? I think the last flight I had was the Northside around the middle of October. This morning I got up at 9am and meandered around the house for a while. With coffee in hand, sat at the computer and clicked on the usual bookmarks across the tool bar of Safari. Yahoo, ksl, Salt Lake meso net.....whooo! It's soarable and over 35 degrees! In 20 minutes I was loaded up, second cup of joe in hand, heading out of the sub-division. It was a great day! Lots of hangs. I remembered how to do it!

Soutside pic from a few years back. John Lindberg in the foreground.

OK Things Aren't That Bad

2010-01-27T21:59:00.000-08:00

So finally we have enough snow to cover the rocks, branches and bare spots - not bad!

Mid Winter (sucks) Reflections

2010-01-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics to remind myself What I enjoy most about the west. It's been a cold winter so far, with little snow. Longer days ahead.

More Colombia Pics

2009-12-27T10:15:00.000-08:00

Not much flying, none in fact. Winter is set in and spring is to far away - somewhere in between. Colombia! hmm.

Manizales from the observation building.

Bronze sculptures at the ridge walk in Manizales.

Great views from the ridge walk.

Dad, our host and me.

Tulua, Columbia 11.01.09

2009-11-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

Taken from the air, coming in to Cali.

Yesterday we made the drive from Manizales to Tulua, Columbia. It's an unbelievable 2 hour trip that starts at 7000asl, and slowly winds through mountainous, tropical countryside. The highways are better than most rural American roads - clean and well maintained. Tulua is a city of 600,000, and appears to have more of an authentic Columbian vibe.

The street in front of the church we were at this morning.

The locals do double takes when they see us. The absence of Americans here, and gringo influence is evident. At first the reactions from the locals seemed negative, but I believe they really don't know what to think when they see us (more so here in Tulua than Cali or Manizales).

The Juan Maria Hotel (Dad in front).

Looking across the street from our hotel window.

Colombia 10.31.09

2009-10-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hola from Colombia! We arrived in Cali, Colombia this past Monday. There wasn't much of a problem with jet lag, given Colombia is in the eastern time zone. We did however spend Tuesday as a decompression day. Wednesday we traveled by van to the city of Manizales and were blown away by the City's stunning beauty. Manizales is a city of 800,000, built in the mountains at over 7000asl. Impossible to describe. Maybe the pics will help.

Our humble abode while in Manizales

Lunch with friends in Manizales

Today we traveled to the city of Tulua. More later!

Colombia Man!

2009-10-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

At Salt Lake International, pausing for a moment of contemplation. Tonight I'm flying into Oklahoma City to meet up with my Traveling partner - my dad. Tomorrow we're off to Colombia, South America for ten days.

As the trip progresses, I'll drop a few pics and more information about our travels.

Habits and Trends

2009-10-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Dale Covington

A few mornings ago I woke earlier than usual. As I went through my normal get out of bed routine, I noticed something interesting, while at the same time disturbing. I typically sit up in bed, rotate my torso and legs over the floor, lower my legs and sit for a moment running my fingers through my thinning hair before standing. I most always let out a sigh or muffled grunt as I slowly rise towering six and a half feet over the floor. Then it's off into the groggy morning haze, as I feel my way through blurry eyes to the bathroom. However this particular morning I spent a noticeably longer period of time scratching, stretching, yawning and generally loitering at bed side. The trend - getting older. The realization hit sharply in the deepest resides of my gut, and a cold sweat followed. Without further provocation I moved rather hastily toward the bathroom. Determined to leave that nasty half dream behind, I turned the corner into the bathroom squarely stumping my big toe into the door jam.

There are obviously some things we can't change, like the speed at which we accelerate through life. But that introspective moment I spent at beds edge a few mornings ago left me with a profound epiphany. Though time will not slow down for us, we do have control over the habits, trends and unfavorable artifacts that are a direct result of living life. I determined to get my butt moving in the morning and put an end to the loitering at bedside trend.

In most of our pursuits where there is a level of responsibility involved, whether professional, personal interest or hobbies, constant updating and re-certification are a normal part of staying current. Doctors are constantly upgrading their knowledge base by reading journals and online references. They also attend conferences and lectures as a means of fortifying their expertise. Boards exams are required every seven years. The FAA requires a pilot to maintain his (or her) proficiency with annual check rides and stringent tests at each learning juncture. Doing it isn't enough. Learning breaks up the trend of negative reinforcement, and throws a wrench into the proverbial gears of bad trends and habits.

It's not a stretch to imagine after many years of flying hang gliders, trends and habits (good and bad) have become a part of my flying protocol. Like griping a pencil, every individual has a specific style they have developed through the years. We're creatures of habit. We like the comfort we find in repetition and consistency. Not always a good thing. It was surprising to watch a video clip of me landing at Crawfords a few weeks ago. The landing wasn't that bad, I ended up dropping the nose of the glider after flaring poorly and running it out. After a knee injury a few years ago while skiing, I developed some defensive habits that led to a trend of mediocre landings. Even after my knee healed, the defensive habits remained.

In the video I realized my body position on final looked as though I was bracing for something as apposed to being in the optimal position for a proper landing. My flare was hesitant and weak. That night I began searching the Internet for videos of landings, and happened upon a treasure trove of material shot by a California pilot, found here - http://vimeo.com/5106199. Anyway, I began studying these compilations of landings, of which were mainly filmed at the Andy Jackson Flight Park. I basically identified what I was doing wrong, and applied the knowledge to my landings in the days following. Clearly, I was in need of updating and fortifying my landing skills. The realization and willingness to commit to a learning episode in my flying regime has put me on a path to better my landings. Hang gliding is certainly an activity where constant learning and updating your skills will pay off.

I think a similar self imposed crash course on launching is next for me. What about you?

X Marks The Spot

2009-10-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Last week yielded a few mentionable flights. Site X was good on Wednesday. A north east system brought surprising results. Climbs to 10,500asl and an incredible backdrop made for a great flight.

Saturday over 15 hang gliders converged at the Crawfords. It was a strong day, with a few pilots experiencing scary launches. There was one actual blown launch, but the pilot and glider were spared significant damage. Overall it was a fun day. The air time was easy. I was able to add another 2 hours to my log.

Breaking down in the massive LZ.

Just A Few Additions To The Log

2009-09-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

It's been slim pickens' here lately! There have been a few short flights to mention.

Wednesday, 5.09.09, Site X produced a 45 min flight. Yesterday I got up early and flew the South Side at the Point. It was slow to build, but finally the expected south push arrived. There were many hangs out, and they all got plenty of airtime. I had three flights and netted about 40 mins. Need to move back to California!

Randolph 9.07.09

2009-09-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

As we approached The Crawfords, the sky looked a bit ominous. There were linticular clouds everywhere. The saucer shaped clouds gave the appearance of an alien invasion.
The wind was strong from the southwest. Cody, Matt, Greg and I were met on top by 25 to 30 mph winds. There were lighter cycles for launching. Matt was first of the hill with his dog clover along as a tandem passenger. Matt and Clover plowed toward the south end of the main ridge in the strong 45 degree cross headwind. Matt said it took him 25 minutes to fly the 2.8 miles. Soon we were all air born thanks to Cody's willingness to help wire the rest of us off. Fortunately, more pilots showed up to help with Cody's launch.

Can't beat the visuals of the Crawfords!

Cody coming in for a landing.

Even though the wind wasn't perfect, the air was reasonably fun. We all had 2 hour plus flights.

More of the Crawfords.

Sunday 8.16.09

2009-08-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Cody and I made the regular homage to the Crawfords on Sunday. Given the weather conditions this summer, it's been the flying site of choice. Almost every time we have flown the Crawfords, XC potential has been good. Sunday was no different!

In short, Cody and I set up and got off the hill as a few other pilots trickled in. I flew straight out from launch and without much effort found myself a few grand over launch. I continued flying out over the flats and toward a cloud that was relatively fresh. I found good lift in the area under the cloud, and soon I was in some of the strongest lift I've been in this year. I was averaging 15 - 18 hundred fpm for 20 seconds and longer at a time. I was quickly 14,000+asl and at cloud base. As I waited for Cody I played in the cloud, flying a hundred feet or so into the edge of the cloud and then flying out its side. Too much fun.

Cody soon caught up and we decided to head north toward highway 30 junction and hopefully on toward Kemerer, WY. Our plan was short lived. The lift to the north wasn't working as well. We found a nice hay field that had just been cut and landed into a nice breeze. Flight time: just over 2hours / Distance: hmmm

Site X flight #7

2009-08-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Greg and I had our seventh flight Monday at Site X. It's proving to be a dependable, soarable hill. We did wait a while, finally getting off launch around 5ish. There were nice cu's around, especially over the back - sreeting as well. I was able to gain 2200 over in a somewhat consolidated thermal. I drifted back behind launch quite a ways as I watched Greg's launch. We both thermaled around for a while with some of the local boys - a couple of juvenile golden eagles. They have been out flying the last few times we've been out. The eagles are quite active. At first I thought they were just playful, swooping and diving around us as we were coring up. But yesterday they dove at me a few times with their talons extended. I think it was definitely aggressive, territorial behavior. Maybe they will get use to us?

More Fun At Crawfords

2009-08-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

Where do I start! Tuesday, July 28th, Cody and I returned to the Crawfords. It was a stereotypical XC day. Winds were strong from the WNW, with a great soaring forecast to boot. We both launched within minutes of each other and were soon scouring the hill for a reasonable thermal. After twenty minutes or so, I found a boomer at the south end of the ridge. A call on the radio brought Cody down my way, and as I was thermaling up into a nice cloud at 14,000, Cody began circling 2000ft below in the same lift. I hung out and flew back toward the ridge in broken lift waiting for Cody to catch up, but ironically the scenario soon flipped with Cody fifteen hundred above me whiting out in the same cloud I was in earlier. I found another good core and took it back up to 13,300ft. Cody committed to going over the back, so I hesitatingly followed even though the lift I was in was becoming less dependable. Cody was high in a great position, and continued on crossing some desolate un-landable terrain. He ended up with a 58 mile flight just shy of Little America, WY. I however landed out on top of a ridge just 13 miles from launch. Big thanks to our driver Dorothy for a quick pickup.

On Friday, Cody once again showed us how to go XC at the Crawfords. Greg, John Glime, Cody and myself set up in strong conditions at the Crawfords. I had one of the scariest launches of my flying career. After wireing everyone else off, I launched myself with Dorothy on my left wing wire. An errant gust lifted me prematurely and I felt I wouldn't get the wing back down, so I went with it. As soon as I was ten feet off the ground another strong gust from the right turned me 90 degrees to the left and toward the hill. I corrected with full right input and the wing slowly responded and flew out away from the hill. Yikes, should have had a wire crew - won't do that again.

Everyone had a great start once in the air. The conditions were very strong and with 30mph+ winds, drifting back with a thermal was very committing. I decided to stay out front and make a local day of it. Greg and John went over the back landing safely 13 miles from launch on the same ridge I landed on earlier in the week. Cody climbed out succesfully and went on to complete another great XC flight - this time 62 miles.

Back at the Crawfords

2009-07-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of summer and the XC season is quickly fading. With only a handful of short XC flights between the amigos, the hunger grows and trigger fingers are getting sorta itchy. Cody and I set our sights on the Crawfords for the second time this month.
Dorothy was kind enough to drive once again.

When we crested the top of the mountain, it was apparent the wind forecast was a bit off. The predicted 9-11mph from the west was in reality 20-30mph from the southwest. Cody was first to launch, and in less than five minutes he was 2 grand over and climbing. I followed finding less buoyant conditions, but soon caught up with Cody and we were climbing together. We left the launch area and drifted to the north hoping to connect with highway 30 and head northeast toward Kemmerer, Wyoming. The wind at 10 grand was close to 40mph and climb rates slowed down the further north we ventured. I decided to head north long 30 as apposed to going east toward Kemmerer as originally planned. The climbs were fun and as usual the area provided vivid landscapes in every direction.

We continued north on 30 and landed 36.6 miles from launch. Great landings - big smiles!

Not that far, but big in quality.

Cummies were in abundance!

Highway 30 stretching south toward the Crawfords.

Gorgeous views in every direction.

The Crawfords 7.22.09

2009-07-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

Beautiful place to fly! Endless landing possibilities, rivers that wind through the flats in front of launch etc., etc.. We take to the air after a wait for the wind to straighten out and find the light wind is plenty to keep us up. Landon and Matt take off just a bit early and sink out, the rest of us get around an hour of airtime in. Landing in the big LZ at the bottom is nice - the field has recently been cut. A few of us stop over in Randolph for a burger and shake at Gators.

Albion Basin - Alta, Utah

2009-07-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

Julie and I went for walking tour of Albion Basin last weekend. Following are some Pics of our excursion.

The hike starts here at he top of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Albion Basin is inside Alta Ski Resort, and less than two miles from the bottom of the lower lifts. Most of the hike is on well maintained trails used for mountain biking, and resort vehicle access.

Catching Up

2009-07-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

just a quick catch up.

So far, since June 1st, I've logged 5 flights at our new launch - "Site X" (somewhere on the Wasatch Back), 4 of which have been soaring flights. The first flight at Site X was a fantastic flight, gaining over 4 grand and touring the area - with of course the usual suspects.

Sunday, July 5th, Greg and I flew Inspo. I had a low save and ended up with a 2+ hour flight with several gains to over 12,500asl. Greg had a later launch and missed the better air. He worked hard to get up, but ended up landing in the bailout LZ.

Today Cody and I had a fun XC flight from the Short Divide. We launched around 2pm in a stiff south wind. We quickly reached departure altitude (11,500asl) and were over the back. The Cache Valley is such a beautiful area, especially with all the rain. We leisurely drifted in light lift over the town of Westin and then Preston with fun gains to 10 grand and change. Cody ended up with a 35 mile flight to Thacher. I headed toward Swan Lake for 28 miles.

Today at Inspo 6.24.09

2009-06-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

Finally it's drying out - well for a day or two anyway.
Cody and I met up at Inspo and flew our gliders. A few pics of the days activities.

South Side Notes

2009-06-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Just a few South Side Notes
Last Friday a few of us flew the South Side at the Point, and again Sunday. Sunday the conditions were strong with winds topping out at just above 30. A strange thing happened - toward the end of the session I was flying a few hundred feet above launch in a significantly strong west component. Paul, a pilot from Minnesota, was flying with me. Paul set up to land, and I followed suit feeling like the air was getting a bit to wierd and strong. I set up to land on top, but found myself racing toward the edge of the hill as the wind was dramatically decreasing in velocity. My hard flair stopped me and the glider right on the lip. As I set my glider down the wind had almost completely died. I've never seen the wind go from 30+ to zilch in such a short time. As soon as my glider was packed and loaded the wind picked up fiercely out of the north.

A few pic from Inspo Taken by Paul Martin last year.

Today...hmm hmm hmm!

2009-06-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

Decisions, decisions. I got up this morning and decided to fly the Southside at The Point. I considered running down to Provo and flying Inspo, but in the end chose to fly The Point. My decision was based on 1) the fear that later in the day we would get another round of afternoon thunderstorms. 2) there were things I kinda needed to get done later, so a morning session at the Point would suffice. I arrived at the Point around 8:30am and missed the early cycle - it wasn't all that great from what other pilots reported. I did manage to get a couple of later flights in that added 20 minutes to my flight log. As I lingered in the waning late morning wind, I watched as beautiful cu's formed over Mt. Timpanogas and Cascade down by provo. It did OD north of the Point, but to the south down by Inspo, it looked like epic soaring conditions with possible XC potential. I considered quickly breaking down and jetting down to Provo, but figured if I stay at the point it's bound to get better. Besides I'm already set up! You can figure out the rest of the story.

Inspo 5.3.09

2009-06-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

Just a quick blurb about yesterday.....Greg and flew Inspo on Wednesday. We launched around 3:30 into a straight stiff breeze that allowed us to ridge soar the main ridge at launch. Greg dominated the day with superior climbs. We both ended up with over an hours worth of airtime. We met up with Jeff O'brien and got to catch up with his current state.

Jeff

Cody Brings Hang Gliding to Wellsville Elementary

2009-06-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Flight Awareness day at Wellsville Elementary School. Matt Shoemaker, myself and Cody Dobson who is principal at the school, brought our gliders and participated in the event. Over 300 students filed through the different stations where there were lectures, static displays, RC aircraft and videos of tandem flights made by Matt. Cody spent months preparing the special event for his students, and worked hard as the spokesperson for our display.

Most of the students in the groups were excited to see the hang gliders and hear Cody's ten minute talk.

Matt commented about a similar event that took place during his school days that eventually led him to become interested in Hang gliding.

The kids were extremely polite and very interested. Seems like a great idea - an effective way to promote our great sport!

UPDATE

2009-05-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend there were a few flights. Friday was the first day of the local clubs spring comp at the North Side of the Point - the AAA sprints. I didn't compete, but I flew. There was quite a few bags as well as hangs out. Sunday Inspo worked. It wasn't the best day, but good enough for an hour flight.

A short Movie of Mingus, plus some Grand Canyon pics.

More on Mingus

2009-05-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

A collection of pics from the Mingus trip.

Chris Thompson, a club member, spent a good part of the morning showing me around and driving me up to launch. These guys are all about hospitality. The group of pilots I was lucky enough to meet and fly with, were beyond helpful, and great fun.

My talon, ready to fly at the top of Mingus.

The hang glider launch ramp.

Mingus set up area.

Just below my helmet is a complex of time shares in Sedona where Julie and I stayed for the week. Mingus is 15+ miles from Sedona. We had plenty of time to hike and sight see. We even drove up to the Grand Canyon on Friday and did a bit rim hiking.

Taking in the desert pana-rama from 10k. As always, pictures never capture the moment. This flight is in my top five most scenic flights.

2009-05-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

Today at Mingus......
We arrived ready to set up at 9:30am. Tim, Russ, Paul, Mitchel, Dale - all locals - and myself, were ready to go before 11. Paul was first to launch and immediately found a core. He reported going through 12k when the wind began blowing down at launch. The five of us remaining waited through a 20min down cycle before a nice cycle came up the face. We all five trundled into the air within that one cycle and climbed out in a giant multi core thermal. The lift was strong enough through 11k, but around 12k the SW prevailing wind seemed to collide with the lift we were in. It felt like a giant tsunami crashing down and breaking the thermals into more powerful and numerous cells. Sounds weired I know - it was! At 14k the group headed out on glide to the northeast. After leaving the vicinity of Mingus, things calmed down a bit. We all flew back to Sedona, burbling along in light buoyant air. I was able to take in the incredible views around Sedona from 11k (pics coming). One by one we descended and landed by hi-way 89. I was last to land, as it took more than 20min to burn off my last 1k. Mitchel flew past our LZ and landed at the Sedona Airport. The airport is on a mesa and appears like an aircraft carrier. Sort of intimidating. We met Mitchel at the airport for a nice lunch before dispersing.

Today at Mingus

2009-05-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

Julie and I are in Sedona this week for some r&r. I just so happened to bring my flying kit. Mingus is just a few miles away from our condo, and this morning I headed up to launch with some locals in hopes of flying. Chris Thompson, a local club member, was kind enough to drive me up and show me the ropes. Great hospitality! One other pilot, a para and myself, were the only ones that flew. We launched around the same time - 11ish - and burbled our way to 3k over. We stayed local due to the wind conditions in the area and landed in the primary LZ after a few hours of airtime. More later

Inspo 4.30.09

2009-04-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

On a whim, I packed up and drove down to Inspo this afternoon. I had actually been watching the weather this morning diligently. It looked really strong from 12,ooo up - around 30 to 45 with upper winds predicted to be as strong as 65 knots. After I got a little work done I figured I'd at least go check out the road and possibly work in the bail out LZ. On my way out, and looking south, linticular clouds were stacked up like pancakes - verifying the upper wind forecast.

I arrived at launch around 2pm. The wind was coming in at 12-15mph, with nice thermal cycles every 5-10min. As if on auto pilot, I grabbed my glider and set up. In 30min I was off the hill and into a sweet cycle. The wind was somewhat more south than it appeared on launch, and only broken trash was found along the primary ridge. (typically the more south the wind is at Inspo, the air tends to be more textured). I drifted to the north with some marginal lift, and close to Provo Canyon that lift petered out - and it was drillology 101 lesson #36289. I encountered some pretty strong sink. I really didn't think I would make the bailout LZ. I had a low save at around 400ft and worked broken lift until it consolidated a few hundred feet up. The lift turned into a nice solid thermal that landed me at 9000asl and back in the canyon. I had no problem penetrating forward, and as soon as I was even with the mouth of the canyon, I hit some abnormally strong lift. The surface wind forecast for the day called for SW switching to the WNW at about 3pm. Can you say sheer line?

I followed a very defined line of lift west and just past I-15, topping out around 10,000asl. Not that high, but very strong and consistant. The rest? Just played in the air for a while and had a nice landing in the big green LZ. Great season starter. One observation - Jeff your missed man!

Some nice Inspo cloud pics from early fall 08'

The Southside 4.21.09

2009-04-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

A nice showing of hang glider pilots turned out at the South Side of the Point on Tuesday morning. The day turned out lighter than expected, but most everyone got a little air time, as we all enjoyed just being there in the warm spring sun.

A local making it look all too easy.

Several California pilots showed up and enjoyed the morning's sweet temps.

Just hangin'.

John Lindburgh.

Greg Billow.

Wallaby Demo Daze 09'

2009-04-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I flew down to Florida for the Wills Wing Demo Daze, only to be stumped by high winds and grounded tugs. This year I bought airfare to Wallaby to partake once again in the week long air fest. As time drew close to the event, it appeared the wind was going to be a problem again. But the first two days of the event allowed for some decent soaring, as a weak cold front stalled just north of Orlando. Though there were no spectacular flying days, the combination of the ranch vibe and just being at a latitude where there was warm weather, made it all worth while. Wills Wings new gliders were available for all at no charge. The camaraderie, food and good times made this years "bubble experience" great.

Saturday 3.14.09

2009-03-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

Finally the weather is starting to turn. We have had a few good flying weekend days in the past month. Yesterday half a dozen or so hangs showed up at the South Side for some great spring (almost, it was 28 degrees at 8:00am when I showed) flying.

Following are pics of Greg Bottelberghe. Last pic on the page is of Greg Billow.

Sundance

2009-01-31T07:27:00.000-08:00

Melissa Hibbard, who by the way is my daughter, Had a film in Sundance this year. The Glass House is a documentary film that Melissa and her husband Hamid created over the course of the last couple of years. The Glass House documents four girls who are in various ways at risk. A private individual in Iran opens up a girls home to help kids in need. It's a great film. We had a blast while they were here. Check out a clip of the film here - prometheuscinema.com/mpgs/preview-the-glass-house.html

Melissa and me

The entourage camped out at our digs in PC for ten days!

Melissa

Julie, my sis Sandy and Melissa

Heaven's Gold Collection is out

2009-01-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

Heaven's Gold Collection is finally and officially out. It's a collection of songs that were written during the course of my writing career. Some new some old. Go to brucehibbard.com and check out the website. You can sample some of the songs on Heaven's Gold as well as other CD's produced over the years. Enjoy the music.

2009-01-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

Another day in.........

Just some random photos from today. Our team is stationed at Jupiter, at 10,000ft, one of the highest patrol shacks on the mountain.

Special weather conditions were present over the last few mornings to produce rime ice.

Our team leader Andy, hard at work on his poetry.

The Cody Cup

2008-12-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

The winner of this years coveted Cody Cup (with wife Julie).

Friday night the gang met at Outback Steakhouse in Layton for the first official Cody Cup awards presentation and dinner. Ok, it's just the four of us I know, but we still had fun this summer flying XC and competing for the treasured Cup. The concept of the Cup began last summer when Cody came up with the idea of a low profile comp just among friends. Cody got the Cup last year, which was a used coffee mug. This years trophy was a cool thermal mug with a custom silk screened logo with the winners flight details on the mug. I was the recipient this year, as my 96 mile flight from Heber won the comp.

Matt and Keri. Matt had a nice 86 mile flight from the short divide.

Greg and Jennifer. Greg had several mentionable XC flights including the fly to Cody's house for a BBQ.

Cody and Dorothy. On my 96 miler, Cody was just behind me the whole flight. He landed less than fifteen miles short of where I landed.

2008-12-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

Kind of an interesting morning. When I arrived at the South Side this morning a very peculiar cloud capped the west end. Once on top, I noticed a fog bank followed the low lying area from Provo Lake to the point. The cloud bank was less than a half mile wide, and as it approached the hill it snaked it's way over the top. As the sun rose the fog quickly burned off. The morning turned out to be quite nice.

A Salt Lake Tribune reporter came out and took a few shots of the R.C. gliders as well as an in air shot of me. It's possible there might be a story about the point in the Tribune tomorrow morning. Notice the Red Tail Hawk at the left of the pic.

Photo courtesy of Steve Griffin - Salt Lake Tribune

2008-11-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

Nothing going lately that's blog worthy. My sail finally came back from repair, but I'm afraid the next week holds only bad flying weather. Time to dig in to the old stash.
I ran across this pic of Jeff O'Brien that I took this summer at the South Side.

A South Side Junk Session

2008-11-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

Saturday on the South Side. Moderate wind, hangs, bags and other flying things made for a congested morning. John Lindbergh effortlessly cruised above the calamity below, as though he was on a different layer of the lift band.

Meanwhile, I squeaked in a few flights when the crowded skies lightened up. (The following photos were taken by Val Stevens)

As I attempted a slider, my lack of expertise and a odd bit of turbulence spoiled my morning. The following - a broken downtube. Rats!

In The Beginning

2008-11-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

I came across some ancient photos. Some I don't remember ever seeing until recently. It's hard to believe how fast life whirls by.

This photo captures one of my first flights on a hang glider. A 40' hill beside I-240 in Oklahoma City. Notice the unique take off form.

Great composition. My two young girls playing on a rock with me in the background. Crestline, CA. Photo - Susan Hibbard

Gotta love that LA smog. Another Crestine pic. Circa - 1980. Photo - Susan Hibbard.

1981 Southern Cal regional's.

Lake Elsinore, CA. Circa - 1980

More Willard Pics

2008-10-20T17:16:00.001-07:00

Greg sent over these great pics of our adventure on Saturday.

Set-up area is a bit sparse, but it works.

Looking straight down launch.

Mighty Willard

2008-10-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

The gang met up with Crazy Mike in North Ogden Saturday morning. We began what would turn out to be my longest LZ to launch drive ever! It took us over two hours to finally reach the top of Willard Peak from where the cars were parked in the LZ. I must add, the scenery was spectacular on the drive up. Even though the road was at times rocky, it wasn't a bad drive, thanks to Cody's awesome truck. Thanks to Cody's wife Dorothy, the truck made it back to the LZ in one piece. The launch was a pretty straight ahead slope launch, and with the wind coming straight in at a consistent 15 to 18 mph, everyone was quick to get off the hill and into the air. Willard is approximately 9800 asl and about 5000 agl. The view looking out toward the Great Salt Lake and distant mountains to the west is one of the most incredible sights.

No camera, so I downloaded these Google images of the peak.

I was in the air first, and one by one Greg, Cody and Mike followed. The air was somewhat textured at launch, most likely due to the massive rock spires that dominate the topography out front. However, once you move a half mile south, there's a linear ridge that runs about a mile and provides a fun and somewhat smooth ride. Greg and Cody ventured out of the main ridge area and struggled a bit to get back into the working lift. After an hour or so in the air, they landed in no wind conditions. Mike landed bit earlier due to glider problems. After two hours of touring the mountain I headed out toward the LZ, and after burning off four grand of altitude, I landed in the calm, evening air. Not my best landing, but overall, a great flight.

Thanks to Mike for the guided tour.

The Bones

2008-10-16T15:03:00.001-07:00

My glider, reduced to bare bones! Its that time of the year. A sail off inspection of the frame revealed only a few questionable wear spots. See if you can find the spots of concern.

The sail actually had wear and tear significant enough to warrant a trip to the factory for repair. The most significant area of wear is at the tips. The glider was manufactured in 2002. When I got my Talon in 2006, it had been stored in a garage for several years. It's been a sweet glider, I'm hoping she has at least one more season in her .

Drummer

2008-10-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Drummer. Where do I begin. It started four years ago when we began construction of the house in Summit park. Drummer lived just down the steep hill from our building project. I made the mistake of throwing Drummer the tennis ball he brought up to the job site, just one time, that's all it took to make a lifetime friend.

Drummer is a really big lab, and very rambunctious. He's a dog that knows what he wants and will relentlessly pester with deafening barks until you cave. He's been coming up to the house with religious fervor several times a week with a ball, stick, whatever, since that day.

Saturday 10.4.08

2008-10-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Just outside the back door. Well maybe not just out the back door, but close enough. Actually the trailhead is about 300 yards from the house. The trail is steep and winds it's way through tall pines and aspens and up a few thousand feet to Summit Park Peak. Today the colors are vibrant and the little bit of rain we have had seems to intensify the hues.

Colors and Clouds

2008-09-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

I went to Inspo today. The colors are just about peaked. There were scattered storm cells around that later popped and crackled. The cells seemed to stay back behind launch. About 15 bags showed up and I got inspired to get ready. Most all the bags got up. It was kinda scary because the cells began to fully develop with spread out, lightning and all. I launched after the spread-out shut things down, but I figured a little would be better than nothing. I ended up with 25 minutes or so and landed just as the storms began dropping verga on the front side.

Utah's Flying Club

2008-09-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

I rarely go to the UHGPGA club meetings (the Utah hang gliding, para-gliding club), primarily because I haven't been flying the Point too much lately and the Point of the Mountain seems to be the club's main area of interest. However, I was somewhat motivated to go Thursday because of a prompt I received via email from John R. There has been a lot of discussion regarding the basic use of the big green sodded area at the newly remodeled North Side, and I was under the impression a critical discussion - vote was on the agenda for the night regarding landing protocols etc.. I even arrived early so I could pay my delinquent club dues. I think I would fly at the Point more if the landing zones were safer and free from student pilots kiting their bags. I was impressed by the first discussion of the night regarding the South Side of the Point. Steve Mayer brought a plan forward that is supposed to help alleviate some of the congestion and confusion due to the high numbers of pilots and broad range of pilot skills that are represented at the Point. It seemed to be a well thought out concept. I was further impressed by Steve's effort to endear the hangs that were present. I thought Steve went out of his way.

But I was looking forward to a discussion that would at least begin to put some sort of logic in place for the North Side's landing procedures for both the bags and hangs. I was under the impression that all this money spent to create a fabulous flight park would yield more than just a two acre sodded play pen for the bags to kite in. Oh well, should we have expected more? Yes, we should expect more. We should expect the leaders of "the club" to respect and have a like interest for both bags and hangs. No matter the difference in numbers between the bags and hangs, it should be a safe flying site for both rather than a $700,000+ practice area for the multitude of para-glider instructors. We should expect a well thought out plan to be a part of this new public flying site. Instead we were told by our regional USHPA Representative - "let's just get out there and see how things work out". Isn't that what we have been doing? Isn't that the problem?

So for the rest of the meeting we were rushed from one subject to the next. It seemed as though our illustrious leader was on a mission to minimize and roll over any idea put forward. Is it just me? I don't know, but I must say it sure seems like there was a concerted effort to minimize the issues and "see ya later".

I remember a flight I had a few years back at the North Side. It was a scratchy evening and I was bobbing in and out of traffic low on the primary ridge. I realized I would be landing at the bottom soon, as each pass I fell below the ridge lower and lower. There was a big Suburban parked right smack in the middle of the lower LZ loading up bags. Several times as I passed overhead I yelled at the SUV, "landing", "hey, MOVE YOUR VEHICLE!". The only response was the driver looking up yelling back obscenities and with both hands giving me the finger. He continued to take his time, and just as I was setting up for a sketchy landing between the edge of the berm and his SUV, he peeled out in cloud of dust. Hangs and bags - kinda sad.

Jeff the Jet

2008-09-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

The gang converged on the South Side Saturday morning. A total of seven hangs unfolded their wings and flew. It was a strong morning with half the pilots packing up when the wind picked up. Jeff, Greg, Dave, and myself stayed later. Some of us landed just as the wind picked up close to 35mph. We were breaking down in back of the berm in nukin' conditions. Here's a spoofed vid of some of the mornings action. (The names of the Innocent have been altered).

A Cause For Inspiration

2008-09-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Greg and I flew Inspo. I put a little Video together that turned out kinda funny. Gregs landing was actually nice! I just added some effects for meanness.

Heaven's Gold Collection

2008-09-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

After two years its finally done! This is my fourth recording project (my last was released in 2000), a CD that contains inspirational songs that have been written over the last two decades. It's been a long time coming. All of the compositions were penned by yours truly, some of them collaborations with various writers. Soon my website should be on line. If you are interested, you can find this CD and others at brucehibbard.net - live around the end of this month!

Towers to Barbecue

2008-09-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

Last year about this time Cody and Dorothy put on a barbecue at their place in Logan. The only catch was you had to fly in from the Brigham City towers launch. Not very many made it to Cody's house - they allowed those who did not make it by air to join in the festivities. It turned out to be great night of food and socializing.

This year Cody and Dorothy again opened up their house for a fly-in / barbecue. The pilots, Matt, Cody, Greg and me met in Sardine Canyon where the road to the towers launch begins. Cody's neighbor Randy was kind enough to drive us up this most heinous road. We were welcomed at the top by a smooth 12 to 15 mph southwesterly breeze, which is perfect for the Towers. Cody was off first followed by Greg, Matt and me. We all soared around in the buoyant air for twenty minutes or so, before finding solid thermals. It wasn't long, we all were coring jagged little bullets. After a while, the thermals seemed to consolidate and get a bit easier to work. Cody flew out front and found a nice fatty coming off the rocks below a secondary ridge. As Cody thermalled up I joined in on the fun, and it wasn't long until we were smellin' barbecue! At around 11 grand (about 4000 ft above launch) we cut loose and headed down wind and on course for Cody's house. Greg and Matt were scratching around at launch, but soon they both climbed out high enough to turn east and over the back. Cody and I flew together and ended up high over his house. We found a thermal and took it up a thousand feet or so, drifting toward the range to the east of his house. We boated around for a while then landed in a nice barley field adjacent to the festivities. Greg was having a hard time with his radio - batteries - but later on the ground he told us he finally left the ridge with under 9000 asl managing to glide over with no problem, landing safely before Cody and I. Matt fought for over an hour on Pisgha Ridge just east of launch, but was unable to get high enough for the glide to the party. Matt landed safely in a dry lake bed. We all convened at Cody's for fun and food and lingered well after dark.

Cody

Greg

Matt's nice launch

The LZ

Our support team

Greg's support team - Jennifer

8.30.08 XC!

2008-08-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

When I woke up on Saturday morning to a constant stream of calls from fellow pilots, I slowly became hopeful for a good XC day. One thing was consistent amongst all the talk, it was going to be a Heber day. Cody and Dorothy drove down from Logan with Matt, and met Greg and me in Park City. I called Steve Rathbun only to discover he and his driver were already at launch. Everyone was finally on launch and setting up around 12:30 pm.

Once everyone was airborne, it was apparent the day wasn't going to be a disappointment. Around the launch area the thermals were rowdy to say the least, but once you were a thousand or so above, the climbs were strong and predictable.

Matt, Greg and Steve were out ahead of Cody and me. By the time I caught up over Coalville, Greg and Steve were low and contemplating an imminent landing. Matt ventured up Chalk Creek (Go to Matt's blog for more detail at mattsbigadventure.blogspot.com/) and ended up landing close to a gas plant to the east of Porcupine Mt. for a 36.8 mile flight.

Our driver Dorothy. It wouldn't work without her!!

Matt with his new U2

After Greg and Steve landed 22 miles from launch, I pushed toward the north end of Coalville where the beginning of a cloud street was setting up. I ran upwind slightly to position myself under a newly forming cumulus. Cody was bringing up the tail, and as I was climbing out it looked as though Cody would join Steve and Greg. Cody was unzipped and getting ready to land when he flew into a forming core. He ended up working the broken lift until it turned into a boomer that took him high and back on course. Meanwhile, I had topped out under the cloud at 18,000 and change and was heading toward Evanston. The lift was consistent, so I followed I-80 ending up at Evanston at 16 grand. I got my highest gain there topping out at 18,504 asl. Cody was in hot pursuit remaining ten miles or so behind. From Evanston I took the typical route over the windmills to the east and on to highway 189, where I turned more northerly following Oyster ridge to Kemmerer, WY. for a 95.6 mile flight. Cody landed just a few miles behind for a 71 mile flight. When I was a few miles south of Kemmerer, I looked NE, where last year Jeff O'Brien's route continued from there over some really desolate terrain. Jeff ended up with the new state record last year, 220 miles! It would have been nice to have Jeff or Steve along for the flight. Their expertise on this complex route would have been priceless.

Cody

Greg

Steve's driver Chickadee

Steve

All the pilots were quickly retrieved, thanks to Dorothy and Chickadee. Most of us ended up in Evanston at Don Pedro's. Can't beat a day like that!

Me on launch