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U.S. PPG on the World Stage?

by David Rogers from a presentation at the 2007 PPG Convention in FL

Just imagine...

It's the fall of 1907. The air is cool, the winds are light, and more important than anything else, they are predictable. As the globe of the morning sun begins to rise over the eastern hills of your land, a slight ground fog is settled in the lowlands. Alone, you experience the gravity of the moment as you open the large door of the barn. And, there it is. Your old dog has joined you and the yard chickens are cackling, but you don't even notice. It is just you and that magnificent flying machine which holds your gaze.

Today, you will become an aviator!

I thank the Good Lord that 100 years later, we too can feel that same heart-throbbing exhilaration of being pioneers in our own corner of the aviation world. Excitement, anxiety, anticipation of the thrill of the brisk climb, and perhaps most of all, respect: all come together in a single moment. For me, that point in time arrives when I take my first step of a
forward launch in my powered paraglider.  As the glider tugs me backwards, my thighs and the propeller thrust push me forward. The torque of the engine is slightly trying to turn me, but in the few brief steps it takes to become
airborne, I barely notice these forces that combine to lift me skyward. I am free to skim inches above the pasture grass at a speed that I can actually surpass in an open sprint. I can smell the green grass and feel the changes
in temperature on my face as I pass through different layers of air while drifting along in the cocoon of my comfortable harness. The only effort I'm putting forth is an occasional squeeze of the throttle in my right hand or perhaps an adjustment of brake pressure to change direction. This tremendous form of low and slow flight will inevitably surrender to the calling of the sky. With defined authority, I feel the power and heat of the engine as it pushes hard against my back while we ascend briskly at full throttle. I love it up there. From 5,000 feet I am the only one in the world with this
perspective that I am blessed to experience. I am indeed, a very lucky man.

With a near overload of appreciation for this unique form of flight, I somewhat sheepishly beg the question, "Can there be more?" Can the utter joy gleaned from this aircraft become even more greatly enhanced? Could it be at all possible to take the fantastic feeling derived from a powered paraglider flight and tweak it into a more finely tuned experience, an experience that will leave you not only fulfilled, but tested, taking you to a new and greater level of excitement and appreciation? Can that possibly be?

I respectfully suggest that an entirely new and exhilarating level of flight is available. It requires a steadfast commitment and a willingness to be an ardent student of flight to experience, but the pay-off is formidable. One
by-product of this plan is that as each U.S. pilot becomes more proficient, the United States of America becomes properly recognized as a formidable player on the world stage of the powered paraglider industry.

Are you game?

The very first step in this journey to becoming a more complete PPG pilot is to properly educate yourself. We are fortunate to have many teaching aids available. Instructional videos such as "Risk and Rewards" combine helpful
hands-on methods with actual footage of the consequences of poor judgment. One particular value of this film is that as you gain experience, this production becomes more applicable. In that regard, it becomes a timeless learning tool that can be viewed many times over.

The Powered Paraglider Bible is without a doubt the most comprehensive instructional book ever produced for our corner of the aviation industry. It is both enlightening and entertaining as it covers virtually every aspect of our sport that you can imagine. Numerous other helpful publications are available, so I urge you to read, read, read.

Without a doubt, when folks with a common love come together, good things are going to happen. General aviation has the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA); various experimental aircraft have the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA); helicopters and gyrocopters have the Professional Rotorcraft Association (PRA); and light sport and ultralight aircraft have the United States Ultralight Association (USUA). We are fortunate to have our very own addition to the alphabet soup with the USPPA. The United States Powered Paraglider Association does a tremendous job of serving the needs and interests of PPG enthusiasts through participation, representation, information, and education. This backbone of our sport has up-to-date information on Schools, Incidents, Safety Tips, Federal Air Regulations, an Industry Watch that keeps us up on the latest bells and whistles, a Calendar of Events, News and a list of links to dozens of weather and product related web sites. No question about it, if you are
interested in powered paragliding; you NEED to be a member of USPPA.

My second suggestion in your quest to become a better-rounded PPG pilot is to Know The Rules. No excuses here; this is a MUST DO item! Each time we fly low over an irritated neighbor or stray into a restricted area where we are
not supposed to be, we all suffer the cumulative consequences. Become familiar with the Federal Air Regulation (FAR) part 103 that serves to guide and protect us. Learn how to understand the current sectional chart for the
area where you fly. You may be surprised to learn where we can go. Greater knowledge produces a more confident pilot. As pilots of legal ultralights, we are the sole remaining entity that the Federal Aviation Association
essentially allows to self-regulate. It is an exclusive privilege that is threatened each time we abuse it. Know the Rules.

Get Your Ratings! USPPA has joined forces with USUA to develop and administer a rating program that will not only serve to inspire you to become a more qualified flyer but also rewards you with a documented rating that will be helpful when acting as a representative of our sport. If you aspire to teach this wonderful form of flight as an instructor, this rating system will be particularly useful as a qualified badge of distinction.

Now wait a minute. All these suggestions are perhaps useful, but where is the drama? Where is the entirely new and exhilarating level of flight? Hold your horsepower, the fun is about to begin.

Lets face it, to some degree, we all like to be recognized for an accomplishment of which we are proud. That pat on the back is even better appreciated when it comes from a bird of the same feather. Just imagine becoming the most recent bird to join an international flock of distinguished flyers that is rewarded for your flying skills and achievements.

You can be a member of this world-wide, distinguished group of flyers by qualifying for your Colibri Badge. (See USUA.org.)  Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond Badges are progressively awarded to pilots of all kinds who perform
specific tasks that are tailored to one's individual aircraft type. They include spot landings, cross-country flying and minimum hour requirements to qualify and are not only challenging but are a blast to fly. All tasks are performed under the watchful eye of an Official Observer (O.O.) who is appointed by the Federation Aeronautique International (FAI) and approved by the United States Ultralight Association (USUA). That badge will become a true feather in your cap as you share the spotlight with other international members of this exclusive fraternity.

Remember that every ray of light from the U.S. makes America shine just a bit brighter. I envision a day when U.S. powered paraglider pilots will be recognized as a strobe light in the world arena. I am absolutely convinced
that some of the very best PPG pilots anywhere on earth reside between our oceans shores here in the God blessed U.S. of A.

A tall order? You bet! What else can we to do to get there? Compare apples to apples!

The last bi-annual Powered Paragliding World Championships were conducted during 2005 in Levroux, France. A total of 55 pilots from 15 countries competed for individual and team honors during the weeklong event. Guess
where the top U.S. powered paraglider pilot finished. That's right, 56th! We did not have a single entrant in the event.

Every other year for the last two decades, the U.S. Microlight Championships have taken place. This competition is designed for not only the classic fixed-wing ultralights but for trikes, powered parachutes, powered paragliders and even two-place machines. In the history of that event, a total of only two PPG pilots have come forward from the U.S. to compete.

Both the World Championships and the Championship competitions of individual countries are held under the sanctioning authority of the Federation Aeronautique International (FAI). Since 1905, the FAI has been the governing
body of aviation competition and records for everything from human-powered flight to 17,400-mph astronauts. With over a hundred years of experience, I can assure you that all competitions are conducted under very strict
guidelines so that the tasks are identical and the scores from different parts of the world may be compared without bias or prejudice.

Apples to apples!

Here in the U.S., the spirit of competition in the PPG community is not by any means absent. It is, in fact, thriving. For the past seven years, in conjunction with the United States Powered Paraglider Association (USPPA) annual convention, a competition has been held with tremendous success. The number of pilots competing has varied from 8 to 15 in number, and the desire to win has consistently been formidable. Several other venues around the country also hold PPG competitions on an annual basis, and a national ranking is derived from the combined events scores.

As I said, PPG competitions in the U.S. are thriving. As a matter of fact, in recent years, the National Champions from Russia and the United Kingdom competed at different USPPA conventions.  While one did made the podium at
the Bronze level, the other watched the award ceremony from the gallery rather than from the lofty perch of the winners' stand. So why aren't we represented internationally? Why have we never had a powered paraglider pilot from the U.S. in the World Championships? It's simple really; we have been comparing apples to oranges!

For us to be able to compare our U.S. PPG pilots scores to those of our international brethren, we must conform to the world's standards of competition. That means going the extra mile to meet the rigid specification of FAI sanctioned events. The transition to the internationally accepted tasks would not be all that difficult as many of the tasks are nearly identical to the ones we currently conduct. This shift of competition style will be aided by the recent adoption by the FAI of a new format that excludes navigation and economy tasks and focuses exclusively on precision
tasks similar to what we currently run here in the U.S.A.  (See Section 10 of the FAI Sporting Code, at FAI.org) 

Boldly, I suggest that at our USPPA 2008 convention, we consider being the hosts of the PPG division of the U.S. Microlight Championships. Past efforts to lure PPG pilots to that FAI sanctioned event have failed. So, if we can't
get the pilots to the US Microlight Championships, why not bring the Championships to the pilots here at our convention? It would require a host club, a number of key individuals, and plenty of worker bees.

The pay off would be formidable.

• Y First, We would gain the experience of performing the same tasks by which the rest of the PPG world measures itself. We would learn how we stack up competitively.

• Y We would gain respectability in the PPG industry by becoming a global team player.

• Y We would take our first competitive steps in building a respected American team to represent us in the World championships.

• Y We would begin to posture ourselves as a formidable team with the goal of being invited to the World Air Games in 2009.

The World Air Games are held every 4 years and are considered the Olympics of the  aviation industry. They include 10 different forms of flying competition, including, Ballooning, Microlights, Aeromodelling, Helicopters, Parachuting,
Experimentals, Gliding, Aerobatics, Hang Gliding, Paragliding. Currently, Moscow, Odense, Denmark and Turin, Italy are on the short list of potential cities that have submitted  extensive bids in an effort to host this prestigious "by invitation only" event.

That's all well and good, you may say. You'd like to do your part to make the U.S. shine brighter, but perhaps you are a recreational pilot and are not inclined to throw your hat into the competition ring. How can you as an individual help to define America's  Powered Paragliding Role on the World Stage? The answer may surprise you.

"GO OUT AND SET A WORLD RECORD".

I have a picture on my desk taken at the running track of Florida State University. In the photo, I'm holding Kim Batten in my arms while grinning from ear to ear. Kim was a World Record holder in the woman's 400 meter hurdles and went on to earn an Olympic Silver Medal. For years, I have referred to that photo as a picture of me as a world record "Holder."  Now I get to send Kim a picture for her desk.   

As I sit writing this piece, I do so with a beautiful, large ring on my left hand. I have never been much of one to wear jewelry, but I'm likely to wear this one for awhile. Heck, my wife of 26 years and I have the best marriage I have ever
seen, but I virtually never wear my wedding ring. Her love is what makes me feel special, not our bands of gold. We earned this rock solid marriage on the strength of our commitment to each other. I earned the ring I am wearing
today by being in the right place at the right time while our corner of aviation is in its infancy. Still, I'm proud to say that the ring reads:

"AVIATION WORLD RECORD HOLDER"

It's important to me that you understand that I AM NOT a great pilot. At the time this record flight took place in November of 2006, I had less than 100 flights in my log. I was coming off knee surgery from a running injury four
months earlier, and it seemed that everything that could go wrong did! After Jack McCornack (my Official Observer, O.O.) arrived in Florida from Oregon, and my backup O.O., Keith Nicely arrived from West Virginia, we waited
through 13 different launch windows because of poor weather. When we did fly, the pasture oats were over a foot high, the chute was soaking wet, the ground was dead level and the winds were agonizingly variable. A pilot that
is north of 50 years of age supplemented those poor conditions. I can't believe I'm going to put this in print, but I actually blew 12 of 14 launch attempts at one point. The soaking wet chute made takeoff exceptionally difficult. Factor in a flight data recorder hiccup, the nearly simultaneous failure of my printer, computer monitor and fax machine, and we were having our selves one dandy time. My dog-gone dog even got bitten by a snake.  HOLY SMOKES!

My wife, Carmen had by then dubbed this effort the "FOR WORSE WORLD RECORD ATTEMPTS" as in that old familiar line "for better or worse." I don't always like what she says, but I do always listen to what she has to say. She was convinced that the Good Lord was saying to me "Don't take pride in your human feats." All I kept hearing Him say was "Be yea strong and persevere."

After all, I was flying my trusty FLY PRODUCTS, KOMPRESS that I purchased from the Brothers Casaudoumecq of Areolight USA with an APCO THRUST glider that was custom built for me by Anatoly Cohn in Israel. The entire wing is an American flag, and I'm trying to establish a World Record on Veterans Day to finally place the United States of America in the PPG record book. It's not supposed to be easy. I'll be honest with you folks, I have run a half dozen 26 mile marathons in bare feet. Those runs were a walk in the park (well, the forest actually) compared to the monumental effort it took to overcome the conditions to attain this record. But, WE DID IT, and  given my lack of experience, (89 flights), it's a testament to the quality equipment I used.

The FAI currently lists 15 possible PPG World Records. As of the spring of 2007, five men from five different countries hold ten of those records. Incredibly, five World Records remain unclaimed while others that are claimed are within reach. They include:

Powered Paraglider World Records as of April 6, 2007

In the fall of 2006, I applied to the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) to become sanctioned to have a 90-day window of exclusive U.S. rights to attempt four records. I attempted to establish records in the following order.

The first attempt was "Distance in a closed circuit, with limited fuel." The total distance flown was 32.85 miles (52.9 km) on 7.5 kg (about 2 3/4 gal.) of fuel. Incredibly, the good folks at the NAA months later ruled that I would be given credit for only the very first lap of the 42 that I flew. In a written explanation of the ruling, Section 10 paragraph 3.4.10.2 of the FAI Sporting Code was referenced to say, "Courses for goal or closed circuit flights must be pre-declared. Only a single declaration may be used for a record..."  Well, I pre-declared the course alright, and while acknowledging
that the 2006 rulebook specifically stated that "Multiple laps are permitted," the NAA went on to say "that allowing an indefinite number of laps to be flown--or allowing a pilot to decide the number of laps after the start of the record attempt--would constitute more than a single declaration." So, while I did 42 laps of a .78 mile course and landed with
only two tablespoons of remaining fuel, only the first lap was recognized. I was given the suggested option by a well-meaning representative of the FAI of removing my claim altogether, but I respectfully declined to take my 1/42nd of the total points off the board. It's a good thing, too, because it was the only record I eventually attained. The point that makes this Aviation Distance World Record distinctive is that if I'm not mistaken, the only record flight of a shorter distance is that of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Heck, they only flew 120 feet.

The flights for Distance in a closed circuit without power and the Distance in a straight line without power were tremendous fun. I climbed to just less than 1000 meters (3,280 ft) and shut the engine off, circling the closed circuit first then, on the next flight, doing a straight line deadstick from miles away. Here in North Florida, we have nothing but trees. Trees covered nearly the entire route of the straight line course, and I am not able to reach behind my back in flight to yank the recoil for an engine restart. That flight was, hands down, the most exciting flying I have ever experienced. Our calculations were fortunately correct, and I silently crossed the pasture fence with 700 feet of altitude to spare. After landing, I picked Carmen up and ran back to the landing spot for a time of silent reflection. I don't remember a time when I ever felt more alive. About the time I exhaled and said "I'll NEVER do that again," my trusty O.O. Jack McCornack pops up and said "Guess what, the flight recorder (that's right, the brand new $1,000 flight recorder) skipped a beat and you'll have to MAKE THAT FLIGHT AGAIN.

It was getting late in the day and the flight recorder was smart enough to know when sundown was, so I quickly installed a strobe light so that I could legally fly for the half hour after sunset. My two O.O.'s were impressed that I remembered that potentially record saving detail.

The pressure was on. The guys were leaving for home in the morning, and if I blew this final launch, I would not likely have time to finish the task during the legal window. To my relief, I nailed the launch and flew a climbing flight miles away where I took a deep breath and shut the engine off. That point in time was in many respects the defining moment of this entire effort. After the engine noise subsided, I got settled in with the proper crossed-leg aerodynamically correct posture and dialed in the proper trim tab position to achieve my best glide ratio. When all the busy work was
finished, I looked up and what I saw took my breath away. The distant cloud cover had obscured the view of the setting sun for virtually everyone on the ground below me. Then a single ray of brilliant orange light broke through that evening cover and cast its light directly on only me. What a sight. What a tremendous experience. I am a lucky man, indeed

This time I crossed the pasture fence with a whopping 900 feet. When I landed, I met the conclusion of this Herculean effort with a grateful heart, an exhausted body and an invigorated appreciation for being a part of the Good Lord's master plan. That realization brought me back down to earth. I may have accomplished becoming a World Record Holder, but in the end, the experience was humbling.

Given the difficult conditions at the time these attempts were made, I chickened out when it came time to put 34 pounds of fuel into a 63 pound airplane for the 100 km flight. I had calculated I'd run out of fuel at 97.9 km anyway. Why push my luck.

The two flights without engine power were disallowed by the NAA because what I interpreted as gliding tasks were actually soaring tasks. As it turns out, the tasks required one to land at or near the same altitude as the engine-shut-down altitude. If you live near a mountain ridge, you may wish to consider those tasks for your own world record.

In conclusion, we are fortunate to live during a unique time in aviation history.  The heartfelt joy we derive from strapping an engine and prop on our backs to power us up under a sheet of fabric is truly a gift. If we study hard, becoming knowledgeable and proficient in our flying endeavor, the experience will become not only more complete for us as individual pilots, but will also benefit our fellow countrymen and ultimately the entire  powered paraglider industry.

Don't take this gift lightly. During the last 104 years, thousands have gone before us and paid dearly, providing us with  the opportunity to fly with security and confidence.

Indeed, we are all very lucky! Today, we can become aviators.

David R. Rogers
Miccosukee, Florida, USA
May, 2007