It’s now mid June, LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!

You know what?…$60 is still too much for meet registration… As your fiscally irresponsible Meet Director, I’ve decided to make the entry fee, $0.00. That’s right, if you want to fly and compete and it will cost you absolutely nothing. In truth, in order to avoid USHPA event insurance costs we couldn’t charge participants for the contest. So that’s what we are doing – no charge!

Separately (and with emphasis on it being separate), if you enjoy flying Chelan Butte and want to fly it this year and for many years to come, I passionately encourage you to make a donation to the CBCC Chelan Butte site fund. Look for a way to do this on the CBCC website via Paypal. Or simply send in a check to CBCC via snail mail at the Club’s post office box. Please mark on your check, “Chelan Butte Fund”. CBCC, PO Box 1825, Morton, WA  98356.

The All-Summer Classic Kick Off weekend is almost here! Here’s what’s happening:

Friday, June 23, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Chelan Falls Park Soccer Field LZ Pavillion
Pilot Registration and Waypoint GPS uploads. 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Meet orientation (optional attendance).
Saturday, June 24, Day 1 of the meet, 10:00 am to 11:00 am, Chelan Butte set up / launch area, Registration. 11:30 am Pilots’ meeting. 6:00 pm, Soccer Field LZ/Pavillion BBQ.

Sunday, June 25, Chelan Butte set up / launch area, 11:00 am pilot registration, 11:30 am Pilots’ meeting.

If you can’t make it to the kick off weekend and would still like to compete, you will still need to register, it is very easy. Please with the following information:

• Name:
• Contact Phone number:
• USHPA number:
• Rating: (Hang 3 or Para 3 – intermediate or higher with TUR, RLF, XC, and FSL)
• Glider Class: (see rule 4.o in the rule book available for download).

Lenny Baron, 2017 Chelan Cross Country All-Summer Classic Meet Director – – 425 275-2162

2017 Competitors Guide

It’s now mid May, the flying season is here and the Chelan dust devils are taunting us to come out and play… or maybe the Butte is covered in snow – one of those two!

The Classic took a year off in 2016, but now it’s bigger, easier, longer and cheaper than ever in 2017! Sounds like a dream? But it’s true! Read on.

For 2017 we’ve decided to extend the flying days and not limit the pilots to one week but to expand it out to the entire summer, so the meet will run from June 24 all the way until August 26.  You will still need to produce 4 decent flights to be in the running for awards.

We will have a Kickoff weekend, June 24 and 25. You will be able to register, download waypoints, fly your brains out, and have a burger and a brew with your buddies. Then we will have a Wrap Up and Awards day on August 26. Fly your brains out then have a burger and a brew with your buddies then too.

This year, you will be asked to submit your tracklogs via E-mail to the Score Keeper, Aaron Rinn. He will evaluate your flight, score it and post it.

We are lowering our meet costs therefore we are lowering your entry fee. (read that again, please). This year, entry fee will be a mere $60. But don’t think of it as an entry fee, think of it as a contribution to the site fund to keep it open and available for you to fly this year and for many years to come. Think of your, $60 entry fee when you are using the launch area out houses, stocked with toilet paper. Think of your $60 when you are on final approach for an easy late evening landing into the Chelan Falls Soccer fields, or the Junkyard because your contribution helped pay for site insurance to keep those LZs open and available.

Hey everybody sign up today and make your plan and come fly Chelan!

, 2017 Chelan Cross Country All-Summer Classic Meet Director

Frostbite is looking to be spectacular if the weather forecasts hold true!

Date:  April 9 & 10  (new gate key starts Friday night)

Where:  Dog Mt. Landing Zone

Event fee: $30

BBQ/keg and Potluck (we provide burgers and hot dogs, condiments, and you bring your favorite hot dish, salad or dessert!

Bonfire Saturday night

Band and Dance Saturday night

Spot landing contest (best 3) both days

Candy drop for the kids both days

t-Shirts $20

Dog Key $50

Free Camping

Porta potty available at LZ and Launch

Volunteers needed for set-up (starting Friday morning), Spot landing judges, registration, food prep, tear-down and clean up.  Thank you in advance for helping out, you always do!

And here is "fine print".

Everyone is welcome to the event, you just need to fit the parameters to fly.


Dog Mt. flight requirements:


 

· USHPA current membership required.

· Dog Mt. Signed Waiver required (available in metal box).

· HG—Hang 1 rating w/  USHPA instructor only.

· HG—Hang 2 w/sponsor (sponsor must be H3 or higher).

· Sponsors must pre-flight, go over flight plan, and launch the H2 pilot they are sponsoring.

· Paragliding must be P3 or higher, no instruction of P1/P2 or Paragliding tandems allowed. A max of 5 paragliders shall occupy the airspace within 1/2 statue mile of Dog Mt. Paragliders must yield the soaring face of Dog Mt. to tandem hangliders and H2 student pilots.

· $50 key/use fee annually or $15 day pass / $25 weekend pass.

Saturday, January 30, 2016: Annual CBCC/NWPC Parachute Deployment and Repack Party

When: Saturday, January 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. If it looks like a flyable day, plan to come early to deploy, then go fly with a freshly-packed reserve.

Where: International District Community Center, 

719 8th Ave. S, Seattle 98104 (corner of Dearborn and 8th)

Why: Because it's been a while since you've hucked and checked your reserve, and chances are that your reflexes are rusty and your rubber bands are rotten. 

Who: Anyone who flies higher than they'd like to fall—club membership not required for participation. If you have a new reserve or a new harness and have never tried to deploy, PLEASE come! Every year somebody discovers a major malfunction with their chute or their harness that could easily have had disastrous results in a real emergency.

How much: $40 if you're a NWPC/CBCC/NCSC/OHGA member, $45 for non-members. Part goes to pay the packing assistants, part to pay for the facility ($415), part to cover miscellaneous event-related expenses, and the rest will go to cover our annual land-use agreement at Saddle Mt., or to help with the USHPA insurance fund. (If you're a biwingual or a tandem pilot with more than one parachute, you get to huck and pack the second one for $20.)

One more thing: If you're not a member of any of the local clubs, you can join NWPC or CBCC (and save the $5 non-member surcharge) or  renew memberships at the clinic.

CALLING ALL PILOTS: the future of free flight in the US is at stake!
This issue affects every hang glider and paraglider pilot flying in the US, and requires all of us to contribute what we can. The insurance landscape has changed dramatically, forcing USHPA to pursue self-insurance. We are launching an unprecedented campaign – Free Flight Forever – in order to create a self-insurance group and protect our sites, schools, and members.

Learn more about how you can help, or make a tax-deductible donation right now!

2015 Chelan Classis and Open Dist Champ Orientation Guide. Final version.

It’s now early June, the flying season is here and the Chelan dust devils are taunting us to come out and play! Due to the dryer than normal winter and hotter than normal spring, I predict the X/C conditions for the meet, June 28 to July 3 are going to be epic.

We’ve received so far 12 preregistered pilots which include 5 paraglider pilots from Nepal – maybe after they launch at the Butte they will choose to fly west into the mountains rather than east onto the flats. Preregistration will save you $10 ($110 now vs. $120 later) and it runs through June 15^th…Ah heck, let’s keep it open a bit longer – OK, June 21 is the new cutoff for preregistered pilots.

Information sources for the 2015 Classic/US Open Distance Championships are popping up all over on the interwebs. You can always find stuff on the CBCC website. We now also have a dedicated Chelan X/C website, “chelanclassic.com”, courtesy of Jim Steel. We are planning on using the new site for daily scores postings. Davis Straub has posted meet info on the OZ Report. We currently have two active Facebook locations, search for one at: “2015 Chelan Cross Country Classic & Open Distance Championships”, also check out “Chelan XC Classic Pilots and Drivers” if you would like to find ride and retrieval coordination information. How about Twitter???

Here are some additional planned side events for this year’s meets: 1) Cross Country Skills Workshop – the weekend before the meet, Sat./Sun. June 20, 21 and Sat., June 27. Paul Dees and Owen Shoemaker are facilitating this informal orientation and flying. This is a great opportunity to learn your new or dust off your old X/C skills – come be a student or a mentor. Meet at the Chelan Falls Soccer Field at 9:00 am – and the price…Free! It should be a lot of fun. 2) Sat. June 27, 5:00 pm registration at the Chelan Falls pavilion (LZ) then 7:00 orientation and tips for the meet provided by the Meet Director (me). 3) Battle Above the Butte – The Rematch – informal grudge match between the paragliders and hang gliders with beer money and bragging rights on the line! 4) An X/C Information Exchange evening, beginning at 6:00 pm, Monday June 29^th at the Chelan Airport pilot lounge.  Experienced, wise pilots can volunteer and prepare a 10-minute talk about tips and tricks of X/C flying. They’ll also bring along paper summaries for handouts. Pizzas provided but please BYOB 5) USHPA film festival is planned for Wednesday, July 1 time and location TBD 6) We’ll have daily raffle prizes which can be measured in tonnage this year. 7) The always popular BBQ and the awards ceremony on the last day of the meet, Friday July 3.

Chelan accommodations should be much easier this year since we are running the meet before the busy 4^th of July weekend. Here are some options:

1. The High School football stadium is good for tent camping and RVs – outhouse available, but no water or showers (use the lake or the showers at Chelan Falls)
2. Camping at the Beebe Bridge Park (first come first served) or Chelan City Park (check for reservations).
3. Motels and hotels in town – contact the Chelan Chamber of Commerce

Hey everybody make your plan and come fly Chelan!

For more information E-mail at:

Lenny Baron, 2015 Chelan Cross Country Classic and US Nationals Open Distance Championships Meet Director