September, 2003

Pilot Interview - Jim Reich

Our flying community is comprised of interesting and colorful pilots. In an effort to better acquaint ourselves with these various personalities, each Cloudstreet issue will look "under the helmet" and glimpse into a pilot's pursuit of flight which bonds us all together.

Cloudstreet-"How did you get into Paragliding? When and where did you start flying?"
Jim- I have been aviating since 1978 when I bought a Grumman Tiger airplane and obtained my Private Pilot License. Since then we have had several planes - Piper J-3, Cessna 182, Cessna 210, Cessna 337 and I have been checked out on several other types.

In 1995, Colleen purchased a 3 day beginner paragliding course for me for Christmas because I happened to mention once "that looks interesting?" when I saw a paraglider over a chairlift at Mt. Hood OR . Little did she know the ramifications of that Christmas gift!

You must of flown many different types of wings. What type of glider do you currently fly?
I fly several different gliders but this year I have flown the APCO Keara (for XC), Airwave Sport (for acro), Windtech Tucan tandem or APCO Futura tandem (if Colleen gives it up).

Tell us about your most memorable flight.
I had a great flight in 1995 off Blackcomb Mountain when I had about 40 flights under my belt. I launched with about 6 other very experienced pilots who had flown Blackcomb for years and was climbing out nicely with them and when I topped out at 3300 meters, I noticed I was the only one in the air! I could see out to Vancouver harbour, up north past Pemberton and further east to Mount Baker and it was beautiful. But why was I the only one in the air? When I started hearing jet traffic but couldn't see the source I got a bit nervous about IFR airspace and headed out to land which took about an hour. When I landed I asked the other pilots why they landed and they said they just "sunk out" and that I should have stayed up for longer.

What is the scariest flying experience you have had?
The "Attack of the Turkey Vultures in Mexico" event this year was pretty scary! I had flown a tough XC flight north of Tapalpa launch towards the Cross on the mountain about 20 kms and was getting low and scratching when two vultures flew out of a tree and started doing "touch and goes" on the top of my wing with talons extended. I could hear the scrape of their talons with every pass. The year before Chris Muller landed with foot long tears in his comp wing from these birds so I was a little concerned. I finally scared them off with some wing-overs but lost a lot of altitude shaking them off. It was not a good place to have a wing tear apart, low on a rocky mountainside. When I landed there was no damage, perhaps they were just playing with me?

You trained paraplegic paraglider pilot Lars Taylor to fly in 1998. It was quite the sight seeing you push him off the mountain edge in a wheelchair. Describe your unique training methods and your feelings of helping Lars break the bounds of earth.
Lars Taylor came to a club meeting to learn to fly. He was injured in a mountain bike downhill race many years before and had participated in other wheelchair sports before deciding to fly. FlyBC.org has had some challenges teaching new pilots how to fly, but Lars was one of the easier students to train. I had done some research prior to meeting Lars at a club meeting and when he asked what would be needed I discussed the sturdy type of "off road wheelchair" that a group in the UK used for paralegic tandems. He took me out to his car and showed me his own design which was perfect - mountain bike wheels and tires, light weight aluminum frame, castering front wheel. All we needed was some practice on the ground to test the hookups.

We met in the Woodside LZ on Hwy 7 and tried some tandem kiting to adjust harnesses and clip in points and it was rather entertaining. We fell over a few times but missed the cow patties. Lars used an APCO First Harness which fit inside his chair and the chair was secured with a nylon strap to the harness.

Then it was up to Bridal Falls Upper Launch for the first tandem flight with the help of Colleen and Klaus who provided the motive force to pull Lars off on front of me. The first launch was flawless and we were in the air and seated comfortably and the flight went very well. The chair didn't seem to cause much drag and I was able to let Lars fly most of the flight and approach into the Driving Range LZ and he was very smooth. The tandem setup didn't allow much room for my legs to run on landing so I slid in on my butt behind the chair and we had a decent landing. We did another couple of tandems at Woodside and Pemberton and Lars was flying very well, so we moved onto the Burnaby Mountain training hill for solo ground handling.

Now the fun begins. Lars was having normal first day problems bringing the wing up smoothly and was blaming the chair setup and I was forced to show him how to do it . . . in the chair. Wheelchairs accelerate very quickly down Burnaby Mountain, so you have to be good at getting the wing overhead and flying fast or you could crash at a high rate of speed. Once I did a few inflations properly, Lars agreed to get back in the chair and he did very well. Lars has the best forward launch skills of any pilot, because he has to do it right every time (plus he is a perfectionist).

When we decided it was time to let Lars take his first solo flight, the launch was the scariest part. Once we let go of him will he do the right thing with the brakes, will he be able to land properly without tipping over, what if he crashed off launch? Sounds like a normal student flight doesn't it. We were nervous but Lars pulled it off brilliantly, nice launch and perfect landing.

What we knew was once Lars was in the air, he would be smooth. His turns were graceful and efficient. He stayed up when others sunk out.

Lars was signed off later that year as a normal Novice Pilot, no restrictions. He went on to fly the Grouse Fly In the next year and won the spot-landing contest.

I approached APCO about sponsoring Lars with a new wing for a good price as he had outgrown his A-4 and Anatoly Cohn, APCO's Managing Director, offered up a brand new Allegra to Lars for no charge. No promotional or contractual agreement or commitments from Lars part was required, just fly safe and have fun.

Lars is still flying, he is back at school and had a work placement in Vernon as an Occupational Therapist this spring and we flew with him at Cooper's and he outflew most of us and landed with a big smile. Watch for Lars on a hill around the lower mainland, he is back in Vancouver this fall.

You are the envy of most pilots with your Eagle Ranch Flight Park. How did that facility come together and what services are available for your students?
When the Duncan's closed the Woodside LZ for Hoof and Mouth a few years ago, FlyBC continued to train off Sumas and other local mountains as well as doing road trips to the Interior. But it took its toll on our resources to spend so much time on the road and we considered shutting down altogether. We had researched property near Mara Lake to start a flight park there, but the population won't support an investment like that.

We were ready to pull the plug, when he were driving around Woodside reminiscing about the "good, ole days" when we saw a real estate sign next door to the Duncan's. We had flown over that field many times approaching the old LZ. We had flown by the same field on the way to Bill Best's field during our test flight phase and we knew it was a safe glide in student conditions (not too windy).

We didn't ask the owners if we could do a test flight because we were trying to keep it a secret, until we took possession but we decided that the only way to properly run a school was to have our own LZ that we could control and make improvements on for the students and our customers.

Since taking possession on February 2001, Colleen and I have invested in a classroom with full presentation capabilities, a training hill and tow rig. We have removed all the fences on the approach side to the west and most of the trees to make Eagle Ranch a safe place to fly for students.

You are now the chairman of the HPAC Instructors Advisory Council. What does that role entail and what program areas do you feel need more focus?
This is my first year at the Instructor Chair and my duties are mostly secretarial, ensuring that new and recertifying Instructors have met the criteria of their given ratings. There is an Instructional Review we are working on this year to ensure that we are in line with other Associations worldwide.

Flying Instruction is a huge responsibility and it may be taken lightly by some and I want to ensure that the HPAC maintains the same requirements as other countries to keep Paragliding and Hang Gliding Instruction as safe as possible.

What is your philosophy behind instruction and flying in general?
I started flying for the freedom and fun it offers. My philosophy is to expose people to flight through tandems or introductory lessons. Not everyone will become a signed off pilot, some may come out to conquer their fiears of heights, but we encourage people to try the sport.

I fly solo less and teach more every year, but I still enjoy heading off XC to some declared goal and I am always amazed after I land that "a bag of nylon and some strings" can take a person 40-50 kms downrange on a good day.

Any flying tips you would like to share with the up and coming pilots?
Fly more and talk less. Forget about your glider's polar, how does it feel in the air. Fly a DHV 1-2 and wear a big reserve. Do an SIV course every year. Watch the birds for clues.

What goals do you have for the future?
Make Eagle Ranch Flight Park the best place to fly in BC, though the support of our customers and students. We invest money back into the sport though continued improvements at the Ranch. Thanks to everyone who has helped over the past two seasons through work parties and purchases of gear.

How do you envision our sports in the future?
More recreational pilots, with less of a competition driven population. Older pilots who have earned the time off and have the money to enjoy flying on a more casual basis. Preserving launch and landing sites is a key goal we need to work on in the future to make flying accessible to new pilots.

For more information on pilot training see FLYBC web site at http://www.flybc.org