Continuing Education

Special Skill Endorsements:

All USHPA special skill endorsements are done in one day and usually take a couple of hours to complete.

Foot Launch (FL):

• a. Demonstrates 2 clean, smooth reverse inflations/reversals prior to launch.
• b. Demonstrates 2 successful, smooth, confident launches where the wind is at least 15° to straight up the hill in wind not exceeding 5 mph.
• c. Demonstrates 2 no-wind (0-5 mph) launches.
• d. Demonstrates 2 high-wind (10-15 mph) launches.
• e. Demonstrates how to brief and instruct a ground crew.

Ridge Soaring (RS):

• a. Demonstrates the ability to kite and launch safely on a slope producing sustainable ridge lift.
• b. Demonstrates the ability to fly a standard traffic pattern in both isolated and traffic conditions, illustrating the ability to communicate properly with other pilots in the pattern.
• c. Demonstrates the ability to soar in a crosswind without stalling on downwind legs, and demonstrates the ability to fly at minimum sink without stalling in turns.
• d. Demonstrates the ability to perform consistent and safe top landings.

Light Wind Cliff or Ramp Launch (CL):

• a. Demonstrates the ability to launch safely from a shallow slope ramp or non-abrupt or overhung cliff top, where running room is severely restricted, drop off is steep, and wind is 5 m.p.h. or less, such that positive attitude control and strong, committed sprinting starts are required. Stalled, falling/diving launches are not acceptable demonstrations, even if flight is achieved.

Flat Slope Launches (FSL):

• a. Demonstrates ability to launch in less than 10 mph wind from slopes which approach the maximum L/D of the glider.

Restricted Landing Field (RLF):

• a. Demonstrates a landing using a downwind leg, base-leg, and a final leg approach where the entire base-leg, final, and landing occur within a 100' square.
• b. Demonstrates the ability to plan and execute consistent and controlled side hill landings on various slopes.
• c. Demonstrates the ability to plan and execute consistent and controlled top landings from various approaches.

Turbulence (TUR):

• a. Demonstrates controlled and un-panicked flight in conditions requiring quick, deliberate, substantial, and correct control application to reduce pendulum motion.
• b. Demonstrates proper directional control and correction of full (i.e., 50% of the wing span) asymmetric collapses.
• c. Demonstrates sustained flight in moderate thermal conditions without the aid of ridge lift.
• d. Demonstrates smooth and correctly timed surge control.
• e. Must have logged five 30-minute thermal flights without sustaining ridge lift.

High Altitude Launch (HA):

• a. Demonstrates the ability to launch unassisted with strong, running forward-inflation launches in winds less than 5 m.p.h.
• b. Demonstrates launches from sites with density altitude of 6000' or higher.
• c. Demonstrates understanding of high altitude conditions (e.g., air density, cloud suck, anabatic and katabatic conditions, hypoxia, hypothermia).