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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 1999)
Tk ; Battalion IDING cmg. uick to the nth an aba t wKtinueci from Page 3 I by a tow line. The tow ■ is attached to the truck with W p< y-out wench, a tension de ice similar to a fishing reel (but rjnro luch lar s er )- -Sl I Ivi, Tlie glider is launched in a fash- m similar to aero tow, and the pi- js long-distad* hopefully catches a thermal be- -ne has tocc: )re ’he road runs out. Dr of the lnie:® ruce Mauzy, an Austin Air ports instructor, said the length of ave invemec 16 roa d and the direction of the his on top of flailing wind, in relation to the is no doub;^ h on °f fhe road, often limits 3 school. r ench towing, and desperai; Jnhn Krueger, a Lieutenant > further tha-°fcm e l in the United States Air isive andal orce an h Austin Air Sports pilot, there is not aero tow i n g and wench tow- ^^■tas allowed hang gliding to ex am! into the flatlands. ■his also facilitated cross- ountry, or point-to-point flight, aid Krueger. Hit’s not unusual to go 40 or 50 tiles, and you can land basically ■where,” he said. ummer box office rings big returns LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s been a sy summer of Jedis and witches, uctant brides and randy spies, jnchy teens and a kid who chats dead folks — a cast of characters at helped set a second straight xarti summer at the box office. From Memorial Day weekend to bor Day, the take at U.S. theaters is estimated at just under $3 bil- n, shattering the previous high of 1.6 billion in 1998. A record 11 movies have taken in are than $100 million each, and a !th is expected to join the club. All this comes at a time when the ernet, video rentals, cable and tellite television offer more alter- tive diversions than ever before. On top of that, blistering heat in jch of the nation sent people to the -conditioned comfort of theaters, d the films were good enough to ep them going back for more. This summer’s films also have d staying power. In summer 1998, >vies on average took in 27 percent their total gross in the opening ekend, Wayne Lewellen, distribu- n president for Paramount, said, s summer, that average was down 24 percent, indicating films are Ting longer in theaters. ‘ “It was so competitive that no Jtter how good you were, you got ocked out the next weekend by other movie,” said Paul Der- rabedian, president of Exhibitor lations Co. Inc., which tracks >vie attendance. n g to three bC’The usual late-summer doldrums, en movie attendance usually trails ick my movies- never materialized, largely be- movies, all tr^se of Sixth Sense and the surprise The Blair Witch Project. [film, For Love itner returns i.', ond. s succeeded nd Field of Dm films. A GGIELIFE > Pag^jJUonday i September6 i 1999 ?umn OeiWTw 3 a pi ‘Free Activation | Ifl ‘Accessories J ■ wW ‘Calling Cards i pager airtime PrimeCo phones sold here ' aSkSmT* FTTiTTl rates Interested in the equestrian team... emenc First Important Meeting Sept. 8 7:00 p.m. ir order Freeman Arena l Horseman’s Association iu.edu leach! OUTS flty, a new ^income st# undergraduate ^ " Iren in grade? lilies majors"p‘'s®»««<9 f4ut6tH&c ‘VutMTuue^c B-daymodl* offering Daily sts to teach out Combo Specials tlsciences. A$11 with ■ on Campus Delivery! Call 764-7689 '^Located by Lacks Furniture Southwest Pkwy. & Texas Ave. 2 or 2294$ “We had one gentleman that thought he was landing by a road, and ended up landing by a railroad track. He had to tow his glider three miles to get to the nearest road.” “We also had someone fly from here to Fort Worth, which is about 140 miles.” There are several safety factors built into the hang gliders. The material used to build Austin Air Sports’ tandem glider is aircraft quality, and the glider pilot has a primary- and secondary-re lease option for the tow line in — case of trouble. In aero tow, the tug pilot also has dual mirrors that allow him to mon itor the glider as long as he is being towed by the plane. And should the unpredictable Texas weather sneak up on the crafts, Austin Air Sports is prepared. “You realize that you're not connected to the ground; there's nothing to catch you." — Niki Patel gliding student “We keep an eye on the weath er,” Krueger said. “But you’re probably not going very far from the airport, and you can land eas ily, in a small area.” Despite these safety factors, why do so many people choose to be towed be- llll,B,llll, ■ l ^ hind a truck or plane up to 6,000 feet in what is largely a high-tech kite, and then released? Krueger said his older brothers were involved in hang gliding, while Mauzy said it was, quite simply, a desire to fly that propelled him into the clouds. “This is the closest I’ve come to flying like a bird,” Mauzy said. “We don’t flap our wings, but everything else is the same. It’s also the least expensive form of flight.” Surreal and peaceful were words that Patel used to describe her flight. “It was awesome; I felt really light on the way up,” Patel said. “You realize that you’re not connected to the ground; there’s nothing to catch you. If you look down as you’re flying among the clouds, you could see a circular rainbow, glory, and in the middle of the circle was the shadow of our hang glider. ” Instead of an adrenaline rush, Patel said, she received an altered perspective on living on the ground. “We flew through the edges of the clouds,” Patel said. “When you get to the cloud point, you can see the color, and reach out and feel the wetness and the change in humidity.” Patel said gliding changed the way she viewed the world. “It gives you a new perspec tive on the earth, how big the clouds are, looking at the ground, and how everything is really very small.” IQ SB U D E INI T FOUNDATION FIRST GENERAL MEETING COACH R. C. SLOCUM will be there to speak about the new recruiting class and answer any questions that you may have. Date: Monday, September 6 Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: Rudder 601 IF YOU’RE A VEGAS SHOWGIRL, THEN YOU’RE PROBABLY NOT A STUD! 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