No. 424 AUGUST 2024 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS AUGUST 2024 There is something about paragliding that always leaves one thirsting for more. Maybe it is the joy of temporarily overcoming gravity, or the (not so simple) pleasure of playing among the clouds. I live in London and am a low-airtime pilot of many years standing, more prone to dreaming about flying than actually doing it. Regularly I scroll through weather sites looking for the perfect day, preferably one with a northerly airflow so that I can visit Combe Gibbet. This involves less driving and less walking since I am fast approaching 78. It also means that my knees will complain a little less. Long approaches are a vanishing possibility. Sometime in April this year the right day arrived. My wife was in Italy visiting relatives, so I was free of domestic demands and could happily use the day to my full advantage. Not having to be home for supper or having to make reassuring calls was a definite plus! I phoned my flying buddy Mike Hibbit, well known to many as an experienced pilot of many years standing. He has quite literally brought me up under the shadow of his wing. We often enjoy sitting on the hill talking para-crap, drinking tea, or skimming over the trees at low level. On this particular day I took off immediately and smoothly for my first flight. The air was cold, but I was definitely enjoying sailing the choppy seas of the sky! On my second flight it had become rougher and somewhat like being in a washing machine. Definitely a low- temperature rinse. Mike was in the air also and we exchanged happy greetings across the bumpy air, which at times felt like roughly-knotted string. A bit of lift here, a rollercoaster drop there. I maintained height, thermalling like a good ‘un and staying within the vicinity of the hill, as is my wont. The increase in wind speed was beginning to make descent difficult. Every time I came within distance of landing, an invisible wire from heaven would yank me back up again. Cautious use of big ears eventually brought me down to landing height, just after midday. A perfect landing on my feet (rather than on my bum) and then … the day became less than wonderful. My beautiful blue Skyman wing was dragging me inexorably towards the barbed-wire fence. With slow reflexes, I watched it fall and embrace the fence like a lazy lover. ‘F… and … !’ I said, and with those words several pilots came bounding across the field to my aid. They bundled the wing safely, but the sound of ripping nylon remains in my ears to this day. The day was now well and truly canned, and Mike suggested that we to look for a pub to drown our sorrows. But where is a pub when you really need it? Eventually we found one open in Newbury, and since the day was not yet over and I did not want to ruin it for Mike, I eventually cajoled him back into the sky and watched the master at work. I arrived back in London, and it was still light. What a pity! I understand that conditions were good until late evening, but I am not finished yet! Just as soon as my anti-gravity machine is repaired and the wind is from the north … attitude A not quite perfect day… DANIEL GAMES, LOW-AIRTIME PILOT regulars features 4 SKYWINGS AUGUST 2024THE BHPA LTD 8 Merus Court, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1RJ. Tel: 0116 289 4316. SKYWINGS MAGAZINE is published monthly by the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Ltd to inform, educate and entertain those in the sports of Paragliding and Hang Gliding. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, their Council, Officers or Editor. The Editor and publisher accept no responsibility for any supposed defects in the goods, services and practices represented or advertised in this magazine. The Editor reserves the right to edit contributions. ISSN 0951-5712 SUBSCRIPTIONS AND DELIVERY ENQUIRIES Tel: 0116 289 4316, THE EDITOR Joe Schofield, 39 London Road, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 9BH. Tel: 01379 855021. E-mail: COVER PHOTO Dmitrijs Kolcevs and Ozone Alpina 4 en route to Bridgnorth from the Long Mynd on June 16th Photo: Dmitrijs Kolcevs THIS PAGE The Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau form a majestic backdrop to the Grindelwald PWC in May Photo: Martin Scheel DESIGN & PRODUCTION Fargher Design Ltd. Killane House, Ballaugh, Isle of Man, IM7 5BD. PRINT & DISTRIBUTION Newman Thomson Ltd, One Jubilee Rd, Victoria Ind. Est, Burgess Hill, RH15 9TL. ADVERTISING Tel: 07624 413737 Email: SKYWINGS ONLINE All issues of Skywings magazine are now freely available DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for the October issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Friday August 30th. Letters for the September Airmail pages should arrive no later than Monday August 19th. Advertisement bookings for the August edition must arrive by Friday August 9th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Friday August 16th AUGUST 2024 SKYWINGS 56 SKYWINGS AUGUST 2024 news Timo Leonetti On June 13th rising French paragliding star Timo Leonetti, 22, was flown to hospital in a critical condition after a flying accident at the French Open at Annecy. He died the following day. An immensely popular pilot, Timo had taken the paragliding world by storm. At 19 he won the worldwide XContest, repeating the feat in 2023 by a handsome margin. He had made many stupendous flights including two 300km triangles in the Alps, and big distances in Brazil (530km) and South Africa (562km). He had four FAI records to his name and a further eight claims awaiting ratification. Venturing into competition flying, in March Timo came second to World Champion Maxime Pinot at the Flory Cup at Bassano. The French paragliding community has been stunned at their loss; the FFVL immediately suspended all competitions until July 7th as a precautionary measure and mark of respect. Its Technical Directorate has established a working group to assess the safety aspects of competitions. Icarus Cup The annual BHPFC human-power event, running concurrently with the BOPC at Manston in June, did not get going until the Tuesday of the week due to unseasonal weather. A number of new HPA pilots got airborne in Aerocycle 301, but it was later damaged beyond onsite repair and retired. Southampton University’s modified Super Lazarus managed some short flights with a novel drive system; it may have put them in reach of the Formula Flight prize. It too retired later following mechanical failures. Southampton’s Charles Dhenin had also brought a new machine powered by an electric motor. It did not fly but came close to lift-off, showing great promise. Top contenders Lewis Rawlinson and Kit Buchanan battled it out over the week, attempting different tasks to amass maximum points. The Icarus Cup itself was determined on the Saturday evening with Lewis taking the honours on Aerocycle 302, whose crew also won the Team prize. Bulldogs fly into RAF Honington With the permission and encouragement of Wg Cdr Max Hayward, Station Commander at RAF Honington, on June 18th the station’s paramotor club hosted a fly-in for members of the Bulldog Paramotor Club. The RAF Honington club is a small group who regularly fly when the runway isn’t in use. A chance to exchange ideas with civilian pilots is invaluable, and the fine midsummer evening saw the air filled with paramotors. Excellent flying was had despite challenging weather, including XC and practice formation flying. An attempt at a seven-paramotor ‘stack’ was defeated by wind conditions. The Bulldog Club (member Lee Jackson pictured) would like to thank all at RAF Honington who made the fly-in possible, especially the close cooperation and advice of Air Ops, and the station security team who made access such a smooth process. Tom Hardie resigns as GAA programme manager Former BHPA Chairman Tom Hardie, General Aviation Alliance Programme Manager for the last five years, resigned his post in May citing differences within the GAA and extremely difficult communications with the CAA and drone-industry participants. Tom has found himself out of step with the recently reorganised GAA, but also frequently in conflict with some individuals at the CAA who he charges with ignorance and, sometimes, incompetence. Those who deal with the CAA, particularly regarding Airspace Change Proposals (ACPs) and other facets of the rapid expansion of BVLOS drone operations, may consider Tom’s exasperation well founded. Tom was BHPA Chair from 1991 to 1993 and helped to finesse BHGA/BHPA amalgamation. He continued as the BHPA’s Airspace officer until 2017, a role he had held with the BHGA since the late 1980s. New airspace proposals soon came to dominate the thinking of the broader GA world. The Alliance was formed in 2004 to monitor these issues, share the increasing workload involved and present a common voice to the CAA. Funded by the BHPA, BMAA, BGA, LAA, BPA, BMFA and others, its chief role is to present a united front to push back on unwarranted airspace encroachment, in particular the present headlong rush to implement inappropriate EC to facilitate drone ops. Tom was appointed five years ago to coordinate responses to the rising tide of ACPs, the current volume of which can be grasped by visiting the GAA website ‘Over the last 36 years,’ Tom says, ‘I have spent more hours than I care to think about battling the forces that surround us. It’s time that I spent that time on my partner and myself.’ Tom has also recently trained to fly sub-70 aircraft. BHPA responds to ‘autonomous flight’ consultation The CAA and DfT has instructed the Law Commission to review the UK’s regulatory framework to prepare for the introduction of autonomous aircraft (drones, pilotless VTOL taxis, etc). The objective is to identify ‘legislative blocks, gaps or uncertainties’ that may hinder the introduction of autonomous aircraft. As a stakeholder the BHPA has responded. Our stance is robust: that future autonomous operations must be held to at least the standards of airmanship, responsibility and see-and-avoid as conventional aircraft. The Association does not support mandatory EC for piloted aircraft, and points out that its imposition would drive some free fliers to operate ‘rogue’. The Association supports a multi-platform approach incorporating existing systems: an ‘ecosystem’ of compatible conspicuity devices and platforms. It is also clear that any burdens placed upon pilots should be proportionate to the benefits obtained. The BHPA finds it difficult to envisage how any relaxation of the current legal framework could be feasible. A Law Commission team was invited to Leicester in July to hear Marc Asquith and Mark Shaw explain the extent and diversity of free flight activities in the UK, and outline the difficulties presented by the CAA’s current EC stance. BHPA Club Coaching courses Oct 19-20 Unallocated Stef Blankley 0116 289 4316 Nov 23-24 Scottish HPF Mark Mortimer 07811 433040 Dec 7-8 SE Wales Alistair Andrews 07575 280508 Jan 18-19 Cumbria Contact to be confirmed Mar 22-23 Long Mynd Phil Bibby 07977 122563 AAdv ll venture l y n live your SI SS‘‘MANMANSKY ESIR SKY ybrid single h THE SKINNGLE WERWERPOPOTTOSOSMMS SHAR S with 20% double surfskin EDMUND RFUL IS RFUL eacf K EDSIR SHARKDMUND K EDSIR cShort t pomos SHARKDMUND sttry flighounoss-ccr hermalling T ly Fe &ikH orerful single skin fwo K 8 SKYWINGS AUGUST 2024 Kinga on tour In June the South-East Wales Club played host to Kinga Masztalerz. Self-proclaimed ‘paragliding pilot, adventurer and life lover’, the Red Bull X-Alps athlete flew some of the club’s more prestigious sites before entertaining a record evening crowd in Abergavenny. Kinga spoke passionately about her coaching techniques, especially mental preparation, and provided a detailed canter through her journey from novice to internationally-acclaimed X-Alps Champion. In the UK to compete in the X-Lakes 24, Kinga was touring the country with a team of pilots led by Rhian Ebrey, who is preparing a documentary on diversity in the sport. Kinga also presented Ali Andrews with the club’s Longest Flight trophy and Dan Starsmore with the XC League trophy. Pictured (L-R) are Anna Palmer, Julie Stock, Kinga and Kate Millson. More hang gliding history Wild Adventures of the New Aviators is a new history of our sport, by hang gliding and microlight pioneer Brian Milton. Billed as ‘the first in-depth narrative to stitch together the history and evolution of a pastime enjoyed by hundreds of thousands around the world’, it includes accounts of hang gliding from Kilimanjaro and Everest, migration flights with geese, Judy Leden’s 40,000ft balloon drop and Didier Favre’s early pursuit of the bivvy dream. It also outlines how British hang gliding innovators lost their early lead and new champions emerged, and explores what the future might hold for the various forms of the ‘new aviation’. Brian Milton was present at many of these groundbreaking moments and contributed much himself: inventing the British Hang Gliding League in 1977, and making the first microlight world circumnavigation in 1998. Hardback, 288 pages, ISBN 978-1-39904-863-7; available at £20 from all good bookshops and Review to follow. Gin reveal new lightweight fabric Gin’s recent association with MJ Tech (Myungjin) has resulted in a new lightweight paraglider cloth with enhanced durability. Key factors are a small ripstop pattern and a novel series of four very thin coatings, two coatings being the norm. The result is MJ-29MF, said to feel soft even when brand new. MJ say most pilots think crispy fabric is good, but the crispiness is just a chemical; it’s not durable and leads to cracking in time. Gin say MJ-29MF outperforms the current industry standard in strength and durability. Already in use on the Fuse 4 tandem undersurface, Gin plan employ it across their lightweight range, having secured three years of exclusive use from Myungjin. Insights into cloth manufacture can be gained from a new Gin video. The variables are base material, weave, coating formulation and application method. Strength is partly a function of denier, the thickness of the individual strands of yarn; MJ-29 is made from 15 denier, for lower weight with adequate strength. Smaller ripstop patterns improve tear strength with only a minor weight penalty. The fabric is further tested by exposing flags of it to the elements for a month, when tear strength, volume and porosity are retested. The goal is to make a more durable fabric but to keep it lightweight, which MJ say they have achieved. It’s a fascinating process; to see what the trade-offs are go Spreading the word On June 20th Marc Asquith and Mark Shaw gave a presentation about our sports to 40 cadets of Knutsford’s ATC Squadron. In welcome sunshine, the event opened with a hang glider, Doodlebug, sub-70kg trike and paramotor rigged on the parade ground. The cadets got to put on the paramotor and pick up and balance the hang glider. The pair then outlined other BHPA disciplines such as speed flying and accuracy. Air Cadets are already air-minded and are open to encouragement to take up the sport. Marc suggests that BHPA clubs contact their own local squadron/s and repeat the exercise. BHPA website upgrade After months of exacting work by Communications Director Paul Dancey, the new BHPA website is finally live. A new, streamlined structure makes it easier to navigate: related pages are simply grouped under BHPA, Documents, Our Sport and Safety, accessible from every page. A new, less-cluttered menu system makes it easier to locate any information required, and go-to links further ease navigation. For better use with smartphones, pages and menu systems are now responsive and should be usable down to a screen width of around 320 pixels. Typefaces are much ‘cleaner’ too. For newsoutsiders, the schools page now distinguishes between Ab-Initio, Air Experience and and Development Schools. To try out the new-look site go In brief X-Alps 2025. Dates have been fixed for the 12th Red Bull X-Alps contest, the most heavily-promoted event in all paragliding. The 2025 event will begin with a prologue on June 12th and the race itself will start on June 15th, finishing 12 days later at Zell am See, Austria. The route will be revealed in March. The 2023 race was the fastest so far, Chrigel Maurer reaching goal in six days and six hours, and Eli Egger becoming the first female pilot to make goal. Any athletes who ‘believe they are strong enough in body and mind’ to compete should go 258km for Ludek. The day after the summer solstice proved perfect for Ludek Munzar: 258km via turnpoints to reach the Norfolk coast at Wells from Milk Hill. Six and a half hours in the air on an Axis Vega II, reaching over 6,300ft and 75km/h on glides. On the same day Richard Carter (DSC) reached Scarborough from Eyam for 187km, and Richard Carter (Cayley) made Whitby for 156.1km. Both were on Ozone Photons. New Junior paragliding records. On June 21st Spain’s Marcelo Sánchez Vílchez flew his Niviuk X-One 200.27km to claim Junior World & European records for distance (and free distance) over a triangle, and speed over a 200km triangle at 26.75 km/h. Marcelo already has a claim in for the distance records at 110.1km on May 19th; the speed record is previously unset. No reported customs hassle … There doesn’t seem to be any hassle for British travellers taking hang gliders through customs to Europe for flying purposes (see News, June). Brits (not!) flying at Bassano in March experienced no border difficulty, and a team visiting Austria in June sailed through Dover-Calais without problems. If any travelling hangies do encounter problems, please report them to the BHPA Chairman. Ferdi Vogel takes over at Nova. In July German PWC flyer Ferdi Vogel became CEO at Nova. On board for the past 15 years, in sales and later development, Ferdi says the Austrian manufacturer will continue to focus on innovation and quality. Asian PA records. On June 17th China’s Yang Chen claimed the previously unset Asian record for consecutive zero-score accuracy landings, lining up five on his BGD Adam at Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan. Yes, that’s five DCs in a row! The latest news (July 6th) is that Yang Chen has now surpassed Matjas Sluga’s 2021 world record for consecutive landings (23) at 5cm or less – with 59! These results are from successive rounds at four comps ending at Lombok in Indonesia. Welsh clubs amalgamate. The Mid Wales and Welsh Borders clubs have amalgamated their resources to become the Mid Wales and Borders Soaring Club. Contact details remain as for the Mid Wales club prior to the merger: Piers Nesbitt, 07814 441242, new club's website is at Quick facts ab bout the NG series: (²) Surface )(k Max load )ih (k)ih (k NG NG light The world´s leading rescue systems Use of high-q• even at low sp g, g • Available in 3 certified acco • New, innovativ • Excellent sink to a jump from • Very reliable o • Intelligent, ligh uality lightweight materials peeds gp sizes as NG and in the light ver rding to EN12491 ve X-Flare concept for high effic k rates, each just over 5 m/s, equ m a height of about 1.3 m opening and extremely good pe htweight construction for fast op pg , NG 14 NG 12 flfhX NG 10 rsion NG light, ciency uivalent endulum stability penings, 33 14040 Serie 2912020 Serie 2510000 Serie (m²)g)(k 1,49 1,85 1,3 18 1,6 ,1 g) 1,45 g)weight (k concept -FlareX- s to the , thankface -Nearly flat top sur innovative X weight (k 1, for oL r fast opening w canopy height projected surface area bution across the large -geneous load distri --flares for homoX stability pendulum outlets for air defined Precisely concept. BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! June winners: Paul Sully £130.60 Darren Williams £65.30 David Hayes £32.65 John Gibb £19.59 Mike Hibbit £16.33 Alastair Lea £16.33 Graham Phipps £13.06 Kaine Joel £13.06 Nigel Waller £9.80 Ann Matterson £9.80 BHPA £326.48 Winners will note that payments of the above sums have been made to the account from which they contribute to the 500 Club by standing order. In case of error, please contact Marc Asquith on 07802 525099.Next >