No. 438 OCTOBER 2025 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association 2 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2025 Battitude Over the past few months I have been having a lot of discussions with fellow pilots about Skywings. This has come about through my role on the BHPA Exec. I have been asked to help Paul Dancey to manage the admin for Skywings before he retires fully from Exec next year. Paul has done a fantastic job managing Skywings since 1998, and also maintaining the BHPA website. I am just going to try to step into Paul’s role on Skywings at present, but will also be on the steering group for the website. This article is to raise awareness on what you would like to see in your Skywings. In talking to pilots on the hill about what articles they like, one comment comes up regularly. ‘It’s great that we are represented by the UK teams in competitions, but it doesn’t always make for the best reading.’ Most pilots have a great time at their local sites and are not intending to fly in competitions; many are more interested in how to leave the hill for the first time, perfect their thermalling technique or to hear about that fantastic ridge run or coastal flight. A great number of you have had fantastic flights in this country or on holiday abroad, but may be thinking, ‘I was never any good at English and can’t spell.’ I’m also one of those, but on talking to Joe Schofield, our editor, I learned that some of the best articles he has ever had have been ‘scribbled on the back of an envelope’. That’s Joe’s role in part, to mould rough stories into great articles, and he is great at doing that. If you have had a great flight, been moved by the immense pleasure of fabulous evening soaring, or knocked out by the magic of thermalling with birds of prey, consider writing an article. Describe that feeling, portraying the sights and sounds, and the sense of having your breath taken away, and how you felt when you landed. You do not have to be a sky god for any of those feelings. To be published an article needs to be backed with high-quality photographs. Most of us fly with Go-Pros or similar, but still images from these videos are rarely good enough to print well. In the absence of a decent camera or high-quality phone a GoPro can be made to take adequate still images, but not when it is in video mode. Joe can give you advice on the sort of photography he needs. Another conversation is that some pilots only read the articles that relate to them and their version of the sport. I find that there are often great ideas and tips in the other articles. My love is hang gliding and the many versions of it, flying from hills or aerotow, but I still learn from the paragliding articles too: where the pilot found lift, etc. Studying articles from other disciplines also helps to understand the differences in thermalling technique. I fly an Atos rigid wing that has an airspeed from 18mph to over 80mph and a 20:1 glide angle. When I thermal I bank to about 10 degrees and fly at 25mph, but if it’s a small thermal I can bank it up well past 45 degrees if needed. This does get interesting if I’m in a group of mixed gliders in the Alps or similar. But reading paragliding articles has helped me better understand their techniques and actions. I’m sure this would work the other way round for paraglider pilots to understand more about hang gliders. My point is: read all of the articles. It will help you to understand others’ positions and problems, and it will help you fly safely and considerately with others. And if you have a great flight, get writing and send something in to Joe. What do you want from your Skywings? STEVE YOUNG, VETERAN HANG GLIDER PILOT Events key: D hang gliding C paragliding E accuracy F powered flying G human powered flying A all disciplins OCTOBER 9 - 19 E World Paragliding Accuracy Champs Alanya, Turkey 19 - 25 F World Paramotor Slalom Champs Bornos, Spain JANUARY 2026 9 - 16 C Sports Class Racing Series Gin Edition Roldanillo, Colombia FEBRUARY 2026 11 - 17 C British Winter Open Roldanillo, Colombia 28 A BHPA Annual General Meeting BHPA Leicester MAY 2026 16 - 17 C Dragon Hike and Fly Abergavenny, Powys JUNE 2026 6 - 7 C Dragon Hike and Fly (fallback date) Crickhowell, Powys AUGUST 2026 01 - 06 C FAI Pre-World Paragliding Champs Nis, Serbia 07 - 19 C FAI European Paragliding Champs Kruševo, North Macedonia 21 - 29 C FAI Junior Paragliding World Champs Kruševo, North Macedonia calendar of events Please double-check with the organisers that any event is going ahead – entry in the calendar is no guarantee. 4 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2025 regulars features THE 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, e-mail: THE EDITOR Joe Schofield, 39 London Road, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 9BH. Tel: 01379 855021. COVER PHOTO Busy take-off at Àger during the recent World Hang Gliding Championships Photo: Josh Coombs THIS PAGE BGD Weightless comp action above Laragne’s Chabre ridge in August: Photo: Guillaume Funck 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 at DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for the December issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Monday October 27th. Letters for the November Airmail pages should arrive no later than Friday October 17th. Advertisement bookings for the November edition must arrive by Friday October 10th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Friday October 17th.OCTOBER 2025 SKYWINGS 56 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2025 Bnews Larger gliders have a performance advantage over smaller ones flown by lighter pilots; the aim of the Weightless is to level the playing field for lighter pilots. The paragliding world has explored several methods over the years including the recent evaluation of ‘drag noodles’, over which opinion is divided. BGD have been developing the MRT concept for some time. In every task a QR code is created for each weight group, providing different-sized turnpoint cylinders. The same turnpoints with a greater radius give a shorter task distance for lighter pilots; thus the lightest in the comp (66-69kg) flew 18% less distance in each task than the 120kg+ group who flew to the smallest radius. The system, which offers ten different weight classes, worked well. Pilots with instruments that accepted QR codes found the tasks easy to enter in their instruments, and safe to fly. Even so the very light pilots still found a slight disadvantage in strong conditions. Analysis of the results will allow the system to be further tweaked for next year’s competition. After four tasks averaging around 50km France’s Leo Hoarau (Zeno 2, 92kg) won overall. Belgium’s Sergiu Enea (Photon, 104kg) won the Sports (up to EN C) class and Jeroen Minnema of the Netherlands (Ikuma 3P, 98kg) won the Standard (up to EN B) class. China’s Wandi Wang (Photon) was top woman. Top Brit (excluding Bruce Goldsmith, 8th) was Simon Sykes in 11th; eight other Brits flew, with top female Heather Atkins 40th. BGD are to be commended for resolutely trying to redress the imbalance due to pilot weight. Their innovative approach has broken new ground and opened the door wide to lighter pilots: 17% of those in the comp were below 85kg and 38% were below 92kg. [Photo: Guillaume Funck] The format was designed to echo the intensity of the great adventure races, but condensed into a short, sharp contest over 3.5 hours. With a grandstand start and finish, spectators were treated to an arena-style showdown. From the gun athletes raced out of the field to tag Nab Scar, Helm Crag and Stone Arthur before descending into the landing zone just outside the showground. In true X-Alps fashion, the race wasn’t over once their feet touched down: wings had to be balled up and legs re-engaged for a final sprint into the showground to stop the clock. What made the event particularly compelling was the variety of route choices on display. Some athletes hedged their bets with conservative lines, while others gambled on the weather improving and walking to a higher launching position. Victory ultimately went to Tom Hodgkin, rewarding his instinct to hike higher before launching. ‘During briefing I noticed the clouds building above Great Rigg and decided to gamble on a higher take-off,’ Tom reflected at the finish. ‘Luckily it paid off — the margins were fine, but it was worth it.’ And fine margins they were: Richard Mackie crossed the line just four minutes later, maintaining the suspense until the final stretch. Dave Ashcroft’s careful strategy, balancing efficiency on the ground with steady flying, earned him 3rd place. The event delivered exactly what it promised: fast, furious, and fantastically spectator-friendly Hike & Fly racing. The atmosphere was further enhanced by Andy Read’s HafTrack live scoring and BGD Weightless 68 pilots took part in the 6th edition of the BGD Weightless competition at Laragne in early August. Open to pilots flying EN D wings and below, the Weightless uses Multiple Radius Turnpoints (MRTs) to balance out different weight classes. Grasmere Show and Sports H&F race The inaugural Grasmere Show and Sports Hike & Fly race got off to a flying start on August 24th when 11 athletes lined up on the Lakeland showground. Countless runners have tested their grit here over the years; 2025 marked the first time paraglider pilots had taken centre stage.Vijay Soni 1971-2025 Vijay Soni, India’s top ranking paraglider pilot, tragically lost his life in a flying accident in North Macedonia on July 5th. Vijay worked with us at Airways Airsports for three months before he left for Macedonia, and made a lasting impression on our school, our students and all those who met him. He had been flying since 1996 and had taught thousands of students through the training centre he founded, ‘Orange Life’, in Kamshet, India. His flying career was defined by many landmark achievements – he set many Indian records, and was the first Indian pilot to complete an FAI triangle. Vijay competed internationally in World Championships and PWCs, and won competitions in paramotoring. Despite his stellar achievements in flying, Vijay was always disarmingly modest. If you spent time with him, asking about his background, it would come out that he was an accomplished horse rider, participating in national level show jumping and dressage. His sporting talent also showed in his pre-paragliding achievements in both kayaking and skating. Vijay put great effort into promoting and developing paragliding in India. He became India’s first Commissioner of Paragliding, responsible for overseeing safety standards, training and international cooperation. His talents also reached beyond sport. As a civil engineer Vijay had an interest in architecture, and designed and built a beautiful, multi-storey ‘treehouse’ glamping set up, overlooking the lake next to his school. It was a joy to work with him – with his gentle voice and unrufflable manner he put students at their ease. He was blessed with infinite patience, which made him a gifted instructor. One of our students, Richard Davis, wrote, ‘It’s rare to meet someone with whom you feel such an instant connection; his advice to “just smile when things get stressful” left a lasting impression on me.’ Vijay was a pioneer, a high achiever in everything he did, and a mentor and guide to many. He was always excellent company, and we will treasure the memory of our last evening together, when he made us all a delicious lentil curry with an extraordinary depth of flavour. He always travelled with a kilo of Indian spices in order to take the taste of ‘home’ wherever he went. Our thoughts are with his family, the students he brought into the sport and his many friends throughout the world. [Judy Leden] CALL THE SPECIALISTS 0800 5999 101 FOR BHPA MEMBERS life insurance EST 1989 Run by Pilots for Pilots We Fly What You Fly! Protect Your Family, Mortgage or Business 205 SkywingParamotors skyscraper ad 0125-297x104.indd 1 OCTOBER 2025 SKYWINGS 7leaderboard, keeping the crowd up to speed in real time. Meanwhile, Chris Fields’ lively commentary had the audience fully engaged and cheering the competitors all the way to the finish line. A huge thankyou to all the athletes who put their trust in this innovative format. Gratitude is also due to the event team (Paul Abbott, Andy Read, Chris Fields, Phil Hewitson and Ian Bertram), whose support behind the scenes ensured everything ran seamlessly. [Report: John Westall, Race Director] Malvern’s 50th Sunday 17th August saw a number of past and present members of the Malvern Hang Gliding Club celebrate its 50th anniversary. At short notice Gordon Allison had arranged a gathering on the hill coinciding with easterly winds. Jason Board had lent the event a period-correct 1975 Wasp Rogallo which Bill Bell was keen to try out (pictured) if not actually fly. Celebrations began on Castlemorton Common, scene of many early training flights, at 4pm, where Gordon had asked pilots taking off from Black Hill or Kettle Sings to land. Pete Attlee, Alec Linton Bill Bell flew into Castlemorton from Black Hill, Bill having left his Litespeed RX at home in favour of a 30-year-old Airwave K5! There was a great turnout and a champagne celebration, and a presentation to the Malvern Hills Trust. Many former club members, including a few who were present, had flown Rogallos from the Common in the 1970s. Steve Penfold With great regret we report the passing on August 25th of British hang gliding team member Steve Penfold. Steve eventually succumbed to injuries he suffered on July 17th during the third task of the World Championships at Ager. Initially cared for at the Lleida hospital, Steve was flown home in late July to the care of the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Leeds General Infirmary. Sadly he was unable to overcome his very serious injuries. We offer our sympathies to his family and friends and to his partner Steph. A regular at Inter-Services comps and the BOS, and a valued member of the Comps Panel, Steve flew on British teams in the Blériot Cup and European and World Championships. He was a member of the team that won FAI Silver at the 2023 Worlds and was later awarded the Royal Aero Club’s Prince of Wales Cup. Online repacking course? The ‘London College of Foreign Trade’ appears to offer an online parachute packing course leading to the student becoming a ‘Certified Professional in Parachute Packing.’ It’s advertised at £99 (considerably more for a ‘fast-track’ version). It is not something the BHPA would ever recommend; if anyone has tried it the Tech Team would be interested to hear from them. There is only one way to become a BHPA- licensed EPS packer: attend a two-day BHPA EPSL course and pass the practical examination. Members can be assured that anyone holding that licence is properly qualified and insured. A list of BHPA-licensed packers can be found at Hang glider drone towing The world’s first drone-towed hang glider flight is said to have taken place in China on August 21st. A manned Aeros glider equipped with floats, launching from a lake, was successfully towed aloft by a fairly powerful traction drone. This is the same team that is pioneering paraglider drone towing (see August Skywings). ‘Our high-power drone system offers unparalleled precision, portability and a quieter, more sustainable approach to launching foot-launched aircraft – a new frontier for the future of air sports.’ So say the Shenzhen Bluewing Technology Co of Guangdong. Autonomous towing tech is in fast-forward mode. De Havilland shortlist In August paraglider and paramotor pilot Ottilie Miller and Christo Tracey, late of the BOS and Hangpoints, reached the shortlist to be considered for the Sir Geoffrey De Havilland Flying Scholarship. The final award, to be made by the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers, provides the lucky recipient with flying tuition to PPL standard on a DH Tiger Moth. The Coachmakers provide scholarships and bursaries for STEM students and a networking forum for young aerospace and automotive people. The DH award is aimed at preserving classic aircraft operation and engineering. Photo shows Christo (L) and Ottilie (3rd L) among the other shortlisters on selection day at Old Warden. [Photo: Howard Cook] In brief Historic wing damaged. In August a fire among Aylesbury outbuildings seriously damaged a stored Mitchell Wing held on behalf of the Hang Gliding Museum (see May 2024 Skywings). Destroyed rather than damaged: a Europa light aircraft and an Atos rigid wing. Bill Bell was not the firestarter but it was part of his property that went up in smoke. Fortunately, we think, only the former animals’ quarters. Hats off to Bucks Fire & Rescue; let’s hope the Mitchell wing can be repaired. Junior triangle record broken by 50%. On August 8th, French pilot Hans Petit flew his Zeno 2 301.1km from Col de l’Izoard to claim the world and European Junior free-distance triangle record. His flight eclipses the existing record, set by Spain’s Marcelo Sánchez Vílchez in June 2024, by 100km! Ten days later Baptiste Lambert’s general (non-Junior) World and European free-distance triangle records were broken by another French pilot, Edouard Potel, claiming 358.7km … from the Col de l’Izoard! Gordon Rigg wins French Nationals. Gordon Rigg beat top French teamster Mario Alonzi into second place at the French hang gliding Nationals at Lachens in early August. Darren Brown was 6th, John Cheale 16th. Tim King was runner-up in Class 5 behind Mathias Jaques; Mike Armstrong was 4th and Neil Atkinson 5th. British Winter Open. The 7th edition of this event runs at Roldanillo, Colombia, from February 11-17th 2026. Rolda boasts exceptionally reliable conditions at this time of year; the Open has been held here five times with only a handful of tasks cancelled. Registration/practice day: February 10th. Details: Forbes Flatlands. The legendary Forbes Championships run from 12th-20th January 2026. Registration is open now at and get a new glider for the comp? Contact bucket-list comp on this earth. Dragon dates. The tenth Dragon Hike & Fly Race runs at Crickhowell on May 16th and 17th 2026, with fallback dates of June 6th and 7th. Entries will open in January at Record claims cancelled. On February 16th France’s Capucine Deliot and Ivan Haas flew 73km triangles from Targasonne, claiming simultaneous Junior World and European distance-via- up-to-three-turnpoints records. For reasons unspecified, all four claims have been withdrawn; the specific records remain unset. 8 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2025 Bnews Quick facts abo out the NG series: weight(m²) Surface g)(k Max load NG g)weight (kg)t (k G NG light The world´s leading rescue systems Use of high-qu• even at low spe g, g • Available in 3 s certified accord • New, innovative • Excellent sink r to a jump from • Very reliable op • Intelligent, light ality lightweight materials eeds gp sizes as NG and in the light versio ding to EN12491 e X-Flare concept for high efficien rates, each just over 5 m/s, equiva a height of about 1.3 m pening and extremely good pend tweight construction for fast open g, NG 140 Ser NG 120 Ser -geneous load distri --flares for homoX NG 100 Ser on NG light, ncy alent dulum stability nings, 33 1401,85rie 291201,6rie 25100rie1,45 1,49 5 1,3 18 6 concept. -Flare innovative X s to the , thankface -Nearly flat top sur 5 1, for fa ow L ast opening canopy height projected surface area bution across the large geneous load distri stability pendulum outlets for air defined Precisely Sean Simmons’ 11km hike to Westbury was won by Mike Coupe ahead of Nick Somerville (A Comp), and Vanessa Fisher ahead of Rebecca and TJ Cowell jointly (B Comp); Penny Bell won the B comp Median prize. Tim Bishop’s treasure hunt was won by the Hangover Bunch (!) and Tim Pentreath won the quiz. Club XC medals were presented to Alex Coltman (300km), Tim Pentreath (250km), Rob Kingston and Ken Wilkinson (200km), and Graham Richards (100 miles), and to up-and- coming pilots too. There were also kite making classes, Jason Board’s early hang glider and a bring & buy fly-jumble. Evening entertainment included a great meal; a raffle with valuable prizes from sponsors and a custom hat by Viv Fouracre (proceeds to the Great Western Air Ambulance). After dancing themselves to a standstill to the Sombreros, people watched the premiere of Graham Richards’ club history film before migrating to the fire pit until the early hours. The Avon committee would like to thank all volunteer helpers, sponsors Flybubble, The Sick & The Wrong and XC Magazine for donating wonderful prizes, and Skywings for publicity. Dave Warren of the organising team said, ‘Thanks to everyone who came and made it great. It was so successful we have decided to do it again in 2075! [Report: Dave Warren] Avon Bash – no damp spirits! The dry weather ended with a bang for the Avon club’s 50th Anniversary Bash at Pop-up Outwest near Westbury on August 30th and 31st. Some brave pilots flew early on at Mere, but airborne tasks were hastily adapted to the wet and windy weather. A packed venue and a great atmosphere made for an epic weekend. Avon Bash contenders Ian and PennyNick Valiris, Tim Pentreath and other off-road hikers at the Avon BashNext >