No. 440 DECEMBER 2025 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Back when I was at university (that’s a long way back) there was a languages lecturer who fell in love with surfing. Eventually he decided to quit his career and, instead of filling his brain with weird French novels, devote himself to pursuing this new passion. One advantage, he said, was that it made life simpler. For any place, or any situation, there was only one thing which really counted: was it good for surfing? If he told a fellow enthusiast that he lived in East Anglia, they would shrug their shoulders dismissively, and point out that the waves there were not much good. And that was all that needed to be said. I found myself thinking about that lecturer a few months after I got into paragliding. I had always had a vague idea about doing it, but the trigger came when I was sitting in a beach-hut café near the Moroccan town of Mirleft. Two people landed in front of me, casually packed up their wings and wandered in for a coffee. It was all a bit like the Milk Tray man, for anyone old enough to remember that TV advert. It was impressive enough that I signed up for an EP/CP course as soon as I got back to the UK. Looking back, my own brain was way too full at the time (though not with anything as grand as French literature). Unlike the lecturer, it was the subject of wind rather than waves which now replaced all the mental rubbish. When the alarm went off in the morning, instead of worrying about who-knows-what, I reached for my phone and opened the Met Office app, Windy.com, etc. What was the wind speed? What was its direction? Were there likely to be these mysterious things I had heard of called thermals? The quality of the day ahead was reduced to a single, simple question: would I be able to fly? If I had ever checked forecasts before, it would have been to see whether it was going to be sunny and what the temperature was. Now, these were relegated among my list of concerns in favour of breezes, gusts and convergences. I soon wished I had paid more attention in school geography classes, when I had been bored stiff by maps showing anticyclones and isobars. However, as a would-be paraglider, I was not just supposed to check the wind speed and direction, but also to understand why they were like that, and how they might be expected to change. A warm front had until then been a weird symbol which Michael Fish pointed at on the tea-time weather report; now it was a worrying development which might stop me getting airborne. There was more than weather prediction to clear my head. I had come to paragliding relatively late in life and – time to be honest here – was far from being a natural. All my concentration was required simply to get the wing up in the air and take off without being dragged into a bush. In fact, a bush would have been positively welcome on my debut visit to the Sky Surfers’ site at Whitewool, where I not only crash landed but somehow managed to wrap my kit round a barbed-wire fence. Wounds to my pride were worse than those on my arms and face, but on the plus side there was no brain space to fret about anything else that day: work, finances, that wonky cupboard door I kept meaning to fix? They all went out the window. I suppose this is why I find it funny when people ask me about paragliding, and enquire whether I have always been into ‘adrenalin sports’. I am sure paragliding can produce an adrenalin rush, maybe pulling 5G in a spiral dive somewhere over the Himalayas. And I can certainly get anxious preparing to fly, though probably not as anxious as my poor instructors and coaches. Lessons for them were a constant worry that my take-off run would go awry and I’d tread all over someone else’s glider, or perhaps their lunch. But there has never been any adrenalin involved – quite the opposite. As soon as my feet leave the ground, as the hillside falls away and the clouds get nearer, I feel more chilled than at any time back on earth. Perhaps this will change when (if?) I get better at this sport. Maybe one day I will be on automatic as I launch myself into the sky, find the rising air without having to think too hard about it, and then XC halfway across Sussex. At that point I may find time up there to worry about troubles at work, or whether there is enough milk in the fridge to last me through the weekend. Right now, with that red ribbon still fluttering behind me, with all my focus on flying steady and on course, I am just too busy to vex about the strains and pressures of everyday life. I’m paragliding, I’m happy, and I am so relaxed. 2 SKYWINGS DECEMBER 2025 Battitude No stress, no adrenalin PAUL MOSS, NOVICE PILOT4 SKYWINGS DECEMBER 2025 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, THE EDITOR Joe Schofield, 39 London Road, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 9BH. Tel: 01379 855021. COVER PHOTO Jérôme Maupoint and Gin’s new Bandit 2 at Les Crêtes d’en Haut, Switzerland Photo: Jérôme Maupoint THIS PAGE Jeremy Barr above the Himachal range near Bir, India Photo: Debu 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 February issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Monday December 29th. Letters for the January Airmail pages should arrive no later than Monday December 15th. Advertisement bookings for the January 2026 edition must arrive by Thursday December 11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Thursday December 18th.DECEMBER 2025 SKYWINGS 5 regulars regulars features Antoine Girard takes on North America father-son time in the air6 SKYWINGS DECEMBER 2025 Bnews Johnny Carr’s Diploma Johnnny Carr wasn’t at the awards ceremony in May to collect his richly-deserved Royal Aero Club Diploma, but Marc Asquith caught up with him at the rained-off, blown-out BOS 3 at Fforest Farm to make the presentation. What it says is, ‘For those who have served sporting aviation by their meritorious endeavours’. What it means is 50 years in the sport, the first ever World Championships, inaugural British League member and four-times winner, British Team member, record holder, GBAR winner and oldest pilot to have ever won an FAI Category 2 task. There’s plenty more, including all-round top bloke and friend to all. Johnny celebrated his 75th birthday last year by making goal at the French Open. Go Johnny, go! [Photo: Katy Tracey] Dan Jones 9th at slalom Worlds! Dan Jones, sole British entrant at the World paramotor slalom championships at Bornos in Spain in October, secured 9th spot in the PF1 Serial class. The class, introduced this year, was intended to encourage pilots to enter on ‘standard’ equipment: a lower wing loading and engines limited to 205cc. Highly experienced pilots skewed the results a little, taking advantage of the Serial format by flying with highly-tuned experimental engines. Nevertheless Dan’s 9th place in his first slalom international is remarkable. Overall world footlaunch slalom champ is France’s Jeremy Penone, Serial champ is fellow countryman Cyril Planton. PL1 champ is Qatar’s Ibrahem Hussein, PL1 Serial champ is France’s Boris Tysebaert. Dan’s solo effort also netted GB 8th place among the nations. Full report to follow. [Photo: Tracy Anderson] BHPA seeks website developer With the impending retirement from Exec of Web Administrator Paul Dancey, the Association is seeking the services of a website developer to update, maintain and potentially renew ound within the flying community, but external applicants are not excluded. Prospective applicants should address the tender document at tendering process will identify a range of possible solutions and their associated cost, from which Exec will select an appropriate cost-effective solution. The closing date for tenders will be February 14th 2026. New format for X-Lakes The two day X-Lakes hike & fly challenge will adopt a new race- to-goal format in 2026, incorporating the infamous Bob Graham Round. The 66-mile BGR fell running/walking route was established in 1932 when Graham completed it inside 24 hours on his 42nd birthday. The new format was conceived by X-Lakes organiser Paul Abbott after watching Tom Hodgkin’s spectacular hike-and-fly BGR in 2024, tagging all 42 waypoints in about 15 hours. X-Lakes preliminaries will remain unchanged: arrive, register and attend the safety briefing on the Thursday evening, race Friday morning and finish Saturday afternoon at 17:00. The race will roughly follow the BGR route of major mountain tops, clockwise or anti-clockwise depending on the weather. 400m waypoints can be tagged on the ground or in the air. The one-day X-Lakes Challenge will retain its original peak-bashing format. Race Director John Westall (seen here with 2025 X-Lakes runner- up Bud Paterson), says, ‘My biggest concern this year was trying to ensure every competitor got back in time for the race celebrations – it creates a much better atmosphere and emphasises community.’ His plan is to allow athletes to decide for themselves when to head back along their particular route to make it back before 17:00 on the Saturday. The winner will be the first across the finish line, having completed the BGR or bagged the most waypoints. To add an X-Alps feel athletes will land in the sports ground, ball up their kit and run in over the finish line. ‘There will be no disqualification,’ says Westie, ‘but a ten- point penalty for each km short of the finish … and you’ll have to make your own way back!’ If the weather is unfavourable, waypoint cylinders will be adjusted to allow athletes to finish the course on the Saturday afternoon. The X-Lakes runs on June 18th- 20th. For details The Bob Graham Club maintains a list of finishers and records for those completing the route within the time limit. You can check out the route at 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 DECEMBER 2025 SKYWINGS 7 X-Scotia heads to Glencoe The X-Scotia, arguably the UK’s toughest hike & fly event, will move to a new location in 2026. Having advanced the standard of UK wilderness flying for several years from Kintail in the north- west Highlands, the event will adopt the classic flying playground of Glencoe. There will also be a new format based on a race to goal, but with a few X-Scotia tweaks and surprises. Taking place on the first weekend in May (Bank Holiday), the event will feature some of the UK’s most spectacular flying at a time when Scottish mountain conditions can be epic. Expect an iconic mass start at Glencoe Mountain Resort, with turnpoints and an overnight halt spread through the surrounding mountains. Chuck in complex meteorology that demands respect, and the need for high-level flying skills and decision making, and you have the prospect of a truly epic contest. Entry is open now at Airtribune, with a special early bird rate until January 31st. Entries for the cancelled 2025 event are automatically carried forward. Details are Andy Howson] Jenny in Finland BHPA Chair Jenny Buck addressed the Women in Airsports session at the FAI General Conference in Vantaa, Finland in October. Jenny joined a five-woman panel exploring the broader challenges of participation (such as time, cost, and awareness), highlighting that these issues affect all pilots, not just women. Subtitled ‘Providing a Supportive Community’, the discussion encouraged attendees to view our sports through a more inclusive lens, focusing on empathy, community-building, and the voices of those not yet represented. ‘This wasn’t about us on the stage,’ Jenny reported, but about the people we seek to represent.’ Her remarks set the tone for a forward-looking conversation around increasing pilot numbers overall: ‘If we grow the sport inclusively, the percentage of women will rise naturally alongside it.’ 8 SKYWINGS DECEMBER 2025 Bnews EN 926-2 paraglider classes explained Newly arrived at the EHPU website is a very clear article outlining what the EN 926-2 testing standard is and, importantly, what it isn’t. Under several headings the article explains where EN 926-2 comes from, how it is arrived at and how it is updated. It then explains how to use the different (EN A to EN D) classes wisely to choose a paraglider that is right for you. If you’ve ever wondered exactly what the EN classes mean and how they relate to your flying experience and currency – that’s quite a lot of pilots, we think – this information will prove illuminating. It will dispel a few myths too, not least that the testing regime and its clarifications aren’t comprehensive enough to be relied on. Accidents rarely happen because of gaps in the tests, they mainly happen because of human error, poor decisions or lack of preparation by pilots. Always remember that EN classes are a guide, not a guarantee. But they are the best guide out there. Find the new document Competition safety The fatalities at various recent World Championship and other events continue to concentrate minds (see CIVL war, November). Early in October the FAI paused all Category 1 paragliding and hang gliding XC events to review safety. Soon afterwards they appointed top US paraglider pilot Violeta Jimenez as a Pilot Relationship Officer; they are currently fact-finding on pilot-safety issues. In the same month the PWCA Committee invited feedback from its pilots on safety. Acknowledging that PWC safety backup levels can vary, they too have undertaken review period. They also recognise there is room for improvement on pilot tracking. In late October an International Free Flyer Pilots Union was announced, led by French paragliding team leader Julien Garcia. With key pilots like Malin Lobb, Tilen Ceglar, Violeta Jimenez and Pal Takats on board, and with input from (eg) Luke Armant and Bruce Goldsmith, the IFFPU aims to provide a forum that will allow pilots to speak with one voice, with an emphasis on hard evidence. One issue already in their sights is the overuse of ballast. The rise in incidents at high level competitions is very much not down to a single issue. Safety backup, systems testing, communications, pilot currency, climate change, tracking, tasking, venue-testing and the role of safety committees, and oversight by CIVL and the PWCA, have all come under scrutiny and play a part in the current perfect storm. The next PWC event runs at Panchgani, India, in February and CIVL’s annual Plenary meeting is in March. The IFFPU appears to have hit the ground running on a broad range of fronts but will need to be heard at CIVL and PWCA level. Let us hope that sensible initiatives will arise from all this concern. It’s clear that business as usual is no longer an option Farewell Dennis Trott After 35 years of BHPA membership and 32 years of being a BHPA instructor, Dennis Trott is to close the Alpine Flying Centre at Chamonix. Re-established last year as a BHPA Development School, Dennis still found most of his work coming from French pilots and other nationals. Even so he has overseen British pilots sitting the Pilot Exam and assisted several membership renewals. In earlier decades Dennis’s ab-initio school trained hundreds of capable pilots, but he’s decided that he now prefers semi- retirement. He will continue Alpine coaching and guiding on his French licences. In signing off, Dennis thanked the BHPA, particularly the tech and office staff, for building an effective association for British pilots. Those who have been taught or guided by Dennis over the years will no doubt agree on his significant contribution to BHPA training, and on bringing Alpine flying to countless UK pilots. Being in Chamonix helps, but the lustre is all down to Dennis and Gillian’s excellent work. Niviuk Fly Wide Open The second edition of the Niviuk Fly Wide Open will take place at Krusevo, North Macedonia from July 25th to August 1st. Specifically aimed at intermediate paraglider pilots starting out on their XC journey, the Fly Wide Open is an educational event, with expert talks and lots of opportunity to share experiences with other like-minded pilots. For those who seek to learn from competition while avoiding some of the attendant stress, the FWO is a really helpful and fun experience. Pilots from all countries are welcome, but only those with very little previous competition experience, flying EN C or lower performance gliders. Registration opens on December 28th; details are In brief Ron Freeman. British hang gliding legend Ron Freeman died on November 8th, aged 69. As CFI of Northumbria Airsports he had taught dozens of pilots to fly, but he was better known for his exploits at the Bognor Birdman competition, sparring with his friend and contemporary Tony Hughes to make the first 100m+ flight. His tenacity secured the £10,000 prize in 2014. Earlier he had been on the team that won Gold at the World Championships at Kössen in 1985. That our sport remains alive in the North East is largely due to Ron’s energy and strength of character. Janaways’ big day out ratified. Readers may recall the big day at Sorica in April 2024 that netted the Janaway family no less than eight World and European record claims. In short, Magda’s female 100km O/R speed record and Mark’s Junior 100km O/R speed, free out-and-return distance and free-distance-via-three-turnpoints records have all been ratified by the FAI at both World and European level. The numbers are 33.1km/h, 24.1km/h, 104.5km and 109.2km respectively. As we said at the time: some rejoicing in the Janaway household no doubt. Hats off! The RAF and wider EC solutions? We hear the RAF are talking to PilotAware about the possible use of ground station-based EC technology. The expensive solution they’ve been offered officially only does ‘certified’ (ie heavy-metal) EC, and they are beginning to think they might prefer something that gives them positional information about the other stuff – ourselves and others. This is of course counter to the CAA’s unaffordable and unrealistic EC policy. Sooner or later the CAA may acknowledge just how much other stuff is out there; respect to the RAF bods for a bit of upstream lateral (realistic) thinking. North Wales repack. The North Wales club’s Hazzard Repack runs from 10am-4pm on Sunday February 1st, supervised by BHPA repacker Bernard Clewer. The venue is Upton-by-Chester Village Hall, 28 Heath Rd, Upton, Chester CH2 1HX. Facilities include a large clean floor and ample parking. Attendance is £10 (non- members welcome); booking/payment is at More records for Zion. On top of his two World and South American O/R claims, at 329km, on October 13th, Costa Rica’s Zion Susanno pushed further on October 18th. He now has dual claims in for declared and free out-and-return distance at 350km and 300km O/R speed at 36.15km/h. This flight exceeds Clément Latour and Tomaž Erzen’s 311km and 35.16km/h records set in 2023. EC feedback. The BHPA’s recent online campaign to alert the membership to the CAA’s EC consultation may have borne results. Before the announcement and the issue of BHPA guidance there were 109 published responses on the CAA website. When the consultation closed on October 6th there were 743 responses; other respondents may have ticked the ‘do not publish’ check box. Let us hope the CAA take this feedback on board. RAeC Trust Bursary deadline. Applications for the 2026 RAeC Trust Bursary Scheme close on December 31st this year. Up to £500 is available; if you’re a British citizen aged 14-21 and could use financial help to progress your free-flying career, apply now. Go BHPA AGM. A reminder that the 2026 Annual General Meeting will be held at the Association’s Leicester Office on Saturday February 28th. Members receiving awards will attend in person; others will be able to participate online via a GoTo meeting link. Acro records. On October 4th and 5th US pilot Max Marien performed 17 Twister rotations, 60 Infinity Tumbles and 26 Misty Flips to claim all six previously unset World and North American records in the ‘Paragliders, Aerobatic’ class. All this above Lake Berryessa in California’s Napa Country, on an airG Carlito. Ian Southwood 1961-2024 R.I.P Ian Southwood, in September 2025, from complications to radiotherapy treatment for cancer. An electronics craftsman by trade; a biker, musician, artist, gardener, storyteller and flyer by nature. A prolific contributor to Skywings’ caption competition, latterly under a series of pun pseudonyms. Involuntary redundancy in 2010 gave Ian time to pursue his ultimate flying goal, paragliding. It was a great joy in his life. He loved his local Wiltshire hills; the thrills, skills, challenge and camaraderie, and the para-chatting. He qualified as a Pilot in 2015, and despite temperamentally being voted ‘Most likely to have bombed-in on eBay kit’, he was glad he did it properly, served his time and knocks. Somewhat reckless at first impression, he knew his hills and was a natural pilot. Everything in his life – ATC cadet, lifelong biker, Boscombe Down apprentice working on the ‘Big Birds’, and a host of wind- related hobbies (model aircraft, stunt kites, windsurfing, kite boarding) – led up to this accomplishment. Coach qualified, and known for his enthusiastic advice (As and Cs, anyone?), he’d be first in the air, aiming for top of the stack. But he’d be the first to grab your wing before the barbed wire fence, and to shepherd nervous flyers to launch. I know this ‘Lift Fairy’ will be missed by his friends in the Westbury Massif and beyond. If Ian wasn’t in the air, it wasn’t flyable! So when you are thermalling up there, he’ll forever be laughing and waving down at you, reaching for an ever higher cloudbase. 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