No. 443 MARCH 2026 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS MARCH 2026 B attitude Then, somewhere deep in the jaws of what felt like certain inevitability, my vario started to chirp – tentatively, unconvincingly. I had no option but to stick with it. Gradually the tune found its rhythm, and then, all of a sudden, it was back singing its heavenly song. I climbed, trying hard to keep my head in the game, while a huge waterfall made a determined bid for my attention from the valley side. Soon the thermal was in overdrive and I was back at base. I’d lost my buddies to gravity and suddenly felt very much on my own. The sky felt bigger without them. With that setback, though, came opportunity. The decision ‑ making was now a solo affair, and I paused to consider what adventure might still be on the cards. The day before, we’d been full of childlike excitement looking at the forecast. It was flyable in the Lake District – already a bonus for March – but the promise of crossing the border into Scotland had us properly frothing. Friends had returned in previous years with stories of long glens, epic views and tall skies, which was all the encouragement we needed for a spring adventure. So we drove north on a frosty March morning, optimism fogging the windows, and ran up the hill to launch with that familiar early-season urgency. The landscape unfolded below us like an invitation written in place-names alone: Black Hope, Rotten Bottom, White Coomb, Nowt Hill, Giant’s Grave. So there I was, back at base, alone, wondering what to do next. The planned out ‑ and ‑ return loaded in my instrument felt like the obvious Plan A. Maybe I could catch the lead gaggle that had slipped away earlier. I scanned the airspace to the east. The sky looked a bit flat and undecided. Sure enough, pilots near the far end of the loch were getting worryingly low. I pushed on a little regardless and nearly fell through another crack in the day before clawing my way back up. Still unsure, I headed back the way I’d come, hoping my buddies had managed to scramble back up the valley sides of vertical heather to relight. The radio crackled with updates suggesting they were still thigh ‑ deep in the purple stuff. That made the decision easier. I turned west, where the sky still looked as though it might be kind. When the clouds thinned again, I retreated back toward launch, already imagining warm fingers and a hip flask on landing. Arriving back at height, my instinct gave me a stern talking ‑ to. There was a climb, it reckoned, tucked into the wind shadow of the hill ahead. It would have been rude not to investigate. Sure enough, the climb was ripping and had me under a dark, well ‑ fed cloud in no time. A cloud street stretched north and invited me to sniff, wiggle and dart along its lifty seams. Caught in the flow of the process, I nearly forgot the time. With the sky beginning to blue and my luck account clearly overdrawn, I turned south again, full of early-spring ecstasy, overwhelmed by the beauty of a landscape that felt both vast and intimate. Back in the landing field, reunited with my gaggle, we shared stories of the day, grateful for how lucky we’d been to experience such conditions so early in the season. Only later did I realise that my wandering flight had quietly stitched itself into an entirely unplanned 53km FAI triangle – apparently a UK record for the earliest 50km triangle in any calendar year. A reminder that sometimes the best flights don’t arrive through bold intent, but through listening carefully to a hesitant sky and making the most of borrowed light. Since Tom's flight, and again this year, this site he launched from is closed due to nesting birds of prey in the area. It is expected re-open in mid-July. Pilots are asked to respect the Wingbeat Club's wishes and not use the site until it is declared open again. How could we be sinking out? It felt as though the day had barely cleared its throat. Above us hung a peng sky that promised far more than it was currently delivering. Yet here we were, scrabbling about in the valley like late arrivals to a party that had already moved on. Our varios flatly refused to get excited. I had a bit more height than the others; not enough to feel comfortable, but enough to search a little longer while gravity sharpened its knives below. Photo: Tom Hodgkin Spring's promise - an unanticipated March triangle TOM HODGKIN, XC AND COMPETITION PILOT 4 SKYWINGS MARCH 2026 regulars 2 attitude: Tom Hodgkin 6 news 10 safety matters 12 pilot profile: Jamie Goodread 14 comp lines 18 hang points 21 dead centre 22 airmail 27 new products 29 calendar of events 35 caption competition features 24 chasing the ton FlySpain's 'Big 100' week 28 the lunar method does the full moon help or hinder XC flying? 30 electric! how to build an electric winch THE BHPA LTD 8 Merus Court, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1RJ. Tel: 0116 289 4316. SKYWINGS MAGAZINEis 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: office@bhpa.co.uk THE EDITOR Joe Schofield, 39 London Road, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 9BH. Tel: 01379 855021. E-mail: skywings@bhpa.co.uk. COVER PHOTO Curtis Braund above Portland and Chesil Beach on January 10th. Photo: Finnbar Webster [supplied by Russell Lockyer] THIS PAGESoperman en route to the 4,000m Barre des Écrins from Col’ d’Izoard Photo: Jeremy Soper 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: ads@skywingsmag.com Online: www.skywingsmag.com. SKYWINGS ONLINE All issues of Skywings magazine are now freely available at https://www.skywingsmag.co.uk. DEADLINESNews items and event/competition reports for the May issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Friday March 27th. Letters for the April Airmail pages should arrive no later than Monday March 16th. Advertisement bookings for the April 2026 edition must arrive by Wednesday March 11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Wednesday March 18th.MARCH 2026SKYWINGS 56 SKYWINGS MARCH 2026 B news Soperman breaks hangie world O/R record! Kenya’s Rift Valley is the place to be in January if you want to eat distance. No surprise then to find a hungry Jeremy Soper, aka Soperman, out there in search of records this year. On January 22nd Jezza nailed the world hang gliding free out-and-return distance record at 363km, having taken off from Nyaru, east of Lake Victoria. Plus the declared out-and-return distance at 359.9km. Some recompense for ten hours in the air, although aided by climbs reaching over 13,000ft in places. The flight was Soperman’s third attempt from Nyaru, having previously netted 273km and a paltry 54km. After his record flight he went on to log 287 and 166km from the same site. The Rift Valley has provided rich pickings over the years. Remember Brit Hunter Marrian’s tandem paragliding out-and- return distance of 210.4km from Nyaru in January 2015, and French tandem pair Michel and Blandine Macquet’s slew of paragliding records from Iten, just 40km north, last year? If Soperman’s record is ratified it will eclipse US pilot Owen Morse’s free and declared out-and-return records of 357.6km set from Bartlett, California on a Wills Wing T3 in June 2020. Hats off to Soperman (yet again!) … and, we think, to the Moyes Litespeed RX4 Simon Murphy lent him in about 2021! At the time Simon said, ‘ Keep it until you get bored.’! For more Soperman exploits see page 19. LCC/X-Lakes dates The Lakes Charity Classic and X-Lakes Challenge both run at Grasmere Sports Field from June 18th-21st. Competition entry, for LCC A and B comps and coaching, and the one- and two-day X- Lakes Challenges, is via Airtribune only. Guest/free flying tickets are available at www.cumbriasoaringclub.co.uk from £55. This includes camping with hot showers, weather briefings, guided hike & fly and a communal meal on the Saturday night. The event is open to all current CP-rated BHPA members. The spectacular Lake District at the best time of year! The Dragon H&F lives! The fabled Dragon H&F event, scheduled for May 16th and 17th, was abruptly cancelled by organiser Alistair Andrews in January. Now Dan Starsmore and the South East Wales club have stepped in and will stage the race on almost the same dates (May 15th- 16th), to end in the midst of their Magic Bash (May 16th-17th) that was such a hit last year. The Dragon will run on the Friday and Saturday, to end in the midst of the Bash which runs over the weekend. Details from www.flysouthwales.co.uk. Buttermere Bash news It’s time to start thinking of the hazy days of summer. This year the unique and legendary Buttermere Bash marks its unofficial 20th anniversary (actually its 19th because of the ‘Covid year’). Bash supremo Gordie Oliver says the line-up of bands he has arranged will raise the bar yet again, including the return of some all-time Bash favourites. Put May 29th-30th in your diary and start dreaming of those special days in a special place. Ticket sales are live now at www.tickettailor.com/events/airventures/1970235. 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 fl yingcover.co.uk MARCH 2026SKYWINGS 7 PWC news The PWC’s Annual Meeting in January addressed members’ recent concerns, not least the provision of extra safety and medical services when local standards are lacking. Decisions were also taken to improve transparency, fairness, and workload distribution, and to separate the role of Technical Delegate from the Task Committee and organisational supervision. New procedures for handling unsporting or disrespectful behaviour will be introduced. Mention was made of a PWC pilot who had thrown their flight tracker over the goal line to validate an arrival, later penalised by suspension for the remaining season and the coming Superfinal. Other rule changes include reducing the allowable tolerance for line lengths to ±10mm, aimed at improving safety, fairness and consistency. Satellite trackers will be mandatory for Superfinal in May and all future PWCs. The PWCA is also researching the use of equalisers (drag noodles) and ballast. They will follow CIVL’s cue on this; however if CIVL doesn’t act the PWC will introduce equalisers this year and new ballast rules for 2027. Acknowledging the need for better comms between the PWCA and its members, a platform will be set up to collect member feedback, plus an official ‘Discord’ channel for moderated discussion. The January meeting also addressed pilot numbers, costs and entry fees. Higher standards, improved safety and greater professionalism increase costs, and reducing pilot numbers affects entry fees. Decisions must reflect what the pilots are willing to support financially. The upcoming survey platform will present possible scenarios and cost implications; nothing will be imposed without members’ feedback. For chapter and verse see https://tinyurl.com/2tvm8hre. BHPA subs rise As reported last month, the Association anticipates breaking even for the year ended 31st March 2026. Although the past year has been more stable financially, inflationary pressures persist and membership numbers continue, slowly, to decline. With effect from April 1st, the cost of BHPA individual Annual Adult membership will increase to £192, a rise of just under 10%. Other annual memberships will be: Family, £177; Concessionary (under 21/over 67 and disabled), £172; and Non Flying unchanged at £62. Two-year membership will cost £315; Three-month membership £120; Adult Day membership £33; Under 21 Day membership £5 (unchanged). The Rejoining fee payable on annual memberships will remain at £35 and the Direct Debit discount is unchanged at £7. Insurance Supplements for all Instructors, and for Paragliding Dual Hill pilots, increase to £121; that for Trainee Instructors remains unchanged at £30. High quality video clips sought In advance of appointing a new contractor to develop and maintain the bhpa.co.uk website, it seems a good idea to seek out short-duration, high-quality video clips that showcase the various disciplines the Association covers. Short sequences of pilots doing their thing speak volumes for the excitement and wonder of free flight, and of the infectious enthusiasm of our members. If you have a short sequence of video that demonstrates the essence of the particular discipline/s that you follow, please contact paul-dancey@bhpa.co.uk. Promotional clips advertising products or services are not what we are looking for, and each clip will require a name and contact address for the owner of the copyright. Please, no speeded up or time-lapse sequences, and nothing that the sender did not record themselves. Please be aware that clips should not include background music or a running commentary. Sadly there will be no payment for such clips, but your video could end up being watched repeatedly on the BHPA website.8 SKYWINGS MARCH 2026 B news Initial optimism over the three ACPs being combined into a single integrated project proved to be misplaced. Statements from the CAA and the Change Sponsors themselves had suggested that the adoption of modern Performance Based Navigation would entail a significant reduction in controlled airspace, particularly below 6,000ft. Further, a common approach should have made responding to the ACPs simpler. Sadly, consultees have had to digest three separate, often misleading documents with wide disparities in presentation, and there has been no reduction in airspace proposed. In short: • The ‘potentially affected areas’ shown on the CAP1616 web portal for Glasgow and Edinburgh are grossly misleading. [See https://airspacechange.caa.co.uk] • Consultations with GA prior to the Stage 3 proposals were insufficient for the Change Sponsors to appreciate likely impacts upon those that cannot (or do not want to) enter controlled airspace. • Claimed airspace has not been referenced to the ubiquitous half- mil chart; even a .KML file was only procured under pressure. • When a .KML file was provided, details of what procedure each piece of proposed controlled airspace was intended to protect was opaque. • There is no explanation of the extra airspace required for a transition altitude of 6,000ft. • Some of the proposals will reduce safety for those operating in Class G. The BHPA response goes into great detail, contesting many instances where the proposals suggest Control Zones larger and more restrictive than almost all UK CTRs; identifying existing airspace that could have been released to Class G; and drawing attention to areas where GA aircraft skirting the proposed airspace will be forced out over the sea. Finally, the BHPA takes issue with the projected usage levels employed to justify the proposed airspace. Projected usage data often proves to be little more than wishful thinking; no recent ACP has even come close to reaching its projected activity levels. The BHPA has requested that none of the three ACPs should be allowed to progress until full stakeholder consultation with local air users has been achieved (as required by CAP1616). The UK default for airspace classification is Class G, unless there is a proven need for something else. Where a higher classification is appropriate it should be the least limiting. In the past the BHPA has welcomed true modernisation of airspace, as espoused by the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS), and the opportunity to respond to ACPs. These proposals are so far from the AMS as to call into question the Change Sponsors’ commitment to it. Tom says the current proposals are the most difficult that the BHPA has ever had to consider. TL;DR? Far-reaching restrictive changes to controlled airspace in Scotland have been drawn up as if nothing but commercial aviation has an existing right to fly. Poor prior consultation with local users, and what seems like a deliberate attempt to obscure important details, are both grievously at odds with the CAA’s much-vaunted Airspace Change process, revised in 2023 to focus on ‘simplification, clarification and proportionality.’ We await a detailed response from the Change Sponsors. Robust response to Scottish ACPs In January the BHPA submitted a fierce response to Stage 3 Airspace Change Proposals from Edinbugh/Glasgow airports and NATS, authored by Association lead Tom Hardie with help from Kevin McGrath (LLSC) and Alasdair Bowman (SMPC). Flylight Nine/Sub-70 warning Chris Devine’s further adventures in the Sub-70 world (Trials and tribulations, February) included the phrase, 'I had read a couple of articles on the merits of flying a Nine wing on Sub-70 or SSDR, and early last year I jumped at the chance to fly one at a local airfield.' We don't know if the 'articles' existed, but what Chris jumped at the chance to fly was a Flylight Nine SSDR. However it's easy to infer that he flew a Sub-70 so fitted. For the avoidance of doubt, flying any Sub-70 trike with a Nine wing is illegal and outside BHPA insurance requirements. No trike fitted with a Nine wing can comply with the CAA's Sub-70 Exemption requirements. We apologise for any possible confusion. SRS podcasting The SRS commentary team has launched a new series of podcasts. In the first of these, Gin team pilot Riley Ferre talks to SRS founder Brett Janaway; also to Portuguese BGD pilot Joao Pinheiro and Colombia’s César Arévalo. Riley also caught up with leading ladies Summer Barham (US) and Shauin Kao (Argentina). Interviewed too are Ozone pilots Gaetan Gerber (Switzerland) and Venezuelan teenage sensation Isaac Michel. Last but not least, Riley talks to Skywalk’s British star Ben Hodgson. Riley’s incredible knowledge of competition flying and easy interviewing style makes for a great listen. Her first podcast can be found on multiple providers including Spotify and Apple, and at https://sportsracingseries.org. There are more to follow! MARCH 2026SKYWINGS 9 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 •Available in 3 s certified accord •New, innovative •Excellent sink r to a jump from •Very reliable op •Intelligent, light ality lightweight materials eeds 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 NG 140 Ser NG 120 Ser -geneousloaddistri --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 In brief Idris Birch to contest X-Pyr. We hear that Idris Birch will contest the X-Pyr H&F race in June. The field of 50 athletes, including five women, includes current champion Simon Oberrauner, four-time winner Chrigel Maurer, 2017 world champ Pierre Remy and veteran X-Alps legend Tom Coconea. X-Pyr 2026 starts at Hondarribia near San Sebastian on June 21st, and ends at El Port de la Selva, Catalunya, on June 27th. Further information is at https://x-pyr.com. More Kenya records. A week after Soperman’s Kenyan record spree (see above), French paraglider pilot Michel Macquet claimed a new world tandem 200km O/R speed record from Iten at 36.2 km/h. Two days later Michel claimed world declared and free O/R distance records at 250 and 231km respectively. All flights were aboard Ozone’s Swift Max 2. Chapeau! Icarus Cup dates. The 2026 Icarus Cup – meeting place, testing ground and competitive arena for the Human Powered Aircraft (HPA) community – will be held at Lasham Airfield from July 4th-12th. Changes are afoot to encourage invention; details to follow. Informative lectures, delivered when it’s not flyable, will be stepped up. Anyone who wished to present ideas to the HPA crowd should get in touch at contact.bhpfc@gmail.com. SRS news. The Sports Racing Series of paragliding competitions have launched a new Pre-SRS series. The idea is to allow pilots to improve their SRS score and gain experience at venues that may well host future full SRS rounds. For local organisers, hosting a Pre-SRS is the path to approval for a future SRS Edition, allowing them to work with SRS staff to achieve the high standard required for SRS events. Ölüdeniz price rises. Fees for the Babadağ cable car, and for launching, are set to rise yet again. Ölüdeniz is becoming very expensive, especially for acro pilots who may fly several times a day. A petition objecting to the increase, and to what are described as inadequate safety measures around landing zones, is at www.change.org/p/make-olu-deniz- cheaper-and-safer-for-pilots. There’s little doubt that the pilot/spectator interface has become a serious issue there. Paragliding fatality. It is with regret that we report the death of BHPA member Laurence Higham, 55, following a paragliding incident near Porterville, South Africa on January 18th. The BHPA will report further on this incident at an appropriate time. We offer our sympathies to Laurence’s family and friends. BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! January winners Robert Williams £135.00 Guy Fitzgibbon £67.50 Hugh Boyes £33.75 Alison Darling £20.25 Alison Darling £16.88 Roger Cooke £16.88 William Mallinson £13.50 Nicholas Simmons £13.50 Paul Treadwell £10.13 Steven Travell £10.13 BHPA £337.48 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 >