No. 444 APRIL 2026 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS APRIL 2026 B attitude It was a sultry July day at my local site, Combe Gibbet. There were about a dozen or so paraglider pilots there, set up and ready to fly. ‘Why isn’t anyone taking off?’ I said to Helen Barnes, a regular pilot at the site. ‘I think they’re waiting for you, Mike,’ she replied. Maybe she was thinking that if could stay up on my small, low performance beginner’s wing, they could too. So I obliged. I headed straight for the house thermal and found it was working, but only just. A few other flyers took off. We all scratched around for a few minutes, then I sneaked back on top of the ridge. It was hot, the grass was very long, and the mood – well it was sanguine, I would say. After ten minutes the whole scenario started over again. On my third attempt I pushed out too far and landed halfway down the slope. I was not a happy bunny! Tired, hot, and sweaty. But back at my car I relaxed, ate my lunch and drank plenty of cold water from my flask. There and then I decided on a change of plan. After packing up all my gear, I left my favourite flying site, and drove to another hill, Liddington Castle. Helen had told me that our mutual friend Mike Long had decided that ‘Liddy’ would be a better bet on this particular day, as the forecast suggested more of a north-west airflow later in the day. After a 30-minute drive I arrived at the base of the hill. The ridge is long but ridiculously shallow, with the remains of an interesting Iron Age hill fort on the top. Mike was there along with two other pilots – virtually empty compared to the Gibbet. We exchanged pleasantries, and Mike informed me that the thermals were rough! He’d had a large deflation just before I arrived, but, flying his safe upper B rated paraglider, was unfazed Ten minutes later he launched in a good cycle, flew out and upwind and started to circle. I launched too, but had no forward penetration on my not-too-fast wing. But by standing on the speed bar I crept slowly forward and gained height. I followed Mike’s 360s, but he was going up like a bullet! Now over the Fort with a good height gain, I relaxed a bit and concentrated on coring the thermal. By this time Mike was about 500ft above me and climbing with great aplomb. It had been seven years since I last flew downwind from the security of a hill site. I wasn’t intending to go XC – no gloves, no GPS and only a helmet-mounted audio vario. But I knew the airspace downwind, having flown XC from the site many times. Would I be able to rekindle my old XC skills? At about 4000ft above take-off my Dudek Nemo XX was behaving impeccably. I was really enjoying the flight without a care in the world. The sky was a fabulous blue colour without a cloud in sight, and the temperature was wonderful after the hilltop’s oppressive heat. I felt confident as a sailplane joined me and we climbed together. The pilot wore a sun hat and a big smile inside his perspex bubble, but I had cool, refreshing air all around me. I was free! Free flying and at one with the thermal. It was bliss. After half a dozen rotations the pilot waved and we separated. The rising air that surrounded me pushed my wing ever higher. It was magical! I landed in a grass field with marquees being erected for a weekend music festival. About half a mile away I could hear firing from game shooters’ shotguns. Each to their own, I thought. With my flying gear packed away and an open road before me, I started hitch-hiking. 30 minutes later a van stopped and the driver, fascinated by my story, offered to drive me back to my car at Liddington. The amazing thing was that he was on his way home to Newbury – the completely opposite direction to where I wanted to go! You really do meet some wonderful people when you are hitching! Thank you Dan. And thank you Mike. Once you start to paraglide, it’s only natural to want to progress. As you gain confidence and experience, you want to move on from a school wing to a B and beyond. But when you reach a certain age … you change. Two years ago I was flying a D rated glider, but started to have some issues with it. Now I’m happily aboard an A wing and enjoying it. It’s the right paraglider for me now. Photo: Mike Long Good things happen when you aren’t in a hurry … MIKE HIBBIT, LONGTIME HANG GLIDER AND PARAGLIDER PILOT4 SKYWINGS APRIL 2026 regulars 2 attitude: Mike Hibbit 6 news 8 AGM report 14 pilot profile: Ulric Jessop 16 comp lines 20 hang points 22 dead centre 23 new products 24 airmail 25 calendar of events 32 BHPA contacts 35 caption competition features 26 wing performance examined new data on XC metrics 28 a practical HPA human power then – and now 30 complacency risk management and the comfort zone 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 ENQUIRIESTel: 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 Edward Day and BGD Cure 3, somewhere in the Cauca valley in February Photo: Edward Day THIS PAGEJulia Begley ground handling at Hay Bluff Photo: Chris BegleyAPRIL 2026 SKYWINGS5 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 June issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Wednesday April 29th. Letters for the May Airmail pages should arrive no later than Friday April 17th. Advertisement bookings for the May 2026 edition must arrive by Friday April 10th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Friday April 17th.6 SKYWINGS APRIL 2026 B news Climbing on auto! The buzz from the gliding world is that German engineers have developed a thermalling autopilot. Remember those whizzy diagrams about when to steepen your turn and when to open out, and how long to count in your head before you start turning? Software developers at Flugzeugbau Schleicher GmbH in Bavaria have spent several years, with the help of AI, training an autopilot to centre in a thermal, and it’s beginning to pay off. As you started to realise when you learnt to fly XC, there’s a lot of intuitive ‘head stuff’ in the dark art of thermalling. Yet in mano-a- mano contests, it seems that Schleicher’s boffins have now reached a ‘Deep Blue v Kasparov’ moment where their DX-9000 Autoclimb computer, hooked up to the front seat controls of an Open Class ASH 31 sailplane, has regularly and reliably outflown former world champion Felipe Levin in an identical machine. At present paragliding is safe from the march of the machines, simply because of the difficulty of reliably adapting an interface involving servos and pushrods to the ‘soft machine’ environment. A computer/servo system can’t yet equate to a Kirsty Cameron or Joe Dart in full flow, arguably the nearest thing yet to bionic flight control. Could it be just a matter of time? More detail on this development at https://skywings.bhpa.co.uk/april.php. Hotel California: it turns out you can leave! 30 years after starting up the Hotel California operation at Almuñécar, Dirk Bormans and Tracy Cook have sold the business to new owners. The Hotel California experience is held in high regard by a huge number of UK pilots and their partners. On offer was not just the friendly, simple comfort of the place, but Dirk’s measured and confident guiding and Tracy’s remarkably good cooking. Plus the attendant attractions of scuba-diving, canoeing, mountain biking, etc. Their unfailing warm welcome and the prospect of great company brought successive repeat bookings. All things must pass. Hotel California continues with new owners, but Dirk and Tracy remain in the area and are still able and willing to assist British pilots with local holiday arrangements. You can contact them at dirkbormans@me.com. The photo was taken at sunset, looking out over Herradura Ba on their last day in February. You can check out any time you like … and it turns out that you can leave! Magic Bash update Ticketing is now live for the South East Wales club’s Magic Bash in the Brecon Beacons. Dates are May 16th-17th, with camping from the 14th. Location is the glorious Glanusk Estate at Crickhowell. Expect the best local food and drink, plus live music and much dancing. See also the Dragon H&F event on the Friday and Saturday, ending at the Bash. Tickets are at https://webcollect.org.uk/sewhgpgc/event/magic-dragon-bash-2026. GASCo – end of an era After over 60 years supporting UK GA, the General Aviation Safety Council has wound itself up following a review of its financial position and prospects. The charity has faced increasing financial pressures as external funding has decreased. GASCo has provided an independent forum across the GA community since 1964. Its goal was always to improve safety through education, information sharing, incident analysis and the promotion of airmanship. There have since been hundreds of safety evenings and seminars, military-civil Air Safety Days and other initiatives. Regular meetings have encouraged the exchange of information, and the Safety Bulletin has circulated data and 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 APRIL 2026SKYWINGS 7 analysis. Latterly there has been human factors and EC research, and support for the CAA’s Airspace Infringement Awareness course. ‘It has been a difficult decision,’ said Capt. Nils Jamieson, Chairman. GASCo has played a unique role in bringing together the many parts of GA to share safety knowledge and experience. We are grateful to all those who have supported that work, and remain proud of what has been achieved.’ EHPU news At its recent AGM in the Czech Republic, the EHPU’s Presidency passed to Denmark’s Sanne Røhe. FIDA, upgraded version of the European incident reporting system as used by the BHPA, was formally launched, along with the first stage of the European EPI non-commercial tandem qualification that will run alongside IPPI. Members also agreed to continue funding Working Group 6 at a cost of 8,200 euros annually; without this support EN certification would shut down. Elections confirmed Mark Shaw as General Secretary; Angus Pinkerton remains Airworthiness Officer and Marc Asquith continues on the Management Committee. After the concluding dinner aboard a riverboat, Angus reprised his whisky- tasting tutorial. The wee drams were supplied by the Clydeside Distillery, for which great thanks were expressed. Complimentary Skywings recipients – please read! Complimentary copies of Skywings are sent to various outside bodies and organisations in order to keep them informed of developments and achievements in the sports of hang gliding and paragliding. From time to time the list of recipients of complementary copies is reviewed. If you are a recipient of a complementary copy, value reading the magazine, and wish to continue to receive it, please email office@bhpa.co.uk with the subject line ‘Complimentary Skywings’. Identify the organisation on whose behalf you are receiving the magazine and we will ensure that you are not inadvertently removed from the list. No response – no Skywings! In brief Acro records. Readers may recall US pilot Max Marien performing 17 Twister rotations, 60 Infinity Tumbles and 26 Misty Flips in October to claim six World records under ‘Paragliders, Aerobatic’ (December Skwings). All six claims have been cancelled by the FAI citing ‘No dossier received in due time.’ Initial records in those categories were previously unset: they are out there for the taking! Accuracy records. Malaysian accuracy pilot Aisyah Zafirah Mohd Nazri has claimed a previously-unset World and Asian record for consecutive landings. In February, at Besut, Malaysia, then at Chonburi and Pha Tak Suea Thailand, Aisyah completed 25 consecutive rounds, amassing only 55cm. The record is ‘number of consecutive accuracy landings with a score equal to or less than 5cm.’ BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! February winners Sue Britnell £134.40 Adam Sullivan £67.20 Julian Walford £33.60 David Forty £20.16 Gwyn Daniels £16.80 Henry Hookings £16.80 Stephen Flint £13.44 Paul Lane £13.44 Paul Treadwell £10.08 Jonathan Browne £10.08 BHPA £336.00 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 525099.8 SKYWINGS APRIL 2026 B news Finance Angus Langford briefly reiterated his January report (year ending March 2025). In short, turnover was more or less unchanged, leading to a modest annual surplus of £32k and reserves steady at £612k. At the end of January ‘26 the current year seemed to be on target for a surplus of around £20k by March 31st. However membership numbers continue to show a gentle decline, which is concerning and will need to be addressed in the long term. Election With four Exec members members leaving – big thanks to Brett Janaway, Ed Cunliffe, Stuart Blackburn and Paul Dancey, all of whom have repeatedly gone the extra mile – and four people seeking election (plus of course Marc Asquith and Steve Young seeking re-election), the election was uncontested. Welcome aboard James Allcock, Mike Chilvers, Guy Richardson and Mark Schaefer, whose details you will have seen in January’s AGM Notice. Presentations BHPA Certificates of Merit were presented to Mike Lake, who was present, and to Darren Brown, who was not. Darren’s Wings over a Cloud award was also mentioned (see February Skywings). Their contributions are outlined below; both have achieved extraordinary success and contributed greatly to the ongoing strength of the Association. Honorary Memberships were then presented to Roy Hill and Derek Evans; both had interesting things to say, not least about the calibre of people they worked with. Their work for the BHGA a generation ago built, with others, the secure platform on which we stand today. They also spoke proudly of the tireless support from wives and girlfriends, such as organising retrieves from a tiny phone box. Special, diligent, talented, hard-working people all! Reports Insurance. Martin Heywood reported stability on the insurance front and only a slight increase in our premium. Our claims history is looking reasonably good. ‘We aim to keep you in the air and keep you on sites, and if I can help you all to do that I’m happy,’ he said. Skywings. Paul Dancey leaves Skywings in good shape. There is likely to be a 2% increase in overall costs, due largely to the Post Office’s stranglehold on the last- mile of delivery. Steve Young takes over responsibility for Skywings management. Websites. Paul is also responsible for our websites; he will remain active behind the scenes for the selection and bedding in of a new contractor for bhpa.co.uk. The online membership card and the new FIDA incident reporting system have both gone live on separate websites and appear to be working well. But bhpa.co.uk has been developed piecemeal over the years, and it’s time for a more integrated system with easy CMS access. Meanwhile, he says, it’s been a lot of fun. Also present in the room was Steve Pionk of the Hang Gliding History Museum. Steve had brought a lot of hang gliding memorabilia to display, having learnt of the visiting BHGA royalty. He presented Paul with a celebration mug from the first BHGVR rally in 2016. Brett Janaway pointed out that Paul’s work on the website had probably saved the Association tens of thousands of pounds. All this to great applause for his years of selfless service. Sites. Martin Baxter reminded us of the value of his BHPA sites database in providing a single point of contact when airspace or other issues come knocking. Among them difficulties, so far on a limited scale, with Natural England, and the proliferation of wind and solar farms. He has also drafted a new form to assist clubs in compiling a sites risk assessment, available on request. Safety. FSC Chairman Angus Pinkerton praised his team of techies including new hire Jack Sewell, and the amount of work they do. The Tech Manual now runs to 150 pages, and there are pilot examinations, the hang glider test rig, investigations and the inevitable inquests, online exams and airspace change proposals, and much more. All backed by support from the FSC’s volunteer experts. Yet again a team going above and beyond to do what’s needed. On top of this, Angus and Mark Shaw are key figures in the WG6 group, advancing testing standards in (currently) harnesses and impact reduction. Competitions. Bill Bell paid tribute to the many people involved in running competitions in all our different disciplines. He noted that if the funding for the UK’s Olympic bobsleigh team was replicated pro-rata for our sport he’d have billions at his disposal to fund teams and training. He also commended British pilots’ international standing, not least in the FAI rankings and recent world championships. CIVL. Brett Janaway, about to attend the Plenary Meeting in Portugal, noted that in the wake of recent competition fatalities there were around 100 proposals for discussion there, rather than the usual 30 or so. He hailed the emergence of Sports Class comps and the comparative safety of modern wings of all types; the issue at hand is to continue glider development while keeping pilots safe. Admin. There have been few changes on the Admin front, just minor adjustments in staffing hours. Marc Asquith praised the BHPA Office team, another group of self-motivated people who just get on with it. ‘Thanks for your hard work,’ he said. ‘We couldn’t survive without you!’ Marc’s comments were echoed by Jenny Buck’s written report, which concluded by expressing her own thanks to the technical and office staff who keep the Association running without fanfare. Also to the club chairs and committees for their willingness to find workable solutions to difficulties. Looking forward, Jenny is optimistic that the same spirit of cooperation and commitment will meet the challenges and opportunities to come. The meeting closed after just over an hour, not quite record time. There were a few ‘attendees’ online but no questions were raised by them. Despite headwinds, the Association continues onward in robust form. There is a theme: across the piste the Association is driven by very capable, diligent people both voluntary and salaried, doing their absolute best for the sport. All Officers’ full reports can be accessed on the BHPA website under Documents> BHPA 2026 AGM Pack. BHPA AGM JOE SCHOFIELD REPORTS FROM LEICESTER Last year the AGM seemed to have found its natural home at the BHPA Leicester office. This time around it was standing room only, occasioned by the conferral of Honorary Life Membership on two former Officers of the Association. Thus a warm welcome to former Chairman Roy Hill and former hang gliding team manager Derek Evans, their respective partners Wendy and Audrey, and to Roy and Wendy’s son Andrew, each of whom played key roles in the early years of the BHGA. Also present were former Worlds-winning pilots Johnny Carr and Robert Bailey. Absent, deployed elsewhere, was BHPA Chair Jenny Buck, leaving Company Secretary Marc Asquith to lead off.APRIL 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 RAeC Bronze Medal: Steve Penfold In his more than 27 years of dedication to hang gliding Steve left an indelible mark as a pilot, mentor and leader. An accomplished competition pilot, he represented the UK at the 2018 and 2022 European Championships and the 2023 and 2025 World Championships. His pivotal role at the 2023 Worlds helped steer the team to a Silver medal, and later the RAeC’s prestigious Prince of Wales Cup. Steve also gave tirelessly to the development of the sport. For 17 years his work as Comps Panel Treasurer ensured the financial stability and smooth running of national competitions, and his leadership helped competitions become more accessible and inclusive. While he contributed to the pilot development programme and championed the introduction of Club Class, his organisational skills brought into being the joint British/Italian Nationals, a groundbreaking event that strengthened international ties. Steve’s tragic passing, following an accident at the 2025 World Championships at Àger, was a profound loss to all who knew him. He will be remembered for his skill and achievements, and his integrity and unwavering commitment to the hang gliding community. Steve was also awarded, posthumously, the BHPA President’s Trophy for his service to the sport. Ann Welch Memorial Award: Dennis Trott Dennis began his working life building boats, sailing, and competitive rifle shooting. Then skiing, which in the mid- 1980s brought him to Chamonix, where he witnessed the earliest paragliders taking flight. He was instantly hooked, and in BHPA and RAeC 2025 Awards Steve Penfold Dennis Trott Photo: Josh CoombsPhoto: Dennis TrottNext >