No. 446JUNE 2026 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding AssociationB attitude ‘What is it about flying XC that worries you?’ asks Jimmy, a paragliding buddy who I fly regularly with here in the paragliding mecca of Algodonales. There is no malice or sarcasm in his question, just a sympathetic, concerned look that I have come to dread whenever this subject comes up. He’s genuinely trying to help what he sees as my lack of progression in the sport. The truth is I have absolutely zero interest in XC, and I don’t see why it seems to be demanded of me. When I pull my wing up and launch, I want to get as high as I can for as long as I can. I want to enjoy floating on air currents, thermal with some vultures, maybe reach the clouds and certainly enjoy the views. Why does everyone have to make it about distance? When I passed my PADI Open Water diving course many years ago, I had no urge to submerge and see how far I could power myself underwater before running out of air. Instead I wanted to enjoy leisurely navigating a medium which humans usually can’t access. I wanted to look around and explore. There was no ‘distance’ element to the experience. You can see where I am going with this. For me it’s the same when I fly. You want to challenge yourself on XCs. I don’t. We all, I suspect, want something different from paragliding. In the beginning, for me, it was about overcoming my fear while in the air, and scrabbling to master the basics without hurting myself/embarrassing myself/damaging my equipment. When I passed my EP and CP in Algodonales three years ago with a small company called Love Paragliding, I had absolutely no grasp of anything but the absolute rudiments of the sport. Thankfully the paragliding gods saw fit to place in my path Nicholas Craven, a highly experienced and patient BHPA paragliding guide with a development school in Algo called ParaglidingGuide.com. Nick is one of life’s natural teachers. I have never come across any other guide or coach in Algodonales with his level of empathy, or understanding of what each of his students needs in order to develop as individual pilots. I never fly alone. I live on the Spanish south coast and it’s a one hour 45-minute drive to Algodonales. Each flyable weekend I drive over the mountains to Algo to join Nick and his busload of clients as he finds us the best site for the day, keeps an eye on our preparations and watches our launches. He is on the radio during our flights if we need him, or if he sees something he needs to point out to keep us safe. He picks us up from the landing field and takes us back up the (or to another) hill. I am now a P rated pilot with 200 flights under my belt and 150 hours post CP. I still consider myself a novice or intermediate pilot at best, very much a learner. These days Nick’s team needs to direct me a lot less while flying. Hardly at all most days, but I take comfort in having a watchful expert on the other end of the radio. I feel myself improving all the time. My thermalling is pretty good now, and I attribute that to my comfort levels increasing while in the air. I have a Woody Valley Mk1 acro harness, but only because it is comfortable and has two reserves. Most importantly, I fly an EN A wing. It’s a Flow Future 2, which I believe people refer to as ‘high A’ (oxymoron I know.) But as I am not trying to XC, it’s perfect for me. In Bruce Goldsmith’s excellent 50 Ways to Fly Better, Hugh Miller suggests that A wings are actually easier to thermal, as they turn in a tighter circle. The article explains that the only downside is that the wing flies slower than its higher aspect cousins. That makes it perfect for what I want. Thermals better? Check. Slow flying? Check (this helps me land more accurately in a small LZ like Algo’s Poniente). More importantly, I have had plenty of situations where the wing has front tucked, or collapsed in some way, but generally by the time I even react it has already bounced back into shape. This reassurance allows me to be present in the moment and focus on mastering the necessary corrections, confident that the wing is almost certain to do it for me if I don’t get it right fast enough. Mostly I find it’s about pitch control. The point is, I will never move ‘up’ from an A wing. Why should I? I don’t ever want to be in a terrifying aerial situation thinking ‘Damn, I wish I was still on my A wing!’ This is another source of entirely misconstrued and unneeded pity. ‘When are you going to move up to a B wing, Barry?’ is asked of me, many times, by Nick’s customers, who return several times a year for flying holidays with him. The question reveals a misguided assumption: the shared acceptance that we should always be progressing to higher aspect wings and pushing for XC. Sure, I can understand why people do both, but I feel there is an awful lot of dangerous bravado in this attitude. A Skywings article once conjectured that over 70% of UK pilots fly wings too advanced for them. This can result in them having a scare and ‘losing their mojo’, or being put off from the sport temporarily, even permanently. Realistically, modern A wings have done some pretty impressive XCs, and are no longer the wallowing omnibuses of yesteryear. I don’t believe a good, modern A wing will hold any developing pilot back as much as moving up too fast to a higher aspect wing. Flying a lower aspect wing frees up what Nick refers to as mental bandwidth, allowing you to focus on getting the fundamentals right. Good launch, strong pitch control, scouting likely thermals, safely maximising your climbs, and landing well by identifying wind direction even when there is no windsock. Paragliding is a highly individualistic sport. You can have all the training you want, watch all of the YouTube videos, read all the books and have the best coaches in the world on the radio. In the end, it is you up there alone with your wing. You make the final call in every situation. You are entirely responsible for yourself. Only you gain the benefits and suffer the consequences of your decisions. What I want from paragliding should be pretty clear by now. I don’t care about competitions. I will never try acro moves. I will always land in the nice, designated landing field rather than some iffy field miles away where I have to wait for a retrieve. And guess what? I will enjoy my flying as much as anyone else. Just for different reasons. 2 SKYWINGS JUNE 2026 Photo: Yogi Bar Ilan EN A wings and XCs AN A IS ALL I NEED, SAYS BARRY LEY regulars 2 attitude: Barry Ley 6 news 9 safety matters 10 pilot profile: Dave Barber 12 comp lines 16 hang points 20 dead centre 22 new products 23 calendar of events 24 airmail 35 caption competition 4 SKYWINGS JUNE 2026 reviews 101 Ways to Fly Better8 another XCMag bible features in Didier’s footsteps …26 introducing the Flex-Alps challenge DIY electronic conspicuity28 how to repurpose a cheap tracker have glider, will travel!30 adventures with hang gliding’s BromptonTHE 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 Marc Booth over Rutland Water after launching from Rutland Airsports. Photo: Marc Booth THIS PAGEFlare’s Moustache 2 parakite in its favoured environment Photo: Skywalk GmbH 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 August issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Friday June 30th. Letters for the July Airmail pages should arrive no later than Monday June 15th. Advertisement bookings for the July 2026 edition must arrive by Thursday June 11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Thursday June 18th. JUNE 2026SKYWINGS 5B news British pilots top WPRS Sport ranking The FAI have added a new XC Sport category to the various WPRS rankings, and the new Nations table was topped in early April by British pilots. Ulric Jessop, Gerry McNicol, Tom Hodgkin and Mark Hayman together outscored the top four Swiss pilots, headed by Marco Sommerfeld. Ulric, Gerry and Tom were all in the individual top ten with Mark at 11th. Magda Janaway and Kanan Thakur were 2nd and 3rd in the women’s table behind Riley Ferre (US), and Tom Frances and Mark Janaway were 4th and 7th in the Junior table. The good showing reflects the strong take-up by British pilots of Sports-level comps, exemplified by the SRS, British Sports Champs and Naviter Open. The rankings are at https://civlcomps.org/ranking/. [Photos: Ruth Jessop] Amazing X-Scotia Dougie Swanson-Low mastered challenging conditions on May 2nd to win the 2026 X-Scotia hike&fly event. Dougie dominated the five-turnpoint course with a remarkable flight from Meall a’Bhuiridh, through Glencoe to Kinlochleven. After a speedy hike to the final turnpoint, he flew into goal six and a half hours after setting off from Glencoe Mountain Resort. Tom Webb contested the lead but was forced down at Glencoe village, while Dougie was able to soar up Sgorr na Cìche into a clear lead. Tom had to chase on foot to the Kinlochleven turnpoint, arriving in goal only an hour or so behind. Five more pilots made goal on the Saturday including sole female entrant Emma Withers, joint 3rd with Alex Parmenter. Thanks to all sponsors and partners, especially Glencoe Mountain Resort, for helping to make this event possible. Full report next month. [Photo: Andy Howson] BOPC imminent! This year’s British Open Paramotor Championships begins at the Bucks Paramotor Club, Hillesden, on June 16th. Pilots already signed up include Adrian Southgate (pictured), Spain’s Matias Nombarasco, France’s Sandra Moreels and up-and-coming US pilot KaLeigh Biss. The competition will use the well-tested Endurance format, offering maximum airtime. The emphasis is on navigation, with some economy and precision tasks, and new additions from Task Director Ric Womersley. An FAI Category 2 event, all results will contribute to the World League Cup. Dan Jones won the CIMA Cup last year and the UK was top nation; a good BOPC result will boost a pilot’s standing in the table. The Discovery Challenge will run again, aimed at pilots who want to try out the competition environment. Fun tasks are set, with full briefings and debriefings, and GPS navigation allowed. The Challenge focuses on pilot development without the pressure of full-on competition, and there’s always support from the more experienced pilots. Pilots and spectators can arrive from Tuesday June 16th; the prizegiving will be on Sunday 21st. Full details and registration: https://ppgcomps.co.uk; queries to Event Director Andy Phillips (andy@ppgcomps.co.uk). [Photo: Tracy Anderson] The BOPC will follow the ParaParty ‘26 fly-in and charity fundraiser at the same venue the previous weekend. Try both! Details are at https://www.paraparty26.com 6 SKYWINGS JUNE 2026 Top Brits in WPRS XC Sport table: Jerry McNicol, Kanan Thakur and Tom FrancesTandem records Husband-and-wife record team Michel and Blandine Macquet returned to Kenya’s Iten ridge in January. A 200km recon flight ended with canopy damage, but after makeshift repairs they were able to set three world records: O/R speed at 36.2km/h, O/R distance at 250km and free O/R distance at 252km. In all they made eight flights, covering 1,700km in 55 hours airborne. They flew Ozone’s Swift Max 2 and a Zig/Forza 2 harness combo. Their instrumentation included a solar-powered Stodeus UltraBip and a Vector vario. The next goal, if they can secure financial support, will be Brazil in October. Follow their future adventures on Facebook and Instagram: titi_macquet_paragliding_pilot. In brief World and European records ratified. Free distance triangle world records have been confirmed for Kinga Masztalerz (Female: 272.57km), Hans Petit (Junior: 301.1km) and Edouard Potel (General: 358.6km). The last two of these are also European records. Zion records too. Zion Susanno’s claims for declared and free out- and-return distance (350km) and 300km O/R speed at (36.15km/h), set on October 18th last year from Iquique in Chile, have been ratified by the FAI at World and South American level. SRS Podcast link. Riley Ferre’s SRS podcast (May, P8) is at https://open.spotify.com/show/1w6J38ZJTGnFPgYVgsUe86?si=0lnMl w90SCaQF2KPAQVXAg Exec resignation. On April 17th James Allcock resigned from the BHPA Exec with immediate effect. He remains Chair of the Long Mynd Soaring Club. JUNE 2026SKYWINGS 7 BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! March winners Nick Malone £138.00 David Hayes £69.00 Alexis Roxburgh £34.50 John Edwards £20.70 Hugh Burnaby-Atkins £17.25 Donald Mapp £17.25 John Edwards £13.80 JJ Jardine-Paterson £13.80 David Whittle £10.35 Charles Blount £10.35 BHPA £345.00 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. April winners Michael Dixon £137.80 Wayne Gregory £68.90 Nick Warren £34.45 Rob Cheshire £20.67 Andrew Burton £17.23 Joe Hoppe £17.23 George Preston £13.78 Jim Whitney £13.78 Nicholas Simmons £10.34 Richard Clark £10.34 BHPA £344.48 Adv li vnur n liv e y ou r SIN SS‘‘MANMANSKY EDSIR SKY ybrid single sh THE SKINNGLE WERFWERFPO POTTOSOSM SHARK M acwith20%doublesurfkin DMUND FUL IS FUL ec K EDSIR t pomos SHARKDMUND lyFe&ikH orerful single skin fw crShort T www sttry flighounoss-cr hermalling T ly Fe &ik oo.skyman..w H aer 8 SKYWINGS JUNE 2026 It’s a very high quality softback with some stunning pictures. It’s a successor to Bruce Goldsmith’s 2013 Fifty Ways to Fly Better, based on material from his Icaristics column in the magazine. Bruce is now joined by Théo de Blic, Greg Hamerton and a number of other highly-regarded writers. As well as the increase in contributors, there have been a lot of carefully thought out revisions to transform the book into a well-organised, modular volume. Use it to study subjects in depth, or just dip in and out for revision on particular topics. Nine sections cover everything for the aspiring pilot, with a number of topics contained within each section; the first two cover ‘Choosing gear’ and ‘Fundamentals’. Each section has a specific thin colour stripe down the right hand side of the page so you can get back to it quickly. Each topic is sub-divided into headings that present the concepts very clearly; extra in-depth stuff is covered in a separate panel. At the end of each topic another panel provides a useful summary. Excellent pictures and diagrams illustrate each section to make the concepts easier to grasp. After the two introductory headings the book progresses through thermalling and XC masterclasses, and goes on to examine the two main disciplines in XC flying: mountain and flatland. Sections on SIV, general safety and finally some sports psychology round up a very impressive book that will last a long time into the career of any pilot. The book is targeted at English speaking pilots the world over, and as a result doesn’t cover air law because such things are country-specific. One other aspect needs to be mentioned: it’s a very pleasurable read and really greases the wheels of learning. It’s attractive as a reference manual, to dip back into for revision or brush up on something you feel a bit rusty on. I can’t recommend this book highly enough; I only wish it had been around when I was starting out. [Steve Uzochukwu] Paragliding - 101 Ways to Fly Better, 175 x 240mm, 330 pages, ISBN: 978-1-7393434-4- 6, is available at £35.00 from all good paragliding shops, https://xcmag.com/shop and Amazon. B book review Paragliding: 101 Ways to Fly Better BY BRUCE GOLDSMITH, THÉO DE BLIC, GREG HAMERTON AND FRIENDS Published by Cross Country magazine, this new volume is designed to help new pilots out of school progress through the necessary stages to become better pilots, and to fly XC.B safety matters Mildenhall-Lakenheath safety protocol Following an A-risk Airprox between a sailplane and a US military KC-135 tanker near RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk in 2025, the BGA have released an interesting self-briefing document for sailplane pilots. The Airprox resulted in constructive engagement between the USAF and the BGA, aimed at greater mutual awareness and safe sharing of airspace. For free fliers in the area – and those heading that way from Llangorse, Malvern, etc – this is worth studying. The Mildenhall- Lakenheath CMATZ and the surrounding Class G airspace can be very busy with military aircraft, especially at the present time. Regular traffic can include F-15 and F-35 fast jets, C-130 and C-17 transports, KC-135 tankers and CV-22 tilt-rotor helicopters. Free fliers won’t be able to fully employ the protocol, as the primary means of deconfliction suggested is Mode-C transponder and Airband VHF comms. However the charts showing arrival routes, holding patterns, circuit and approach routes provide a lot of pictorial information covering operations in the area. The 2025 Airprox is not the first serious incident in the locality. Anyone planning to fly the area should study this document. Forewarned is forearmed. And note: the MoD has recently launched an ACP to implement an as-yet undefined ‘electronic conspicuity veil’ around the Lakenheath/ Mildenhall complex. Find the ‘Safe Shared Airspace document at https://members.gliding.co.uk/library/uncategorised/safe-shared- airspace-lakenheath-and-mildenhall/ Hook knife caution A brand new hook knife was discovered to be unable to cut a single Dyneema-type braided line. Close inspection revealed that attempting to cut the type of material it is designed for had damaged the intersecting blades and rendered the knife useless. It is not the first time that a hook knife has turned out to be made of very poor quality materials. Owners of hook knives of all types from all manufacturers are advised to examine the blades carefully and test their cutting ability on a spare bit of webbing or line. Any hook knife that fails to sever light webbing or line should be discarded. JUNE 2026SKYWINGS 9 Photo: Ian Carstairs Manufacturer’s Safety Notices Woody Valley Quadro and ALFAcross emergency parachutes In April Woody Valley issued ‘mandatory before flying’ Safety Notices covering all sizes of the above parachutes, repacked into the original containers following the former packing instructions in the manual. Cases have been reported where deployment was hindered because the container fabric became caught. The issue has been linked to the previous container closing method described in the manual. New parachutes, and those that have never been repacked, are not affected. Details and photos: www.bhpa.co.uk/news. rusni ME ceanr SREMB loiy PnbuR ,ylmiaFruoYtcteorP I • sselnl Ialc P iittririC nIef C Li EHLTLAC stloirPosft sse o ininsuBroegatgroM noitceot Premocn ecanrusn s STSILACIEPS dnouttcejbusstcudore pcnarusnlilA ocgnyifl TSE 0 5080 EHLTLAC airetiry ctilibigilsererusnding anitirwred uk.o.crevo 9819T 109 199 STSILACIEPS Next >