No. 357 JANUARY 2019The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS JAN 2019 THE BHPA LTD 8 Merus Court, Meridian Business Park,Leicester LE19 1RJ. Tel: 0116 289 4316.Skywings magazine is published monthly by the British HangGliding and Paragliding Association Ltd to inform, educate andentertain those in the sports of Paragliding and Hang Gliding.The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily thoseof the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, theirCouncil, Officers or Editor. The Editor and publisher accept noresponsibility for any supposed defects in the goods, servicesand practices represented or advertised in this magazine. TheEditor reserves the right to edit contributions. ISSN 0951-5712SUBSCRIPTIONS AND DELIVERY ENQUIRIES Tel: 0116 289 4316, THE EDITOR Joe Schofield, 39 London Road, Harleston, Norfolk IP209BH. Tel: 01379 855021. COVER PHOTO Poland’s Wojtek Bógdal, Tecno-Fly Tornado 280and Dudek Warp wing over the Wahiba sands in eastern Oman,December 2018 Photo: Dan BurtonTHIS PAGE Winter wonderland: Wills Wing Sport 3 at El Cuchillo,Lanzarote – in December. Full flight test coming soon.Photo: Colin FargherDESIGN & 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: 020 7193 9133 SKYWINGS ONLINE Go For theJanuary 2019 issue enter the username Jan_2019 and the case-sensitive password &91_YZF3For the February issue enter the username Feb_2019 and the case-sensitive password 9Xwev%?5DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for theMarch 2019 issue must be submitted to the Skywings office byFriday February 1st. Letters for the February Airmail page shouldarrive no later than Friday January 18th. Advertisement bookingsfor the February edition of Skywings must arrive by Friday January11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than Friday January 18th. regulars regulars reviews features 4 SKYWINGS JAN 2019The history of BHPA insurance has beenone of canyons and plateaus.When the BHPA was formed in the early1990s we had a pretty stable insurancehistory, with both hang gliding andparagliding presenting only a modestclaims history to underwriters. As we wentthrough the tail end of the 1990s severallarge claims brought that happy state ofaffairs to an end. They seemed toconsistently involve tandem flying orinstruction, and on one occasion both! Thesettlements were all in the region of thepolicy limit at the time of £2 million.As a result of these claims a number ofchanges were brought about. Ian Currerand I drafted the first versions of theStudent Training Record Books, structuredto ensure that students were not over-progressed, and achieving a Dual Licencewas made more onerous. The underwritersignificantly increased the basic premium,introduced caps on the level of cover fortuition and dual and introduced additionalpremiums for instructors and dual pilots.At its worst, our claims history left uswith only one underwriter in the UKmarket willing to insure us. As thechanges we brought in fed through thesystem, the claims began to fall away andthe history improved. The ten-year periodwhen we only had one underwriter is onewhich I would not want to experienceagain – we spent our lives worrying fromday to day as claims appeared, waiting forthe next big one which would finally wipeus out. It was a terrifying time.Over the last 20 years we have had agenerally benign claims environment withonly a couple of claims within the £1million range. The premium has fallen inreal terms and the caps have beenremoved, and the level of cover hasincreased from £2 million to £5 million.There have been a number of underwritersin the market keen to quote for our risk.However, back in June of 2016 our luck ranout. A mid-air collision between two of ourmembers left one with serious life-changing injuries. In the last 12 monthsthis claim has now become litigated. Theseriously injured pilot’s lawyers havepresented a claim, which I understand tobe for nearly double the policy limit of £5million. Lawyers instructed by our insurersare handling the claim and hope toachieve a settlement based upon a balanceof fault, if any, and more in line with thegoing rate for the types of injuries sufferedby the pilot.Our policy renews at the end ofDecember every year. We have thereforebeen discussing renewal terms with ourexisting underwriter and seekingquotations from others. And so we havedéjà vu all over again. Our existingunderwriter has been unable to obtain re-insurance at any price and so has quoteda premium of significantly more thandouble that of last year. A new underwriterhas provided a quote and no doubt we willaccept it. Skywings deadlines and thetiming of the quote mean that it is suchhot-off-the-press news that we are stillconsulting on the options.This new quote sees an increase in thepremium of significantly in excess of£200,000. It is therefore inevitable thatBHPA subscriptions will rise. A back of afag packet calculation would suggest anincrease somewhere close to £20 - £22 permember, depending on the final contract,with other increases in all membershipclasses. In order to give our ownadministration time to prepare for thechange, and to allow schools to adjusttheir documentation and pricing ifnecessary, I would expect to announce thechanges to the subscriptions around theNew Year and for them to come into forceon April 1st 2019.Our esteemed Treasurer will, no doubt,very soon be plying the spreadsheets andcranking the handle on his calculatingmachine. If we do not have another longpatch of modest claims we will be thinkingof what other approaches can be taken ifthe premium sees another similar rise in ayear or two’s time.One element is to make sure that risksare kept to a minimum. I frequently seeinternet videos of tandem flights pilotedby UK pilots where the passenger is beinggiven an extra thrill of modest aerobatics.Just think how that would look to a judge ifit went wrong. The other element is simply that ofnumbers; the more members we have themore the premium is shared and thestronger our buying power. Exec. haveactively been trying to draw inmembership from outside our coredisciplines, such as from paramotor andmicrolight pilots. I hope to see membershipnumbers pass through 8,000 in the next 18months, but even then we need to keepgrowing to be able to afford theseoccasional hiccups.To think how concerned I felt in late2015, watching the USHPA selling off itsoffice building and cashing any reservesit could lay hands on in order to self-insure the first $1 million of any claim. Ifwe are unlucky we could be close behindthem at this rate – as I said, it’s déjà vuall over again.I hope everyone had a Happy Christmasand New Year and wish all our members ahappy and prosperous 2019. Fly often, flyhigh and fly safe.Déjà vu all over againMARC ASQUITH, BHPA CHAIRMANThe New Year has started, and I am hoping that it willbe every bit as good as the last few. The Flying Circusis always quiet at this time, so I’m clearing off for a fewweeks biking around New Zealand, and the office willbe closed until the middle of February. When I comeback I’ll be looking to shift some of my exquisite stockof used kit, and hoping in the process to enhance mylucky customers’ flying. I have used paragliders to suitall skill levels, at prices from about £300.I also have a range of hang gliders at prices from £300,not least of which is this rather successful earlyLitespeed 4, which was involved in winning our local XCleague. Admittedly, it did have Jeremy Soper steering it,but perhaps it could do the same for you? At £495 itwon’t cost a lot to find out…. Check out the entire list ofused gliders If the weather improves I may beable to post photographs of somereally impressive gliders, but it hasbeen so poor of late that all I haveto show for this very lovely £750Ozone Buzz Z4 (it is a rather rareXL size) is a photo of it’s risers!Not to worry – spring is coming:In truth, quite a lot ofthe stuff I have is out-of-the-ordinary! Whereelse would you find aGliderrider HammockRoof Rack System forisolating yourprecious hangie from any damage through hard contactwith a roof rack? This one isabsolutely as new, at just£150. Or, make me an offer!Slightly more mundane kitincludes a range of harnessesfor both disciplines, fromabout £75 for a groundhandler.This reversible Gin Versoharness / rucksack is a large,at only £379. A new one wouldcost about double that price!Would you prefer astandard rucksack? I havea brand new Ozone onehere at £75 – about halfthe list price for a currentmodel. I have various othernew and used ones fromabout £45, so why not takea look at the website andsee whether there isanything there that youfancy? The only slightcatch is that you areunlikely to get it before Iget home in February!Instruments? I havenew ones fromRenschler, Flytec, leBipBip, Naviter andFlymaster. There isalways a selectionof used ones, too,right now includingan as-new AscentGPS Vario at wellbelow new price.You know where tocheck it out:Radios and headsets aresome of my best-sellers,with Zoot headsets andradio outfits renowned forperformance andruggedness. I also getquite a few used radios in,and at the moment havethis very tidy Alinco DJ S1for just £50, a tinyMagiksun, and a couple ofBaofengs:Jeremy and his Dad invited me along to witness thefirst hops of the Sopalite, which was enjoyable, despitethe drab weather. Some of the prototype design andengineering was very impressive….. and it flew! Despitethe site being less than perfect Jezzer was able tomake a few useful adjustments, and plans are afoot toget it on the BHPA test rig at some point soon.The naff weather and little flying up to Xmas wasenough to convince me to head to New Zealand, whereit may be more summery – and the trip of a lifetime. Ihope you will understand that this means a slight delayin getting kit out to you. Happy New Year Everyone!2019 Starts Here!Charly HelmetsThe aerodynamicCharly NO Limits isavailable as anopen - or a full-facehelmet. Thepressure-formedaerodynamic Kevlar-reinforced fibreglassshells are renowned for their quietness, and come in fourcolours and four sizes,starting at £225. A clearvisor comes asstandard with optionalTinted visors available. The Charly Insider isprobably the top-sellingfree flight helmet of all time. The Kevlar-reinforced fibreglassshell is fully-lined, and I stock eleven colours and six sizesfrom XS to XXL! Pricesstart at £158, andweight is only660gm!The stylish CharlyLoop costs £120,weighs around 505gmand comes with a helmet bag included. There are threesizes and six colours:Gloss White, Matt Blue,Matt Black, Matt Red,Matt Orange and NovaSilver – see them all onmy website:The Charly Ace has a polycarbonate shell and comes in foursizes, with a choice of Gloss White, Matt Red, Matt Black orCarbon-look. Weight isaround 560gm, andprices start at £84.The Charly Breeze hasa swoopypolycarbonate shell,comes in four sizes ineither White or MattBlack - with contrastingremovable ear coversto suit differentseasons. There is alsoa version in twoadjustable sizes forcommercial operators schools andtandem. It weighs about 480gm,and costs £87.I stock all the Charly helmetsoptional accessories, too! The Ace,Breeze and Loop will all accept theoptional visor, available in Grey,Yellow, Orange and Mirror finishes.Prices start at £28 per visor, withthe fixing screw set costinganother tel:01404 891685 email: Turfhouse, Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA RAeS Light DesignconferenceSpeakers at the RAeS conference in Londonin November covered topics as diverse aselectric VTO commuter vehicles and wingsuitflying. Dr Bill Brooks, human-powered aircraftdesigner and technical director of P&Maviation, gave an interesting talk on his sub-70kg self-propelled hang glider. Flycycle(pictured) is powered by a small two-strokeengine but also has pedals and a chaindriving the tailwheel to allow the deriggedmachine to be pedalled on the road. Bill hasmade a number of flights on it and haspedalled it from his garage at home intowork. With a quick-rig short-pack glider suchas the Foxcub, or even a paraglider wing, andsome battery assistance to the pedaller, nowcommon on lots of e-cycles, Flycyle couldevolve into a useful, cheap-to-run machine. Wingsuit instructor (and paraglider pilot)Oliver Gibbs offered a fascinating insight intothis sport. With the large-area suits nowgliding at 3:1 or more the sport is evolvingfrom its base-jumping roots into somethingmore like speed flying. BHPA tech officer IanCurrer gave a brief history of hang glidingand paragliding and outlined the state of theart, from XC to acro, aerotow and speed flying.The certification process and the growth ofultralight hike-and-fly equipment was ofparticular interest, and a short video ofparaglider testing proved very interesting tothe aircraft designers in the audience. Other speakers included veteran microlightdesigner Mike Whittaker on his years ofdesign innovation, Cranfield’s Professor GuyGratton on the future of electric and hybridaircraft, and X-Plane designer Rashid Ali onthe role of accurate simulations in the designprocess. The audience questioned the panelon a wide range of subjects and the RAeSpresented several awards for innovativedesign projects.6 SKYWINGS JAN 2019newsCAA gets tougher on irresponsible paramotoringIn October members of the CAA’s GA Policy and Enforcement teams invited BHPA officers to discuss paramotoring,and specifically the increasing number of complaints from MPs, local Councils, the Police and members of thepublic. It is clear that the CAA intend to rein in some of the excesses of unregulated powered flying.On a practical level the CAA’s EnforcementTeam will in future seek BHPA assistanceto identify pilots under investigation,providing information on investigationsinto unwelcome powered (and unpowered)paragliding and hang gliding activity. TheBHPA is to work up a CommunicationsStrategy for the CAA along the lines of thesuccessful ‘Drone Code’, outlining thecurrent legalities of powered flying. Detailsof non-BHPA schools will be forwarded tothe Enforcement Team so they can beincluded in future communications; thismay also include the identification ofpopular power flying sites.On the legal side the CAA are to progressthe idea of mandating an element oftraining, notably on air law, via the sub-70kg policy framework. The EnforcementTeam will also consider the routine use ofForfeiture and Destruction Orders forequipment when prosecuting breaches ofthe ANO. Forward thinking by the CAA GAPolicy Unit will include establishing howother national authorities treat the issue ofinsurance for foot-launched flight;the BHPA will liaise with them on thepossibility of expanding mandatoryinsurance requirements to includepowered foot-launch activities.It is clear the CAA has been pressuredinto acting on the volume of complaintsabout nuisance powered flying. In seekingBHPA help and guidance they have takenthe first step; it is unclear at this stagehow effective any attempt to curb anti-social and illegal power flying will be.email call (spain) 0034 651736718 or (UK) 0208 144 2087Nepal & Colombia 2019Book two weeks with our team of experts in Nepal orColombia next winter. Early bird offer £50 off!Guided XC HolidaysOver 14 years experience. Southern Spains most popularthermal and XC winter destination.CP Plus HolidaysGeared ultimately for the new and rusty pilots out there.SIV & PilotageFly Spain believe your paragliding skills shouldn’t stop at CP level.news8 SKYWINGS JAN 2019FlySpain comps atAlgoThis year FlySpain will be running aseries of small, fun competition weeksopen to anyone flying an EN B glider. Theaim is to encourage pilots to hone theirskills through relaxed competition flyingin a small group of no more than 15 pilots.As well as tasks the weeks willinclude, lectures, debriefings and tech help,and will be supported by three guides,drivers and full FlyMaster tracking. Thecost will be the same as FlySpain’sstandard guided XC weeks and will includeaccommodation, transport, coaching andretrieves. Depending on popularity theyaim to run these weeks every late Apriland May and in September and October.Dates and details are atWorlds teamannouncedThe BHPA hang gliding comps panel hasannounced the team selected to contestthe 2019 Class 1 world championships atTolmezzo in Italy. The team comprisesGrant Crossingham (2nd at 2018Europeans), Ollie Chitty (9th at 2018Europeans), Gary Wirdnam (6th and teamGold at the 2007 Worlds and four timesBritish Champion), Gordon Rigg (veteran offive Worlds teams and ten times BritishChampion) and Andy Hollidge (2017 Worldsand 2018 Europeans veteran). The teamwill be managed by Phil Chettleburgh; ifthe team size increases to six, which ispossible, Dave Matthews, veteran of fourWorlds teams, is first reserve. Additionalplaces for individual pilots may becomeavailable later. The main competition areaBHPA 500 ClubWIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! November winnersRobert Bradley £134.20John Parker £67.10Viv Biro £33.55John Wreford £20.13Alan Johnson £16.78Gustav Fischnaller £16.78James Petts £13.42Steve Smith £13.42Ryan Carroll £10.07David Hayes £10.07BHPA £335.48If by the time you read this you havenot received your cheque, please contactme on 07802 525099.Marc AsquithWe’ve seen another welcome increase in the number of membersover the past year, taking the total number at the end of March to7,266. Although our sites are getting busier, with all theconcomitant risks that entails, the increase in numbers helps tokeep our insurance viable for the underwriters, reduces the costper member of the largely fixed costs of running the Associationand supports the UK’s network of dealers and instructors whoprovide us with the kit and support we need.Over the year to March 2018 the Association’s income matchedthe increase in membership, growing over the year by 3% (£42k)to £835k. Over the same year, however, we faced a number of costpressures and overall costs increased by £60k to £818k so that theoverall surplus for the year was £17k compared to £34k in 2017.The biggest elements of our cost increase were the increasedactivity of the BHPA technical team and Flight Safety Committee –overall costs up £37k – and our flying insurance premium whichrose by £14k. Other membership and administrative costs rose byless than the rate of inflation. The net cost of Skywings permember (after advertising income) rose by 3p per copy to £1.33per magazine.Overall reserves stand at £536k, of which £332k is invested inour freehold office. We pay our subscriptions annually in advanceso the BHPA continues to hold reasonable levels of cash, butunfortunately interest rates are very low and our interestearnings remain disappointingly small.The BHPA holds reserves for three important reasons. Firstlythey allow us more flexibility in budgeting; making a loss in asingle year is possible provided we make up for it in the next, sosubscriptions can be lower than they would otherwise need to be.Secondly they provide us with a fighting fund should we have toface an existential threat to our sports, and thirdly they providefunds available to support site purchases. We have adopted a policyof maintaining the value of reserves in real (inflation-adjusted)terms over the medium term, so that surpluses in one year makeup for losses in others. This year with inflation running at 2.4% weincreased reserves by a little over 3% and I am pleased to be ableto report that the BHPA’s finances remain in good form.Having held subscriptions unchanged in 2016 and 2017 weincreased subscriptions in April this year, and with a continuingincrease in membership numbers the current year’s financialoutlook is good. All the members of Exec share the desire to keepcosts and subscriptions to a minimum. However there is thepotential for a significant increase in insurance premiums nextyear so subscriptions may need to rise again in 2019.Although a great deal of the work of the Association is carriedout by unpaid volunteers we are dependent on our highlyexperienced professional staff both in FSC and in the office. I amgrateful to Michelle and the rest of the team in Leicester formaking the Association run so smoothly.Angus Langford, BHPA TreasurerBHPA Financial Report for the year ended31st March 2018JAN 2019 SKYWINGS 9will be Friuli Venezia Giulia (Meduno, Gemona, etc) but tasks maybe anywhere between the sea and the Dolomites: Veneto, TrentinoAlto, Austria and Slovenia – includes the Emberger Alm, Kobala,Lijak and Kovk. Congratulations to all involved!BHPA AGMThe Association’s 2019 AGM takes place on Saturday March 2nd atthe Nottingham Belfry Hotel (NG8 6PY), alongside the BGA AGM andtrade show. Elsewhere in this issue you will find the Treasurer’sReport and voting papers for the election of officers. The BHPAExec operates a rolling three-year tenure of officers; this year BillBell (competitions), Martin Heywood (insurance), Angus Langford(treasurer) and John Welch (clubs liaison) will stand down at theend of their statutory terms. All four are happy to serve again; inaddition members Andy Berzins and David Perryman, both of theSir George Cayley club, are standing for election – see the votingpapers in this issue. Topics for discussion at the members’ forum,held directly after the AGM itself, should be notified to the BHPAChairman by February 1st.Pierre NavilleOn Saturday 8th December eight paraglider pilots, part of a well-known annual French record camp in Australia, took off from anairstrip near Wilcannia, NSW. When only seven pilots came to earthat Cobb Highway, about 160km to the south, a search was initiatedto locate experienced French veteran pilot Pierre Naville (67).Following an extensive aerial and ground search, on Sunday 9thDecember police located Pierre’s body in bushland about 20kmnorth of Ivanhoe. There are no clues as to what may haveoccurred. Pierre had been flying for 30 years; he was the owner ofAnnecy school and dealership Les Passagers du Vent and thepartner of record-breaking legend Seiko Fukuoka Naville, to whomwe offer our heartfelt sympathies.In briefAccuracy Worlds new dates. The 10th FAI World ParaglidingAccuracy Championships, scheduled for May at Vršac, Serbia, hasbeen postponed until September 8th - 18th. The competition wassuspended due to the current political situation between Serbiaand Kosovo; since then CIVL and the FAI have reassessed thepotentially difficult state of affairs and agreed to a change of dates.Hike ‘n’ fly podcast. Judith Mole’s latest podcast features Polishvol-biv exponent Kinga Masztalerz, one of the few women to makelong solo hike-and-fly flights, discussing the motivation andemotions involved in going on long adventures alone. She hasrecently crossed the both Southern Alps and the Dolomites and issigned up for the 2019 X-Alps. All Judith’s podcasts are available atSeiko world record in Oz. On November 30th Seiko Fukuoka claimedthe women’s paragliding distance-via-up-to-three-turnpoints recordat 383.8km from Deniliquin, NSW. Seiko’s flight was substantially inexcess of Gyula Fichtinger’s existing mark of 207km set only lastJune. Subject to FAI ratification of course. Respect is due!Oceanic hang gliding record. The previously unset Oceanic Class 1hang gliding straight-distance-to-goal record was claimed onNovember 28th by Australia’s Adam Stevens. Adam flew his MoyesLitespeed RX3.5 343.3km from Birchip in Victoria to Ivanhoe, NSW. Icarus Trophy reaches Brazil. This year the Icarus Trophyparamotor race moves from South Africa to Brazil where the teamhave been putting together a route of around 1000 miles. The 2019race begins in November; details are at Skywings' blunder dept. Amid much positive feedback regardingthe December issue, Ricardo Costa pointed out our unforced error:the cover photo caption described Brazilian photographer and acepilot Nader Couri as flying an Icaro Laminar. Nader does indeednormally fly a Laminar, but this one is clearly an Aeros Combat …as is written all over the glider! We switched photos from Nader atthe last minute; we even switched the caption … but failed to spothis glider switch. My place in hang glider hell is assured! [JS]Next >