No. 363 JULY 2019 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS JULY 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 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 Laurent Salinas flying the Gin Carve in south- western France. Photo: Jerome Maupoint THIS PAGE Brian Cork flies Ozone’s Swift 5 above Makua Beach, Oahu, in the Hawaiian Islands. Photo: Jorge Atramiz 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 SKYWINGS ONLINE Go For the July issue enter the username Jul_2019 and the case- sensitive password tu95#F3w For the August issue enter the username Aug_2019 and the case- sensitive password 2*UVb9#C DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for the September 2019 issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Monday July 29th. Letters for the August Airmail page should arrive no later than Wednesday July 17th. Advertisement bookings for the August edition must arrive by Wednesday July 10th. Copy and classified bookings no later than Wednesday July 17th. regulars regulars reviews features attitude 4 SKYWINGS JULY 2019 Over the last couple of years members have had a few accidents resulting in significant injuries, and just like any other form of insurance this has resulted in an increase in premium. Let’s be clear: we are not talking about accident insurance (if you hurt yourself) or travel insurance (if you venture abroad). Third Party insurance covers the damage you do to somebody else. As training and dual flying represent obvious areas of risk our Technical Officers have been increasing the number of school inspections, and tandem pilots will be aware of the new currency requirements. Most of us are not instructors or dual pilots, but as we have seen recently, mid-air collisions can involve claim and counter-claim and represent one of our biggest areas of concern. Note that, as a BHPA member, if you fly outside your licence/ rating you are not insured. If you were a dual-rated pilot who has lapsed due to the new currency requirements, don’t be tempted to fly with a passenger. If you give someone a life-changing injury they will get legal advice and claim against you, and insurance- based compensation will be able to meet this in a way that you and the value of your house cannot. Yes, solicitors do pursue uninsured people for their assets in order to compensate their injured clients. Legally experienced Exec members have seen this all too often – your equity is gone! Also, the argument that it’s OK because you only fly with your friend/partner is a fallacy – when you’ve hurt them seriously that relationship will inevitably change. The same goes for your mates on the hill if you’re involved in a mid-air collision with one of them. I’ve met a few pilots, on the hill and in the pub, threatening to leave the BHPA and seek alternative insurance. In fact there’s nothing out there that comes close to the BHPA’s cover in terms of price and extent. I recently repeated my 2012 exercise and concluded that the BHPA insurance is still the best value for money. Personal liability in business policies excludes recreational flying, and our Association is the only free-flying organisation that has the clout to get reasonable quotes and coverage from the underwriting market. AXA couldn’t help. The British Insurance Brokers Association couldn’t recommend a broker. The only other reputable body who could provide cover was the British Mountaineering Club. However their insurance expert explained to me over the phone that obtaining cover for paragliding was not a priority for them as it is not one of their core sports. They used to cover us as a matter of course, however their last underwriter would not touch paragliding. Their current underwriter was happy to provide cover but there is no certainty that this will continue at their next renewal. The only other one I could find was Insure4sport, who will charge you £168 for £5m cover. The quote from APPI was more realistic at €40 per year but that only provides €1.6m cover. The UK insurance industry standard is £5m to cover the worst scenarios where somebody ends up disabled, requires care and loses their main source of income. £1.6m will not cover this. I soon got very bored with all this research and uncertainty – I will never get those hours back. In future I’ll be very happy to allow the BHPA to do the legwork for me. I’ve also heard a few mutterings about leaving the BHPA and flying without insurance, in the hope that you won’t be traced. You will be. Post-accident, someone will see and identify you. And if that’s your attitude, why should honest pilots and hard-working club people put up with you flying on the same site. You’re a risk to all of them. A mid-air collision is arguably the fault of both pilots; if I end up in a wheelchair, for the sake of myself and my family, I want to be able to claim off you. If you fly with no, or not enough, insurance you risk losing your house, your savings and any other assets that you have. I have also heard people use the reverse-logic argument: that £5m might not be enough, so if they are likely to go after your other assets as well it isn’t worth having the insurance. Wrong! The BHPA policy also provides a professional legal team to negotiate on your behalf, and claims that have been made for over the maximum amount have been successfully settled for under it. One person I know suggested using the insurance provided under membership in another country, but using a ‘friend’s’ address. You think you are saving a few pounds, but if you are subject to a claim the insurers will check the declaration and you’ll be left high and dry with no insurance, a very big bill … and fraud charges. The only good thing about the accidents that BHPA members have suffered over the last few years is that our insurance has been shown to work. The BHPA’s cover also extends to landowners, and some of them (most notably the National Trust and some local authorities) insist on a minimum of £5m. Insurance cover is therefore crucial when your club is trying to get its hands on a slice of hillside for you. Nobody likes insurance, but it’s a necessary evil in modern Britain. £50 is still a relatively small proportion of your annual flying costs. You’ll probably spend more on fuel getting to sites and doing retrieves on a good-weather weekend. Isn’t it a price worth paying so that you can enjoy your flying in the sure knowledge that you have the best cover available and the best support, and that you don’t risk losing everything that you own in the event that s*** happens to you and not someone else? The value of insurance MARTIN BAXTER, DALES CLUB CHAIRMAN AND BHPA EXEC MEMBER Back in 2012, when I wrote an Attitude article criticising the BHPA, one of the things I covered was insurance. With our £20 increase in membership subscriptions this year, I thought it a good time to revisit the subject. The insurance part of your membership fee was £28.14 last year, and with the recent £20 hike it’s going to be closer to £50 per member, nearly half of your total subscription.Crazy Busy! It has been so busy this year that I’m grateful to have got four days flying in recently, the last of these was on my gorgeous BGD Cure medium. It is for sale, of course – everything is for sale! (But if you don’t buy it I can go flying instead…..) I like to always have at least one Malibu 2 in the hangar, so please don’t try to buy. I want to fly it. I’ve sold four hangies this week, so am on the lookout for new stock: This rather rare Nova Ion 4S is in superb condition, with very low hours so is a bit of a bargain at £2295. If you come and buy it perhaps we could go flying! This well-sorted Moyes SX6 is even more rare, but also has low hours and is in great nick. £750 might prise it out of my hands. Only for an experienced / big / strong / heavy pilot. My fondness for the Firebird Raven is well- known - a stunning EN B wing that flies as well as it looks. At 80-105kg I could fly this beauty. Happy to keep this one… .. but £895ono would work On the subject of BARGAINS you could own Luisa’s small Stealth KPL for just £250! Massive performance for the money, and it would make space in my hangar. How about a complete ground handling outfit – wing and harness for £175? I have lots of ground handling stuff from £50 up – happy to sell it on non-flying days. This as-new Karpofly XCAlps (Medium) is £499 - a big saving over new. You would be wise to grab it! New and used harnesses always in stock for HG and PG! The Odds and Sods department has been busy, too! Among the unusual items still available is this 4.9m long waterproof hang glider bag with full-length zip for This Kobo GPS vario runs XC Soar. It comes with a very secure mount for hang gliders, and will also mount on a PG flight deck. Sensible offers will be considered (on non- flying Also unusual and very desirable indeed is this superb Koch Double release. It’s wonderful standard of engineering commands the very highest prices, and leads me to want to fondle it while talking on the ‘phone. Call! Convince me to sell it, if you can! Charly Helmets The aerodynamic Charly NO Limits is available as an open - or a full-face helmet. The pressure-formed aerodynamic Kevlar- reinforced fibreglass shells are renowned for their quietness, and come in four colours and four sizes, starting at £225. A clear visor comes as standard with optional Tinted visors available. The Charly Insider is probably the top-selling free flight helmet of all time. The Kevlar-reinforced fibreglass shell is fully-lined, and I stock eleven colours and six sizes from XS to XXL! Prices start at £158, and weight is only 660gm! The stylish Charly Loop costs £120, weighs around 505gm and comes with a helmet bag included. There are three sizes and six colours: Gloss White, Matt Blue, Matt Black, Matt Red, Matt Orange and Nova Silver – see them all on my website: The Charly Ace has a polycarbonate shell and comes in four sizes, with a choice of Gloss White, Matt Red, Matt Black or Carbon-look. Weight is around 560gm, and prices start at £84. The Charly Breeze has a swoopy polycarbonate shell, comes in four sizes in either White or Matt Black - with contrasting removable ear covers to suit different seasons. There is also a version in two adjustable sizes for commercial operators schools and tandem. It weighs about 480gm, and costs £87. I stock all the Charly helmets optional accessories, too! The Ace, Breeze and Loop will all accept the optional visor, available in Grey, Yellow, Orange and Mirror finishes. Prices start at £28 per visor, with the fixing screw set costing another tel: 01404 891685 Turfhouse, Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA GET INTO THE SKY!6 SKYWINGS JULY 2019 news Leeds Bradford ACP rejected In May the Airspace Change Proposal submitted in 2018 by Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) was rejected by the CAA. First proposed five years ago, the final iteration of the proposal would have seen a vast area of West and North Yorkshire, including the Dales National Park, blanketed by a complex series of Control Areas with bases of 3,500ft – over terrain that rises to 1,500ft in places. The proposed airspace would have severely restricted XC flying for Dales, Derbyshire and Pennine pilots, and restrictions on the Upton Corridor (between LBA and Doncaster/Sheffield) would have further constrained a key XC route. CAA approach to electronic conspicuity ‘is flawed’ The All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation (APPG-GA) have branded the CAA’s approach to electronic conspicuity (EC) as flawed and too limited in scope to be of practical use. The remarks are part of the APPG-GA’s response to the CAA’s call for evidence to inform its new strategy on EC devices, which closed in May. Local BHPA and BGA representatives formed a Regional Soaring Airspace Group (RSAG) and, supported by clubs and members, objected to the proposal on the grounds that it could not be justified, and that the safety of those outside of controlled airspace had not been properly addressed. The RSAG also protested that the LBA had not adhered to the ACP process. Scrutiny of the proposal by the CAA’s Safety and Airspace Regulation Group found that issues surrounding future expansion were not adequately justified, and that the sponsors had provided ambiguous, reactive responses to the consultees. The consultation itself had been poor – more of an exercise in box-ticking. The ACP process has been biased in favour of airport authorities for some time. When airports have the funding for consultants to justify their expansion it’s difficult for GA to object to their bureaucratic and technical justifications. In the past, ACPs such as Farnborough appear to have been ‘rubber-stamped’ by the CAA. It may be that the tide is turning. The BGA recently employed a barrister to ‘remind’ the CAA of its responsibilities. Westminster has recognised the need for scrutiny of the CAA by forming the APPG [see below]. Lasham, with financial assistance from the BHPA, has launched an appeal for a judicial review of the Farnborough decision, and the BGA recently launched its own ACP proposing a reduction in the airspace around Doncaster/Sheffield airport. It may be that some or all of these factors influenced the Leeds/Bradford decision. It remains to be seen if LBA will try again; their professed need will not have gone away. The CAA’s full response is at The CAA proposes a two-stage rollout, starting with mandating conspicuity in selected blocks of airspace before a more general nationwide rollout. Lord Kirkhope, Chair of the APPG-GA’s Airspace Working Group, said, ‘It is clear that the CAA’s objective is to get to a point where electronic conspicuity is made mandatory for every airborne vehicle in the UK. In our opinion the CAA’s one-size-fits-all approach will not work for the vast majority of aviation users. The tendency will be on the part of the CAA to mandate the highest possible performance standard to suit commercial airliners, which would bring unnecessary bulk and complication to those operating small aircraft.’ Grant Shapps MP, Chair of the APPG-GA, said, ‘The CAA is basing this entire programme on a set of assumed drivers and projected increases to traffic, which we believe more evidence is required to justify [see above!]. This policy seems like airspace restriction by stealth, especially in an environment where electronic conspicuity is not mandatory.’ The parliamentary group’s comments echo the BHPA’s own responses to the call for evidence, put together by the Airspace team. The Association’s response pointed out that light, portable and reliable technology does not yet exist, and that if it did the saturation of existing bands would be a concern. BHPA data illustrates that there on a good day there may be over 2,200 free-flight ‘movements’ daily in south-east England alone; under such circumstances some areas would become so saturated they would effectively become ‘no-go’ areas for other aircraft. The BHPA document also pointed out that the cost and bureaucracy involved in mandatory carriage of EC equipment would drive a significant proportion of pilots to fly ‘rogue’, defeating the object. The CAA have invited input on their favoured option. They have received a broadside from recreational pilots in general and free fliers in particular. It remains to be seen if this will cause them to think again. The BHPA has participated in in the CAA’s EC Working Group for several years. However the current proposals represent the first formal notification of their intention to mandate Electronic Conspicuity. news 8 SKYWINGS JULY 2019 Icarus X-series The South African leg of the X-Series paramotor race was won in May by local pilot Nic Petropoulos. The two-day, 350km course started at Bethlehem and followed a roughly circular route, skimming the Lesotho border and crossing the Golden Gate National Park before finishing at Claren. Only five of the 13 all-SA competitors managed to finish, leaving in their wake a trail of broken props, chopped lines and burned-out engines. Difficult headwinds caused headaches at the start, and brutal thermals from mountainous terrain caused problems towards the end. The photo shows top-three finishers (L-R): 2018 X-Race runner-up Eugene Cussons (2), Nic Petropoulos (1) and 2018 X-Race champion Alard Hufner (3). The X-Series was created from the Icarus Trophy, the world’s longest paramotor race. The UK leg, around Exmoor in June, will feature British distance expert Giles Fowler, among others. Details are at Cloudstreet success! Congratulations to Steven George on achieving his BHPA CP Power rating at Ulster’s Cloudstreet Paragliding Centre. Steven trained doggedly for over 12 months to gain his CP Hill rating and then carried on to reach his power ticket too. ‘After completing his final out-of-circuit flight, says Cloudstreet CFI Tony Conway, ‘Steven and I went on a short XC flight together, landing as the sun was setting.’ Steven and Tony don’t live very far apart and will no doubt be flying together again soon. Parafest – final call By the time you read this Parafest will be only a few days away. Tickets were still on sale as we went to press for four days of flying, four nights of camping, a well- stocked bar, festival food, music and entertainment from 1pm - 1am on the Friday and Saturday. Other ground attractions include a kids area with bouncy castles, assault courses, face- painting, hair-braiding, tattoos, etc. Plus a static display of vintage gliders – the BVHGR – and over 40 trade stands, sideshows and attractions. All this in the beauty of the Welsh countryside. On the Sunday there will be a GASCo safety presentation, a paramotorist’s account of his 6000-mile circular flight within the USA, and a parajumble for buying and selling ‘pre-loved’ kit. Parafest is the biggest pilot social of the summer and a festival the whole family can enjoy. Please note all tickets must be bought in advance available on the gate. In brief Carl’s European record broken. Carl Wallbank’s stupendous European flight to goal record – 265km from Llangollen to Weymouth in April 2016 – has fallen to Belgium’s Jochen Zeischka. On May 12th Jochen flew 274.78km from Beauraing, near Namur in Belgium, to La Selle sur le Bied near Orleans in France, to claim Carl’s crown. Respect is due. Apologies ... To New Zealand hangie Fraser Bull, winner of the Sport Class at the NZ Nationals at Murchison in January. Our photo on page 22 of the May issue identified Fraser as John Smith, fourth- placed in the open class competition. Sorry Fraser … and thanks to reader Kirsty Mowat for pointing out the error. Skywings online. The online version of this issue can be found at username Jun_2019 and the case-sensitive password %fsjVT8. For the July issue enter the username Jul_2019 and the case- sensitive password tu95#F3w. Magazines with a cover date over six months old can be viewed online or downloaded without the need to log in. P&M closure shock Early in May the microlight world was shocked to learn that world-leading flexwing manufacturer P&M Aviation had closed, just ahead of the UK industry’s annual trade fair at Popham. MD Andrew Cranfield reported that he had run out of money to continue funding P&M and was working with the receiver to find a buyer. Beginning in Wiltshire in 1979 as Solar Wings, whose Typhoon hang glider became the core of the ubiquitous Pegasus XL microlight, in 2003 the company was bought by businessman Keith Duckworth. Duckworth amalgamated Pegasus with northern-based Mainair Sports to create P&M Aviation, retaining Mainair’s Rochdale factory (eventually closed in 2016) and the Pegasus plant near Marlborough. Meanwhile P&M developed Pegasus’ cutting-edge GT450 and market-leading Quik and QuikR flexwing microlights. The latter’s domination of the competition world culminated in Team GB taking the top four places at the 2015 World Air Games in Dubai. P&M’s lead in microlight engineering was led and sustained by Technical Director Bill Brooks PhD, MSc, FRAeS, who designed the P&M Quik, GT450 and QuikR (pictured below) trikes. Further developed over the years, these aircraft were exported to more than 30 countries, collecting design awards and achieving many world records and remarkable round-the-world flights. In recent years the growth of affordable 3- axis machines and the dearth of flexwing instructors has dented the market for P&M’s rather high-end range. We understand that P&M’s liquidator is in talks with the CAA, BMAA and two potential buyers to secure P&M’s future. We also hear that Thruster Air Services of Wickenby, Lincs, supplier of spares and backup for the much loved Thruster three- axis microlight, has shut up shop. Thruster was bought in 2017 by enthusiast Mark Garner, who cites excessive paperwork and costs as reasons for the firm’s demise.Next >