No. 371 MARCH 2020 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS MARCH 2020 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 Jerome Maupoint works out with the Gin Genie X- Alps harness Photo: Jerome Maupoint THIS PAGE Beach flying with Advance Epsilon 9s. See our flight test on page 34 of this issue Photo: ©Felix Woelk 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 March issue enter the username Mar_2020 and the case-sensitive password B3bLg1=T For the April issue enter the username Apr_2020 and the case- sensitive password kZ+W#@6f. DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for the May 2020 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 edition must arrive by Wednesday March 11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than Wednesday March 18th. regulars reviews features regulars reviews 4 SKYWINGS MARCH 2020 attitude This is an entirely separate organisation from the BHPA itself, because not everything the BHPA does qualifies as charitable. The Foundation will be able to support injured pilots, help provide facilities for pilots (sites and more), and support the ambitions of the excellent British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Museum in preserving and displaying the historical icons of free flight. The aims of the Foundation are: 1. The promotion of community participation in healthy recreation, in particular by the provision of facilities and support for participation in free flight sports at all levels, and support for those wishing to acquire or develop free flight skills. 2. Providing relief and assistance to free flight pilots and their dependents who are in need as a result of having suffered an accident, or otherwise suffering hardship, by making grants and providing advice. 3. To establish and maintain a museum of free flight to collect, curate and display free flight sports equipment and memorabilia for the benefit of the public. The term ‘free flight’ in this context shall be taken to mean all forms of unpowered amateur flight which can be undertaken without the requirement to hold a formal CAA pilot’s licence. Many of these things we have wanted to do for years, but so far have only achieved by ad-hoc fundraising. The Charity Commission have had a longstanding policy specifically setting their face against gliding and ‘extreme sports’, and did not willingly accept our application. We had to argue our case for ‘community participation in healthy recreation’. This involved not just explaining the benefits but producing independent quantitative evidence for them. This was a pretty tall order, but with help from some distinguished and respected sources we have finally won the Commission over, and can start to raise funds to actually put some of this into practice. Inevitably we did not achieve everything we wanted to do – at present the Foundation cannot support powered flying nor competitions. The Charity Commission were immovable on these objects; as ever, this is the art of the possible. There is much to be done in dovetailing the Foundation with the existing Sites Fund and with the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Museum. We need to discuss with the respective trustees whether we make grants or merge the organisations but, assuming we have some funds, these are good problems to have. Putting the Foundation aims into practice won’t come cheap and we need to raise some cash. Luckily we have a cunning plan. While other sports and sports organisations may have larger numbers and a share of fanatical adherents, they also have many casual followers. Free flight is not a casual interest – just by persevering through the process of acquiring pilot ratings and flying skills, every single pilot has shown a real commitment to the sport. It therefore seems likely that many of the pilots who are able to would be motivated to recognise this in some way – by supporting the sport either through legacies or, maybe for some, more immediate contributions. While it would be wonderful to receive financial support from wealthy supporters and allow us to get on with our aims immediately, the experience of other organisations suggests that legacies form the bulk of their charitable support. For most of us a legacy is a more achievable way of financially supporting the sport. What has been lacking is any clear target for donations – it’s a big ask for someone to not just contribute to the sport but make their own arrangements to do so. One of the reasons for establishing the BHPA Foundation was to make the process of supporting the sport we all love simpler and clearer. Charitable status provides a measure of reassurance as to how the money is handled, and there are tax benefits too. Specifically, through Gift Aid we can claim back 25p in tax for every £1 donated. If you were to leave 10% of your net estate in your will to charity, the tax on your whole estate can be reduced from 40 to 36% (not that I, nor this article, are a good source of tax advice). Talking about wills is a delicate topic for many, but we’re all grown-ups here and sooner or later our will will have to be read. You do have one don’t you? Well, do your family a favour and get it done. The original idea for the Foundation grew from a problem. The BHPA had previously received legacies and gifts from the families of pilots which, frankly, we handled pretty appallingly with delays and confusion – in general a poor thanks for the generosity. We did not have any considered plans for dealing with such largesse, and lacked any thought-out guidance on how best to go about it. Even well-intended donations can cause problems when the time comes to carry them out. A contribution towards buying your local site would be brilliant and generous, but if in the meantime the site has already been purchased, what then? We have some ideas on how to deal flexibly with such eventualities and still respect people’s wishes. A while ago I wrote some notes for dealing with wills and legacies which aimed to at least help make the process a bit more organised and help with some of the practicalities [Skywings, January 2017]. Meanwhile, when local pilot and all-round good man John Vernon hung up his helmet and retired from the sport a few years ago, he sold his rigid and generously put the proceeds into the fund started following Dave Shields’ 2015 accident in Spain. Thanks John – a good move and it gives me an idea. Actually dealing with the equipment itself is often a puzzle for relatives. Like a number of us, I’ve been asked to help identify and distribute kit which can be a mystery to the uninitiated. If, in our wills, we all left our equipment to the Museum, either as an exhibit or to be sold to support the Foundation, this would a) be a good thing, and b) solve the problem for our relatives of what to do with the stuff. Following John’s example a little further, leaving the equivalent of the original value of your flying kit to the Foundation would be achievable for many of us. With 7,000 members we would be looking at upwards of £30 million if everyone did so. Clearly some would be able to do more and some less but, if we could realise even a proportion of this, think what we could achieve! For further information contact me, Bill Bell, at It’s for charidee, innit! BILL BELL, BHPA EXEC MEMBER Yes it is, and at last I can announce the ‘BHPA Foundation’ charity. It has been a long-fought battle. We have been negotiating with the Charity Commission for the last year, but have finally got The BHPA Foundation registered as a charity.Ready for Spring? I can’t wait for the better weather! My bike trip to New Zealand was a total success, but now I want lots more sun, warmth and gentle breezes. Back at Turfhouse, the snowdrops, daffodils and primroses are out in profusion, so it can’t be long in coming. We need to be ready to go flying! I can help by supplying any amount of good kit. For instance, this very tidy Airwave Fusion with harness and rucksack could be just right to get your groundhandling up to speed after the long lay-off. Why trash your good kit - I have groundhandling kit for just a few pounds? I also have a selection of great flying kit, should you wish to upgrade for the new I make a point of stocking intermediate or first wings, both hangies and paragliders. This lovely Calypso is test flown and ready to go, but I have two to choose from, as well as two amazing Moyes Malibus, two large WW Sport 2s, a medium WW U2 and a host of gorgeous topless wings, too! Check out the list, and all my used It really isn’t possible to take a good photograph of an airbag harness unless it is flying, but this Suppair Evasion is the cheapest Airbag I have at the moment. I have three or four to choose from, and a range of other new and used PG and HG harnesses - most of which are at knock-down I have a wide range of accessories too - new and used. How about a bargain pair of heated gloves, with good grippy palms - ideal for the impecunious pilot. Be very brave, and go to my ragged old website for hundreds of similar items, or call me, because not everything is on Firebird Summer Gloves have long been so popular that I bought loads when the brand was discontinued. Just a few left, so the prices are reduced. I have a special section of the website for clearance items like this - new and The same applies to instruments. I have a wide choice of new and secondhand units available for immediate delivery, many at reduced prices! Why not try a new vario this season? I usually have a choice of Renschler, Oudie, Flytec, Skytraxx and Flymaster available. There is a constant flow of new and used equipment in and out of Turfhouse, some of which is rather unusual, and only for a very limited market. The very latest item is a 43 year old Chargus Vega 2B hang glider that hasn’t flown for 40 years. It is in almost new condition, and could certainly be flown (seated!) if anyone feels inclined. It is important to make life interesting! While I was galavanting around the North Island on a borrowed motorcycle (thanks Georgie!) Jezzer and his dad Roger were doing much the same to the South Island. Jezzer did the NZ Championships first, but the weather wasn’t helpful. He won a prize for one day, but I suspect they enjoyed the biking just as much..... Forty years in the business - my extensive range allows you to choose what best suits your needs. Find lots more on the Zoot headsets: Four models for open- and full-face helmets and various radios. Prices from £34.45. Zoot Radio outfits: A great radio and a choice of Zoot headsets for just £77! I stock various speaker/mics and antenna, too! Instruments from lots of manufacturers, priced from £79.95. Charly Quickout Karabiners for tandem pilots. Weighs 200 gm with a breaking load of 4000kg. £60each The Austrialpin Tropos Steel karabiner for hang gliding, weighs 215gm and is rated to 32Kn. £24 each Charly Pinlock alloy Karabiners: Weighs 80gm, certified to 25 Kn. £27.50 each. The new Charly Snaplock alloy Karabiner, weighs 75gm and certified to 30Kn. £23 each. Tow releases from £48. Hang glider wheels from £51.10 a pair. Zoot Camera Mounts £29.50. Zoot Pip-pins, three lengths from £10.75, and Zoot Caps at £2.75. SMFC Speedarms, assorted colours and sizes at £29.50 Accessories tel: 01404 891685 Turfhouse, Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA 6 SKYWINGS MARCH 2020 Théo de Blic goes to Nova Late last year, three-time acro world cup champion Théo de Blic announced he would be leaving Gradient at the end of his contract in December. In January it became clear that his new partner would be Nova. It turns out that Théo, 25, had visited Nova’s Austrian HQ to meet designer Philipp Medicus and test pilot Fabian Gasteiger, another noted acro pilot. Nova MD Sissi Eisl says she was struck by Théo’s lack of sponsorship deals with any ‘lifestyle’ brands – ‘He doesn’t need to perform spectacular stunts to appeal to a wide audience … he is completely focused on paragliding.’ As a result of this rapport Théo has joined Nova as as a brand ambassador. He will fly a Nova wing in acro competitions but also produce tutorials about general paragliding skills, introducing pilots to schools and dealers. ‘Théo also impressed us with his attitude,’ reports Sisi. ‘His discipline and determination have completely changed the acro scene, similar to what Chrigel Maurer did years ago with the X-Alps. Théo has elevated the sport to a new professional level and this attitude is a perfect fit for Nova. We no longer have alpha males on the team – we work professionally towards our goals and everyone pulls their weight.’ Students of the paragliding market will note that Nova does not currently offer a dedicated acro wing. However Philipp Medicus reveals that he is working on such a project. ‘It’s a high-aspect 12m glider with a special aerofoil and four line levels; it doesn’t appear to have much in common with our other wings, but it turns out that some requirements are very similar: it must be very collapse-resistant and has to reliably exit a parachutal stall at high angles of attack, even a high L/D ratio is relevant. The more I work on it the more excited I get!’ We can expect Théo to continue to compete in acro competitions. His wide reach on social media will also continue; many non- flyers first come into contact with paragliding through his acro videos. And he plans to get more involved with hike-and- fly, a concept pioneered by Nova. ‘This year the acro comp calendar is pretty full and I won’t have the time to participate,’ he says, ‘but I would love to do some of the hike- and-fly comps like the Dolomitenmann.’ It would seem that Nova’s move towards acro is at least as significant as Théo’s move to Nova. One thing is clear – in its most recent incarnation, Nova never sleeps! BHPA subs to rise As mentioned in last month’s Financial Report, as a result of two serious accidents the BHPA’s risk profile has risen substantially, leading to a rise in its insurance premium. Insurance costs increased by £51k in the year to March 2019 and by another £105k in the current financial year. Exec, having reviewed subscription rates, has had to agree to a further increase to some categories of subscription for the coming financial year. With effect from April 1st 2020, membership fees will be as follows: Annual Flying membership will now cost £129, Under 21/Over 67 membership £109, Three-Months Training membership £69 and the Dual/Hill supplement will rise to £89. The Skywings subscription of £47, Family Annual at £114 and Non-Flying memberships at £47 remain unchanged. All annual membership subscriptions are discounted by £7 from the above figures for Direct Debit payment. It is planned to allow members to join for the first time by Direct Debit, something that has not been previously possible. Of those fees that have increased, the rise is between 2.4 and 2.8%; not a lot greater than the current inflation figure. The reality is that the previous rise to £126 was the result of the mid-air collision at Laragne in 2016, However, since then, a number of other claims, including one serious one, have been working their way through the system. Every effort has been made to keep these increases to the minimum necessary; it is hoped that claims on the BHPA’s insurance will revert to their normal modest level. Nevertheless members are encouraged to keep their own flying risks as low as possible. A further rise in premiums occasioned by another very serious accident in the future could be catastrophic. Yet, despite these rises, BHPA insurance remains by far the best value third-party liability cover available for the sport in the UK. news Buttermere Bash dates The Buttermere Bash Free Flyers Festival, now in its 14th year, is a Lake District legend held around the end of May each year. It gathers together all walks of life to experience its magnificent setting by land, air, water or dance. It is primarily a charity fundraiser; each year around £5k is donated to local charities and good causes such as the local Air Ambulance, Mountain Rescue and local environmental charities. The Lakeland Charity Open paragliding competition, which attracts some of the world’s top acro pilots, will again run alongside the event, with amazing bands to provide entertainment. This year the main festival and music is happening on Friday May 29th and Saturday 30th; camping will available from Tuesday May 26th. Further details will appear nearer the time on the event’s Facebook page. For now, get the date in your diary and start dreaming of sunny days and music-filled nights, ‘… shared in our little piece of heaven – the one and only Buttermere Bash!’Better than EC! Electronic conspicuity is the current buzz phrase for pilots of all types of aircraft with electronic collision-avoidance systems. Suffolk flier Paul Leary has gone one better to help avoid conflict in the air. Paul took a striking image to his local sticker shop and got several made up in vinyl. Many modern hang gliders are built of grey sail material … similar to the colour of a stealth bomber. White shiny leading edges are a little easier to see, but adding bright vinyl stickers as Paul has done to his Moyes Litesport – seen here in Lanzarote – really makes a difference. They can also be used to cover over any small scuffs on the leading edges. Is this the start of a new trend? New Airspace Change doc. The CAA have released an updated third edition of their Airspace Change document. Subtitled ‘Guidance on the regulatory process for changing the notified airspace design and planned and permanent redistribution of air traffic, and on providing airspace information’, CAP 1616 describes the different stages of the airspace change process. These range from the outlining the need for a change, engaging with those potentially affected, assessing the impacts of different options, the regulatory decision, and the implementation and subsequent review of the change. The new edition includes a new process for PPR (Planned and Permanent Redistribution) of traffic through a change in ATC ops procedures, and processes by which the Secretary of State can ‘call in’ a proposal and make a decision rather than the CAA. CAP 1616 can be downloaded at versions, a plain PDF and an interactive file which allows navigation within the PDF. Govt confirms lower airspace review During a January 27th debate in the House of Lords on a new airspace law, the Government confirmed that it will be reviewing lower airspace infrastructure. During scrutiny of the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill, Baroness Vere, Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State at the DfT, said that a review of controlled airspace would include ‘changes that direct airports to release underused controlled airspace so that GA users can better access it.’ The new law will give the Transport Secretary the ability to instruct airports and other service providers to submit airspace change proposals. GA advocate Lord Davies said, ‘New powers to review and reduce airspace must be used with vigour to cut down redundant controlled airspace that is never visited by jets. It is right, proper and justified to open up areas of this common air for use by general aviation.’ Free fliers will await progress on this front with great interest. Len Gabriels Pioneer hang gliding manufacturer Len Gabriels died at home in Oldham on February 10th after a long illness; he was 93. One of the early leaders of the sport, designing, manufacturing and flying his own gliders since the early 1970s, Len established his name in 1974 with the Skyhook 3A. The popular Sunspot (1977) led to the Silhouette and later the Gypsy; its final CFX version was still being built in 1988. Len was proud to have test flown 90% of the gliders he ever built, and to have eventually closed down Skyhook Sailwings 8 SKYWINGS MARCH 2020 in 1997 without owing anyone a penny. He was also involved in the development of powered hang gliders and in 1979 flew one of his machines across the Channel and on to Paris. He stopped flying in the early 1990s and took up sailing. Kitty Hawk update Following the Lilienthal and Wright replica flights at Kitty Hawk on December 14th (News, February), we learn that more flights were made on the following Sunday. In stronger winds the crews flew both gliders separately, and Gisele Dierks of Morningside Flight Park became the first woman known to have piloted one of Lilienthal’s gliders. Pilots Andy Beem and Billy Vaughn talk about flying the two historic replicas at and there’s an interview with Lilienthal scholar Markus Raffel at In brief Seismic Seiko! The three distance records set by France’s Seiko Fukuoka (Enzo 3) from Assu in Brazil on October 9th last year have all been ratified by the FAI. Seiko thus adds female distance to goal (451.5km), straight distance (462km) and distance via three turnpoints (464.4km) to her impressive tally of eleven current world and European speed and distance records! Flight Culture at Pyla. Flight Culture will be running its annual tandem week at Dune de Pyla on June 7th - 16th. It’s an intensive course: pilots will need 200+ hours and be on top of ground handling. Camping and luxury accommodation are both available. For details go Skywings online. The online version of this issue of the magazine can be found at username Mar_2020 and the case-sensitive password B3bLg1=T. For the April issue enter the username Apr_2020 and the case- sensitive password kZ+W#@6f. These details can also be found on the contents page of each issue. Magazines with a cover date over six months old can be viewed online or downloaded without the need to log in. CANP update BHPA flying sites are no longer displayed on CAA or military charts. Unfortunately, most of our sites are in areas frequented by low- flying military aircraft. To compound the problem, visual deconfliction (‘see and avoid’) options are limited. Even if a fast jet pilot travelling at 400 knots sees a paraglider in time he has limited options at low level: turn into terrain, turn into another paraglider that he hasn’t seen, or turn/climb causing turbulence that has the potential to collapse the paraglider. Similarly, the paraglider is so slow that if he sees, or more likely hears, the jet approaching he cannot get out of the way. His best bet is to turn steeply in an attempt to catch the eye of the jet pilot and pressurise his wing. Until we get a universally acceptable means of Electronic Conspicuity for deconfliction around flying sites during the working week we rely on the Civil Aircraft Notification Procedure – CANP. Sadly, CANP is not used by the majority of our members. The reasons for this, identified in a 2014 Skywings article, are varied, but highlight a number of deficiencies in the system. When Tom Hardie stepped down as the BHPA’s Airspace Liaison Officer, I agreed to continue with his work to try to improve things. At one stage I thought I was making progress, when my contact at the RAF Air Safety Centre agreed to re-write the procedure. Unfortunately, he retired before he could complete the work and his post has now been gapped. After two years of lobbying, I find myself having made very little progress. In an attempt to seize the initiative, I have proposed that we simplify the system as follows: • Assume that, once published, there will be at least five pilots present • Make all notifications of a standard size; 2nm radius, attracting warning status only • Drop the use of site codes • Allow multiple notifications (the night before) • Do not cancel notifications once published. To that end I have re-written the advice on CANP and NOTAMs that appears on the BHPA website (see Whilst the military hasn’t objected, they haven’t been overly enthusiastic either. In fact the simplifications are based upon my personal experience of what the Low Flying Booking Cell (LFBC) currently accepts. Of course there is a danger that, if we all start using CANP more fully, they will be overwhelmed with bookings and we’ll have to have a re-think. I am also very grateful to Chris Williams and Pete Logan for developing a utility, CANP for free fliers facilitate booking. It is still in the development stage but please feel use it. If you have any suggestions, we’d be delighted to hear from you. news BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! January winners Christopher Arthur £130.20 Brent Pullen £65.10 Ann Matterson £32.55 Sarah Martin £19.53 Stuart Haughie £16.28 Jayne Dennis £16.28 Richard Clark £13.02 Colin David Chapman £13.02 Adam Sullivan £9.77 David Forty £9.77 BHPA £325.48 If by the time you read this you have not received your cheque, please contact me on 07802 525099. Marc Asquith Almuñécar airspace Restricted airspace R111 has long existed over the Almuñécar area of southern Spain, encompassing several flying sites including Otivar, Itrabo, Loma del Gato, Alfamar and Carchuna. The Spanish military intend to enforce the restrictions for R111 as military helicopters exercise in the area. To comply, local operators such as Hotel California have to seek daily permission to fly within the restricted airspace. The military will then confirm whether, and at what time, they will grant access for paragliding. If the rules are respected the military will continue to allow paragliding in the area. Hotel California appeals to all pilots who wish to fly in and around Almuñécar to inform themselves before they start flying. Information and registration is available at the new WhatsApp group Almuñécar Vuelo Libre. Alternatively contact Dirk Bormans This year I want to... Get stuck into flying... 6-8 day CP extra courses including accomodation & all kit Become a Thermal Master... CP Mentor plus weeks, small groups, experienced instructors & lots of flying Learn to fly paramotors... 6 day paramotor conversion including accomodation and equipment. Only £850 or less if you buy an engine! Don’t panic! Siv & Pilotage courses can really help! Book a course in Turkey this May, prices from just £630 Get a Free Holiday on my next new wing... Fly a demo Ozone, Gin or Advance wing while I’m on holiday so I can compare.Next >