No. 378 OCTOBER 2020 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2020 attitude I will endeavour to scan these and copy them to a dedicated Facebook page at some point in the future. I’ll also try to do the same with some of the very old and crumbling British club and national magazines I have. I did think about encapsulating them for posterity, but the logistics and expense would be crazy. Hang glider historian Terry Aspinall has done a fabulous job of scanning all the early Wings! magazines, as well as creating the main Hang Gliding History website now maintained by the BHPA At the moment I also have some 50-odd old gliders that I have rescued, as well as some equipment, which have been donated to the British Vintage Hang Gliding Rally 2016. If you hear of anything that is being passed on to the recyclers and needs rescuing, particularly 70s and 80s kit, please let me know. I have also been in touch with many retired pilots who want to hang on to their cherished older gliders and kit, but have promised me first bite of the cherry should they or their families wish to ‘tidy up’. Three years ago the sports and boxing photographer Andrew Clugston contacted me about his uncle’s Mint Wills Wing SST that remained unflown and wrapped up in pristine condition on the stairs of a terraced home in north London. We also had a farmer ask us to pick up from his barn the very first Wasp 229 ever sold by the Haynes brothers. In the mid- 1970s the farmer had stopped ploughing for a few minutes and handed the Haynes boys a wad of cash for the glider. He flew it seven or eight times and then hung it up in a barn for 40-odd years. I have so many stories like this, as does Jason at his museum – three storage barns! – in Weston-super-Mare. I will soon be starting up a Facebook page for everyone interested in producing a Grand Design – for a museum for collectors like us who want these beautiful machine restored and displayed. Jason and I think, conservatively, that £2 or 3 million should do it. All we need is the right kind of people or companies interested in a corporate or private tax- avoidance vehicle. It shouldn’t be too difficult! I still work behind the scenes at the BVHGR, but I retired as Chairman and have left the annual rallies in the hands of Christo Tracey, Jon Sacre, Justin Parsons and Pete Sonderskov. Sadly Covid has put the kibosh on any current events. Weather permitting, we may still have some good vintage displays next year. I continue to maintain the Facebook pages of British Hang Gliding History and the BVHGR, as well as Top Wings – your top favourite hang gliders. Photo: D av e Seck er Old magazines, old gliders … and Grand Designs STEVE PIONK, HANG GLIDER COLLECTOR AND RESEARCHER Over the last few years I have been collecting old hang gliders and hang gliding magazines. Only recently I was given a suitcase full of old Whole Air, Glider Rider and XC magazines, and the broadsheet-format newspapers that the Americans produced for many years.4 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2020 regulars reviews features 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. E-mail: COVER AND CONTENTS PHOTOS Yeray González flies the Gin Camino at Belagua in Spain’s Aragon region. Photos: Jérome Maupoint 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 October issue enter the username Oct_2020 and the case-sensitive password FVi4bG$9 For the November issue enter the username Nov_2020 and the case-sensitive password pv#961Y$n DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for the December issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Monday October 30th. Letters for the November Airmail pages should arrive no later than Friday October 16th. Advertisement bookings for the November edition must arrive by Saturday October 10th. Copy and classified bookings no later than Saturday October 17th.OCTOBER 2020 SKYWINGS 56 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2020 news Earlier this year the CAA announced a scheme to assist pilots holding CAA licences with the cost of adopting EC. The criteria have now been expanded to include current BHPA Pilot-rated members, and to bring additional systems including FLARM and Pilot Aware into the scheme. It is expected to go live as this issue goes to press. 50% of the cost of an EC device (up to a maximum rebate of £250) can be claimed from funds made available by the Department for Transport (DfT). This means that, for an initial outlay of £500 for an EC device, you will get £250 back if you meet the CAA’s eligibility criteria. Less expensive devices such as a simple FLARM broadcast beacon are available at around £200. It is expected that, to qualify, your EC device must have been ordered after the scheme goes live. You will need to hold a current BHPA rating (minimum Pilot level) or a national Pilot's licence to be able to apply for the rebate. If you are encouraged to purchase and use an EC device, make sure you understand its limitations. Using a screen to avoid mid-air collisions with other ridge-soaring hang gliders and paragliders puts you at greater risk of hitting another pilot by not practising good visual situational awareness using your Mk. 1 eyeballs. An EC device may be an additional tool for your awareness of other types of aircraft, but the greatest benefit is likely to be in broadcasting your location to faster moving aircraft that can display potential conflicts on their screens and manoeuvre quickly to avoid a collision. With a compatible EC system, you not only become visible to other aircraft but are also detectable to ground stations. Thus any infringement into controlled airspace is likely to be observed – and acted upon. Aerial infringements (depending on their seriousness) usually require the infringer to attend an aerial version of a Speed Awareness course in the first instance. Subsequent infringements will undoubtedly incur greater penalties. An aspect that hasn’t yet been fully addressed is what will happen when all of these EC devices are switched on. The BHPA continues to press home the unique nature of our sports in meetings with the CAA and DfT. Nevertheless, many in the aviation industry struggle with the concept that we don’t fly in straight lines. It is yet to be seen whether chaos will ensue when 8,000+ hang gliders and paragliders 'go live' and start flashing on aircraft and controllers’ screens. However XC pilots may see the rebate scheme as an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the system – well in advance of any legal requirement to be electronically visible. Further news of the CAA’s EC rebate scheme can be found on the BHPA’s website and Facebook page. DfT transponder rebate goes live As we have reported in previous editions, there is growing evidence that transponders – Electronic Conspicuity (EC for short) – are going to play an increasing part in our sports. The State is intending to make it even easier for all aircraft to be 'electronically visible' by helping us purchase a device. Licensing and insurance for Sub-70kg PHG training A reminder to all who fly, or seek to fly, Sub-70kg wheeled ‘self-propelled hang gliders’, that insurance is a mandatory legal requirement. This includes powered hang gliders such as PeaBees, Snakes, etc, and wheeled paramotor variants too. At present there are no BHPA schools offering tuition on Sub-70kg powered hang gliders. Thus a would-be BHPA Sub-70kg hang glider pilot without CAA or BHPA power qualifications would need to undertake dual flexwing microlight training with an established CAA microlight school. Whilst the school’s insurance will cover you to fly the school’s own tandem wing, it will not usually cover you to fly your own wing under instruction or supervision in a school setting. The BHPA has therefore taken the decision that a CAA flexwing microlight Instructor can supervise BHPA student Sub-70 hang glider pilots in the same way that a BHPA Instructor can instruct and supervise a non-powered student. In that way the student pilot is insured under the BHPA Policy. This process has to be signed off in advance by a BHPA Technical Officer or, during the pandemic furlough, the Chairman, Marc Asquith. Once considered fully trained and fully capable by their CAA instructor, the student pilot will be awarded a restricted CP (Power) rating. The student will then be expected to sit the BHPA Pilot exam prior to the award of a BHPA Pilot (Power) rating. The above route applies both to existing hang glider pilots and those from a paragliding – or even a non-flying – background. If the student has already obtained a Pilot rating in another environment or discipline, the need to sit the exam is removed. In that situation, the BHPA is just looking for evidence that the pilot is capable of physically flying their aircraft in an XC environment. All pilots undergoing – or considering – Sub-70kg training should be aware that this process must be a) signed off by a member of the BHPA Tech staff, and b) temporary in nature. If the BHPA is not aware of the agreement with a CAA Instructor the pilot is not covered by BHPA insurance.As you know, I’m trying to slow down a little after 43 years in the industry, and there are now only 20 hang gliders and ten paragliders lurking at Turfhouse! (With a few more at a remote location…). Numbers are reducing, but there is a problem! And it isn’t the chemo-induced baldness… I keep buying kit. I’ve been doing it for a long time, and I just can’t stop. This Moyes XT 165 Pro is like new, so I just had to have it! It will make some intermediate pilot very happy for just Not quite so gorgeous, because it has done a lot more flying, this colourful Ozone Buzz Z3 is an ideal first wing, with an 85-105kg weight range, yet is only £395. Let me buy your kit, too. I have hundreds of secondhand items that have accumulated over the years. This Cyclone double-clanger tow release is quality, like new, and is priced at just £50. I’ve got a couple of pre-owned front-mounted reserve containers for paragliders. Gin, Firebird, Charly and this one by PXP at just There’s always a good selection of used harnesses for both disciplines. This Pod Lite HG harness is a medium size, almost new condition, but actually rather old. So £125 for old time’s sake. I have paragliding harnesses, too, from £80 (groundhandling) to £800. I also have loads of new stock to shift before I can take things easier. Today’s Special! My last three concertina compress stuffsacks, reduced from £70 to £50. Grab one now! I also have a couple of Single Glideriders to move on. These are always in demand, not least because they work well, and this one is cheap at £40, the latest version is £50. Winter is coming! I have reduced Sticky Windy gloves from £36 to £24! They have really grippy palms, so are great for hang gliding and paragliding. Two left in the S/M size, and seven in XL. Steve Bowler wanted one of my Moyes Malibu’s, and I wanted his large WW Eagle, so it was easy to do a part- exchange. I do a lot of that. But Steve, being a helpful sort, helped me rig the £550 Eagle 180 for photographs. He also offered to have a look at my knackered old website, which is well above and way beyond the call of duty. Thanks Steve! Hair today, gone tomorrow (3) Next month I really will show you my awful chemo hair. I hope you are feeling brave… Stock Reduction! Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA tel: 01404 891685 Forty years in the business - my extensive range allows you to choose what best suits your needs. Find lots more on the website: 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! Lots of instruments - all prices reduced to clear 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 reduced to clear - £25 Accessories Simon Murphy’s Flying Circus In brief news Problems still existed, as the flying sites we wanted weather information from were a long way away from mains and telephone infrastructure. In the early 1990s Rod Buck invested to get the phone and power to the right places. His efforts overcame the two biggest obstacles to weather in real time from our sites. Mobile broadband was neither fast, affordable nor commonly available until the launch of 4G/LTE on the mobile phone networks about seven years ago. Speeds went stellar and coverage is just about OK; competition and the need to sell capacity drove costs down. At the same time, global warming and the need to reduce emissions pushed the development of green energy up a couple of gears and solar power made enormous progress. These two advances have freed us from the fixed infrastructure criteria. Now a wireless connection and a solar-charged battery provide autonomy wherever adequate sunlight and mobile coverage exist. A site secure from vandalism, a mobile-coverage survey and calculation of the sun’s path are all that is needed for a weather station. The FFVL encourages French clubs to put weather stations up and lists locations. Broadcasts are on the FFVL radio frequency (143.9875MHz) and are viewable on the Internet. The Holfuy brand seems to have gained traction, with a range of options that can be configured online before purchase. Mick Collins takes up the story. ‘At the end of June I mentioned to Andy Shaw (Green Dragons CFI) that a new weather station would be useful. Pilots could use it to learn how to read the weather locally, and qualified pilots could choose when and where to fly. ‘I asked the members of our WhatsApp group if they would be willing to donate for a weather station. Within 24 hours we had raised £1200 – weather station sorted! We chose the Holfuy Extra option and sent the order. Any funds left over when costs are met will be spent on amenities for Green Dragons’ club side, and Green Dragons will meet all the running costs. Green Dragons’ new weather station STEVE UZOCHUKWU REPORTS Robin Hamilton’s Class 2 speed record falls. Ex-pat Brit Robin Hamilton’s Class 2 hang glider 100km triangle speed record, set in Texas at 53.73km/h on an Aeriane Swift 18 years ago, has finally been broken. On August 7th US pilot Armand Acchione pushed the record to 60km/h from Brussels in Ontario, Canada, aboard an Aeriane Swift Light, subject to FAI confirmation, of course. Free flights at Green Dragons! Exemplary neighbour-relations from Green Dragons at the end of August! Mindful of the nuisance that events at their flying base can generate, Andy Shaw wrote to all his near neighbours offering a free tandem flight during their Open Weekend over the bank holiday. Andy also invited local residents to bring a picnic and join in the festivities. We like it! Cazaux ups 25km speed record. France’s Charles Cazaux reset his own paragliding World and European 25km triangle speed records on August 24th, achieving 46.9km/h from the Col du Banchet, 30km north of Grenoble, on an Enzo 3. This exceeds his 2010 records, set on an Ozone Mantra R10, by just 0.1km/h. According to Section 7 of the FAI Sporting Code, ‘… speed flights must better the previous record flight performance by 0.1 km/h.’! John Welch leaves Exec. Flight Culture CFI John Welch resigned from the BHPA Executive Committee in September citing personal reasons. John had been an Exec. member continuously since 2006, holding down the Schools Liaison brief. On behalf of the membership, Exec. wishes to thank John for his long service and his contribution to the good governance of the Association. One area of huge progress in our sport is the way the communication of weather information has changed. Real- time weather information for multiple locations was once the preserve of VOLMET, a constant readout of weather conditions at the biggest UK airports over airband. Voice synthesis moved us on to automatic spoken information over the telephone, then widespread Internet made the information available on graphic displays. The Green Dragons Holfuy sensor unit in situ on the North Downs Photo: Andy Shaw 8 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2020The Holfuy comes with a number of standard sensors and some options. An anemometer, wind vane and temperature sensor are standard; rain, humidity, solar radiation, soil moisture/temperature and barometric pressure are optional. You can also specify 2G or 3G mobile broadband – speed is not needed as the station only sends out small amounts of data. This data goes to Holfuy’s servers which everyone can access. They recommended 2G as the power consumption is minimal. As household smart meters use 2G it’s unlikely that the service will be switched off anytime soon. Green Dragons chose the bigger battery and solar cell option to cope with Northern Europe’s weaker sunshine and longer times without it. Andy Shaw unpacked the station in late August. An old hang glider leading edge saw a new lease of life as a mounting for the wind speed/direction, temperature, humidity and solar radiation sensors. Maiko Schaffrath helped Andy load the necessary settings into the Holfuy 2G module, which has to be done by text message. The module also needs the APN settings for the network that your SIM connects to (if you don’t know what this means, seek techie help). With the programming of the module – in the main box behind the solar panel – done, the new weather station began sending data to Holfuy’s servers. The information is now accessible on the Internet via either a web browser – or Holfuy’s smartphone app. Green Dragons’ new weather station was up and running in time for their Open Weekend at the end of August. BHPA 500 Club Win cash prizes and help the Association! August winners Steven Mackintosh £126.40 Nicholas Rogoff £63.20 Malcolm Morrison £31.60 Wayne Gregory £18.96 Tom Garland £15.80 Alexis J Roxburgh £15.80 John Casson £12.64 William Scott Mather £12.64 Nicholas Rogoff £9.48 David Wicks £9.48 BHPA £316.00 If by the time you read this you have not received your cheque, please contact me on 07802 525099. Marc Asquith Just the top of the Green Dragons online readout – there are five other parameters, all with a history timelineNext >