No. 395 MARCH 2022 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS MARCH 2022 attitude Unfortunately, we also attracted the unwelcome attention of two angry young(ish) farmers who came racing across the field in their 4x4. My colleague got the brunt of the initial exchange, which was along the lines of ‘You can’t land here,’ with the response ‘Oh yes I can.’ By the time I entered the foray the exchange had degenerated into a swearing match, with my colleague refusing to give his name and a very real prospect of the police being called. By complete coincidence, in my role as BHPA Sites Officer, I have recently been involved in drafting some guidance for landowners with the National Farmers Union. Initially, by way of a template, they presented us with an agreement that they have with the British Balloon Association. This contained some rather scary conditions, including mandatory reporting of each outlanding to the landowner, and a set fee in every case. Needless to say, we made a few amendments and sent it back. I had hoped to include a link to the agreed document here, but after several months the NFU hasn’t yet responded. Nevertheless, we believe that the (draft) document provides useful guidance to our own members. It includes a brief description of the sport including some of our limitations. There is a short section covering powered variants, who should have prior permission for all take-offs and non-emergency landings; the low flying rules, and how to complain (to the CAA) when they are infringed. It also confirms that every member of the BHPA has third-party liability cover up to the tune of £5m. If any damage has been caused, or is alleged to have been caused, the farmer and pilot should record as much information as possible and exchange contact details. Once the farmer has received sufficient details, he should not unreasonably object to the retrieval of the aircraft. Back to our two angry farmers. I apologised if we had caused any inconvenience and willingly gave my name, address and phone numbers (is it worth having a ‘business’ card to hand in future?). I was astonished at how much it calmed them down. This truce allowed us to tell them a bit about our sport and our limitations when it comes to landing. Whilst technically we were trespassing, it isn’t a criminal offence. As long as you agree to leave when challenged, their only realistic course of action is to pursue you for damages in the civil court. Their main concern was what might have happened, if say, one of their horses had miscarried. They seemed reassured that we all carry third-party liability insurance. In the end they shied away from calling the police and we left on reasonably good terms (with the promise not to land in that particular field again!). One other thing that came to light afterwards is this: if there is any possibility of a claim you must submit an Incident Report Form – it’s a condition of our insurance. Admittedly any out-landing has the potential to result in a claim, but I suggest that a good rule of thumb is to complete an IRF if you have exchanged details with the farmer. Rural relations MARTIN BAXTER, BHPA SITES OFFICER After nearly five hours in the air the sun lost its strength, the thermals mellowed and gravity finally got the better of us. Keen for a shared retrieve, I dutifully followed my fellow pilot into a large meadow. With plenty of height, we’d both carefully avoided the obvious horse enclosures. Admittedly there was a herd of cows at the far end of the field, several hundred metres away, but they didn’t seem at all bothered. Indeed, curiosity quickly got the better of them and they wandered across to see if four stomachs was enough to digest a paraglider.4 SKYWINGS MARCH 2022MARCH 2022 SKYWINGS 5 regulars 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. COVER PHOTO: Mid January flying at Westbury Photo: Matthew Burton THIS PAGE: Rosie Ireland and Advance Pi 2 launching from the Sugarloaf in January Photo: Call of the Wild Studios 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 All issues of Skywings magazine are now freely available DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for the May issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Monday March 28th. Letters for the April Airmail pages should arrive no later than Friday March 18th. Advertisement bookings for the April edition must arrive by Friday March 11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than Friday March 18th.Countdown to the G-BAR Just two months to go to the start of the Great British Aerotow Revival – aka G-BAR – competition scheduled for May 7th-13th (warm-up dates: 4th-6th). The Category 2 event is already fully subscribed with more than 50 pilots registered. Anyone registering now will have to join the waiting list or settle for recreational flying outside the competition launch window. The organisers are looking for volunteer marshals to assist with launching and retrieval coordination, in exchange for free entry and camping. If this appeals to you, please get in touch. The official webpage, with all the links to the Airtribune competition result page, is at Bordairrace series dates The legendary Bordairrace, held in the Bavarian and Austrian Alps and now in its 15th year, is probably the world’s longest running Hike & Fly event. Its formerly unique selling point, now widely copied, is that contestants determine their own personal turnpoint at the limit of their perceived range. As a result, participants need not only to be brilliant XC pilots and endurance athletes, but good tacticians, weather gurus, planners, etc. Although organisers Willi Ludwig and Tomy Hofbauer put a huge amount of work into it, no-one earns any money from the series. The 2022 events will be at Altaussee (May 6th - 8th), Garmisch-Partenkirchen (June 3rd - 5th) and Hochfelln (July 1st - 3rd). Depending on conditions, pilots may exceed 200km within the event’s 33 hours. Although the standard is very high, there is also a fun class for pilots up to EN B, and a rookie category too. Registration opens four weeks before each event, but note: places are usually all gone inside 24 hours. Details are 6 SKYWINGS MARCH 2022 news Theo de Blic flies Nova postage stamp Acro World Tour champion Theo de Blic has been flying a Nova Glitch canopy that measures only 9.5m² flat, probably the world’s smallest-ever acro glider. His regular wing, a 14m Glitch, is already smaller than those of most acro competitors. ‘I have always been into very small acro gliders,’ he says, ‘loving their speed and aggressiveness, and how extreme it was to fly them. I was the first to fly a 14m acro glider in competition; when I moved to Nova I knew that at some point I would ask them to build me a very small wing.’ ‘I didn’t want to have Nova build it, fly it once and say “Been there, done that,” I wanted to test myself with this wing and train myself to master it! When I got hold of it in December it was clear that it was on a completely different level to any other glider I had flown – because of the high wing loading everything happens much faster.’ Having spent the last two months secretly training on the tiny wing, Theo has now filmed a spectacular one-minute-clip of his exploits while flying it. He says that his ‘normal’ 14m glider now seems as slow as a tandem. Those with an appetite for this sort of thing, please note: Nova says it is a development study only and will not be sold. Check the video a Lest you don’t believe your eyes ... none of it is speeded up, but the wing really is as small as it looks! Three Peaks in January! On Wednesday January 12th Chris Williams met up by chance at Abergavenny with Rosie Ireland and Steven ‘Tosh’ Mackintosh of Nepal Traverse fame. All three were about to attempt the SE Wales club’s Three Peaks Challenge (see page 9) in what looked like perfect conditions. In the event they all achieved the circuit inside six hours, and Rosie became the first female pilot to ever complete the challenge. Since then the skies above Abergavenny have been full of other pilots taking advantage of near-perfect hike & fly conditions to give the 3 Peaks a go. The following day a new course record was set by Laurence Hamilton-Baillie at 3 hours 41 minutes. The day after, challenge organiser Dan Starsmore set out to reclaim his own record, that Laurence had beaten by only a few minutes. When taking off from Sugar Loaf – the second of the 3 Peaks – a local photographer, Antoine from Call of the Wild Studios, took the image below of Chris Williams (777 Rook 3) and Tosh (Advance X-Alps) launching. A full report of Chris’s flight will appear next month.My rather cautious Financial advisor said “Don’t buy a Harley Davidson”, which was a pretty safe bet. A couple of days later, however, my younger son Tom drove me to the midlands and we bought a Maserati. You would have done the same, I’m sure. Tom wants me to spend my life savings as a means of having fun, and we did a little bit of that. Then we came home to Turfhouse where Charles has everything sorted to keep me fairly safe. Not a bad life style, really. Should I tell the Finance Man, though? Fresh stock arrived for 2022! Our British Made and British built Zoot Bar Mitts have won a few friends around the world, being ideal for stowing inside your hang glider, and also for keeping your hands warm when nearing cloudbase. Doctors just can’t believe the facts... Yes, we have the new Charly UNILOCK Karabiners right here in stock, together with the full range of spares to keep them right on top for go and stop. I have a wide rage of used harnesses that are up for sale this month. All sorts of ages and dimensions, nearly all in great condition. Come try one or two while you have the best of luck! Paragliders, too. I have a lot of different ages that just need to be flown to show how truly great they could be for someone. Top marks! The Charly Vitesse is just arriving in five colours and a multitude of sizes. Weighing only 380 grams, it is a sure-fire winner. Visors are optional. Prices start at £138. 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 £230. 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 £165, and weight is only 660gm! The stylish Charly Loop costs £125, 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 £85. I stock all Charly Helmets optional accessories, too - visors and tinted visors. Find them all on the Charly HelmetsAccessories Forty-one years in the business - my extensive range allows you to choose what best suits your needs. Find lots more on the The new Charly QR tandem karabiners are here! Paralocks are strong and light, and cost just £75 each. I also have a small stock of Quick-outs at £60 each Charly Pinlock alloy Karabiners: Weighs 80gm, certified to 25 Kn. £27.50 each. The Charly Snaplock Titanal Karabiner, weighs 75gm and certified to 30Kn. £23 each. 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, new and used, priced from around £70. Hang glider wheels from £51.10 a pair, or £35 second hand. Zoot Camera Mounts £29.50. Zoot Pip-pins, three lengths from £10.75, and Zoot Caps at £2.75. Simon Murphy’s Flying Circus tel: 01404 891685 Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA Don’t Die Quietly!Open Access Land ‘Following my Attitude article in the January edition of Skywings,’ writes BHPA Sites Officer Martin Baxter, I’m pleased to report a small degree of progress. More than two years after Julian Glover’s Landscapes Review, the Government has issued a written response. It doesn’t make for easy reading, but there is one promising snippet: ‘ “Proposal 16 recommends expanding open access rights to provide additional recreational opportunities. We aim to review the open access maps to clarify rights and inform any further consideration of expanding open access rights. [...] In parallel, we will also explore the barriers that may exist to the provision of permissive access by landowners and seek to remedy these.” ‘The response is now open to consultation until April 9th. Both the Government response and the consultation document can be found at ‘Members with time on their hands and a high tolerance for bureaucracy are more than welcome to take part in the consultation. Others can rest assured that I have responded on behalf of the BHPA. I’ve also reinforced with DEFRA the request that we be allowed to fly from Open Access Land.’ Flyability’s new trike Flyability’s new Handivol trike made its maiden flight last summer. The support team on the day included Chris Greene and Eddie Colfox (pictured above right), Simon Rand, John Wreford and Flyability’s Helen Lysaght. Dorset’s Swyre Hill offered ideal conditions on the day; the inaugural passenger was Richie Bray of the British paralympic shooting team, taken aloft by Flying Frenzy CFI Andrew Pearse (centre). The project was the brainchild of Chris Williams. Chris and Giles Fowler had made initial design drawings for a demonstrator trike as long ago as 2016, based on the FFVL-designed Handivol that had been developed to facilitate safe tandem flying for wheelchair-bound pilots. Giles then built the jointly funded prototype and Chris test flew it successfully. Chris then spoke at the early-2020 Chrigel Maurer lectures to launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise £4000 to purchase a Handivol trike for Flyability. XC Mag and video/sim games accessory manufacturer Trackhat came in with support to top up the donations made by UK pilots, and the £4000 target was achieved in a staggering six weeks. After long Covid-related delays the trike finally arrived in UK in June 2020. Chris wrote the assembly and flying instructions, improving on the French originals, designed the screen printing of sponsors’ logos and oversaw the trike’s construction and delivery. Later in the year the Handivol made further flights at Darley Moor in the hands of Judy Leden and Chris Dawes, with Flyability’s George Ransome as passenger. George also took to the air with Judy on Airways’ Wills Wing Falcon tandem (lower picture). CAA consults on airspace modernisation The CAA is now consulting air users on its draft Airspace Modernisation Strategy 2022– 2040. The new draft eclipses the last AMS published in 2018. The CAA says that the modernisation of UK airspace to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys by air is long overdue. The new strategy is claimed to put the integration of all airspace users at its core, including the accommodation of drones, advanced air mobility (‘Ubercopters’ and the like) and spacecraft. It aims to simplify airspace, pursue sustainability and provide a clear strategic path for rulemaking now that the UK has left the EU and EASA. One interesting proposal is for ground beacons to be locaed at our sites, to be switched on when a site is active. One thing is certain; using the air is soon to become even more technology-drive than it is now. The BHPA will be making a formal response to the Strategy, as will the GA Alliance. Individual members are also invited to contribute to the consultation. There’s a lot of reading and a lot of jargon, but if you want to know how the CAA proposes airspace – and our role within it – go the GA parts are a fairly easy read. To respond to the document go to consultation closes on April 4th. BHPA subs increase As reported in January’s Treasurer’s Report, BHPA annual subscriptions will be increasing by an average of around 7% with effect from April 1st. The headline individual annual adult membership will go up by 7.2% to £149. Other annual memberships will be: Family, £134; Concessionary (under 21/over 67), £129; and Non Flying, £55. One-day Introductory Membership will cost £22 (under 21: £5); three months introductory Trial Membership £83; the Joining/Rejoining fee remains at £25; and a Skywings subscription increases to £54. The direct debit discount for all annual subscriptions remains at £7. Some insurance supplements will increase: the Paraglider Dual Pilot and Instructor Supplement by under 6% to £90; the TI Supplement remains unchanged at £30. In brief Bill Bell steps down. After ten years in the role, Bill Bell has relinquished his post as head of BHPA Competitions. A steady hand and wise counsel, he has weathered many storms yet retained the respect of the different Comps Panels that report to him – and look to him for funding. Into the breach steps Jenny Buck, whose experience as hang gliding team manager and meet director, and day job as a fairly high- ranking Royal Navy officer, makes her well qualified for the job. Bill’s will be a hard act to follow, but Jenny is herself a tough act and extremely capable. Bill remains a member of Exec and will support her if required. LCC dates. The correct dates for the 2022 Lakes Charity Classic, to be held at Grasmere again, are June 17th - 19th. We apologise for the error in January’s Skywings calendar. The 2022 X-Lakes event will run alongside the Charity Classic at the same venue and dates. 8 SKYWINGS MARCH 2022 newsHike and Fly (H&F) is growing in popularity in this country. South East Wales hills lend themselves exceptionally well to the activity: they are low enough not to be too hard to hike, and will take more wind than some of the higher UK hills. And they are generally smooth and green. The South East Wales Club seeks to encourage anyone with the slightest interest in H&F to give it a go. Experience the beauty of moving through the hills, using your judgment to be as efficient as possible. The freedom such flying brings is fantastic, and you’ll be rewarded at times with beautiful and surprising flights. We are working hard to provide the information and resources needed to introduce or advance anyone in H&F. At covering everything from the basics of the discipline, all the way through to racing and vol biv. Mapping, planning, supporters and safety … it’s all there and will answer a lot of the questions you might have. Although only the tip of the iceberg with regards to what is achievable, it provides detailed descriptions of routes, identifying the best lines and the crux points, and some of the beautiful scenery and wildlife you might encounter. The section is a work in progress – keep an eye on it. We are also pleased to offer a series of H&F challenges created for our members. The first, which has seen a fantastic surge in interest this year, is the Three Peaks Hike and Fly Challenge. Starting in Abergavenny the challenge requires pilots to touch the trig points of the Blorenge, Skirrid and Sugar Loaf before returning to Abergavenny. How a pilot chooses to complete the circuit is entirely up to them. The challenge runs through the winter months, but a late- or early-season thermal could make a massive difference to your day out. We emphasise that it’s not about the time you complete it in, but more about getting to the start line and giving it a go. At the time of writing 30 pilots have already participated this season, and we have seen a blistering new record of 3:41 set by Laurence Hamilton-Baillie. If you aren’t a member of the club but wish to visit and give it a go, the club offers a challenge fee of £10 to enter. A new challenge for 2022 is the Crickhowell Adventure, a two-day vol biv challenge though the Black Mountains. This can be completed solo, but would be a lot of fun to undertake as a group. It can be completed in multiple wind directions and conditions. Please visit the website to learn more. The Dragon Hike and Fly Race will be taking place in our hills on May 21st-22nd. Although all places have been allocated, there is still an opportunity for anyone interested to be involved as a supporter. Supporters are heavily immersed in a race and it’s a superb way to learn more about H&F racing. My first experience of a race was in 2016 as supporter for Alistair Andrews in Bornes to Fly. It was huge fun and taught me a lot. I have since completed multiple races, and would encourage anyone interested to start by supporting a pilot in a race if you have the opportunity. If you would like to join a team and be a supporter in this year’s Dragon race, find me on Telegram and send a PM. BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! January winners Jonathan Lawrence £132.20 Andrew Burton £66.10 Dave Sheppard £33.05 Larry Lawes £19.83 Karl Priestley £16.53 Jonathan Down £16.53 John Mills £13.22 Jeffrey Howarth £13.22 Andrew Hill £9.92 John Ling £9.92 BHPA £330.48 If by the time you read this you have not received your cheque, please contact me on 07802 525099. Marc Asquith Hike & Fly in South East Wales DAN STARSMORE THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET … Next >