No. 398 JUNE 2022 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Associationattitude I have been competing in British Championships since 2009; back then the competition was much larger, with over 50 pilots competing. I would love to see our comp scene built back up to that sort of numbers, and this is the reason that I stood for a place on the competitions committee last year. As training officer I hope to make a real difference in breaking down barriers to entry to competitions, and enabling new competitors to get involved, by sharing my experience and knowledge. I welcome any feedback from pilots who are in this position: what would help you to make those first steps into competition paramotor flying? Please do get in touch That said, we are already seeing a great revival of the UK paramotor competition scene under the directorship of Barney Townsend, working to a new format that is far more focused on longer XC flying. It has been great to see some fresh blood in the comp scene over the last few years. This is evident in the British Paramotor Team – Dan Jones, Joe Womersley and Nigel Cosbie-Ross – who are competing at the FAI World Paramotor Championships in Brazil as I write. All three of these pilots flew their first full national championship competition in 2021; their progress has been amazing. Dan, Joe and Nigel are definitely the ones to watch in 2022. So how do I plan to keep my beloved trophy out of their hands? Precision. Last year it was the precision landings which won it for me. With a total of 104 points available from these, I managed to bag 88. This year I have been training hard to get 100% of those precision points. Never just land at the end of a flight – every landing is an opportunity to put down onto a spot. Navigation. Now summer is here it’s time to focus on training for Nav. Coming from a classic comp background, and last year being only my second endurance-style competition, I noticed my concentration waning at the end of the longer flights. In classic comps your Nav task is usually around 60-90 minutes. In the newer British endurance format you can find yourself flying multiple tasks for up to four hours if you decide on that as a strategy (you can also choose to take breaks and make more, shorter flights). I found that at the end of a long flight my precision was nowhere near what it could have been, so my plan is to train for longer flights with multiple tasks, maintaining my focus and concentration. Economy. The dreaded Eco. Although my favourite task category, it’s been a while since I have done well due to my 120kg. The time has come to reduce my beer intake and increase my time on the treadmill! But also to get up there riding some thermals whenever I get a chance. Equipment. Equipment-wise I plan to stick with the same gear I used last year. I love my Ozone Speedster 3 – it’s fast, efficient and comfortable. There is no need to fly a hot ship to score in the British Comp format. It’s not nearly so much about speed; much more important to be comfortable and confident flying your kit. I’ll be matching this wing up with my Macfly Polini 202 as it has a great fuel burn and bags of power for my larger size! At our Northern Skies training field we have miles of open airspace to explore, a comp-standard spot landing always painted on the grass, and competition maps ready to use. We have some keen new pilots as members of our club and I have offered free competition coaching to any of our members who would like to give comps a try. Membership is open to all BHPA power pilots, so if you are interested in getting involved in the competition this year please get in touch. I hope to see more of you at Wingland in July … so long as you don’t take my trophy away from me! The strategy of a Champion RIC WOMERSLEY, BRITISH PARAMOTOR CHAMPION The 2022 British Paramotor Championships take place on July 6th - 10th. I was honoured to have won the title last year – the trophy rather enhances the décor in my living room (my good lady may disagree). At any event I am proud of it, and have every intention of keeping hold of it for another year! 2 SKYWINGS JUNE 2022 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. COVER PHOTO A Phi Beat and two hangies at Beachy Head Photo: Karel THIS PAGE Horacio Llorens and Ozone’s Rush 6 in Spain Photo: Óscar Lagarrotxa 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 at DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for the August issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Friday July 1st. Letters for the July Airmail pages should arrive no later than Friday June 17th. Advertisement bookings for the July edition must arrive by Friday June 10th. Copy and classified bookings no later than Friday June 17th. 4 SKYWINGS JUNE 2022JUNE 2022 SKYWINGS 56 SKYWINGS JUNE 2022 news France wins paramotor Worlds The FAI paramotor world championships ended on April 30th at Saquarema, Brazil, with France taking team Gold ahead of Brazil and Quatar. After eight tasks and only one cancellation, Italy’s six-times national champion Pasquale Biondo (Vittorazi/BGD, pictured) emerged as individual PF1 world champion from French teamsters Cyril Planton and Jean-Emile Oulha. 43 pilots, including 14 from Brazil, contested PF1, PL1 and PL2 classes. France’s Boris Tysebaert emerged as winner of the trike class having won five of their nine tasks outright. The British contingent took 8th place, led by Dan Jones in 28th spot with Joe Womersley 33rd and Nigel Cosbie-Ross 36th. 214 km on an EN A! On March 24th Nova team pilot Toni Brügger flew a 214km FAI triangle from the Mornera launch near Locarno in the Swiss Alps, most likely a record for an EN A wing. Toni flew his Nova Aonic by way of the Matterhorn and Rotondo Peak near Valbianca, before landing back at Locarno after nine hours at an average of 23.68km/h. Defending his habit of making big flights on benign gliders, Toni says, ‘I have come to appreciate stress-free flying with simple gliders, especially in the turbulent conditions you have on epic days. It gives me time to make the right decisions, yet still be fit and relaxed after ten hours. I’m not sure I’d fly further on a higher-class wing; the performance differences between classes are small and only the two-liners are significantly faster.’ Zeischka’s 50km speed triangle Jochen Zeischka’s world and European 50km triangle speed record, set on August 13th last year, has been ratified by the FAI. Jochen clocked 59.61km/h from St André aboard an Icaro Laminar 14, beating Tomas Suchanek’s 2000 mark by more than 20%. Meanwhile, down under, Aussie pilot Neale Halsall’s 50km triangle flight at 40.8km/h, and compatriot Victor Hare’s 100km triangle at 30.9km/h, have been ratified as Oceanic regional records. Both flights were made from Birchip, Victoria in late November 2021. Neale was flying a Wills Wing T2C and Victor was aboard a Moyes Litespeed RX3.5. Both records are new, previously unset. Aeros update Life in Kyiv is getting harder. All the bridges across the Dnieper remain mined in anticipation of a Russian advance and cannot be crossed. As a result a 20-minute journey across the city now takes three to four hours, but fuel is in short supply – only five litres only per person – making going to work impossible for some of Aeros’ staff. Despite all of this they have about 50% of their staff at work. Routes out of the city to Poland and beyond are still open and the team has been able to get supplies of tubing and sailcloth in, and finished products out. The appeal that began in March remains as ongoing as the war; fundraising is important to help those staff that cannot get to work. Aeros have said that it really is helping, and they thank all of those that have made contributions. If you can, please donate by PayPal to 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. Charly Helmets A new laptop can mean only one thing, wherever you are, or we are in the world we can stay connected for enquiries and orders. Whilst our lives, businesses change and face new challenges, we are always adapting and growing. This has only been possible due to our fantastic customer base and the friendly no- stress attitude Simon has always had. Long may it continue... :) 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. We still have a limited range of harnesses that are for sale, please contact us for more info! Paragliders too, we have a few left in stock, new and used I'm sure they'd make a great toy for someone! Accessories 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. Simon Murphy’s Flying Circus tel 01404 891685 07873176517 Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA New laptop, same attitude! 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. 15% off! 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! This month only 15% off the whole Insider range! Any colour, any size please contact us directly quoting SKYMAG 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 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. We also stock radios with accessories 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... 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! New and used varios, lets keep an eye on that height! Zoot Pip-pins, three lengths from £10.75, and Zoot Caps at £2.75.8 SKYWINGS JUNE 2022 news The definitive Lilienthal book Just published in Germany (but in English), The Flying Man: Otto Lilienthal – History, Flights, Photographs promises to be the authoritative volume on the life and work of Otto Lilienthal. Written by Dr. Markus Raffel, a research professor at the German Aerospace Centre, who has flown several authentic Lilienthal replicas in the last few years, and Bernd Lukasch, former director of the Otto Lilienthal Museum, the new biography traces the life of the German pioneer by focusing on his many designs and the surviving photographic documentation. It includes Dr. Raffel’s own recent flying experiments and analysis from today’s scientific perspective. The 250-page hardback costs 37 euros from Springer International Publishing, also £29 from Amazon. BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! April winners Sandra Panks £130.80 Wayne Gregory £65.40 Paul Swain £32.70 Mayola Bandawe £19.62 Frank Ribbons £16.35 David Wicks £16.35 David James £13.08 Alison Darling £13.08 Chris Wood £9.81 Iain Wallace £9.81 BHPA £327.00 If by the time you read this you have not received your cheque, please contact me on 07802 525099. Marc Asquith The warm-up days on May 5th and 6th allowed Judy Leden to give a number of tandem flights for Flyability, with plenty of positive feedback received. Some of the competing pilots were also able to get their eye in, in rather average conditions. The competition started in earnest on Saturday 7th. A race to anywhere was set – 44km for the Sports Class, 54km for Class 1 and 64km for Class 5. Four flexwings and two rigids made goal, led by Steve Blackler and Nev Almond. In the Sports Class Paul Leary made a valiant effort but no-one reached goal. The Sunday proved to be the most promising day of the competition. Two triangle tasks were set – 100km for Class 5 and 80km for Class 1. The Sports Class were set a 40km out-and-return to the flexwings’ first turnpoint. Nine flexies and two rigids made goal, with task wins for Dave Matthews and Paul Harvey. Tim Swait led the Sports Class pilots. The following day was blown out, setting the stage for a great social evening and allowing pilots to have a really good catch- up over pizzas and beers in nearby Oundle. The following day being still uncooperative, a first-aid course was organised. Wednesday was the same but wet to boot; Gordon Rigg and Johnny Carr entertained with lectures on XC flying and instrument setup. Thursday saw the field relocate 5km south to Lyveden Gliding Club, where a 94km downwind flight to the Norfolk winch club field was set. Strong conditions saw many of the tugs stand down, but the Southern Club’s Fun and the Midland Club’s AX2000 soldiered on. With all the Class 1 gliders launched, worsening conditions closed the launch midway through the Class 5 launches, with Sports Class not launching at all. Five flexwings made goal with Dave Matthews taking the task win; among the rigids Tim King made it halfway around the course in difficult and strong conditions. With Friday looking too windy, the organisers decided to hold the prizegiving over a barbecue back at Deenethorpe that evening. Final results were as follows: Class 1 Class 5 Sport Class 1 Johnny Carr Paul Harvey Tim Swait 2 Dave Matthews Ricardo Marques da Costa Paul Leary 3 Gordon Rigg Tim King Rob Hawkins Thanks and congratulations are in order to the organisers: Steve Blacker, Tony Smith, Irene Carson, Nigel Bray, Jamie Shelden and Jeremy Soper. The same to all the tug pilots and associated clubs, as well as all the Volunteers and Marshalls who ensured that the competition ran smoothly and turned launching 50 hang glider pilots into a slick, efficient affair. And finally, thanks to Katy Cole who provided daily updates on social media and who now has over 5,000 photographs to go through! Full report next month. Report by Christo Tracey GBAR was great! The airspace around Deenethorpe has returned to relative quiet after a fantastic week of competition at the Great British Aerotow Revival. And what a comp it was. Tugs from five different aerotow clubs, tug pilots from six different clubs, and hang glider pilots from all over the UK – and beyond! In brief Syride update. Syride have released the latest version of their app for Android and iOS phones. Version 1.02 allows you to create, edit, export and import navigation routes in the Syride Sys’Nav XL vario-GPS and transfer these to the instrument by Bluetooth. You can also import XCtrack routes via QR code. Overall GBAR winner Johnny Carr All photos: Katy ColeGordon Rigg launches at the GBAR behind the Midland Group XL tug, piloted by Scott McMeekinNext >