No. 400 AUGUST 2022 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS AUGUST 2022 Having already completed a skydive, been water-skiing and enjoyed various other hair-raising sports, I was ready for my next challenge. The idea to go hang gliding came about by chance when a friend mentioned that they used to fly regularly with a club at Woolacombe, just down the road from where I live. This sparked an interest that led me to look up the sport online. I immediately came across the website for Fly Like a Bird, who provide tandem hang gliding and paragliding experiences in North Devon. I contacted the CFI, Sam Jeyes, to see whether the sport could be accessible to someone with a physical disability, as I knew that running off the edge of a cliff with only one functioning leg would be tricky! Sam was brilliant, and after a Zoom call to discuss my abilities and impairments, a plan was put in place to get me flying. I also completed a short application form that I sent off to Flyability, to help cover some of the financial costs of the flight. The quick and simple process made it even easier to get in the air. Fast-forward a couple of months and my flight date was approaching. The weather was brightening up after a bleak winter and the days were getting longer. I was eagerly anticipating this next adventure. However the day before my booked flight the weather forecast was not looking good and my flight was postponed. I did not have to wait long before the weather conditions were looking better, and three days after my original booking I was making my way to the meeting point. As I drove on to the flying field I was astounded by the view out over the coastline. The sparkling blue sea reflected an even bluer sky, with barely a cloud in sight. It was perfect! I was immediately made to feel welcome by Sam and the members of the North Devon club. They all had such a friendly and laid-back manner that my nerves dissipated instantly. After completing the necessary safety checks I wriggled into the flight suit, harness, helmet, and gloves. We had a trial run, getting me suspended under the glider and checking that my paralysed right arm and leg were in good positions and weren’t likely to get caught in any of the mechanisms. It was also a good time to check how communication between myself and the instructor would work once we were in the air, as I rely on lipreading due to profound hearing loss. Checks complete, we made our way to the take-off area. A team of other hang gliders assembled around the wing and got ready to launch us over the edge, enabling us to do a prone start and avoiding the need for any running. Suddenly we were taking off and I experienced a rush of adrenalin as we soared into the sky. As we flew along the coastline, gaining altitude, I was astounded at how peaceful and free it felt, leaving me in an almost dream-like state. We spotted a buzzard and flew with it for a while, watching it track down and catch its next meal. I couldn’t believe my luck! We soared along the coast for almost half an hour, marvelling at the incredible views from such a unique perspective. I was grinning like a Cheshire cat the entire time we were in the air … and for quite a long time afterwards! Eventually we came in to land on a neatly mown strip of grass and gradually came to a stop. What an incredible experience! Huge thanks to Sam for such an amazing flight, and for his ingenuity in working out how we could get me in the air, and to Flyability for the grant to make this possible. I have always thought of myself as a bit of a daredevil when it comes to adrenalin sports. That feeling of freedom and euphoria is unparalleled! attitude Accessible hang gliding FENELLA JOHNSON, MEDICAL RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR AND DISABILITY CHAMPION Photo: Sam J ey es4 SKYWINGS AUGUST 2022 regulars regulars features AUGUST 2022 SKYWINGS 5 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 Simon Hamilton formates, by prior agreement, with balloon pilot Robert Keron over the Norfolk-Suffolk Border. Photo: Simon Hamilton THIS PAGE Contents Peter Montgomery and Wills Wing Sport 3 over Rhossili. 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 Email: SKYWINGS ONLINE All issues of Skywings magazine are now freely available DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for the October issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Monday September 5th. Letters for the September Airmail pages should arrive no later than Wednesday August 17th. Advertisement bookings for the September edition must arrive by Monday August 15th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Friday August 19th.6 SKYWINGS AUGUST 2022 Sublime supine Steve Kynaston was flying supine at Tailbridge Hill during BOS1 in the Dales in June. His Avian Rio 2 is rigged with a new set of lower rigging, shorter uprights and a B-bar. The harness is a normal Gin Genie paragliding model. ‘A few years ago I flew from Llangollen to the Mynd,’ says Steve, ‘and when I landed my neck ached badly. The very next day I rang Steve Elkins and ordered the Rio 2 with a prone/supine setup (it’s very easy to change over). In the end I didn’t bother with prone – I had learnt to fly seated on a Rogallo back in the day, and supine on the Avian was as easy as pie. ‘The day before the photo was taken I’d spent an hour and a half over Tailbridge with a dozen other gliders within a very narrow lift band. Sitting back in my armchair I was perfectly relaxed and enjoyed being up there. Before supine I wouldn’t have lasted 15 minutes. For the first time in years I’m loving my flying again! If anyone is in North Wales and wants a go, give me a bell.’ There are other supine options: a long spreader bar with the pilot flying below the bar of a normally rigged glider with D bars on the uprights, and the Morph harness attached to a normally-rigged glider. Only the Morph is remotely suitable for competition flying. Nick Chitty has been the recent UK pioneer on supine and is vastly experienced and knowledgeable. Birdman on a Birdman Jason Board and Justin Parsons went to Sand Bay, Weston-super- Mare, on June 12th, intent on dune soaring. The sand hills there, never more than 10ft in height, require a good 20+ mph wind to be easily soared. Fortunately it was blowing 25-30 mph, enabling the pair to soar the low cliffs indefinitely. ‘Dune King’ Jason’s weapon of choice for this exacting task? His 43-year-old Birdman Cherokee. Photo by Justin Parsons. British Paramotor Championships Despite a slightly windy forecast, the National Paramotor Championships and British Open at Wingland, Lincs, on July 6th- 10th provided a week of good flying. A great turnout from pilots and marshals resulted in the largest national championships since 2016. Greater commercial support than in recent years included lead sponsorship from Green Dragons Airsports. In the event the forecast wind only curtailed the first morning’s flying. Pilots flew about as many hours as they could have done – over 12 hours XC for the top pilots – on top of local flying for precision tasks. New tasks that had been introduced went down well: an FAI triangle/XContest eco task and two new precision tasks based on ground-handling skills. Dan Jones emerged as the new National Champion ahead of Russell Hesketh-Roberts and Blaise Brogan. Walter Spence led the Discovery class and Quinn Andrade won the Club class. 2020 Open winner Benedikt Bös returned to claim 3rd place in the Open behind Dan and Russell. Congratulations to all the trophy winners, and sincere thanks to the team of marshals, sponsors and hosts – and the BHPA – for their hard work. [Report by Barney Townsend; full report next month.] Zillertal win The ‘Zillertal Battle’ between teams of factory EN A and B pilots in early June was won by German national and Nova team pilot Ferdi Vogel (pictured). The competition, considered a showcase for A and B wings, was attended by several world-class comp pilots. Ferdi was almost the only pilot to complete a 64km task in poor conditions on June 4th. Two days later 24 pilots made goal at 38km, led again by Ferdi and his Mentor 7 Light hybrid. Heli Eichholzer (Ozone Rush 6) was second overall and Armin Eder (Skywalk Chili 5) 3rd. Ozone’s Rush 6 won the team event from two Skywalk Chili 6 teams, with Nova’s Mentor 7L 4th overall. Idris Birch flew one of five Phi Symphonias, the only EN A gliders entered this year. New owner for Airplay Aircraft The new proprietor of Airplay Aircraft, who have become a leading supplier in the booming ‘sub-70’ nanolight flexwing market, is Fun Flying, led by UK-domiciled Canadian-Italian Marce Colucci. The new company will be assembling selling and supporting Grif Italia and Eurofly machines, including the Sub-70 Snake nanolight trike and Minifox SSDR, from their base at Bicester. ‘We have 30 years experience in building and flying aircraft and training microlight pilots,’ says Marce. ‘Our aim is to make ultralight flying more accessible while supporting existing Airplay customers. We want to newsThe 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 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. 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 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. New Reserves Why buy your reserve parachute from me? I’ve been selling reserves for over 40 years, and have had a successful real-life deployment, too. I am UK distributor for reserves from Charly, Skyman and Independence. My brands have sold tens of thousands, and have hundreds of successful deployments to their credit. Not everyone can afford new reserves, so I also try to keep a representative stock of second hand ones, too. My deployment came while paragliding in Switzerland, and proves the wisdom of always flying with a reserve installed in your harness! If you aren’t already convinced, read the full account on my website or, if you have a free half hour, just ask me about Independence Cornetto, from £585 The new Independence Cornetto is available for both paragliders and hang gliders, and brings us a square reserve at the price of a round! It’s light, too, starting at around 1.5kg. All our reserves can be supplied with Rotor swivels at extra cost. Independence Annular Evo, from £580 Charly Second Chance from £460 Charly Clou2 from £620 Charly Diamond Cross, from £699 Skyman Ultra Cross, from 1kg and £825 Simon Murphy’s Flying Circus tel 01404 891685 07873176517 Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA 8 SKYWINGS AUGUST 2022 news attract pilots from a younger demographic, as well as older fliers looking for an affordable way to fulfill a lifelong dream.’ Contact Fun Flying Chris Corston With regret we report the passing of Chris Corston, first-ever Secretary of the BHGA, who died in May aged 83. Chris was present at the December 8th 1974 meeting at which 160 members of the NHGA and the BKSA agreed to form the British Hang Gliding Association. Chris was elected as Secretary of the new Association. His first job was to transfer the existing BKSA and NHGA members over to the BHGA. Without computers this was a paper exercise, executed from an office in Chris’s house in Taunton. He also had to make contact with many national organisations to begin to liaise with them. High on his list were the CAA, to talk about flight safety, and the National Trust, who at the time operated a policy that ‘hang gliding is not to be encouraged’. In February 1977, on a trip to Achill Island, Chris crashed on a borrowed glider, suffering spinal injuries such that he had to use a wheelchair thereafter. He stayed on as BHGA Secretary until July 1982 before resigning to pursue other business opportunities. Chris is survived by his daughter Sarah and son David. They ask that any donations are made to the Inspire Foundation, the specialist charity supporting independence and quality of life after spinal cord injury. The address is RAF paramotor challenge This month RAF Regiment Squadron Leader Tim Taylor, Flight Lieutenant Michael O’Hara and RAF Police Flight Lieutenant Andrew Whisker will be flying around the coastline of Britain to celebrate the RAF Regiment turning 80, and the 100th anniversary of the formation of the RAF Armoured Car Companies. The team will initially carry out four preliminary training exercises to prepare for their coastal journey. The attempt will be the first for the RAF and for the Armed Forces in general – no Service currently has a Paramotor Team. Follow their progress on RAF Regiment social media or via the team’s personal Instagram: RAF_Raptors. Robin Hamilton regains world record Ex-pat British pilot Robin Hamilton has regained the world Class 2 hang gliding 100km triangle speed record he lost to Canada’s Armand Acchione in 2020. Originally set by Robin in Texas 20 years ago on an Aeriane Swift at 53.73km/h, in August 2020 Armand pushed the record to 60km/h from Brussels in Ontario, Canada, aboard a Swift Light. On June 26th, flying a Swift Light from Wharton in Texas, Robin reset the record to 67.00km/h. He has also claimed the previously-unset North-American record. All subject to FAI homologation of course. X-Slovenia! The first-ever X-Slovenia hike-and-fly event covered 150km in late June. The overall winner was professional bi-athlete Lenart Oblak, just 13 minutes ahead of Bojan Gaberžek, himself three hours ahead of the Tomaž Eržen. Conditions were demanding – thunderstorms, strong winds, low cloudbase, etc – and only eight of the 20 starters finished. In 10th place was Nova’s tireless PR guy Till Gottbrath, who reported, ‘The X-Slovenia is ideal for those who want to be out and about for longer than in a 33-hour Bordairrace, but without getting extreme straight away. I’ll be back next year!’ In brief Cazaux breaks own records. On June 16th, French Enzo 3 exponent Charles Cazaux pushed his own paragliding World and European 25km triangle speed records a little further by setting 47.86km/h from Col du Banchet, west of Chambéry. Two years earlier Charles had set the same records from the same site at 46.9km/h … exceeding his own earlier records from 2010! Veronika beats Nicole’s speed record. On June 19th Slovenia’s Veronika Štampfl, flying an Ozone Rush 6, smashed Nicole Fedele’s female 50km speed triangle record with a new mark of 30.46km/h from Kobala. Nicole’s record has stood at 22.3km/h since 2010. Blunder dept. Apologies to Gordie Oliver and all Buttermere Bash fans. Gordie’s reference to the Lakeland Charity Open winners’ nominations (Airmail, July) was mangled here into the ‘Lakes Charity Classic.’ The error is entirely ours and not Gordie’s. Buttermere Bash – one of the best! BILL MORRIS REPORTS A year after the 2021 event with its post Covid 19 restrictions – only six to a table, social spacing, negative tests, masks, and a music tent with no walls – the 15th Buttermere Bash took place in the long days and good weather of the first week of June. Beneath the hills, beside the Lake, and in good company, it turned out to be one of the best. Ably led by energetic local hero Gordie Oliver, and supported by his generous team, this hugely popular event marches on. As always, the UKs largest congregation of speedfliers was in abundance, showing the same energy to get up the local crags as to skim down them. The LCC teaching competitions taught a lot, the casual bystanders enjoyed the magnificent Lake District scenery, and old friendships were rekindled and new ones made. Dedicated fundraising ales by Hesket Newmarket Brewery were consumed, flying stories and sagas recounted, and deserving good causes supported (to record levels), all to the sounds of local original bands. This unique event is turning out to be the place of diverse flying, though not necessarily to a designed, rigid, conforming plan. The list started with some nice F-35s going spectacularly vertical and inverted, chased vainly by antique classic F-18s. They were followed by paramotors and trikes, microlights and autogyros, parachutes, speed, mini, acro, normal and tandem wings, plus Robert Frankham’s airship and the Cherished Memories balloon. All this was nicely rounded off by Allan Hewitt’s jet paramotor in the hands of pilot Alex Colbeck. Alex, along with with fellow British Acrobatic Paragliding Academy members Danny Taylor and Blaise Brogan, gave a very impressive acro display, hiking all their kit up High Crag for the required altitude. Blaise also dropped in bearing the Union flag on Jubilee Day. The Ospreys Skydive Display team (pictured) gave their usual fine display of impressive swooping. As the week progressed the landing arena gradually shrank in size as the tents, and the increasing number of vans, closed in. This left the strip towards the lake, or towards to the beer tent in the opposite direction, as the only landing direction, a deep paddling pool in the strike zone diverting good sense for the pleasure of the baying crowds. Despite all this there were intervals of peace and quiet, as befits such a beautiful area, where one could sit, try the brews and listen to the music at the outside stage. This had excellent local Cumbrian acts on it: Jon Dawes, The Native Cult and Annemarie Quinn. DJ Oli, son of local pilot Pete Cunningham, did an afternoon set with his bubble machine. Oli has cerebral palsy and DJs using his eye to control his computer and mix the tracks, as well as writing text message which the computer speaks out. The Bash has always provided original sets in the main tent, the crowd enjoying themselves in monstrous and boisterous fashion. Regulars The Kasios romped through their well-paced cover set with a standout segment of 20 minutes of 80s and 90s oldies well received by those who were originally there. Town of Cats blew themselves into leopard-skin exhaustion with astonishing energy, self-deprecation and sharp horns. Mr Tea and the Minions conducted the most outrageous knees-up in full and slow motion with scintillating gypsy violin ska rhythms. Huw and the Greater Good worked hard against constant outside (balloon) distractions, their original songs with profound lyrics deserving a deeper visit. The last Sunday saw the ragged departure leave the area calm and clear again: ‘Leave nothing but memories’ is the saying. If this is the New Normal, bring it on next year. But the Buttermere Bash will probably and rightly never be quite normal, that would disappoint! Photo by Tom MacNallyNext >