No. 401 SEPTEMBER 2022 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS SEPTEMBER 2022 attitude You are aware of the 4500ft airspace restriction in the area and have a device that displays it, or an instrument that displays elevation. You now fall into one of three pilot types, depending on what you do next in order to stay aware and away from the airspace. Type 1. Turn on XC Tracer*, link it to your phone, wait for the GPS to get a fix and go flying, knowing the magic little boxes are doing all the hard work. They are displaying the QNH equivalent altitude (you didn’t set a QNH but XC Tracer has worked it out for you), and the alarms you have set will do their thing. Your mental margins, being ability-based, are big enough to prevent airspace incursions. Perfection! So what? This solution relies 100% on you knowing your instrument and how it works. Why does it need a GPS fix? What is Flyskyhy* displaying? Have I got the widgets set up correctly? Can I read the screen? If it fails, what do I do to prevent airspace breaches? If you are using a similar setup, all the above applies. Type 2. You know your instrument well; you understand it needs the take-off elevation (AMSL) to set the barometric altimeter correctly. So you wander over to the trig point, wait a while and input the info into your instrument. You have now manually set the barometer to QNH. So what? I have never seen anyone do this (i.e. go to the spot height and be super-accurate); most just enter an average height where they are stood. This may cause an error and you could then enter airspace when your instrument is over-reading. Type 3. As per Type 2, but you have a mobile phone with a data connection or phone signal. And you are aware the QNH in question is based on Manchester airport. So you call/check the ATIS or check the METAR of the airport ‘owning’ the airspace and obtain the QNH, input it to your instrument and go flying. Most pilots will fall into one or more of the groups above. Flying without an instrument near airspace is inviting trouble, so the underlying message is to understand what instrument you are using and how it works. All options have the ability to keep one clear of airspace, but they all need to be understood, along with the equipment you are using. Humans make errors; the tips above should help minimise them. A final caution: flying on just GPS height is 100% not advised in the UK. The airspace is too complex – it will inevitably lead to infringement and – worst case – an Airprox in controlled airspace. (I have deliberately not included barometric errors – that is for another day.) * Other devices/apps will do what XC Tracer/Flyskyhy does. Airspace and altimeter settings Andrew McDonald, FSC Airspace Panel co-ordinator and DSC Chief Coach Imagine for a minute you have arrived at Mam Tor (insert any site you know) with friends. You have read the site guide, are well rested, have prepared your equipment and have a plan of some soaring and a little XC. Whatever you use, make sure you know how to use it!4 SKYWINGS SEPTEMBER 2022 regulars 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 Tony Nelson and Flow Fusion above Pencarrow Head in Cornwall – see Airmail on page 32 Photo: Tony Nelson THIS PAGE Toby Lyde and Ozone Swift 4 over the river Camel at Daymer Bay near Padstow. Photo: Carlo Irek/4Corners Images 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 November issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Monday October 3rd. Letters for the October Airmail pages should arrive no later than Friday September 16th. Advertisement bookings for the October edition must arrive by Monday September 12th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Monday September 19th.SEPTEMBER 2022 SKYWINGS 56 SKYWINGS SEPTEMBER 2022 news The Nepal Traverse Diary Martin Cray has completed editing Tosh Mackintosh’s The Nepal Traverse Diary film, based on his 19-day solo journey from Nepal’s western border to Pokhara in February 2020. It now heads for a public screening at the St Hilaire Festival this month. ‘It has been a long journey with many challenges,’ says Tosh, ‘but I hope the outcome will have wide appeal, will share the beauty of the mountains and people of Nepal, and promote the concept of vol- biv.’ Royalties from the film will go to supporting education and tackling poverty among Nepali children through Karma Flights, and attempting to save the the Karnali, the country’s last free- flowing river. Tosh’s GoFundme link French dominate European Champs French pilots took almost all the top places at the European Paragliding Championships at Niš in Serbia (July 25th - August 6th) after six tasks ranging from 72 – 101km. Luc Armant led teammate Maxime Pinot by just three points with Honorin Hamard third. Pinot had led until the last day, but his 14th place in the final task wasn’t quite enough. A French 1-2 from the ladies saw Meryl Delferriere lead Constance Mettetal home; Austria’s Elisabeth Egger was the only non-French pilot in a podium position. The new Juniors (<26) class was also a French 1-2-3 affair, with Loïs Goutagny leading Simon Mettetal and Meryl Delferriere. Stan Radzikowski was top Brit but the team could do no better than 7th behind France, the Czech Republic, Italy, Macedonia, Germany and Spain. Idris Birch was 30th, Alex Coltman 41st, Oliver Clothier 60th and Andrew McNicol 74th. ADS-B beacon trial Four BHPA clubs are to help spearhead a CAA-funded trial of an ADS-B electronic obstruction beacon. These devices can warn some airspace users about sites of aerial activity when it is in progress. The trial is being led by uAvionix, who manufacture the beacon itself. It comes hot on the heels of the BHPA’s response to the CAA’s Draft Airspace Modernisation Strategy 2022-2040, which stated such devices had not been tested in situ and that their effectiveness was unknown, The aim of the trial is to evaluate how well obstruction beacons might improve situational awareness for GA. The beacons will Dune disaster In July the Dune du Pilat (Pyla) and its surrounding area were devastated by fire. Much property and 7000 hectares of forest was lost and all five local campsites were destroyed. 20,000 people had to be evacuated, but mercifully there were no fatalities. 2000 firefighters were deployed between the dune and nearby Landiras. Contacts in the area report that the mood of the permanent residents and campsite owners is really positive. Rebuilding will begin when the area is stabilised, but it’s going to take time. It is unlikely that Pyla will be ready to welcome visiting pilots until next year. John Welch of Flight Culture has been taking groups there every year since 1998. ‘It’s been such a special place for us,’ he says. ‘Pilat has always felt like home, and we’re sure that the special feeling that makes it unique won’t ever be lost.’ However flying in the area is currently prohibited. also aid UAS ‘detect and avoid’ systems to enable drones to avoid these sites. The CAA are very keen to focus on the ADSB route for all EC solutions; other organisations, not least the BHPA, have been more circumspect, citing the usefulness of FLARM-based technology and the desirability of interoperabilty between systems. Each of the participating BHPA clubs – Avon, Challow Paramotor, Cambridge Aerotow and Wessex – will receive a beacon and training in how to use it, plus modest out-of-pocket expenses. The beacon itself (pictured) is small enough to mount on a short mast or the roof of a car. The trial will run in September and October this year; BGA and BMFA clubs are also taking part. Data on the effectiveness of a fixed beacon, movable from site to site and only functioning when there is activity at the site, will be useful. However such a beacon transmitting on 978MHz can only be identified by SkyEcho 2-type equipment; the location will remain invisible to FLARM-equipped pilots using effective existing technology. It is also to be hoped that the beacon system doesn’t add to the attractions of ‘head-in-cockpit’ flying by the pilots of heavier aircraft than ours. More speed and distance records fall Canadian record breaker Armand Acchione was at it again in July, this time upping his own world Class 2 hang gliding 50km triangle speed record from 51.3 to 60.47km/h from Brussels, Ontario aboard an Aeriane Swift Light. Armand has also reset his own 2021 North American record at the same figure. Earlier, in June, US Enzo 3 pilot Sebastien Kayrouz pushed paragliding’s straight-distance world record to 529.5km from Del Rio, Texas. The existing 529.5km record was set by Brazil’s Rafael Saladini in 2020. On the same flight Sebastien initiated the previously- unset free distance record at 609.9km. Both marks stand as North American regional records too. In brief European distance record. On July 25th – the 113th anniversary of Louis Blériot’s conquest of the English Channel by air – Spain’s Francisco Navarro Gonzalez (Niviuk Peak 5) and Marcelo Sanchez Vilchez (MacPara Magus) both flew 329.91km from Zarza, near Badajoz, to Bonete, near Albacete, to claim the European straight distance to goal record. Jouni Makkonen’s existing record of 274.7km was set in 2019. BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! July winners Richard Clark £129.80 Henry Hookings £64.90 George Preston £32.45 Anthony £19.47 Dave Sheppard £16.23 Brian Parkins £16.23 Andrew Close £12.98 Stefan Sykes £12.98 Dean Pappin £9.74 David Munday £9.74 BHPA £324.48 If by the time you read this you have not received your cheque, please contact me on 07802 525099. Marc Asquith8 SKYWINGS SEPTEMBER 2022 Icarus Cup 2022 HANIA MOHIUDDIN REPORTS FROM LASHAM The annual Icarus Cup competition for Human Powered Aircraft, organised by the British Human Powered Flying Club (BHPFC), was held at Lasham airfield again in late July. After years of having only two or three aircraft, this year five were present. Aerocyles 301 (pictured) and 302, Super Lazarus and Betterfly were there to compete, and Darren and Reuben Arkwright had brought Airglow for testing after extensive repairs. Although the tests were successful it did not compete. A total of 14 pilots were able to fly the various aircraft. With Niall Paterson (Super Lazarus) having to depart halfway through the competition, the final battle was between Aerocycle teamsters Kit Buchanan and Lewis Rawlinson. There were several notable flights. HPA pioneer Alan Blundell had helped build the record-setting Puffin in the 1960s but never had the chance to fly it. At Lasham Alan flew Aerocycle 301 for 35 seconds – a dream come true. He is possibly the oldest person to ever fly an HPA. The Southampton University team led by Charles Dhenin flew their upgraded Lazarus. Last year Lazarus won the RAeS Formula Flight contest with a flight of about five seconds. This year Niall Paterson achieved 31 seconds aboard the new design/new build Super Lazarus. Aerocycle 302, with Lewis Rawlinson aboard, decided to dismantle itself during an evening flight. Lewis survived, safe and sound, to receive the Crash of the Year award. His efforts throughout the week secured the 2022 Icarus Cup for team Aerocycle. At the BHPFC AGM during the week I stepped down as Chair to focus on my own new aerospace company. Treasurer Matt Watts (‘club treasure’, as fondly known) also stepped down to concentrate on work and life. Southampton University’s Tamara Ivancova is the new club Chair and Lewis Rawlinson stepped forward to become Treasurer; Charles Dhenin is the Club’s new Secretary. This year’s Icarus gathering was made extra special by several founding members who graced us with their presence: Fred To, John Edgley, John McIntyre and Bill Brooks. The late Chris Roper was dearly missed; he has left a big donation for the club to use towards running costs. The competition this year was enjoyed by everyone involved, and we all realised how much of a family the BHPFC community has become. Although the weather did not permit daily flying, we were all happy to see dear friends again and eagerly await the 2023 event! 1 Aerocycle Lewis Rawlinson 7,720 2 Aerocycle Kit Buchanan 4,197 3 Betterfly Matt Watts 1,226 4 Betterfly Tom Stepleton 1,087 5 Aerocycle Jesse van Kuijk 495 6 Lazarus Niall Paterson 155 Class 2 World Championship Only 12 pilots, pretty much a who’s who of longtime Class 2 exponents, contested the Class 2 World Championships near Laragne in late July. Launching from the gliding field at Aspres, eight were flying with electric power, meaning that the scorer had to verify their motor-use files to confirm that power is shut off and not used after launch and positioning. The unpowered gliders were aerotowed up. The competition was led from start to finish by four-times flexwing world champion Manfred Ruhmer. Task lengths increased from 136km on Task 1 to 316km on Task 5, the average length being over 240km. Task speeds of 70km/h weren’t uncommon, with final glides at more than 130km/h. Nine pilots flew Aériane’s Swift Light, five of which were powered, and three flew the Swiss-built Ruppert Composite Archeopteryx, all powered. France’s Philippe Harignordoquy and Switzerland’s Philippe Bernard, both aboard Archaeopteryx gliders, slowly dropped out of the top six, but Philip came back in the final tasks to secure 6th place. With only six nationalities represented there was no national ranking, but with France fielding five of the 12 pilots they would have carried the day. 1 Manfred Ruhmer Austria Aériane Swift Lite 6,725 2 Jacques Bott France Aériane Swift Lite 6,073 3 Franz Pacheiner Austria Ruppert Archaeopteryx 6,069 4 Patrick Chopard France Aériane E Swift Lite 5,780 5 Brian Porter USA Aériane E Swift Lite 5,195 6 Philippe Harignordoquy France Ruppert Archaeopteryx 4,856 Full results are at newsBig XC days! Early August provided several days of epic XC conditions in the Midlands and down south. On the 5th Tim Pentreath flew 218km from Selsley to Eastbourne while Hugh Miller, Andrew Kruszynski, Mark Watts and others all did 200km + goal flights from Garway. ‘My, flight was epic indeed, but something of a nailbiter,’ reported Tim (seen above over Newhaven). ‘Just after Petersfield at 125km I was down to 450ft, but managed to climb out and fly another 80km. The views along the South Coast were amazing!’ Kirsty Cameron would have made Eastbourne from Selsley Common too but for a Notam misunderstanding. The next day Richard Carter and Gary Stenhouse made 200km + flights from Bradwell, led by Richard Carter’s 250.9km. Sunday 7th saw Jake Herbert and Richard Meek fly 165km to goal from the Mynd, and a host of 100km + flights from there and Worcestershire Beacon. The next day Andrew Kruszynski and Wes Murch knocked off 100km triangles from the Beacon, with several other pilots achieving only slightly smaller ones. On Tuesday 9th Kirsty Cameron, Hugh Miller, Mike Byfield, Jake Herbert and Richard Meek did 108km triangles, again from the Malverns. Despite this flurry of long-distance activity Hugh Miller was able to retain his grip on the XC League. As we go to press he leads Jake Herbert by 200-odd points, with Jake 400 points clear of Kirsty Cameron. As a measure of just how much activity there has been, Saturday August 6th saw no fewer than 7,658 points added to the paragliding XC League. A really cracking weekend day usually sees between 2,000 and 4,000 points added.Next >