No. 411 JULY 2023 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS JULY 2023 attitude However, at the end of 45 years of free flying I’ve been musing on what we do and why, and in particular what it is that keeps things aloft. (With acknowledgements to the many people from whom I have stolen much.) Birds. From the albatross to the hummingbird, not forgetting my favourites, the mad acrobatic crows who delight in flying the rotor. Millennia of evolution have made them almost perfect. Millennia more will make them even more so. We just have to watch, learn, be in awe and continue to watch. Insects. Science says many of them cannot possibly fly. As a retired scientist, I must trust repeated observations and cannot but conclude that evidently they can. We certainly have a lot to learn. Hot air balloons. Take elite 18th century aristocratic curiosity and madmen devotees; add ‘the time has come’ and the innate human instinct for danger, plus innovation and something inexplicable, and there we were … and continue to be. Conventional aircraft. In opposition to gravity, these clearly stay aloft due to the efficient application of aerodynamic theory, science, engineering, modern technology, sheer bloody-mindedness and inexplicably large amounts of money – in opposition to implacable bureaucracy. Sailplanes. Just sublime. Remove propulsive power. Add ineffable beauty. And something almost spiritual emerges. Hang gliders. Take away just a little of the beauty, much of the engineering expertise and money (in the early develop – completely – mental days anyway). Add black magic and luck, and here we are. Paragliders. Euurgh; so impossible. Evidently they just repel the earth. But learn, wait and wonder … Human-powered flight. See sailplanes (above) and give it just a little more time. Flying cars. The Jetsons! It’s the future. Wingsuits. I cannot even go there! Helicopters. Obviously they just beat the air into submission. Next? Who knows? The photo shows me in earlier days, ground-handling a top-secret French agricultural gyro. I’m hanging up my helmet after a long, long career in this sport. First the Atos had to go – too heavy and cumbersome. Then the paraglider – too effing dangerous! And finally the SSDR – you can plan for (almost) everything, but a flexible brain is still required. Quit while you are ahead, I say. The science of flight STUART PROSSER, LONGTIME BHPA MEMBER Photo: Andre w Leatherbarro w /Microlight Flying4 SKYWINGS JULY 2023 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 Mutual respect! 2021 World Champion Russ Ogden (L) hands the World Championship laurels to new World Champion Maxime Pinot Photo: Jocky Sanderson THIS PAGE Markus Gründhammer in the Stubai Valley, Austria. Photo: Markus Gründhammer/Independence 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 September issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Friday July 28th. Letters for the August Airmail pages should arrive no later than Monday July 17th. Advertisement bookings for the August edition must arrive by Tuesday July 11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Tuesday July 18th. JULY 2023 SKYWINGS 56 SKYWINGS JULY 2023 news World Champs - Brits take Silver The British team flew consistently well at the World Paragliding Championships, concluding on June 2nd, to take the FAI Silver medal behind the French. Superb teamwork by Tom Cole, Russ Ogden, Seb Ospina and Stan Radzikowsi, guided by team manager and strategist Jocky Sanderson, meant they were always in contention. The weather in the French Alps was difficult and several tasks were cut short by rain and storms. There were also a number of incidents and parachute deployments. With a team containing former World Champions Hono Hamard and Méryl Delferrière the French were always going to be hard to beat. Yet the Brits, with their own World Champion Russ Ogden, held second spot almost throughout and were able to keep well ahead of the chasing North Macedonia team. Seb Ospina won the final task, which was led by the Brits, to secure 5th place overall. Stan finished 12th, Russ 13th and Tom 82nd. Maxime Pinot and Méryl Delferrière are the new individual World Champions. Congratulations to all concerned; full report next month. Hugh Miller goes 306km! Hugh Miller’s quest to take the British paragliding record by launching at Sharpenhoe goes on. This time, on June 3rd, he came tantalisingly close, landing after seven and a quarter hours after another flight into the west of Devon. 306.8km via turnpoints and 303.6km in a straight line is very close to Richard Carter’s 306.8km straight-line record set in July 2018. Also very close was the Cornish border at the Tamar, just 10km or so beyond Hugh’s landing spot short of Launceston. On the same day, also from Sharpenhoe, Mark Watts, Kirsty Cameron and Andrew Kruszynski all flew around 250km until forced down beyond Tiverton. Meanwhile, in Scotland, Dougie Swanson-Low flew a 100km triangle and Richard Meek, Jake Herbert and others flew huge out- and-returns from the Carn Liath area. After Hugh’s last big foray to the south-west, 275km on August bank holiday 2022, he reported, ‘I’ve been chasing the line from Sharpenhoe to the West Country for over ten years and I’m learning more about it all the time. Devon is like the boss level of a game – we’ll get through it to Cornwall one day!’ The photo shows Hugh and Mark Watts in Devon, just after a very speedy retrieve by Mark’s partner Annie. RAeC awards ceremony Several BHPA members were recognised for their achievements at a splendid gathering at the RAF Club in Piccadilly in May. These were Arthur Bentley (RAeC Silver Medal), Dan Jones and Matt Tandy (RAeC Bronze Medal), Trevor Birkbeck (Old & Bold Trophy) and Ron Freeman (Ann Welch Memorial Award). Also present – amongst many of the great and good of recreational aviation – was Mike Chilvers, recipient of the 2021 Ann Welch Award, but on this occasion there to support his former pupil Dan Jones, who didn’t take long to become British Paramotor Champion. Respect is due to all of these folk for their outstanding service to our sport and their achievements in their respective fields. We too are honoured, to have them in our midst. [Photos: Liz Isles Photography] BHPA test rig recommissioned After a few years of dormancy, the BHPA hang glider test rig has been recommissioned. The vehicle allows a thorough exploration of the pitch stability characteristics of flex- and rigid wings, to ensure safety and to demonstrate compliance with BHPA and international requirements. The rig functions as a wind tunnel in reverse, collecting a mass of aerodynamic data which is instantly viewable in graph form. Designers and manufacturers are thus able to make adjustments to the wing and test them in minutes – often necessary before an acceptable configuration is arrived at. The rig is also used for dynamic load testing (positive and negative) to ensure the wing structure is sufficiently strong. Arthur Bentley’s Silver Medal – presented by Sir David Hempleman-Adams – reflects a lifetime’s work promoting and supporting accuracy flying Old friends Trevor Birkbeck and Ron Freeman at the RAeC awards8 SKYWINGS JULY 2023 news The rig was commissioned in 1998 from US airworthiness guru Mark West, who built identical rigs for the DHV and HGMA at the same time. In the early 2000s the original DOS software was reconfigured as a Windows program, incorporating significant usability and data-handling enhancements. For some time the BHPA rig has been the best such facility in the world – and at the moment appears to be the only one in operation. For petrolheads, the base vehicle is a 1993 Chevrolet 3500 series Dually truck. Its 7.4 litre V8 engine is fitted with Nitrous Oxygen (N20) injection for occasions when extra power is required, such as when testing two-seat microlight wings. GA Partnership news In May the CAA’s GA Partnership outlined progress on a campaign to highlight the risks of flying over active gliding sites. A new animation reminds powered aircraft pilots to check the location of glider sites, and the altitude to which winch launches may operate, when flight planning, and glider pilots of the importance of reporting incidents. Hang gliding tow sites are also marked on air charts; let us hope this initiative reduces the incidence of inquisitive/ignorant overflights of our tow operations. You can find it at The CAA has also published an updated CAP 482. Issue 8 embraces the latest BCAR Section S requirements following the 2021 revision of the UK microlight aeroplane definition. Go to Dales Fly-In The third annual Dales Fly-In takes place on September 8th-10th at Langcliffe, just north of Settle. Billed as a celebration of the summer flying season, it runs concurrently with the X- Dales hike-and-fly race – also in its third year – expertly led by Ed Cleasby. Activities over the long weekend will include coached flights in the local hills, accuracy landings, informal XC comps and evening met. talks, plus fun activities including ground- handling races, cycle-tow races and SIV simulation. And, of course, a bar. There will be a nightly communal fire (barbecue equipment will be available), and on the Saturday evening pilots can dine with Dales farmers at a local restaurant. Tickets include camping for the whole weekend (from Wednesday 6th) and all on-site activities. Early Bird tickets are £11; full price: £16, available this separately at checkout. A full programme will be sent to ticket holders nearer the time. Enquiries Chris Williams update In May Chris visited to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance HQ at Melksham to present a big cheque from his fundraising activity. The photo shows (L-R) Specialist Critical Care Paramedic Adam Khan, Chris, pilot George Williams and Critical Care Paramedic Jo Gilbert. Since emerging from surgery to have his neck rebuilt (seven vertebrae fused with titanium rods and screws!), Chris has been invited back to meet Dr Rosie Furse who treated him on the hill, and to present the big cheque again at the final amount of £7,100. As well as innumerable donors and fellow-travellers worldwide, Chris has been supported in his recovery by local pilots Frazer Wilson, Ella Proffitt and Dave Warren, among others. New Junior records On May 19th French fireball Timo Leonetti (20) flew his Gin Boomerang 12 307km from Jeufosse near Paris to set new, previously unset World and European paragliding free distance records. Timo is also claiming the unset free- distance-via-three-turnpoints mark at 310.4km. Expect a flurry of record claims in this new under-26 category, introduced in 2022. And expect Timo, who won last year’s XContest at 19 and already has four FAI records to his name, to nail quite a few of them! In brief CAA BVLOS aims. Also released in May, the CAA’s timeline for the introduction of routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) ops in shared airspace by commercial drones – aka Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). They envisage enabling routine BVLOS ops by 2024, subject to ‘broad operational constraints’ and pilot competency requirements; routine ops with reduced constraints using EC and Transponder Mandatory Zones by 2026; and, in the long term, routine ops with minimum operational constraints based on EC and detect-and-avoid tech. That’s the future as the CAA sees it. Details are at BCC Pandy report. 2023's first BCC round was hosted by the SE Wales club on May 23rd. 70 of 93 pilots logged valid flights in good conditions, including two first XCs (David Darbyshire and Richard Mackie), four UK PBs (Chris Begley, James Cooke, Malcolm Beard and Jeremy Perl) and an overall PB for Dave Pooley. Top flight was Johnny Fox's 51.7km. Overall results were UK Armed Forces South: 1,000 points, Southern Slackers: 926 and Wessex 860. Last year North Devon held top spot from the first round on! Full JULY 2023 SKYWINGS 9 16.04.2023. CP rated pilot, aged 35 Experience: 250 hours (50) Site & conditions: Bridlington, 15-20km/h, not turbulent Incident: Pilot attempted forward launch in new AirDesign Sock harness when the leg strap connecting loop snapped, freeing the leg loop. Injury: None 25.04.2023. P rated pilot, aged 58 Experience: 62 hours Site & conditions: Firle, 15-20km/h, moderate turbulence Glider: Gin Atlas Incident: While on approach to top land the pilot encountered a strong gust, causing the wing to drop behind. Pilot instinctively applied both brakes, causing the wing to stall. Landed heavily. Injury: Minor: head 01.05.2023. P rated pilot, aged 40 Experience: 650 hours (20) Site & conditions: Harting Down, 20-25km/h, moderate turbulence Glider: Niviuk Takoo 4 Incident: A gust came through while tandem pilot was setting up for launch. Pilot grabbed brake line, which burnt through their glove causing a burn. Injury (pilot): Minor: hands, arms, shoulder; (passenger): None 04.05.2023. Pilot aged 45 Experience: 250 hours (5) Site & conditions: Montmin, France, 0-5km/h, not turbulent Glider: Triple Seven Rook 2 Incident: Just prior to launch on SIV flight, instructor noticed pilot’s leg stop buckle had not fully engaged. Pilot did not realise it was possible only to engage one side of the buckle. Pre-flight check ‘buckle wiggle’ did not spot error. Injury: None 07.05.2023. Pilot, age and rating unrecorded Site & conditions: Bradwell Edge, 0-5km/h, not turbulent Glider: Ozone Geo 5 Incident: Visiting pilot took off into the path of another pilot. Both were able to take avoiding action. Pilot reflected they had left too much time from checking airspace to launching. Injury: None 11.05.2023. AP rated pilot, aged 63 Experience: 8,000 hours (20) Site & conditions: Deenethorpe Airfield, 5- 10km/h, not turbulent Glider: Wills Wing Falcon 3 Incident: Pilot noted that wheeled tandem hang glider was pulling hard to the right while being pushed and on take-off. Glider is being checked. Injury (pilot & passenger): None 12.05.2023. AP rated pilot, aged 45 Site & conditions: Bewaldeth, 15-20km/h, light turbulence Glider: Flare Moustache Incident: Two pilots were test flying jet turbine paramotors. Lead pilot misjudged turn into wind and hit the ground. Fuel tank ruptured on impact and spilled diesel onto hot engine, with no negative effects. Injury: Minor 13.05.2023. P rated pilot, aged 44 Experience: 300 hours (25) Site & conditions: Cairngorms, 25-30km/h, strong turbulence Glider: Ozone Alpina 4 Incident: Pilot failed to notice increase in wind strength and crossed high terrain into complex valley system. Encountered severe turbulence and deployed emergency parachute. Was dragged 250m before getting parachute under control. Injury: Minor: pelvis 13.05.2023. AP rated pilot, aged 58 Experience: 150 hours (1) Site & conditions: Deenethorpe Airfield, 15- 20km/h, moderate turbulence Glider: Avian Evo Incident: Pilot left the dolly at too low a speed. Glider drifted to the right and slightly high behind the tug. The pilot released and left wing dropped abruptly to close proximity to the ground. Pilot was able to recover and land, with broken upright. Injury: None 13.05.2023. CP rated pilot, aged 36 Experience: 60 hours Site: Hartlepool Town Moor Glider: Ozone Roadster 3 Incident: Pilot crashed while paramotoring but has no memory of the incident. Injury: Serious: feet, legs BHPA Accident and Incident digest The following is an edited digest of Incident Reports submitted to the FSC between April 16th and May 13th 2023. Note that we now include the pilot’s experience and recency in hours; thus ‘Experience: 20 hours (5)’ indicates 20 hours total airtime and 5 hours within the previous six months. The complete database of reports can be found safety mattersNext >