No. 414 OCTOBER 2023 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2023 attitude One of the key ways family support contributes to success is through the development of strong values and a work ethic. From an early age, family members can teach the importance of discipline, perseverance and commitment. Through their guidance and example, family can show that success in sports, as in life, requires dedication and hard work. These values become the foundation upon which sports people build their careers, helping them push through challenges and setbacks. Family support also affects mental and emotional well-being. The pressure to perform can be intense, leading to stress and anxiety. Coaches have told me that updating my family or speaking to them during competitions is a distraction. For me this is certainly not the case. In such stressful moments, knowing that there’s a loving and supportive family to fall back on provides a sense of security and relief. A reassuring word from either parent, or one of my siblings’ motivating pep talks, can help me overcome self-doubt at crucial moments. Family members can also act as a sounding board for a sports person’s concerns, offering valuable perspective, or sometimes just soaking up the frustration of a round that didn’t quite go to plan. Unwavering encouragement from family members can serve as a powerful driving force. Ever since I was at school, my mum’s final words to me before a race, match or competition have always been ‘Go for it, kidda!’ I may now be 46, but those words still provide a much-needed confidence boost to eliminate any self doubt. A family’s presence at games – enthusiastic cheers, heartfelt words, or a reassuring WhatsApp message when overseas – can fuel the motivation to excel. Even my mum and dad waving the GB flag at the airport arrivals after an international competition provide a celebration and acknowledgement of what has been achieved. Family support extends beyond the sports person’s immediate success. In the face of defeats, family members offer a safety net of emotional support. They remind you that setbacks are a natural part of any journey, and that you are loved irrespective of the outcome. This helps build resilience and develops a healthy attitude toward setbacks, a crucial life skill that goes beyond the sports arena. The impact of family support becomes even more pronounced during critical junctures in a sporting career. Decisions about pursuing a sport professionally or handling injuries can be overwhelming. In such moments family members provide a steady anchor, helping sports people to make informed decisions that prioritise their health above all else, yet align with their long-term well-being. Family support in sports is a positive force that fosters success and overall well-being. It plays an indispensable role in any sporting journey, and its impact extends far beyond the confines of the sports arena. As we continue to strive for success, unwavering family support is a powerful source of strength and motivation. During the upcoming Paragliding Accuracy World Championships in Bulgaria, my family will be supporting remotely via WhatsApp. But the communication will be frequent, and those much-needed words will light up my phone – ‘Go for it, kidda!’ The power of family support in sports MYRIANTHE EWINGTON, UP-AND-COMING PARAGLIDER PILOT (11 FAI COMPETITIONS TO DATE) Sportsmen and women draw strength from various sources: their determination, their coaches, their teammates and – one of the most significant sources of support – family. I have been fortunate enough to have had family support throughout my life, whether it be in netball, lacrosse, rowing, football, rugby, half-marathons or, most recently, paragliding. It is a positive force that goes beyond just cheering from the sidelines. I believe it plays a pivotal role in a sports person’s success and overall well-being, contributing to their physical, mental and emotional growth. From instilling values to providing unwavering encouragement, family support has helped me to achieve all I have to date.4 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2023 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 Ollie Chitty and Moyes RX5 Pro over North Macedonia during the FAI World Championships in August Photo: Ollie Chitty THIS PAGE Pierre Neveu, Simon Bussy and Ozone Buzz Z7s over the Château de Peyrepertuse, France Photo: Chris Tong Viet/Antoine Boisselier 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 December issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Monday October 30th. Letters for the November Airmail pages should arrive no later than Wednesday October 18th. Advertisement bookings for the November edition must arrive by Wednesday October 11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Wednesday October 18th. regulars features OCTOBER 2023 SKYWINGS 56 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2023 news PWC: Ruth and Ulric call it a day Ruth and Ulric Jessop resigned from the PWCA after the Aksaray competition in August, citing irreconcilable differences between themselves and the PWC leadership. Ulric has been their scoring and software genius since 2009 and Ruth has managed their live commentary since 2016, later taking on press releases and daily reports, etc. Since 2017 she has also contributed brilliant PWC comp reports to Skywings (and others). Although formally paid by the PWCA at events, they have developed the software, including the innovative World Cup app, and the magazine reporting, in their own time. A press release from PWCA president Goran Dimiskovski mentions ‘exploring new ways to increase our media output and our profile on social media.’ In practice this means devoting considerable resources to pushing PWC events on Instagram and highlighting some of their ‘partners’. It’s not clear what this will actually bring to the World Cup series, and it seems the changes were made without any real consultation with the pilots. Many observers believe that social media should be driving traffic to the PWCA website, not the reverse. What the PWCA loses is their entire scoring-system expertise, the live-feed app, extensive coverage in magazines such as Skywings, and a huge amount of goodwill among the pilots. The PWCA has become quite a profitable business. Yet pilots in recent World Cup competitions have reported a lack of event prizes, decent packed lunches, sufficient refreshments at goal or decent facilities at launch. Poor HQ facilities and insufficient retrieve capacity have also been cited. ‘We didn’t want to continue working in that sort of environment,’ reported Ruth. ‘We felt awful resigning, but felt we had no option. The World Cup is in need of a complete restructure, with committed event managers to ensure everything is in place, and pilots’ entry fees offering good value. ‘Social media is a different concept which does need to be invested in. We had hoped to give free entry to several young pilots in exchange for their Instagram input. This would have given a wider spread of input across nationalities and manufacturers, rather than what we fear may become a very partial input from one manufacturer.’ Ruth and Ulric’s departure will leave a big gap in the PWCA organisation, and leaves Skywings with no further quality input from World Cup comps – a great loss. We thank them both, but Ruth in particular, for their steadfast efforts to keep the PWC comps – and the pilots – in the limelight. [Photo: Yassen Savov] Jet paramotor display team After months of planning, a collective of top British pilots and film-industry experts is set to showcase our sport at airshows and other large-scale events. The UK now has its first certified paramotor and jet formation display team – the Jet Parahawks. When Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 filmed in the Lake District last year, strong connections were forged between the film crew and local pilot Gordie Oliver. Allan Hewitt, stunt coordinator for the film’s skydiving scenes, has spent the last few years developing jet paramotors. He had been looking for skilled pilots to develop the jet systems, and Gordie and his fellow pilots were only too happy to oblige. Training took place throughout the summer, leading to an evaluation day at Rufforth airfield on August 31st. See them in action at With CAA chief evaluator Paul Szluha and the BHPA’s Ian Currer in attendance, a display team consisting of Gordie, Alex Colbeck and Dave Manning were put through their paces. Having passed the evaluation they are now set to perform for the future. The team intend to add further elements including a night display involving pyrotechnics, and some film work with airborne stunts. The picture shows (L-R) Paul Szluha, Ian Currer, Gordie Oliver, Dave Manning, Alex Colbeck and jet developer Allan Hewitt. BHPA membership renewal changes As part of the continuing process of cost control, the BHPA Office will begin a gradual move to emailing members’ annual renewal notices. The immediate first change will be an email informing a member coming to the end of their membership year that it will lapse in two weeks’ time; this will replace the existing postcard sent by the Office via Royal Mail. The member will have already received a hard copy of their renewal documentation six weeks ahead of their renewal date. This early reminder gives members who hold Licences* (Instructors, Dual Pilots, etc) time to get a CFI or Chief Coach’s signature. The next phase will be replacing the follow-up reminder, sent two weeks after the first email reminder, with a further email. If you have any concerns about missing out on renewal notices, the way to avoid this is to pay by direct debit. You’ll never miss your renewal, save £7 on your annual membership fee, and be certain to avoid the £30 joining fee charged to members who lapse for three months or more. *Whilst BHPA Ratings remain valid for life, Licences lapse after three months and their renewal is at the discretion of a Technical Officer. Lapse for three months and a day and your Licences will undoubtedly be renewed. Lapse for ten years and you will have to jump through some hoops to get a renewal. OCTOBER 2023 SKYWINGS 7 ADS-B beacon trial The CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy includes the likely provision of Electronic Obstruction Beacons transmitting an ADSB signal on 978MHz. These have been trialled by four BHPA clubs along with BGA and BMFA operations (see September 2022 Skywings). The devices can warn some airspace users about sites of aerial activity when it is in progress. The trial report concluded that it had demonstrated that GA pilots, with appropriate equipment, had been presented with obstacle information at sufficient range to take avoiding action. The average reported range of first detection was 7.25nm. While one non-free-flight user reported ‘… a noticeable reduction of low level overflying. Most aircraft diverted around us and those who went overhead were higher than normal, confirmed by FlightRadar,’ a participating BHPA club said that the beacon would be ‘worse than useless as a warning to BVLOS drones or microlights as it would imply a level of safety that does not exist.’ Further, the number of aircraft equipped to receive 978MHz UAT ADS-B is limited. As a result the trial’s main focus was on the transmission side: the setup and use of the beacons and proving that they function as intended. While successful in achieving its limited aims, many questions remain: interoperability with the many other EC systems (Flarm, Fanet, OGN and PilotAware, and GPS-based phone apps like SafeSky), military reception, passing pilots choosing to go beneath the activity area specified by the beacon, etc. Positive suggestions from the trial included the prospect of being able to offset the activity area from the physical device, allowing clubs to specify other nearby sites on the day. It’s clear that Electronic Obstruction Beacons are a positive development, yet not without shortcomings, and the system is more suited to the protection of model flying sites than BHPA-type operations. Further, such beacons are only a small part of the technology necessary to integrate UAVs into UK skies. The BHPA and others are deeply involved in the EC issue and its working groups, and are working at resolving the conundrum. Be in no doubt: universal EC is coming. On-site beacons maybe a good thing but don’t address the central problem: those proposing an ADS-B-based solution do not quite understand how free flying operates or its sheer numbers. The widespread adoption of non- ADS-B devices under the CAA rebate scheme should have sent a message to the CAA; it is unclear yet that they are beginning to acknowledge this. UAV access to open airspace is coming. Such aircraft will need to look at the immediate environment and see everything that is operating there using a myriad of different platforms. EC in its current ADS-B form offers little benefit to the majority of free fliers or to prospective UAV operators. It is to be hoped that the UAV industry, through the CAA, will recognise that integrating with recreational flying, in all its forms, will require a far wider spectrum of electronic solutions than just ADS-B. 500 Club changes The BHPA’s internal lottery gives out ten cash prizes each month (1st prize is currently around £130) and generates funds for the Association. Historically, winners’ cheques have been sent by post. A small number of these have been left uncashed; with local branch closures the level of uncashed cheques is increasing. To avoid the admin work involved in restoring these cheques to their rightful owners, often after some time, the Association will now pay 500 Club winnings directly into a winner’s bank account (from which they made their monthly standing order payment). A hard-copy letter advising of the win will still be sent, confirming the sum paid into their account. You can enter the 500 Club by filling out the form on the BHPA website (the form also comes with your renewal), or by asking the Office for a hard copy of the form. It costs £1 per month, payable by standing order, to enter. The glider John developed in Grafton was based on four aluminium tubes, a fabric-based sail stretched over the keel and leading edge tubes, and most importantly a control triangle and swing seat for weight shift control. This became known as the Standard Rogallo despite the fact that the plans for John’s design were all sent to Francis Rogallo some time before that name became commonplace. The glider was easy to fly, easy to repair, easy to make, and of course easy to copy. John was made a BHPA Honorary Life Member in 1993. He was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 1995 and awarded the USHPA Presidential Citation in 2004. He was made a Life Member of the HGFA in 1993, received the Order of Australia in 1996, and was given a Certificate of Recognition from the HGFA in 2006. He was awarded the FAI Hang Gliding Diploma in 2008 and the FAI’s Gold Air Medal in 2012. This was fitting enough recognition of his contribution to the sport of hang gliding, yet he had given up flying and manufacturing his Ski-Wing glider in 1969! There is a big gap between when John stopped flying activity and when he first received some recognition for his work. What was the reason for this? The truth was that once John was out of the running, a lot of the early hang gliding manufacturers claimed that they started the sport, indeed one of these people actually patented John’s invention. Happily, he did later admit this to the flying community, but it did take some time and it must have been galling for John to see credit for his work being taken by others. Even Francis Rogallo forgot to mention John’s work when he published Flexible Wings for Transportation in 1972. This is particularly odd because John had sent complete drawings and specifications of his hang glider to Rogallo in November 1964. Happily, John met and communicated with Stephane Malbos in France, Ken de Russy in America, and myself in the UK. The resulting articles in various national magazines restored John’s reputation and defined in detail the authentic timeline for the development of the original glider. In time we all made replicas of the design to recreate that point in history when hang gliding really started in earnest. The UK replica was put together by Jason Board, myself and a team from the Kernow Hang Gliding Association. The idea was that John’s planned visit to Cornwall as part of his world tour would coincide with the launch of our replica in September 2008. During his visit the KHPA sponsored a celebration dinner at which BHPA Chairman Noel Whittall presented John with the FAI Hang Gliding Diploma. I was due to pick up John from Newquay Airport and show him his design happily soaring the Cornish cliffs. Unfortunately, we hit some production and flying snags, which meant that John could see our replica which, whilst being faithful and really quite beautiful, resolutely refused to fly properly. Instead of being irritated by our lack of progress, John was really supportive and helped us take the sail off and reapply it so that the shape was improved. He then had to leave before we had time to test fly it again. It is typical of the man that his positive reaction and encouragement persuaded us to continue and eventually succeed when Jason soared the glider at Sand Point in Devon. (See Skywings May 2009) John’s unique hang glider design pioneered the use of weight shift control against a triangular frame, underneath a flexible wing fixed to a framework of four tubes that could be demounted and folded up for easy transportation. The glider was light in weight, robust in construction and cheap to make. The majority of hang gliders which are flown today still use the triangular frame and weight shift control. We are indebted to John Dickenson for this inspired mechanism and salute him for his contribution to our sport. [Mark Woodhams] 8 SKYWINGS OCTOBER 2023 news John Dickenson 1934 – 2023 Hang glider inventor and flight pioneer When John Dickenson died on July 5th 2023 we lost one of our greatest pioneers. The sport of hang gliding can be traced back to one original flexible wing design, created by John Dickenson, that flew for the first time at the Clarence River in Australia and was recorded for posterity by Grafton’s Daily Examiner on Monday October 21st 1963. 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BCC update Having waited three months for a further round since the excellent May 27th opener at Pandy, three BCC rounds were flown on bank holiday Monday, August 28th. These were at Bell Hill (Wessex), Selsley Common (Avon) and Combe Gibbet (Thames Valley). Over 70 pilots flew despite less favourable conditions than forecast. Early leaders UK Armed Forces lost top spot to the Southern Club after a great team performance at Combe Gibbet. But good flying from Wessex pilots on their home turf could not prevent Dunstable from claiming 2nd place overall ahead of them. Standout flights included 34.8km from Brian Watson (Wessex) and 34.4km from Dominic Brown (Skysurfers), both from Bell Hill, and 32.5km from Sam Tolton (Southern) and 31.3km from Tom Kane (Dunstable) at Combe Gibbet. SE Wales spot landing comp The South East Wales HG&PGC hosted their own spot landing competition in mid-August, with 21 pilots of varying experience talking off from the Blorenge and landing in Red Meadow below. The event was organised by Chief Coach Ali Andrews and supported at take-off by Joint Services CFI Charlie Fryer. A minibus made shuttle runs from Abergavenny to the Blorenge. Of the 21 pilots who flew, three managed to get their feet down on the 80cm target. The club is hoping to turn the comp, last conducted in pre-covid days, into an annual event, landing in a newly-acquired landing field. In brief Paramotor safaris. Flight Culture is running two autumn Spanish paramotor safaris in conjunction with local operator Para Lab. From fully-catered accommodation the team will take you to fly over Moorish watchtowers and around crusader fortresses. Para Lab, a state-of-the-art paramotor facility, will supply the latest Parajet paramotors – you only need to bring your wing and your helmet. Dates are October 21st-28th and October 28th-November 4th. Details are at Scholarships for women pilots. The British Women Pilots’ Association (BWPA) offers scholarships every year to support UK women of all ages and backgrounds in achieving their flying dreams. 15 scholarships are available for all levels of experience and all types of flying. Applications are open now; more details are at Baptiste Lambert triangle record. On August 20th French pilot Baptiste Lambert, flying an Enzo 4, pushed the World and European paragliding free distance triangle record to 350.5km from Col d’Izoard. The existing records were set at 329.3km in 2016 by Hono Hamard. AGM reminder. The BHPA 2024 AGM runs at Loughborough University on Saturday February 24th. Any member wishing to raise a discussion topic should email details to the BHPA Office by December 31st. Any member seeking to join the BHPA Exec should contact Chair Jenny must be received at the BHPA Office by Monday November 27th; contact the Office for a form. Nominations are also sought for BHPA Merit Awards. Citations for these must arrive at the BHPA Office by Friday December 22nd. The AGM venue is the Holywell Park Conference Centre, LE11 3GR. BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! August winners Matthew Tandy £129.60 David James £64.80 Simon Raven £32.40 Christopher Arthur £19.44 Ed Cleasby £16.20 David Eland £16.20 Sandra Panks £12.96 Stefan Sykes £12.96 Tom Hardie £9.72 Alexis Roxburgh £9.72 BHPA £324.00 If by the time you read this you have not received your cheque, please contact me on 07802 525099. Marc AsquithNext >