No. 420 APRIL 2024 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding AssociationWhen Marc Asquith asked me to review the BHPA logo and see if it was still as relevant today as it was in 1992 when first introduced, I had completely forgotten that it was originally designed over thirty years ago. So yes, it is very important that identifying marks or logos for organisations should be reviewed every so often to ensure they are still doing the job they were designed to do. Back in 1992, the BHPA had just been formed by the amalgamation of the British Association of Paragliding Clubs (BAPC) and the British Hang Gliding Association (BHGA). The logo was to be completely new and should not look as if the BAPC and the BHGA’s existing logos had just been cobbled together. It was important that flyers from both the paragliding and hang gliding clubs should feel a genuine ownership of the new conjoined national organisation that represented them. I asked Marc if, in the view of the BHPA Exec, the basic communication aims of the organisation had changed in any way, necessitating a revamp of the way that the BHPA addressed its various audiences. Exec’s opinion was that the logo’s basic job had not altered, but perhaps it needed updating. It still needed to sit centre stage on the lead communications, and the flight schools still needed to show that those that had passed scrutiny were registered with the BHPA. The updating job we did was not a total redesign, but rather a visual evolution from the original. The BHPA has invested a lot of money in promoting itself since its creation and the logo is one of the most noticeable outward expressions of this. We don’t want to lose the connection between the original version of the logo and the new one. There are models for this visual evolution that we can learn from. The Shell petrol forecourt, for instance, is a very good example where a company has made gradual changes to its visual language by adjusting its graphics over time. I wonder how many of you realise that a typical Shell filling station no longer displays the word Shell at all! Other companies have adopted this same attitude to evolutionary graphics. Apple computers have gradually developed their original logo to keep pace with their changing marketplace. Do you remember that the original Apple symbol was divided into coloured stripes? Many organisations have found this approach more appropriate than the more revolutionary strategy of total change. Total change in corporate identity is normally signalled when there is a significant change in an organisation’s communication objectives. Again from the petrochemicals industry, I instance the BP logo which used to be a shield emblem in which just the letters BP appeared. A major change of emphasis – their involvement with environmental issues – led to the current flower/organic based device. Please understand that I am not an apologist for this industry, but their corporate strategy is instructive. There were a couple of functional issues with our BHPA logo which could be sorted out within the redesign. The paraglider and the hang glider representations tended to fill in when the logo was printed in small sizes. The smaller illustration above shows this problem quite clearly, and the version to its right shows how the new design improves their definition. Additionally, the original depictions of the gliders had ceased to look very convincing. The gliders have been slightly enlarged and were modified to be more appropriate. It is important to recognise that the paraglider and the hang glider shown should not represent a particular brand, and not really be identifiable as a particular type. The glider images shown are generic versions that could be powered or unpowered and don’t belong to any particular time period. They have to symbolise all the different aircraft that our membership could be expected to fly. The cloud shape has been considerably simplified, but still maintains the overall shape of the original. The corners of the sky have been rounded to soften the shape and to reflect the display of pictures now common in digital media. The BHPA wordstyle was heavily compressed vertically in the original version, but we have modified the degree of vertical compression to make it more legible at small sizes. The illustrations above show this feature in action. Lastly we maintained the red, white and blue colouring of the new mark simply to reinforce the ‘Britishness’ of the organisation’s function. I hope that these modifications make sense to the BHPA membership, and that they feel the changes shown are an improvement. Inevitably, one question that might arise is, ‘How much is it going to cost?’ Given the financial pressures that we are experiencing, this is a fundamental and legitimate question. The new version of the logo will be introduced on the printed material the BHPA Head Office issues when existing supplies are run down. Skywings can introduce the logo at no extra cost and the new logo can be introduced into the BHPA website, again at very little cost. I don’t make any charge for the graphic design proposals that I make for the Association. Therefore the cost to the BHPA, and effectively your pocket, should be negligible. 2 SKYWINGS APRIL 2024 attitude Introducing the new BHPA logo Graphic designer Mark Woodhams outlines the reasons for the changes made to the Association’s logo, and explains how the original design has been modified. Original versionNew version4 SKYWINGS APRIL 2024 regulars 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. APRIL 2024 SKYWINGS 5 COVER PHOTO Jerome Maupoint and Michi Sigel flying synchro on Gin’s Explorer 2 above Talloires, Annecy. Photo: Jérôme Maupoint THIS PAGE Mark Bathe above a fog bank near Banbury on February 24th Photo: Tom McBride 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 June issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Monday April 29th. Letters for the May Airmail pages should arrive no later than Friday April 19th. Advertisement bookings for the May edition must arrive by Wednesday April 10th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Wednesday April 17th.6 SKYWINGS APRIL 2024 news 2025 Paris-Dakar to feature paragliding! The 46th edition of ‘the Dakar’ finished in Saudi Arabia in January after a total distance of almost 8,000km, including the ‘dune ocean’ of the Empty Quarter. 239 vehicles finished, around 70% of the hopeful field that started at Alula two weeks earlier. Always innovative, the Dakar is constantly changing its rules and aspirations. It has been revealed on unofficial channels that the 2025 race will include optional paragliding sections within the 5,000-odd km of ‘special’ tasks, open to quad, car, truck and UTV classes only. A complex scoring formula is still being worked on, but the idea appears to be that co-drivers can fly several separate stages of the course, their times adjusting up or down the scores of their team-mates still grinding it out in the dust. Ozone and Niviuk are said to be in talks, with Gin as yet uncommitted. It’s not entirely clear whether this development is simply to forge new audiences for the petrolhead event, or whether it’s a genuine attempt to further green-up the Dakar’s image on the heels of the Audi RS Q e-tron’s great showing this year. No pilot names have been released, and in truth the whole idea is shrouded in mystery. Stand by for a publicity blast when details are finalised. There’s some sketchy detail at Durogati signs for Nova Italian X-Alps star Aaron Durogati, 37, who began his competition career with Nova in 2002 and won last year’s Dolomitenmann on the Bantam 2, has signed up to contribute ‘long-term collaboration’ with the brand. What this appears to mean in practice is working with designer Philipp Medicus to create a new EN D hike-&-fly wing. Nova are also working on a CCC contender with Nicola Donini, with Durogati (two-times PWC Superfinal winner) perhaps having input on that too. There’s also some kind of unannounced film project going on. Relocating to Stubai puts Durogati very close to Nova’s Terfens, Austria base. He intends to concentrate on hike-&-fly competitions and also has plans to attack the world 350km triangle record. Further ahead lies the 2025 X-Alps. The takeaway here is that Nova, like others, are going all-out on hike-&-fly, with Durogati as a key ingredient of that initiative. BHPA subs rise BHPA costs, in particular insurance, continued to rise during the financial year ending March 2024. In response Exec took action to bring the Association back to break-even. Despite substantial savings achieved across the board, a financial loss for the year 2023-4 is anticipated. Yet with finances back to a more stable footing, the Association expects to be back in surplus in 2024-5 without having to increase membership subscriptions this year by more than, in most cases, just over 3%. With effect from April 1st the headline individual annual adult membership have gone up by £5 to £169. Other annual memberships are: Family, £153; Concessionary (under 21/over 67 and disabled), £149; and Non Flying, £62. One-day Introductory Membership will cost £29 (under 21 remains at £5); Three Month Membership £104 (the joining fee is no longer payable for Three Month Membership). The Joining/Rejoining fee for Full Annual membership remains at £30; and a Skywings UK subscription remains at £59. The direct debit discount for all annual subscriptions continues at £7. Some insurance supplements will also increase: the Paraglider Dual Pilot and Instructor Supplement to £105; the TI Supplement remains unchanged at £30. BHPA Safeguarding policy While Child Protection may not at first seem relevant to our clubs, BHPA Exec have agreed that the Association should have a clear policy on the matter. It may be important for those involved in dual flying, and clubs that have direct contact with young people (ie below the age of 18). With the assistance of government agencies and the NSPCC, Steve Young has drawn up an easy-to-read policy document outlining the Association’s stance on Safeguarding, and Codes of Conduct aimed at all those who may come into contact with young people. Club committee members and those engaged in dual flying should study both documents. Any member unfamiliar with the requirements of Safeguarding could also benefit from reading them to avoid any misunderstandings. Find them both on the BHPA website at SafeSky commissions first ground station SafeSky provides Electronic Conspicuity (EC) via an app on a mobile phone for leisure flyers. Via the internet, the app connects to SafeSky servers which send it location information from other SafeSky users, and from other tracking/EC networks like the OGN which track aircraft via ground stations. SafeSky wants to further enhance their capability to provide high quality EC data to their users, One way to achieve this is to have their own ground stations where their partner networks do not have BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! February winners: Charl Erasmus £129.60 Wayne Gregory £64.80 Philip Lovemore £32.40 Richard Clark £19.44 Sue Britnell £16.20 Gary Williamson £16.20 Chris Wood £12.96 Colin Lown £12.96 Jeffrey Howarth £9.72 Patrick Bryne £9.72 BHPA £320.40 Winners will note that payments of the above sums have been made to the account from which they contribute to the 500 Club by standing order. In case of error, please contact Marc Asquith on 07802 525099.coverage, and to use these ground stations to downlink all the different EC signals transmitted over radio frequencies. The company has now installed their first ground station at Gap- Tallard in France, an airfield with a huge number of different flying disciplines. Further details are Paragliding fatalities We regret to have to report that Malcolm Grout, 63, a Pilot-rated BHPA member integral to the workings of the Cumbria Soaring Club, died following a paragliding incident at Blencathra on February 25th. A BHPA Formal Investigation has been convened to investigate the circumstances of the incident and a report will appear in due course. Earlier, local media in the Canary Islands reported that former BHPA CP and Pennine Club member Peter Batty, 71, died at Puerto Garachico on the island of Tenerife on January 19th after landing in the sea. We offer our sympathies to the family and friends of both pilots. In brief EC users study. Volunteers are sought to participate in an Electronic Conspicuity user workshop. If you use an EC device to detect potentially conflicting traffic, as opposed to simply making yourself conspicuous, Mike Newman at QinetiQ would love to hear from you. The workshop is part of a wider CAA project to understand how pilots use EC devices and how they influence their decision-making process. If you would like to take part in a short workshop via Microsoft Teams, contact Mike directly at Clearer ACP process. Following the publication of the revised CAP 1616 airspace change process in October 2023, in February the CAA republished the revised requirements and guidance – for temporary and trial airspace change proposals – as CAP 1616g. Neither requirements or guidance have materially changed, but are now contained within one document with minimal external reference required. The CAA say the new document is more user- friendly, offering improved access, clarity and ability to navigate. CAP 1616g can be found at came into effect on March 18th. New tandem O/R record. On February 3rd French pilot Michel Macquet pushed the world tandem 100km out-and-return speed record to 34.9km/h with partner Blandine Macquet on board. The flight was made along the Elgeyo escarpment from Iten in northern Kenya on an Ozone Swift Max 41. If ratified, the flight will eclipse British pilot Hunter Marrian’s record of 33.16km/h, also set in Kenya (with photographer Felix Wolk on board), which has stood for ten years. BP Cup dates. The UK round of the British Paragliding Cup will be held from May 9th-12th in the Yorkshire Dales. The European round will take place at from September 14th-19th at Dráma in Greece. For full details, and to enter, go news What these people have in common is that they operate out of the limelight, doing what they do year in, year out, for no gain except the satisfaction of a job well done in the service of our sport. Out of the limelight can hardly be said of Marc Asquith, awarded the BHPA President’s Trophy, yet it’s instructive that a great many of Marc’s accomplishments have been achieved outside of his public role as BHPA Chair and spokesperson. We are fortunate to have these people beavering away on our behalf. The uncontested election – same number of candidates as vacancies – saw Marc Asquith, Ed Cunliffe, Angus Pinkerton and Martin Heywood re-elected to Exec, and new member Stuart Blackburn join the team. Flying since 2017 and with vast experience in the Submarine Service, Stuart’s stated priorities are safety, site security and pilot development. Reports Finance. Treasurer Angus Langford pointed out that the Association’s c. £69k deficit in 2022-3, the first major loss in recent years, was in part due to an £87k increase in our Public Liability insurance and a 10% increase in overall costs as a result of the Ukraine war. Subs had gone up significantly at the start of the year and action had been taken on costs, not least a reduction in staff hours and a voluntary redundancy. The increase in subs effective from April 1st had been kept to a modest 3%. However Angus confidently predicted that the BHPA would be back in surplus by the end of 2024-5. Over the last four years BHPA reserves hadn’t kept pace with inflation, normally a key aim, but he expected this too to be rectified in the future. The accounts were accepted by the meeting and formally approved. Insurance. Martin Heywood was able to report two items of positive news. We continue to be able to source high-quality Public Liability cover, and our premium has not only stabilised but actually reduced by 5% (around £30k), locked into a two-year deal, as a result of an improvement in our claims history. This welcome development has a lot to do with the increasingly professional demeanour of BHPA schools. The high quality of their record-keeping makes our insurers better able to defend claims when they do arise. Sites. Martin Baxter noted that his BHPA sites database now covered 892 sites; he stressed that clubs cannot expect to hear of proposed airspace changes or windfarms affecting sites that aren’t on his files. Due to multiple windfarm applications north of the border he has now updated his notes on turbines, available from him on request. After taking legal advice the BHPA is contesting Natural England’s requirements regarding the use of National Trust sites. The BHPA sites fund now stands at £58,900, available as grants to clubs seeking funding for site purchases. The military mapping of flying sites issue was covered in Skywings’ March issue. Skywings. Paul Dancey reported that the Association’s magazine isn’t immune to the cost increases noted by Angus Langford, and that advertising revenue is yet to return to pre- covid levels. Colin Fargher had worked hard to broaden the advertising base but progress so far has been limited. Paul applauded the high standard of material submitted by the membership and thanked all those who had contributed. Website. Another of Paul’s responsibilities. He noted a lot going on behind the scenes: a new mobile-friendly layout, a new facility for licence-holders to upload verifying documents, and a new one-day membership form. This last will facilitate short- BHPA AGM JOE SCHOFIELD REPORTS FROM LOUGHBOROUGH To Loughborough University in late February for the 32nd AGM of the BHPA, briskly steered by Chair Jenny Buck. After the formalities of the uncontested election and the passing of an amendment to the Articles of Association, BHPA Certificates of Merit were presented in person to Kevin Gay, Tim Pentreath, Simon Sykes and Stuart Short. Jenny made a point of reading out their citations, and those for John Owen-Jones, Irene Carson (BHPA Merit awards) and Gary Burchett (Wings Over A Cloud Award) who were not present. 8 SKYWINGS APRIL 2024 New Exec member Stuart Blackburn BHPA Merit award recipients Stuart Short, Simon Sykes, Kevin Gay and Tim Pentreath (note Kevin’s authentic BHGA tie and enamel badge) Photo: Bill BellAPRIL 2024 SKYWINGS 9 term membership for visiting pilots such as those attending the forthcoming paramotor world championships. And, always, the never-ending task of ensuring PCI compliance to allow financial transactions through the website. Paul is on top of it all. Competitions. Bill Bell, back in comps harness after only a brief respite, saluted the extraordinary number of people working away to ensure comps of all disciplines and levels can continue, including the team preparing for the World Paramotor Endurance Championships here in August. As a result of all this work the UK punches well above its weight, as the list of successes – including two Silver medals at world level – in his written report attest. Admin. Marc Asquith reported the impending rollout of a new concessionary discount scheme for disabled members. He also recorded his thanks to the admin team at the BHPA office, whose good grace and professionalism are a credit to the Association. Safety. FSC Chairman Angus Pinkerton drew attention to the Association’s second-best safety record ever, with only a single fatality recorded. He recorded his thanks to Dave Thompson for his years of endeavour, and for the relatively seamless reallocation of resources. He also thanked the members of FSC for their attention to a very broad range of detail. The BHPA and its myriad disciplines and environments is, er, complex! CIVL. Brett Janaway, then about to attend the CIVL Plenary meeting in South Korea, remarked on the very strong team the UK will field at the FAI Junior Paragliding World Championships in August. CIVL is determined to improve safety standards for paragliding harnesses, and legislation on this is on its way. The formal part of the meeting over, it was left to Jenny to wrap up proceedings. After a year in post, more or less, she was able to reflect on the edifice that is the modern BHPA. ‘What I’ve learned, she said, ‘is that there are often strange procedural quirks and anomalies that may make sense to this small gathering here but can be opaque to the wider membership. But I now know – there is always a reason!’ Uncontentious the meeting may have been, but there’s no doubt that the Association continues forward under a very capable crew. We are lucky to be served by people of such a wide range of talent and amazing experience. Notable this time around was a sense of solidarity towards a common goal, from the army of people working in clubs and committees around the country (exemplified by our Merit Award recipients), the office- holders of the Exec and FSC, the brilliant team at Leicester, the tech team and the ordinary flying members. It is a remarkable organisation, made up of remarkable people, in order to do a remarkable thing – go flying! The 2024 AGM was concluded inside about 70 minutes. Although the meeting had been streamed live on the BHPA’s Facebook page there were no comments from those participating online. Next year the meeting will go live on Go to Meetings to allow enhanced member involvement. Find the much more comprehensive full reports on the BHPA website Quick facts ab bout the NG series: (²) Surface )(k Max load )ih (k)ih (k NG NG light The world´s leading rescue systems Use of high-q• even at low sp g, g • Available in 3 certified acco • New, innovativ • Excellent sink to a jump from • Very reliable o • Intelligent, ligh uality lightweight materials peeds gp sizes as NG and in the light ver rding to EN12491 ve X-Flare concept for high effic k rates, each just over 5 m/s, equ m a height of about 1.3 m opening and extremely good pe htweight construction for fast op pg , NG 14 NG 12 flfhX NG 10 rsion NG light, ciency uivalent endulum stability penings, 33 14040 Serie 2912020 Serie 2510000 Serie (m²)g)(k 1,49 1,85 1,3 18 1,6 ,1 g) 1,45 g)weight (k concept -FlareX- s to the , thankface -Nearly flat top sur innovative X weight (k 1, for oL r fast opening w canopy height projected surface area bution across the large -geneous load distri --flares for homoX stability pendulum outlets for air defined Precisely concept. 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