No. 429 JANUARY 2025 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS JANUARY 2025 attitude Paragliders are amazing machines, allowing us to access the sky and interact with the elements in ways that so many will never experience. In a way they are almost too easy to fly, which can give us a false sense of security and a lack of appreciation for what we are doing, especially early in our flying journeys. At that stage we truly don’t know what we don’t know – and how could we? Paragliding is a sport that must be experienced first hand, not just read about. I’m a big advocate for learning new skills gradually and building a strong foundation before advancing; we must crawl before we can walk. Many of us, however, get comfortable with the basics and never move forward, stopping at crawling but still expecting to be able to run a marathon at no notice in life-threatening circumstances. Flying is an individual sport and we are the pilots in command – always. There is no reset button in our sport, no ‘Stop, I want to get off the ride please.’ It’s very important concept that all pilots should recognise and be honest about with themselves. My wife, who is more sensible than me and is not a paraglider pilot, has witnessed my and other pilots’ development. She understands that she is not the right person to fly paragliders because she is not willing to be the pilot in command – always. Sure, she could fly and have some good times, but she is not confident that, when it goes wrong, she would have the right responses to stay safe. It’s an attitude I respect, and one I think more pilots should carefully consider if they want to stay safe. Designers continue to produce beautiful gliders with ever- increasing passive safety and lower pilot demands for the performance, but this should never be used as an excuse for poor or inadequate pilot skill. How often have we heard a pilot say they fly a ‘safe wing’, or that because they fly a low EN B the glider will sort itself out. All paragliders can produce surprising amounts of energy and, if mismanaged, anything might happen. When we fly in active air we can learn a lot about how our gliders behave. Over time we can become attuned to what the glider needs, when, and how much, so that we can keep it open and overhead. We all know this as ‘active flying’. However when things go wrong we often get lucky, or our glider’s passive safety kicks in and helps us out. When this happens it often leaves pilots wondering ‘What happened there?’, unable to escape a lingering sense of unease. And in some cases it instils a false sense of security, where a pilot feels they can ‘just put their hands up and the glider will sort itself out.’ Both can be dangerous if not checked. Returning to the concept of learning new skills gradually; we leave our initial training with a very basic understanding of flying and, unfortunately, just enough information to really hurt ourselves. We are very vulnerable at this stage, so it’s important that we connect with our local community and try to establish some good mentors who can guide us through it. Continuing our pilot development is super-important, and a fantastic way to do this is by taking part in further wing control training, more commonly known as SIV. We will always find pilots that have hundreds of hours and kilometres of flying experience, but have never done an SIV and don’t see the need for them. But SIV is not a check-box exercise, a ‘Done that, got the T-shirt and stayed dry’ affair. It’s about continuing our pilot development in a structured and progressive manner so that we can learn the skills needed for a long and enjoyable flying future. From my experience with the newer wing control courses, I’ve found them to be very personalised and progressive, with as much focus on me as a pilot as on my equipment. Gone are the days of, ‘It’s Thursday so we are doing stalls.’ Now, there is a focus on mastering the fundamentals of wing control: pitch, roll, yaw and full use of the brake range – essential skills for all pilots, regardless of experience level. With my enthusiasm for SIV and my position on the Scottish Hang Gliding & Paragliding Federation (SHPF) committee as Safety Officer, in 2023 I surveyed Scottish pilots to gather insights into the participation, motivations, and barriers related to wing control training and their plans for 2024. The response was fantastic, with around 75 responding within 48 hours (Scotland only has around 200 pilots). I would hazard a guess that roughly 50-60% of the 200 could be considered to fly regularly, so a great response. The results were telling. Just over a third of surveyed pilots had completed an SIV in 2023 and, encouragingly, two-thirds expressed interest in doing one. For those who had not completed a course in 2023, 60% cited time or cost as barriers. Interestingly, several pilots said they were ‘focusing on building the basics’ or ‘gaining hours’ instead of doing an SIV, revealing a misconception that SIV is for advanced pilots rather than developing skills needed at every stage of a flying career. One reason to rename SIV ‘wing control courses’ is to better reflect what they offer, never mind managing incidents. What would encourage more pilots to do wing control training and remove some of the barriers? Unsurprisingly, financial support or subsided courses were top of the agenda. However many pilots also indicated that a group booking or club trip would encourage them to take part. In response to these findings we secured funding from the Lanarkshire and Lothian Soaring Club (LLSC) Forestry Fund, and the SHPF, so that members with a CP rating that had never completed a wing control course could access some very generous support. Funding was allocated to help support pilots’ continued development, safety, and overall airmanship through parti- cipation in a wing control course. In summary, we secured £500 for CPs who had never done a wing control course to do one. In all 12 CP pilots have been issued with a grant so far and nine have completed their training to date. We also organised a group wing control course in October 2024, open to all SHPF members resident in Scotland, hosted by the fantastic Lee Tryhorn at Free Flight Academy in Ölüdeniz, Turkey. The SHPF provided £100 of funding per pilot for this SHPF exclusive course, which was generously matched by Free Flight Academy. As part of the project we arranged for Jessica Love, a sports psychology researcher and experienced paraglider pilot, to observe the course and interview the participants to help build the evidence base for wing control. It was inspiring to see so many new pilots with fewer than 50 hours of flight time take part in the course. Throughout the week their confidence grew visibly, one participant even admitting at the start that he was ‘afraid of his wing.’ By the end of the course he had developed a new understanding and enjoyment for flying. Watching these pilots progress reminded me why wing control training is so essential. It’s not about managing emergencies or incidents in flight; it’s about continuing our pilot development, building confidence and gaining the skills necessary for safe and enjoyable flying. By making wing control training more accessible, and clearing up some misconceptions, we can help more pilots develop the skills they need to fly safely and confidently, ensuring we have a vibrant and supportive paragliding community. The case for SIV Mastering wing control and building confidence ANDREW FOWLIE, SHPF SAFETY OFFICER4 SKYWINGS JANUARY 2025 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 Winter landscape at Bradwell. Photo: Dmitrijs Kolcevs THIS PAGE November soaring at the Rothenbachkopf, Massif des Vosges, France, with the Rhine valley under a sea of cloud Photo: Colin Fargher 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 March issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Friday January 31st. Letters for the February Airmail pages should arrive no later than Friday January 17th. Advertisement bookings for the February edition must arrive by Saturday January 11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Friday January 17th.JANUARY 2025 SKYWINGS 5 regulars regulars reviews features 6 SKYWINGS JANUARY 2025 news AGM Resolutions In this edition of Skywings you will find the Notice of Annual General Meeting setting out the agenda for the forthcoming AGM. This year there are also three member’s Resolutions, proposed by David Harvey, set out on the back page of the Notice of AGM. By way of a reminder, Resolutions passed by the AGM are legally binding upon the BHPA and the members of Exec. who are directors of the company, BHPA Ltd. For those Exec. members who hold directorships of other companies or are professionally regulated, breach of a resolution duly passed at an AGM is a serious regulatory matter. Resolutions are therefore not trivial. Whilst it is arguable that some of these Resolutions seek to change the Memorandum and Articles of Association (our Constitution), and so should be Special Resolutions which require a 75% majority, Exec. have decided to treat them as Ordinary Resolutions to be determined by simple majority. You will notice that the Resolutions only refer to the proceedings of BHPA Exec. and FSC. There are many other committees which David does not appear to have considered. You may recall that last year we overwhelmingly voted to rescind a series of proposals that had been passed by the 1995 AGM. The reason that Exec. recommended that the 1995 proposals were rescinded was that they were well intentioned but misconceived proposals that did not achieve what they set out to achieve, and were potentially in conflict with the provisions of the M&A. Exec. takes the same view of David Harvey’s proposals and invites you to reject all of them. David’s Resolutions are: 1. That the agendas of Exec. and FSC meetings be made available to BHPA members before the relevant meeting. The Agenda for each Exec. meeting is already available to members before a meeting should they request it. Exec. Agendas are usually finalised just a few days before a meeting. In the 30+ years of the BHPA, only members attending a meeting have ever requested one. Because of the nature of FSC discussions, FSC agendas and minutes are confidential. FSC decisions are reported to Exec. and are recorded in the Exec. minutes which are publicised on the website. 2. That the minutes of Exec and FSC meetings be made available to BHPA members within 7 days of the relevant meeting. It is entirely normal practice for the minutes of a meeting to be approved at the next meeting. That is the process that all BHPA committees adopt. In terms of timescale, the proposal is wholly impractical. 3. That decisions at Exec and FSC meetings be taken by majority vote of members of each committee, in accordance with the BHPA’s Articles of Association. The minutes should record the number of votes in favour, against, and abstentions. In accordance with the M&A, where there is disagreement, decisions of all BHPA committees are made by majority decision, unless the M&A specifies a special majority. The minutes record whether a decision was passed or rejected. The Exec. operate by collective responsibility: once a decision has been taken, all members support the decision. Publicly recording votes would undermine collective responsibility. FSC minutes are confidential; FSC decisions are reported to Exec. and recorded within Exec. minutes. Marc Asquith, BHPA Company Secretary, For and on behalf of Exec. Moyes bring composites in house Carbon components for Moyes gliders are now produced at their own Sydney factory. In the 1990s Moyes pilot Ian Duncan teamed up with boatbuilder McConaghy to manufacture carbon parts for Moyes’ CSX range. The partnership was to play a crucial role in the evolution of Moyes gliders. After nearly two decades of producing these components at his own plant, last year Ian offered Moyes the opportunity to take production in-house. Quick to seize the opportunity, they immediately set about building a cutting-edge carbon facility at their factory. Now with full control of the production process, Moyes are, we think, the world’s only hang glider manufacturer with the entire production of their gliders under one roof! Buttermere Bash 25 This year’s Buttermere Bash is set to be another belter with some great bands already lined up, reports organiser Gordie Oliver. Following its proven format, there will be organised flying competitions and coaching, air displays and fantastic music, all in the most idyllic of settings. The event will also aim to beat last year’s £16k charity fundraising total. Tickets will go on sale on February 1st will be slightly reduced this year to ease the workload on the Bash Crew. Last year’s event sold out in only 11 days; this time tickets are likely to sell out even more quickly – don’t delay! SKYWINGS 7 AAdv lli venture l y n live your SIN SS‘‘MANMANSKY EDSIR SKY ybrid single sh THE SKINNGLE WERFWERFPO POTTOSOSM SHARK M acwith 20% double surfkin DMUND FUL IS FUL ec K EDSIR t pomos SHARKDMUND lyFe&ikH orerful single skin fw crShort T sttry flighounoss-cr hermalling T ly Fe &ikH A home for unwanted reserves ‘Your used rescue parachute can still save lives’. This is the motto of the Humanitarian Pilots Initiative (HPI), who provide aid in Ukraine, the Mediterranean and other troubled areas. Using donated paragliding reserves, their precise airdrops help people in urgent need. HPI is a non-profit agency, founded in 2015 by a small team of friends, and now very active with more than 25 pilot volunteers. They have developed the Super Versatile Airdrop System (SVAS) to permit supplies such as food, water-treatment materials and medical supplies to be dropped accurately under recycled emergency parachutes. Guy Richardson of Ginger Nomad individuals, workshops and clubs. Details are BP Cup dates The UK round of the British Paragliding Cup will be held in the Yorkshire Dales from April 24th-27th, with camping, HQ, and registration on April 23rd, at the Dalesbridge, Settle. The European round will be at Sopot, Bulgaria, hosted again by Skynomad. Registration: September 13th; six days of tasks: September 14th on. For more details go Ozone, XC Mag, V12 Outdoor, Snowdon Gliders and Foster Knight Accountants for their continued support. In brief Lest we forget. There were no huge world distance records from the camps in Brazil last October. However several of Timo Leonetti’s stupendous flights from the year before have now been ratified as world records. Timo now holds, posthumously, the world junior free distance and distance-by-3-turnpoints records at 526 and 531km. Timo’s earlier (October 16th 2023) claims of 478 and 484km have also been ratified. Timo was lost to us while flying in a competition at Annecy in June 2024 at the age of 22. The world distance record is currently held by US pilot Sebastien Kayrouz at 609.9km, flown in Texas in 2021. North Wales repack. The North Wales club’s Hazzard Repack runs from 12:30-16:30 on Saturday 25th January, with BHPA repacker Bernard Clewer on hand. The venue is again Upton-by-Chester Village Hall at 8 Heath Rd, Upton, Chester CH2 1HX. There will be facilities for hot drinks, and a microwave! A PayPal link at £10 fee for members and non-members alike. FAI news. At the 118th FAI General Conference, hosted at Riyadh in November by the Saudi Aviation Club, Greg Principato was elected as the new FAI President. Greg is the former president and CEO of the US National Aeronautic Association (NAA), sister organisation to the Royal Aero Club. Verbier Summits. Members are advised that Verbier Summits, run by Mike and Stuart Belbas in Switzerland, is no longer a BHPA registered school. Their registration was not renewed in April 2023 and they remain unable to offer BHPA qualifications, despite continuing to display the BHPA logo on their website. BHPA 500 Club WIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THE ASSOCIATION! November winners: Robert Bradley £134.60 Brian Searle £67.30 Scott Heffield £33.65 Colin Lown £20.19 Guy Fitzgibbon £16.83 Philip Lovemore £16.83 Simon Raven £13.46 Stephen Formoso £13.46 Ian Home £10.10 Tim Goldfield £10.10 BHPA £336.48 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 525099.8 SKYWINGS JANUARY 2025 BHPA EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY ASSISTANT TECHNICAL OFFICER The BHPA is seeking a junior member of the Technical Staff to assist the Senior Technical Staff, Office Staff, Directors and other voluntary officers with the BHPA’s many operational duties and responsibilities. The role The job will be primarily home based. However, it will also often involve UK-wide and occasional foreign travel, including frequent overnight and weekend periods away from home, and attendance at the Leicester office and other UK locations for meetings and training. The position would be ideal for an individual with a technical bent who is an enthusiastic pilot. Assistant Technical Officers report directly to the Senior Technical Staff and thence through to the Chairman of the Flying and Safety Committee. Following suitable training, the successful applicant can expect to assist existing staff in a wide range of technical duties which may include: After a probationary period of six months, employment will be offered as a permanent contract. The right person can expect rapid promotion and considerable responsibility, and to eventually wield considerable influence within the Association and UK General Aviation. The role represents an opportunity to further the development of free flight both in the UK, Europe and world-wide. The person The ideal applicant will be an experienced hang glider or paraglider pilot, preferably with power experience, perhaps with a PPL of some sort, and be willing to train to become competent in any BHPA flying discipline you do not currently practise. You are likely to also hold a current BHPA Instructor Licence and have recent experience at a BHPA school. You will be organised, self-disciplined, self-motivated, able and willing to work alone and as an integral part of a small team, fully IT conversant and excellent at documentation and record-keeping. Driving is essential to the role; it will be taken for granted that you are a car owner with a full driving licence. You may be asked to provide a DBS Certificate. Qualifications Your education will be to, at least, degree standard (or equivalent) with, possibly, a formal teaching qualification, though the latter is not essential. You will recognise the importance of discretion and compliance with Data Protection Legislation. You will need excellent written, verbal and presentational communications skills, a pleasant and approachable personality, and be willing to give a 100% commitment to the sport and support of the BHPA. Remuneration The role attracts a salary of between £28,000 and £35,000 p.a. depending on qualifications and experience, together with the usual statutory pension provision. We currently operate a combination annual car and mileage allowance. Reasonable travel, overnight hotel and meal expenses are also paid. Diversity and Inclusion Diversity, equity and inclusion are fundamental to the BHPA. We are an equal opportunities employer and all applicants will be assessed without regard to age, disability, gender, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. We will support any reasonable adjustments that are needed during the recruitment process and any subsequent employment. Applications Please write in confidence, enclosing a CV, to Assistant Tech. Officer Post, Angus Pinkerton, Chairman FSC, BHPA, 8 Merus Court, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1RJ, to arrive no later than 28th February 2025. • School and Club inspections • Instructor examinations • Tandem examinations • Delivering Instructor and Coaching courses • Development and maintenance of the BHPA Technical Manual and other documents • Development of Instructor, Coach and Pilot rating schemes • Development of paragliding and hang gliding airworthiness systems • Maintenance of the Incident Reporting System • Accident investigation • Contributing to international airworthiness and airlaw changes • Technical assistance to the Office Staff.BHPA Treasurer’s Report I am pleased to report on the financial year that ended on 31st March 2024. Throughout the year, inflation continued to pose challenges. The annual per-member cost of third-party liability insurance rose by 9%, contributing to a 4% increase in overall costs compared to the previous year. In response, Exec implemented cost-saving measures across the Association. These included reducing administrative staff hours and offering voluntary redundancy, which was taken up by a member of the technical team. Membership numbers declined over the year by 245 (3%), bringing the total to 7,012 at the end of March. To address inflationary pressures, Exec increased subscription rates by an average of 10% for renewals effective from 1st April 2023, resulting in a net 6% rise in overall revenues for the financial year. The Association recorded a loss of £51k for the year. This follows a loss of £68k in 2023, after achieving surpluses of £88k in 2022 and £74k in 2021. Looking ahead to the end of the current financial year (ending 31st March 2025), our financial position has improved significantly. The cost reductions implemented by Exec, along with a decrease in insurance costs, have resulted in a return to surplus. The Association remains committed to its longstanding policy of maintaining the real value of reserves over the medium term. The financial pressures of the past two years highlight the importance of this approach. The surpluses achieved in 2021 and 2022 enabled us to plan for and absorb the losses of 2023 and 2024 without resorting to steep subscription increases or radical staffing cuts. Angus Langford, BHPA Treasurer Quick facts abo out the NG series: weight(m²) Surface g)(k Max load NG g)weight (kg)t (k G NG light The world´s leading rescue systems Use of high-qu• even at low spe g, g • Available in 3 s certified accord • New, innovative • Excellent sink r to a jump from • Very reliable op • Intelligent, light ality lightweight materials eeds gp sizes as NG and in the light versio ding to EN12491 e X-Flare concept for high efficien rates, each just over 5 m/s, equiva a height of about 1.3 m pening and extremely good pend tweight construction for fast open g, NG 140 Ser NG 120 Ser -geneous load distri --flares for homoX NG 100 Ser on NG light, ncy alent dulum stability nings, 33 1401,85rie 291201,6rie 25100rie1,45 1,49 5 1,3 18 6 concept. -Flare innovative X s to the , thankface -Nearly flat top sur 5 1, for fa ow L ast opening canopy height projected surface area bution across the large geneous load distri stability pendulum outlets for air defined Precisely Costs per member • Insurance £81 (£74) • Office and Support Costs £40 (£40) • Technical & Flight Safety Committee £27 (£28) • Skywings £21 (£19) • Competition Funding £7 (£6) • Other Membership Costs £4 (£4) Comparative (2023) costs in bracketsNext >