No. 344 DECEMBER 2017The magazine of the British Hang Glidingand Paragliding Association 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 Glidingand Paragliding Association Ltd to inform, educate and entertainthose in the sports of Paragliding and Hang Gliding. The viewsexpressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the BritishHang Gliding and Paragliding Association, their Council, Officers orEditor. The Editor and publisher accept no responsibility for anysupposed defects in the goods, services and practices represented oradvertised in this magazine. The Editor reserves the right to editcontributions. ISSN 0951-5712SUBSCRIPTIONS AND DELIVERY ENQUIRIES Tel: 0116 289 4316,e-mail: Online: THE EDITOR Joe Schofield, 39 London Road, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 9BH.Tel: 01379 855021. E-mail: COVER PHOTO Bertrand Chol and Gin Boomerang X-Alps aboveLanfonnet, Annecy, en route to a 50km February triangle Photo:Jerome MaupointTHIS PAGE Hang gliding XC League winner Steve Blackler, halfwaythrough a sea breeze-aided 65km triangle from Mendlesham in Suffolkin July 2017. Photo: Steve BlacklerDESIGN & PRODUCTION Fargher Design Ltd. Killane House, Ballaugh,Isle of Man, IM7 5BD.PRINT & DISTRIBUTION Newman Thomson Ltd, One Jubilee Rd, VictoriaInd. Est, Burgess Hill, RH15 9TL.ADVERTISING Tel: 020 7193 9133 Email: Online: SKYWINGS ONLINE Go Forthe December issue enter the username December_2017 and the case-sensitive password #u3yXb For the January issue enter the usernameJanuary_2018 and the case-sensitive password M&V#Lh8DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for theFebruary 2018 issue must be submitted to the Skywings office byWednesday December 28th. Letters for the January Airmail pageshould arrive no later than Monday December 18th. Advertisementbookings for the January edition of Skywings must arrive by MondayDecember 11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than MondayDecember 18th.contentsregulars reviews features 2 DECEMBER 4 DECEMBER 2017 Quit orcrash?NIGEL PAGE, LONGTIME PARAGLIDER PILOTAccident rates for older pilots are very high.Whether we like it or not, as we age ourfaculties deteriorate; flying becomes moredifficult and, if we do not compensate, itbecomes more dangerous. Barringcatastrophe, at some point in time we willhave to quit flying. In the meantime, if wemanage our flying well, perhaps we canextend the period when we can enjoyreasonably safe flying. I am 63 and havealready had to look closely at my flyingseveral times. I hope in this article to putout a few ideas which might help otherswho are starting to feel their age a bit. Notethat I have been flying quite a long timeand some of this may apply a littledifferently to recently-trained pilots. Why is paragliding moredangerous to older pilots? All sorts of body bits tend to fail as we age;particularly, from the flying point of view,our senses of balance and direction.Strength and stamina also decline, arthritisis a serious issue for many and we may beslower to make decisions. Some changescome imperceptibly slowly and othersscarily fast; everybody is different and theprocess of ageing will be unique for eachpilot. Some around my age appear very fitand fly (annoyingly!) well, but many othersend their flying careers in crashes. Allflying is a compromise. As we age we needto know our safe limits, which can changeat almost any time. Denial ends in disaster. Ambition – what do you wantfrom your flying? If winning is important and you are gettingon a bit, take up fishing, golf or bowls. Theyoungsters will outfly you sooner or later.My target is enjoyable time in the air, nobig scares, nice views, and perhaps somekilometres if they come safely. It’s nice tofly a big distance, but is it worth a big risk?Consistency is not my strong point.Sometimes I do OK and sometimes not, butI’m won’t do better by taking risks, flyinginto difficult terrain or marginal situationsand hoping for the best. What does help, asat any time of life, is identifying weak areasof my flying and, if necessary, re-learningand polishing basic techniques. Environment As well as changes in ourselves it isimportant to recognise changes in theconditions in which we fly. Paraglidingchanges rapidly. Much of my best flyinghas been done more or less alone, butwhere I fly in Derbyshire crowding hasincreased to serious levels. As a local pilot itis a fact of life that I have to learn to to dealwith crowding and fly more with others, orquit. I also fly a lot in Piedrahita whereoccasionally conditions get too strong forme and I have to end a flight. Haveconditions changed in the areas you fly?Can you still cope with them? Feeling wobbly - getting theright glider Paragliders vary in sensitivity to weightshift and gusting. A glider which has feltfine to us for some time may suddenly feelvery wobbly as our balance sensesdeteriorate and we may need a lesssensitive glider. If we are flying EN C or END gliders it may be time to consider an ENB. Modern EN B wings have very goodperformance and passive safety. Howeverthey have a wide range of characteristicsand if we are feeling wobbly we will have tofind one we feel is OK in the roughestconditions we expect to fly in. It may takesome effort to find the one which suits us. EN B wings can still be quite ‘sporty’. One Iflew earlier this year was very nice to flybut required too much work in strongconditions for me to fly for long periods. Amore ‘relaxing’ glider of comparableperformance provided more comfort withless workload. However being less sensitiveit required some types of light thermal tobe flown more carefully, plotted using thevario rather than by feel, and I had to learnsome new techniques (I’m still working onit!). Nevertheless it was a better glider forme, and easier to launch. Of course the firstwing could have been too much for me, orfor the conditions I was trying to fly; whenmaking such choices we should keep inmind the sort of flying we want to do. Training and practice – keepcurrent A few years ago I had a launch accidentand was lucky to get away with a minor cutand a few bruises. I could easily havebroken my neck. This prompted a seriousreview of my launches. Gliders had changeda lot and my preparation and launchtechniques were out of date. I eventuallylearned the ‘As and Cs’ launch method anddeveloped a system of packing and riggingwhich seems fairly reliable for now, but I dotry and keep an eye on how others arelaunching. Should I learn the Cobra launch? Take pride in your launches and landings.Make sure you clear up any issues andkeep up to date with developing techniques.Brits are notoriously bad at nil-windforward launches. Modern gliders forwardlaunch very well so there is no excuse. Takeany opportunity to practice them. It will betoo late when you really need to do one. Responsibility Few of us reach our sixties without someneed of modern medicine which, of course,increases further as we age. In the UK thisis provided for most of us by theoverstretched NHS, and each paraglideraccident puts further stress on its valuableservices. We are privileged to be able to doadventure sports knowing we will berescued and cared for if we foul up. Any ofus could make the big mistake, but weshould not abuse rescue or health servicesby failing to look after ourselves in our oldage or taking stupid risks. © 2017 Nigel Page call: 01404 Turfhouse, Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA. Email: Just in time for Christmas?Maintenant ils sont ici! Fresh in from France - Le BipBip+ ! L’original BipBiphad rave reviews, so I decided to import them. Some cheap varios are notvery impressive, but in this case you get a heck of a lot of vario for £84.Perhaps our biggest-ever Xmasseller has been the RenschlerSolario, which I still regard as theultimate back-up vario. At £112it isn’t the cheapest, but whowants the cheapest? It is asresponsive as the full-houseRenschlers, so is worth everypenny. My full selection of newinstruments includes Renschler,Flytec, Fairhaven. Etmaintenant…. Les BipBip, aussi.I fly with Renschler CoMosbecause they are responsive,accurate, compact and have theclearest screen I have yet seen.My website always has a fewgreat secondhand instruments,and at the moment thisRenschler CoMo Easy GPS isavailable at £200. It may notbe here for long, because my used stock changes almost daily:We’ve all been there: Just gettingready to take off when you realisethat you’re still wearing your £8GBreitling. It’s big, bulky andsnagging on anything it can find.By contrast, the Zoot Fun Watchalso tells the time, but is lowprofile, smooth, minimal hassle,comes in three colours and costs£4.80. Fits in a Xmas stocking,too. Just saying…..Also good for Xmas presents are my Zoot Radio Outfits: Choose from lotsof different Radios, headsets, antennae and speaker/mics, all atreasonable prices.Hangies and microlight pilots reallylike the Zoot Camera Mount, whichhas been a Christmas favourite foralmost thirty years now.Remarkably, all that has changed isthe cameras - we used to mountheavy video and SLR film camerason these mounts!I’ll only stop selling hang gliding kit when I turn off the lights and closethe doors for the last time. I have loads of new and used gliders,harnesses, reserves and associated kit, and by the time you read thisadvert there should be a nice Airwave Fly2 tandem glider in the shed.Rare as hen’s teeth - watch this space! I also have a lot of new andused accessories for bothdisciplines. Someone recentlyasked whether I sold hangglider base bar wheels. Washe kidding? New or used,several designs, and for sixdifferent base bar profilesincluding Atos Carbon bars!I’ve also been UK distributor forvarious paraglider manufacturersfor the last thirty years, and canget you just about any make ofnew glider. I also stock quite a fewused gliders, and have some realbargains. If you aren’t a slave tothe latest fashion this superblarge Ozone Vibe (DHV1-2 and 98-118kg) is in super condition andwill give many years greatflying...all for £399! This medium Swing Arcus 3.26 (DHV1-2 and 75-105kg) isn’t in suchgood condition, so is only £225. It has plenty of life left and is muchtoo good to be retired forgroundhandling use. PerhapsI should fly it myself ? More suitable as stockingpresents, I have a great newselection of top-quality high-tech gloves with grippy palms– various sizes and styles at£36. Zoot bar mitts for thehangies are going fast at£22! Have a look at mywebsite for more present For 2018 I am stocking Charly, Apco and Independence reserves, so asto give my retail and trade customers the maximum choice.These brands have sold tens of thousands of reserves, and have manyhundreds of successful deployments to their credit. When all is saidand done, that is what counts! My own deployment was beneath a Charly Revolution, and I regard thatreserve as having saved my life - it was probably my best everinvestment. Read the full account on my website, or just ask me about Charly Second Chance from £399 Charly Revolution, from £480.Apco Mayday HG from £415Charly Clou2 from £490 Independence Annular Evo, from £545The NEW CharlyDiamond Cross,from £670ReservesHappy New Year Everyone!6 DECEMBER ‘Phi’ brand is launchedThe new company intends to ‘stay smalland beautiful’ and to economise onmarketing to prioritise glider development.‘Hasty developments and short-noticeproduct launches are not our mission,’ saysHannes. He believes it is no longernecessary to compromise on handling toachieve predictable collapse and recoverybehaviour; far better to retain the safetywithout conceding the potential for distanceflying. To this end Phi launches with arange of three EN A wings, although othersare in the pipeline. The Fantasia low-end,low-priced training wing aimed at schools;the Sonata mid-level wing aimed as a firstpurchase for new pilots; and theSymphonia: ‘a high-performance Mid-LevelB with an EN A rating’.Symphonia details include 50 cells andlightweight construction with sliceddiagonals and unsheathed lines, in shortbringing the construction techniques of the‘higher’ classes of wing into the A classwhile offering the agility and light handlingof the B category. Extensive testing of linematerials, sizes and combinations has beendone in pursuit of aerodynamic efficiencywhile retaining correct trim. This is aimedat keeping Phi wings flying as designed forlonger, an important consideration whenmany pilots don’t get their gliders regularlyretrimmed and some wings go off the boilwithin 20 flying hours This makes a lot of sense in mainlandEurope where most new pilots purchase anA class wing; in the UK many pilots, rightlyor wrongly, skip this step and move straightonto a B. The Symphonia, in five sizes from18 - 26m with interesting striped colourschemes, is expected soon – the 22, 24 and26 sizes have already passed EN Acertification tests. The price is likely to bejust over 4,000 euros, reflecting thecomplexity of construction. Phi are alsoworking on a Symphonia-based tandemand a high-end B wing. Sole UK distributorof the Phi range will be Flybubble who willsoon have demo wings. For more detailscontact Flybubble at 01273 812 442, or go to or Phi dealers. Phi info is also at phi-air.comHannes Papesh’s long-awaited Phi brand was launched at the St Hilaire festival in September. Hannes’ career inparaglider design began in 1989 with the establishment of Nova. In 1993 he designed the legenday Sphinx andlater the class-leading Xyon and Xenon wings, and in 2001 he pioneered Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)simulation. In 2007 Hannes more or less invented the hike-and-fly concept with Nova’s Ibex, and in the same yearthe category-defying Mentor came out. In 2012 Nova began a tie-up with Advance, harnessing their CFD strengthto Advance’s production capabilites. Even as the Mentor 3 was lighting a fire in the record books and XC leagues,Hannes left Nova to set up new development team at Advance. Earlier this year he moved on again to set up Phiwith Peter Mack of Evotec (Companion reserves), with Mike Kung and Benni Horburger as development pilots.On September 27th British pilot Charlie King flew from the summit of Africa’s highestmountain, Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m) in Tanzania, and is thought to be the first womanpilot to have achieved this feat. She flew a BGD Echo and was part of this year’s ParaglideKilimanjaro expedition. Charlie has completed several hike-and-fly events including theTransdromoise, Airtour and Bornes to Fly, and mountain ultra-marathons like the 119km,7200m ascent Traces des Ducs de Savoie. Charlie, who learnt to fly at a BHPA school,currently resides in southern France and works as Cross Country magazine’s news editor.Charlie King flies KilimanjaroBHPA 500 ClubWIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THEASSOCIATION! October winnersMichael Chandler £131.60Michael Mason £65.80Jonathan Lawrence £32.90Mick Ford £19.74Vivien Biro £16.45William Nelson £16.45Alastair Lea £13.16William Nelson £13.16David Forty £9.87Graham Shand £9.87BHPA £329.00If by the time you read this you have notreceived your cheque, please contact meon 07802 525099.Marc AsquithHas paraglidinggone mainstream?Many will have missed four-times Britishparagliding champion Adrian Thomas onBBC Radio 4’s Life Scientific programme onOctober 31st, explaining his professional lifeof research into insect flight and buildingdragonfly-drones. Non-radio listeners willalso have missed the previous Sunday’s‘slow radio’ spot on the flagship morningnews, in which we were treated to a wholeminute of BHPA member Glyn Pollington’svario beeping hard as he climbed outsomewhere in Bulgaria. Are we, all of asudden, normal?Nova pilots of theyearNova have bestowed their ‘Pilot of the Year’title on Italy’s Rinaldo Vuerich, Austria’s JoeEdlinger and Toni Brugger of Switzerland.Their Junior ‘Newcomer of the Year’ awardwent to Kinga Masztalerz of Poland andGerman youngsters Markus Anders andTimm Asprion. The awards are forconspicuous success on Nova gliders in theglobal online XContest – Rinaldo Vuerich, forexample, completed 29 x 100km + flights ona Mentor 5! Kinga Masztalerz (pictured) was7th-placed woman pilot; this year she hasflown several vol-biv adventures, won thewomen’s class of the New Zealandchampionships and set a new NZ record.‘We should have made another award tofour-times winner Berni Pessl,’ reportedNova CEO Wolfi Lechner. ‘He won the worldStandard class for the fourth time but wewanted to give someone else a chance!’RAeC Trustbursaries Early warning that applications for RoyalAero Club Trust bursaries close on March31st 2018. Earlier this year the Trustawarded 50 bursaries to youngsters of up to21 years to advance their existing air sportqualifications and further their dreams.New rules allow previous winners of up to24 years to make further progress. Theawards, of up to £1,000, are made possibleby the generosity of the RAeC, the PeterCruddas Foundation, the MacRobert Trustand the aviation-specific Bramson andBreitling resources, among others. This yearBHPA members Jeremy Soper, John Delvesand Jack Pimblett all received valuableawards; in 2015 Theo Warden’s bursaryenabled him to take another step in hisflying career, and now he’s flying in thePWC! If you are between 14 and 21 andfinancial assistance would help youprogress, go to Every young BHPA pilot should apply!Suffolk Clubrenames itselfThe Suffolk Coastal Floaters Hang GlidingClub has renamed itself Suffolk HangGliding. The original club was formed in1979 and most flying was indeed done on arange of coastal sites all round the EastAnglian coastline. With the lifting of theBHGA ban on towing the club acquiredrunway access and storage at Mendleshamin Suffolk and commenced towing.Although club pilots still fly the Suffolk andNorfolk sea cliffs, towing has remained theclub’s centre of gravity; renaming the clubsimply acknowledges that fact. It’s stillprobably the best and friendliest small clubin the country. Contact them at January date forBFRThe Thames Valley Club’s Big Fat Repackwill take place earlier than usual this year,on Sunday January 14th at the RivermeadLeisure Centre in Reading. Two custom-builtzip wires (thankyou Go Ape!) will be inoperation for practice deployments. AirAmbulance personnel will give talks onincident management and first-aidessentials, and Bill Morris’s team willdemonstrate the crucial points of repackingyour reserve. The event, expected to attractup to 140 pilots, is open to TVHGC membersand non-members alike; registration isonline Please note:the BFR is not intended as a cheap repackservice, but for pilots to learn how to repacktheir own parachutes, usually done in pairs,but with qualified packers immediately onhand to guide you through the process.North Wales RepackThe North Wales Hang-Gliding andParagliding Club will be running its annualparachute repack at the Airbus Social Clubat Broughton, near Chester, starting at 10.00on Saturday 20th January 2018. Bill Morrisand his team of BHPA parachute packerswill provide instruction and supervision.The event is open to any BHPA member at acost of £15; advance booking by January15th is essential. Book online at or contact JerryHazzard at 01948 780378, email:Ben Philpottreceives Pepe LopesMedalThe start of the 111th FAI General Conferenceat Lausanne in October was marked by thepresentation of medals and awards tooutstanding pilots and air sports supportersfrom around the world. Among thosepresented, by FAI President Frits Brink, wasBen Philpott’s Pepe Lopes Medal, awarded‘for the exceptional character andsportsmanship shown by his actions inassisting a fellow pilot in criticalcircumstances, despite having suffered atraumatic experience.’ This was inrecognition of the care and support Benprovided to the injured Rob Gregg followinga mid-air collision at the British HangGliding Championship at Laragne in 2016. Hangie XC trainingcampsTom Weissenberger is running XC trainingcamps in Lanzarote again this winter, fromnow until March 2018, allowing pilots tofocus on improving their piloting skills withone of the world’s best XC pilots. ‘TheLanzaXCamp should be seen as an effectivewinter training camp with personalcoaching to improve your flying skills,glider control and average speed,’ says Tom,‘but mainly to increase and push yourpersonal comfort zone!’ Tom’s syllabusincludes thermal-centering techniques,correct VG use in all conditions, handlingand top landings, coastal ridge racing, waveflying and downwind XC training. Take yourown glider or hire Tom’s full-carbon MoyesRX3.5 or RX4. For details go to or contact Tom at8 DECEMBER newsNext >