No. 349 May 2018The magazine of the British HangGliding and Paragliding Associationcontentsregularsreviews features 2 MAY 2018 THE EDITOR Joe Schofield, 39 London Road, Harleston, Norfolk IP209BH. Tel: 01379 855021. E-mail: COVER PHOTO Oyvind Ellefsen wrings out his Litespeed RX at the2014 Norwegian Nationals at Vågå Photo: Oyvind EllefsenTHIS PAGE ‘Sea thermal to cloudbase and return please?’ Springarrives above Ramsey Bay, Isle of Man. Photo: Colin FargherDESIGN & 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: 020 7193 9133 Email: SKYWINGS ONLINE Go to For the May issue enter the username May 2018 and the case-sensitive password 3Mb#kN7For the June issue enter the username June 2018 and the case-sensitive password mG9ByZ&DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for the July2018 issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Friday June1st. Letters for the June Airmail page should arrive no later thanWednesday May 16th. Advertisement bookings for the June edition ofSkywings must arrive by Thursday May 10th. Copy and classifiedbookings no later than Thursday May 17th.THE BHPA LTD 8 Merus Court, Meridian Business Park,Leicester LE19 1RJ. Tel: 0116 289 4316.Skywings magazine is published monthly by the British HangGliding and Paragliding Association Ltd to inform, educate andentertain those in the sports of Paragliding and Hang Gliding. Theviews expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those ofthe British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, theirCouncil, Officers or Editor. The Editor and publisher accept noresponsibility for any supposed defects in the goods, servicesand practices represented or advertised in this magazine. TheEditor reserves the right to edit contributions. ISSN 0951-5712SUBSCRIPTIONS AND DELIVERY ENQUIRIES Tel: 0116 289 4316, Modern medical or pharmaceuticalremedies often have a drowsy side-effect,amongst others, but strangely, ginger root,now available in health food stores, hasbeen an effective remedy amongst Turkishfishermen for over 400 years and seemsmild and problem-free by comparison.Most of us cope with ground/cloudbasetemperature differences by simplyoverdressing for the ground and leavingventilating zips open until closure isrequired. But there comes a day, usuallyafter several hours of tiring flying ataltitude, when cold and exhaustionscream, ‘Land now!’ Electrically heatedgloves, body warmers or chemical handwarmers are a considerable aid, as indeedis the fully-enclosed harness, but there arepenalties of cost, bulk and weight to beconsidered against two small capsules,available in most health food stores, and asimple breathing exercise.Cayenne, or pepper as we know it, hasthe capacity to accelerate metabolism andrapidly warm our body, whilst guarana,containing a slow-bleed form of caffeine,can quickly dispel exhaustion, restoringboth energy and alertness. To avoidstomach upset it is advisable to take thesecapsules in a medium such as glucosetablets and a little water, experimenting onthe ground to establish acceptable andeffective quantities appropriate for you.Given obvious difficulties in extendingthe period of warmth produced by cayenne(mainly digestive), it is fortunate that thereare other courses of action. Wim Hof,world record holder in enduring extremecold whilst encased in ice – two hourswhen the average person would beunconscious in 15 minutes and dead in anhour – put it down to his breathingtechnique of deep inhalation. Relax,breathe fully in, commencing with thebelly, continuing with the lungs and finallythe head, exhaling at one go but not fullyout, x 30. This results in the release ofadrenaline, increasing metabolism andcore temperature. The adrenaline alsosuppresses a feverish, inflammatoryresponse which might otherwise lead to adangerous auto-immune response.Too tricky? Try a drop of Tabasco chilli onglucose tablets, consuming them as needed.Wim tops-up a cocktail with it, which heconsumes before swimming about 100yards under ice, on one breath!Wounds? Saline, a superior, painlesswound cleanser, may also be used fordehydration and is available in small,handy tubes called Steripods at Boots. It isalso worth carrying a small phial ofYunnan Baiyao, effective in stemmingbleeding of wounds. Powder externalwounds, swallow the pill inside the phial forinternal ones. Access the best quality at theChinese Medicine Shop in central London’sShaftesbury Avenue. British soldiery, unlikethe American choice above, tend to carry atube of superglue to rapidly stick down theedges when plasters and dressing can’t dothe job. Care near the eyes is advisable!‘Any of your fliers unaccounted for?’A simple question for the emergencyservices to ask. A hell of a problem forany officer of a club, with deployment orstand-down of Coastguards, MountainRescue teams, helicopters, lifeboats andambulances hanging on the answer!Frantic phone calls are the order of theday, to establish the apparent situation asquickly as possible. Yet the mobile phonenetwork is fraught with signal problemsin remote areas, and the day-to-dayproblems of switch-off, flat batteries, lackof credit and inability to respond lead toassumed conclusions and mistakensolutions despite the best intentions.Sites are restricted or even given upagainst any repetition of such chaoticexperience. Yet a simple, daily self-resetanswer phone and a requirement thatpilots call, stating only name andimmediate intention to launch at wherever,logging out at the end of activity, providesa reliable and compact record.This can be checked in five minuteswhen required, allowing a definitiveanswer for the emergency services withinan acceptable length of time. Such a rapidchecking procedure would be ready tofield any number of ‘I thought I saw ...’visitor alerts too. Actually the PLB –preferred instrument of the emergencyservices – would be the best solution andwould hugely improve pilots’ actualchances of surviving dire straits!4 MAY 2018 attitudeSo, you have motion sickness and are trying to cope with being a free flight pilot? Before deciding that this doesn’tinclude you, don’t be too sure until you’ve had to repeatedly spiral dive with a vengeance to housetop level, closingyour eyes against a spinning world, just to get your feet on the ground.Alternative remedies forflying situationsDON NUNAN, LONGTIME PARAGLIDER AND HANG GLIDER PILOTcall: 01404 Turfhouse, Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA. Email: Two paragliders came in for servicing recently, andseemed so heavy that I decided to weigh them. Withharness and reserve, these two weighed 19.5 and 20.2kg.My current glider and harness is only 10.7kg and it’smiddle of the road kit I have lighter stuff! For me, thesefigures highlight the greatest advance in recent years more impressive and important than fractions on theglide angle. Let me reduce your burden so you can enjoyyour flying more.I am lucky if I want added weight and bulk I have thehang gliding option. It is worth the extra hassle to get thepurest feeling of flying. I can’t teach you to fly one, but Ican help a bit. I have a hangar full of used gliders andharnesses to suit most tastes. This colourful Rio is anideal first glider for a medium-weight pilot, and it won’tcost a lot check the list of my current stock:I also have quite a few newand used paragliders thatare in need of new owners.This Advance Alpha 4 livedin the hangar for a while,but Adrian Bruntonliberated it so he could getback into flying, and sentme this photo of themgetting to know each otheron a ground-handlingsession. Again, the websiteis the place to look!I also have advanced kit, for more experienced pilots.This Aeros Stealth KPL 12 came from the home of acouple of sky-gods, and is just the ticket for a lightweightbut capable pilot. It is dirt cheap - amazing how much kityou can get for very little Talking of Sky Gods, Luke Nicol sent me this photo takenon another great XC. The view is amazing, but for me thecentre of attention is Luke’s Charly NO Limits helmet. Ihave been the UK distributor for Charly helmets for wellover twenty years, and you’ll see them on the heads ofpilots of all levels. Pupils in schools wear them, and sodo Champions and heroes. Because they’re worth it see the side panel!Soperman isnt a Sky God just yet, but he may well beone day. He has had to miss the first round of the BOSbecause it clashes with his final exams, but that is fairenough. If you see Jezzer with his new Litespeed, offerto buy it that will really wind him up! He wound us upwith tales of derring-do on the North Devon coast on acold and windy day. He never wears much warm clothing,but this seemed ridiculous! It was….it was April 1st andwe all fell for m taking my nice light kitoff to Italy for a week ofparagliding, but should beback by the time you readhis. The plan is to fly in theun and eat lots of iceream. Nothing like the UK,Foreign trips are the verytime when you need goodcomms, and I always haveto sort mine out before Igo. Fortunately, I have Zootkit - a wide range of radios,headsets (the cheapestones start at just £6!) andantennae in stock, so itneedn’t take long. I have a special section of the websitedevoted to Visit the website to see a whole raft of interesting items Ihave in stock. For instance, I have a very small quantityof the great Kobo Touch with the 6” screen with orwithout varios wired in. Call me!I’m outa here see you soon!Less Can Be More...The Charly helmets range was created to suit all tastes and pockets. Full- andopen-face, they all have the EN966 rating for airborne sports, but not allhelmets offer the same level of protection. Every pilot makes a choice as to thesort of head protection they want, and it is a reasonable rule of thumb to saythat you tend to get what you pay The Charly Ace has a polycarbonateshell and comes in a choice of fourcolours (Gloss White, Matt Red, MattBlack and Carbon-look) and four sizes. Ikeep them all in stock. It weighs around560gm, and prices start at £84.The Charly Breeze has a swoopypolycarbonate shell, and comes in foursizes, as well as in two adjustable sizesfor commercial operators – schools andtandem. Colours are Gloss White andMatt Black - with contrasting removableear covers to suit different seasons. Itweighs about 480gm, and costs £87.All Charly helmets have fully linedinteriors, but the Breeze Tandem has anadjustable internal harness to fit awider range of heads – ideal for tandemand school operations. Just two sizes,all in white. £87.The stylish Charly Loop costs £120,weighs around 505gm and comes witha helmet bag included. There are threesizes and six colours: Gloss White, MattBlue, Matt Black, Matt Red, Matt Orangeand Nova Silver – see them all on mywebsite: keepthem all in stock, of course!The Ace, Breeze and Loop will all acceptthe optional visor, available in Grey,Yellow, Orange and Mirror finishes. Pricesstart at £28 per visor, with the fixingscrew set costing another £6.The Charly Insider is probably the top-selling free flight helmet of all time. TheKevlar-reinforced fibreglass shell isfully-lined, and I stock eleven coloursand six sizes from XS to XXL! Checkthem all out on the website: start at£158, and weight is only 660gm!The Charly NO Limits comes in open-face orintegral forms. The pressure-formedaerodynamic Kevlar-reinforced fibreglassshells are renowned for their quietness,and come in four colours and four sizes,starting at £225. A clear visor comes asstandard with optional tinted and mirrorvisors available. The styling is aerodynamic withoutbeing so extreme as to compromise practicality – itshouldn’t snag on your harness or lines when you try toturn your head!The Charly Microfibre Helmet bag offers protection against damage when thehelmet is not in use. It comes Black/grey in one size and only costs £7.55.Charly HelmetsSOLE UK DISTRIBUTOR: Simon Murphy’s Flying Circus6 MAY 2018 newsAlex’s 6 Peak Challenge Dales Club adventurer Alex Colbeck hasset himself a new challenge, a UK first. Hisbrainchild is the 6 Peak Challenge: climband fly from the well-known ‘three peaks’of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon andthe three Yorkshire peaks of Ingleborough,Whernside and Pen-Y-Ghent. All this insideof 24 hours! Starting at Ben Nevis, usingNiviuk equipment, Alex plans to take inScafell Pike before tackling the Yorkshirepeaks, finishing at Snowdon. Aided by asupport team of two, the challenge willinvolve 15,000ft and 17 miles of climbingand around 11 hours of driving. On paper itis achievable but it has never been donebefore. Alex will have to overcome fatigue,traffic and possibly adverse weather, andremain injury-free.Already in training, he hopes to attack thechallenge this month as soon as a weatherwindow opens. He is planning to raisemoney for the British Tinnitus Associationand Yorkshire Air Ambulance; to help himreach his £1,000 target go to [Alex thanks Niviuk UKfor generously lending specialist lightweighthike-and-fly equipment both for trainingand the challenge itself.]BHPA 500 ClubWIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THEASSOCIATION! March winnersDominic Doran £129.40Tom Hardie £64.70Gordon Moore £32.35Michael Riley £19.41Goronwy Jones £16.18Dean Hyatt £16.18William Nelson £12.94Barry Woodhead £12.94Des Small £9.71David Moy £9.71BHPA £323.48If by the time you read this youhave not received your cheque,please contact me on 07802525099.Marc Asquith Parafest updateTickets are selling fast for this year’sParafest (July 27th - 29th), which promisesto be bigger and better than ever. Llanbedris a 600-acre former military airfield, rightnext to the beach yet with Snowdonia’sfree flying sites only a short drive away.There will be a substantial traders’ area,plus winching by Green Dragons – whowill also be offering accuracy training andcompetition flying – and AirwaysAirsports, and aerotowing from theMalvern Aerotow Group’s FoxTug. Demoflights will be available too (all pilots willneed to be suitably qualified). Llanbedr’smile-long runway means pilots of anyaircraft type are welcome to fly in. On theground, top-level live-music attractionsinclude Liverpool Britpop legends Cast, theAlabama 3, the Karpets and Echo Town.Organiser Mark Meadows says, ‘Thebiggest pilot party the UK has ever seen ismore than just a fly-in. It’s a festival youcan fly at, with everything you’d expect tosee at any other festival that you can’t flyat!’ Details and ticket sales are atSub-70kg trike exemption renewed!The CAA has agreed to continue the Exemption whichallows paramotor and hang glider trikes (and quads!) tofly without the need for a pilot’s licence for a furthertwo years until March 31st 2020. Readers will rememberthat when the original Exemption was signed last yearthe CAA were clear that the situation would bemonitored. As no disasters or flagrant abuses have beenreported they are happy to continue with theexperiment. In fact the industry has responded withalacrity and the Sub-70kg field is showing excitingdevelopments. The definition of an Exempted aircraft isthat it weighs less than 70kg (75kg if the equipped withan emergency parachute) and has a stall speed below20 knots, and it must not fly with more than one personon board. As long as the aircraft is flown withinAssociation rules, any member who holds a BHPA Powerrating can fly a trike and be insured under the BHPAmaster policy. The FSC is working with relevant schoolsto generate a syllabus for the discipline (but note thatuntil finalised, instructors who could not previouslyteach pilots to fly trikes are not authorised or coveredby BHPA insurance to do so). The renewal of theExemption is a cause for celebration, but remember thatthe nature of an Exemption is that it can be revoked. Letus continue to proceed with common sense and care.Photo: Flylightnews8 MAY 2018 Last year the CAA produced such a document. It’s free in electronicform, downloadable as a document designed to be viewed on a comput-er or personal device. The online guide condenses the ‘must know’ infoon UK GA flying into 150 pages of words and graphics in an easy-to-nav-igate PDF. You can also order it as a book in traditional print fashion. The CAA tends to reorganise its website at regular intervals,and as a result links tend to expire. Simply type ‘Skyway Code CAA’without quotes into the browser search engine of your choice andthat should get you there. I chose the device viewing version as ithas additional features to make jumping from section to sectioneasier than just clicking through a number of pages.This starts after the front page; all other pages are organised intosections with index tab dividers for the main chapters. Sectionswithin each chapter are on the first page of that chapter in a sub-index, and clicking on the same takes you direct to that particularsubject. There are five shortcut buttons at the top of all the pagesexcept the first to show you the index, provide further information,return to the beginning or move forward or back page by page. Youget this in addition to the other functionality when you open thedocument in Adobe Reader, which can be had on Mac or Windowsbased computers. The same functionality will not exist in thesystem readers on Mac or Linux, so it’s worth using Reader ifyou’ve got it or installing it if you haven’t.Whilst the Skyway Code is GA orientated, the way it’s been writtenis clever enough for things like checklists, which are good for allpilots, to have prominent positions in the document. There are tensections, and even those that don’t seem free-flying relevant, likeGA Risks, have some top quality writing on decision making andflying in uncontrolled airspace. Even down to a method for visualscanning, and a recommendation that you have your eyes insidethe cockpit less than a quarter of the time. Away from ridge sites,that’s not a bad thing for applying to instruments. If you are amulti-discipline pilot the document is more attractive. If you’rerevising for an exam it’s also worth having a look. There has beenone revision (September) since the original publication in May lastyear, so it’s worth checking you’ve got the up-to-date version. The way the information is divided into sections and chaptersmakes it easy to find anything you’re looking for, and the size ofthe sections makes for easy reading if you’re browsing in the moregeneral sense. It’s on the must-read list, and also a ‘must keep on phone torefer to from time to time’. It’s not that long ago that a publicationof this depth and quality had a hefty price tag. It’s well written, anexcellent aide-memoire and a major contribution to safety – andfree to boot. What’s not to like?The Skyway CodeIcarus X-Series SAThe Icarus X-Series, a spin-off from the Icarus Trophy,the world’s longest paramotor race, comprises fourshorter format stand-alone race events in the US, UK,Australia and South Africa. 13 contestants took off nearHartbeespoort Dam north of Johannesburg at the endof March to pursue a 340km course over two days, withcheckpoints at the Vaalkop and Buffelspoort damsbefore heading back to the start. Stormy weather onDay 1 forced some pilots down; mechanical failuresincluded broken props and a missing exhaust, and therace’s first-ever trike entry suffered flat tyres. SouthAfricans Alard Hufner and Bruce Askham led at theend of Day 1, but gusty winds slowed competitors onDay 2 and put Bruce out of the race. Alard (OzoneSpeedster/Parajet Zenith) used the opportunity to takea commanding lead and, missing the worst of theweather, crossed the finishing line first, ahead ofEugene Cussons (Hadron XX/Nirvana, pictured at right).The strong winds meant some pilots had to wait untilthe following day to finish. Alard wins not just the racebut also a place in the 1,000-mile Icarus Trophy properthat starts from the same location on July 25th. The UKX-Series race starts on Friday June 29th; details are atSo much knowledge needs to be kept current to fly safely and legally. Whilst most air sports have somerepository of knowledge such as the BHPA’s Pilot Handbook, wouldn’t it be great if there was some sort of officialrepository of requirements and knowledge for pleasure flying that came with official backing and clout from theCAA? Something like the Highway Code, which isn’t the laws of the roads but a pretty good summary of them inan easy-to-remember form?STEVE UZOCHUKWU TAKES A LOOK AT THE CAA’S ONE-STOP SHOP FOR SAFETY RULESAND ADVICE FOR GA PILOTS surface in sightand with the Clear of cloud 5 km* F G1,000 ft vertically1,500 m horizontally 5 kmA B C D** Ewhichever is the higheror 1,000 ft above terrain, At and below 3,000 ft AMSL, 1,000 ft vertically1,500 m horizontally 5 kmA B C D E F Gabove terrain, whichever is the highert f000,1evobaro,LSMAf000,3evobad na001LFLSMAf000,01woeB1,000 ft vertically1,500 m horizontally 8 kmA B C D E F GDistance from cloudFlight visibilityAirspace class1000 ft1000 ft8 km1500 mFL100/10 000 ft AMSL (depending on the transition altitude)5 km1500 m5 km1000 ftsurfacein sight ofC ear of cloud140kt or lessGF3000 ft AMSLVisual and instrument flight rulesAIRSPACE >VFR Altitude bandAt and above 10,000 ft AMSL/FL100*5 km: Where permitted by a Member State this may be reduced to 1500 m if flying by day in sight of the surface and at 140 kts IAS or less In the UK this is permitted in class G airspace**Class D exemption: There is an exemption in the UK to SERA which allows aircraft to fly ‘clear of cloud’ in class D airspace rather than complying with the specified cloud separation distances This only applies if flying by day at or below 3000 ft AMSL in sight of the surface and at 140 kts IAS or less 5 km visibility is sti l required except for he icopters for which 1500 m is required For full details see www caa co uk/sera The legal exemption is published as ORS4 1195 see www caa co uk/ors4 CAP 1535 May 17 MAY 2018 9Another airspace-buster bustedA light aircraft pilot who infringed temporarily restricted airspacewas fined recently following another airspace prosecution by theCAA. On August 17th last year Nigel Holbrough, 57, infringed theRA(T) surrounding the Eastbourne International Air Show, enteringthe closed airspace three times on the same flight. The leader ofthe Blades aerobatic team spotted Holbrough’s Piper Super Cub andmoved his pilots further out to sea to execute their routine safely.At Brighton Magistrates Court in March Holbrough pleaded guilty tothe charge and was fined £1,500, plus costs of £500 and a ‘victimsurcharge’ of £150. He is reported to have told CAA investigatorsthat he had failed to properly check the NOTAM system.RAeC AwardsIt has been confirmed that HRH Prince Andrew will present theawards at the Royal Aero Club’s annual ceremony at the RAF Clubon Thursday 17th May. BHPA members due to receive awards areSacha Dench (RAeC Britannia Trophy), Giles Fowler (RAeC SilverMedal), Mark Dale and Tony and Ioana Stephens (RAeC BronzeMedal), Donald MacKenzie and Mark Woodhams (RAeC Certificate ofMerit) and Jocky Sanderson (Ann Welch Memorial Award). Also ofinterest, British astronaut Tim Peake will be receiving the RAeCGold Medal. Congratulations to all concerned! For tickets contactthe RAeC office at tel: 0116 2440182.In briefPan-American results. In early April Brazil’s Jeison Zeferino Brito(Enzo 3) won the FAI Pan-American Paragliding Championship atBaixo Guandu. Over eight days 120 pilots from 20 countries flew fourtasks, with Brazil’s Leandro Henrique Padua and Argentina’s MichelGuillemot finishing second and third on Boomerang 11s. Poland’sKlaudia Bulgakov was top woman pilot in 10th spot on an Enzo 3. ThePWC Brazil was to be flown at the same location from April 14th. Kenya o/r record mystery. In January 2017 Slovakian pilot MiroslavMatovič Miroslav flew his Axis Vega XCT 219.2km from Nyaru inKenya to seize British pilot Hunter Marriam’s world tandemparagliding out-and-return distance record, set in 2016 from thesame site. In March this year the FAI ratified Miroslav’s flight asboth a World and European record, but in April the FAI released astatement saying they had cancelled the European record only,citing ‘Course does not satisfy Sporting Code’. Like so muchemanating from the FAI records office, this one is a mystery! Skywings online. The online version of this (June) issue of themagazine can be found at Enter theusername May_2018 and the case-sensitive password 3Mb#kN7.For the June issue enter the username June_2018 and the case-sensitive password mG9ByZ&. These details can also be found onthe contents page of each issue. Magazines with a cover dateover six months old can be viewed online or downloaded withoutthe need to log in.BVHGR raffle. 1000 tickets are available for the 2018 BritishVintage Hang Gliding Rally raffle. BVHGR Chairman Steve Pionkhopes to be able to raise up to £2,000 for the Alzheimer's Society.The many valuable prizes include a week's accommodation atFlyStAndre, taster flying experiences with four different freeflight and microlight schools, flying clothing from Avian andSimon Murphy, £50 worth of Morrisons vouchers and a bumperbottle of Prosecco – the list is getting longer by the day. Ticketscost £2 each from or at the BVHGR, hosted byParafest at Llanbedr on July 27th - 29th.Acro podcast. Alex Colbeck, Jack Pimblett and Lee Tryhornhave started the British Acrobatic Paragliding Academy to helpaspiring British acro pilots progress in a safe and incrementalway. In a new podcast the three BAPA co-founders talk to JudithMole about attitudes to acro in the UK, how much time and effortis required to get really good, and why it will make you a saferand more confident pilot. Find it atNext >