No. 350 JUNE 2018The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 JUNE 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.The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily thoseof the 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, THE EDITOR Joe Schofield, 39 London Road, Harleston, Norfolk IP209BH. Tel: 01379 855021. E-mail: COVER PHOTO Stefan Fritz approaches the Ad-Deir monasteryin Jordan’s Wadi Rum at sunset (full article starts on page 36)Photo: Dan BurtonTHIS PAGE Robert Frankham and Björn Lürßen above the GreatTemple at Petra Photo: Dan BurtonDESIGN & 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 SKYWINGS ONLINE Go to For the Juneissue enter the username June_2018 and the case-sensitivepassword mG9ByZ&For the July issue enter the username July_2018 and the case-sensitive password &rD8$GwDEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for theAugust 2018 issue must be submitted to the Skywings office byMonday July 2nd. Letters for the July Airmail page should arrive nolater than Monday June 18th. Advertisement bookings for the Julyedition of Skywings must arrive by Monday June 11th. Copy andclassified bookings no later than Monday June 18th. regulars regulars reviews features Airspace procurement needs a shake-up4 JUNE attitudeJOE SCHOFIELD, SKYWINGS EDITORMeanwhile, the initial consultationprocess on the greatly enlargedcontrolled airspace sought by RAF BrizeNorton and Oxford Airport closed in April.The GA Alliance put forward a strongformal response to the proposals, led bythe BGA. Nick Smith of the BHPA’sThames Valley club put in sterling workcoordinating responses from the clubs inthe area, and the Avon club put out avery detailed document explainingclearly what the proposals were aboutand how to respond to them. In addition,individual members produced their ownpetitions and responded directly to theconsultation documents.Lest we forget, the proposed BrizeNorton/Oxford Airport airspace grabappeared, to the many interested parties,to be enormous and disproportionate. Thearguments presented by the proposers didnot support what they were asking for, andthe proposals did not even consider theireffects on surrounding Class G airspace. Ifimplemented, the combined BrizeNorton/Oxford airspace would limit theability of BHPA members to go XC fromsome sites, and make it extremely difficultfrom others. Local gliding, hang glidingand paragliding clubs, and small airfieldswith routes through the affected areas,would very likely be placed in crisis.The proposals contained far too muchunsupported subjective opinion fromcontrollers and others, and far too littleevidence-based data. In fact it has beenthe gliding and free flying clubs that havesourced and provided a wealth of factualevidence in response to the heavy-handedproposals. The proposals also containfanciful claims of future traffic not unlikethose used to secure earlier unjustifiablylarge – but successful – airspace grabs atDoncaster and Norwich.No effort was made by the proposers tocontact affected GA clubs and airfields. Thisbecame a legal requirement at the start ofthis year, but by rushing out theirsubmissions before the end of 2017 theproposers were able to avoid thisrequirement. The slapdash quality of someelements of the Brize Norton and OxfordAirport proposals would tend to support theview that this was deliberate. There wasclearly collusion between the Brize-Nortonand Oxford proposers to align their plans,but no co-operation with the GA community.The General Aviation All PartyParliamentary Group (APPG) of 150 MPsslated the proposals in a very stronglyworded statement: ‘There is somethingrotten with the current process, which iswhy a new procedure has already beenintroduced. The attempt made by these twoapplications to get under the radar by usingthe previous rules is not acceptable to thoseof us in Parliament.’ In a direct response tothe Brize Norton/Oxford consultation, theAPPG wrote, ‘Moreover, analysis carried outby our Airspace Working Group suggeststhat will be at least a doubling of mid-airconflict risk to those operating outside theproposed Class D Airspace.’In truth these proposals represent the tip ofthe iceberg. There are currently ongoingAirspace Change Proposals regarding BigginHill, Carlisle, Hawarden and Leeds-Bradford,and Edinburgh, Inverness and Prestwick inScotland. We are already suffering theconsequences of the Doncaster and Norwichdebacles, and the CAA’s decision onFarnborough Airport’s similarly flawed andextravagant Airspace Change Proposal of2014 will be made public very soon. Ifachieved, these changes will significantlyinfluence the availability of free airspaceacross southern England.We are all for fairly sharing out airspacefor the best use of all air users. Howeverthe accelerating trend over the last fewyears has seen vast swathes of open skylost to much GA activity. When airspace islost it is almost invariably lost for good.The CAA’s much vaunted Airspace ChangePortal, mentioned above, appears to offertransparency within the process but failsto solve the underlying problem – thatairport operators should understand all theneeds in an area before a proposal processis even started. If the various current proposals aresuccessful, operators will feel strengthenedin their belief that the GA community iseasily defeated, and will want to controlever larger tracts of the sky. However theExeter decision and the concertedresponse to the Brize-Norton/Oxfordproposals are very encouraging. When co-ordinated, the GA sector can put up a goodfight, armed with facts.We should not, however, drop our guard. TheExeter proposal will almost certainly beresubmitted, and we don’t yet know howseriously the GA responses to the BrizeNorton/Oxford proposals will be taken. In theend the heavy-handed approach to sharingthe sky must change. The UK has to moveaway from the sky-grabbing approach ofairport owners and the airline industry.Big thanks on behalf of all of us tothose within the BHPA involved infighting these proposals, particularlyNick Smith, Tom Hardie and the Avonand Thames Valley committees.We learnt in April that the CAA had decided not to approve the proposal to introduce Class D Controlled Airspace inthe area surrounding Exeter Airport. In their view the airport’s submission failed to satisfy several of the CAA’sstatutory obligations; they also described the size of the proposed design as ‘fundamentally flawed’. In particularthe CAA refusal referred to the limited attention paid to alternative options, and to resolving any conflictinginterests with recreational aviation activities in the vicinity. The combined efforts of the local GA operations andsustained effort from the BHPA’s Tom Hardie, among others, on behalf of the GA Alliance, have gone a long way tohalting this carelessly constructed proposal in its tracks. Busy, Busy, Busy!!It has been a great start to the year, and I’ve beenstruggling to keep up with things. I’ve had some niceflying, too. The top picture was taken on a verypleasant day at Bossington, where it was flyable allday and the sunshine meant that the magnificentviews rivalled anywhere in the world. I was able totest fly two of my used hang gliders – the photo wastaken from a lovely old Calypso that was a delight inthe air. It is amazing what you can get for £425!After the Calypso I flew this gorgeous Avian Rio 2,almost as fresh as the day it left the factory, but itwill cost more than £425. Right now I have five usedhang gliders suitable for new or recreational pilots.As well as these two I also have two Rio 15s, a Targetand a WW Falcon 4. Check out the latest situation at:Paragliders for low-airtime pilots have beencoming and going, too. Fresh in is this gorgeousFirebird Phoenix, which is a low-end DHV 1-2 – prettymuch an EN A equivalent. Earlier in the year Iserviced the glider and found it so good that I bought I also recently did some work on this gorgeousWills Wing Sport 2 large. The owner hasn’t flown fora couple of years and, if he decides to sell it will bevery desirable. It is in super condition, so won’t beparticularly cheap. Hey! It’s only money… spend it andget in the air! Keep an eye on my used gliders pageon the website to see whether it becomes available:Vincent Masi convinced me to go for a weekparagliding at Pizzo where, he said, the warmwesterlies always blow on the 20-mile-long ridge.Needless to say, the wind was mostly over the back,but the Cure had a couple of flights. According to thelocals, we were too early, the westerlies arrive in Mayand stay until September. Fortunately, Italy alwaysproduces delicious things – like ice cream and Sylvia– so we had a great time.I returned home tired and dazed, to find all manner ofnew stock had arrived in my absence. This diminutiveAscent vario-altimeter cost £199 new, and it stilllooks new, right down to the plastic film on the face!It still has the original box, too. So, does £125 soundabout right to you? If not, feel free to make an offer….Ilove wheeling and dealing, so feel free to join in.For those who are more into hang gliding, theBrauniger One (pictured above right) comes completewith an ASI that would have cost about a ton by itself,as well as the optional hang gliding mount and theoriginal bag and instruction manual. A completebargain at only £150! : You are probably aware that I carry all the veryextensive ZOOT range of radios, headsets, andantennas. If you’d rather buy secondhand, this AlincoDJ195 is in perfect working order, and comescomplete with the correct charger and manual. Infact, if you ask nicely, you could also have the LazerIntegral helmet and headset that came with it – allfor £60! I am also the sole UK importer for Charly helmets.Renowned throughout the Free Flight world, our rangeof six designs suit most heads and purposes! I carryall designs, all sizes and almost all colours IN STOCKfor immediate delivery. Go through the website, orjust give me a ring and we’ll have a chat about themSpace is running out, but I have a selection ofdouble tow releases, beloved of winching hangieseverywhere. This is the best – a gorgeous early Kochrelease with the round support tube, and superbengineering to ensure a reliable release - £85! Seethem all on the website: I may not have everything you need,but I’ve got a lot!call: 01404 Turfhouse, Luppitt, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4SA. Email: Parafest!A near-final reminder that Parafest runson July 27th - 29th in North Wales. Thenew venue is the 550-acre former militaryairfield at Llanbedr. Airways Airsports willbe operating a winch for tandemexperience flights and for tow-rated pilotsto use. Expect big height gains from the7,500ft main runway – a good tow will giveaccess to nearby Snowdonia! GreenDragons will also be operating a winchand the British Accuracy Academy will beoffering coaching and running a compover the weekend. The Malvern Club willbe offering aerotows behind the Fox Tugto appropriately qualified hang gliderpilots. A section of the airfield will bereserved for power pilots – paramotor,powered hang glider and SSDR – to reachsome of the country’s most stunningcoastline and landscapes from Thursdayto Sunday. Parafest also welcomes pilotsof other aircraft types to fly in and enjoythe festival; microlights, light aircraft anda gyrocopter are already booked.Professional headline acts – Cast, theAlabama 3, the Karpets and Echo Townamong others – will play the stage. With afestival vibe and plenty of sideshows andother attractions, non-flying family andfriends can also enjoy this unique eventand its superb location. Parafest is ontarget to sell out for a third successiveyear, so don’t delay. More info and ticketsales are at 6 JUNE newsDavid Cook anniversaryMay 9th marked the 40th anniversary of David Cook’s pioneering1978 cross-channel flight on a modified Volmer VJ 23E hang glider.Despite a modest 9hp engine – less than half the power used byBlériot on his 1909 crossing – David achieved the seeminglyimpossible, touching down near Calais after over an hour in the airto be told by a startled local, ‘All English people are crazy!’ David’sDuckhams-sponsored machine is displayed at Manchester’sMuseum of Science and Industry (well worth a visit in its ownright) He went on to design the remarkable Shadow microlight –nearly 400 built – and returned briefly to foot launched flying in2013 to test fly Andrius Rudd’s home-built VJ-23E. David was alsoone of the very first east coast hang glider pilots, at the core of agroup who pioneered the East Anglian cliffs and dunes back in1974. We are ever in his debt. [Early display at MSI pictured at right] email call (spain) 0034 651736718 or (UK) 0208 144 2087Nepal & Colombia 2018Book two weeks with our team of experts in Nepal orColombia next winter. Early bird offer £50 off!Guided XC HolidaysOver 14 years experience. Southern Spains most popularthermal and XC winter destination.CP Plus HolidaysGeared ultimately for the new and rusty pilots out there.SIV & PilotageFly Spain believe your paragliding skills shouldn’t stop at CP level.news8 JUNE CAA throws thebook, again!In the third example this year of courtproceedings against a GA flier, in April thepilot of a light aircraft was fined afterlanding at an airport without permissionfrom ATC. David Harbottle, 69, was fined£3,600 and ordered to pay £4,500 in costs.Local magistrates heard that in June lastyear Harbottle had tried to contact Coventryairport on the wrong radio frequency,apparently unaware that a NOTAM coveringa frequency change had been issued.Another aircraft was said to have had tovacate the runway just before Harbottletouched down, although no evidence wasoffered to support that charge. Harbottle,whose licence had been suspended sincethe incident, was convicted of landingwithout permission and failing to use thecorrect radio frequency to communicatewith ATC. One suspects there may be moreto this one than meets the eye;nevertheless the not-very-subtle messagefrom the CAA is that if you infringeairspace or turn a blind eye to air law theywill come after you. ReckessparamotoringNot for the first time, multiple reports arecoming in regarding reckless paramotorflying around nature reserves, SSSIs andwetland habitats such as inland reservoirs.Many of these reports mention persistentnuisance and extremely low flying. Thistime of year is particularly sensitive asmost bird species are breeding and can beeasily frightened into leaving their nests.Power pilots are reminded that the RSPBand other nature reserve operators areextremely well organised and theirmembers own powerful binoculars andvery good cameras. In addition, quite apartfrom any nuisance aspect and complaints,a bird strike over a reservoir could beawkward. Flying in such a manner is ofquestionable legality; the CAA’s currententhusiasm for prosecuting leisure pilotsshould be noted. If you are paramotoring insuch a manner, please desist. If you knowpeople who fly like this, please educatethem as to the recklessness of theiractions. It is a shame that paramotoringwill be judged by the thoughtless actions ofa few, but that is the way it works! Nova pilot winsBordairraceNova Team Pilot Ferdi Vogel took theKampenwand Bordairrace in April. Flyingan EN C Sector, Ferdi was one of only threepilots who chose to head west on the firstday of the 33-hour hike-’n’-fly event.Heading back to Garmisch after reachinghis 121km turnpoint at Tschirgant left himwith just 100-odd km to cover on Day 2 inmuch stronger west winds. He scorchedhome from the Wank in just just three anda quarter hours, averaging almost 30km/hand vindicating his strategy despite nothaving been able to rely on gaggle flying.Britain’s James-Hope Lang finished 34th ona Skywalk Spice – see his report on page 22.BHPA 500 ClubWIN CASH PRIZES AND HELP THEASSOCIATION! March winnersColin Bamber £129.20Barry Woodhead £64.60Tony C Flint £32.30Nicholas Simmons £19.38Gerald Nolan £16.15Erol Eales £16.15Gordon R Moore £12.92Simon Abel £12.92Matthew Cassidy £9.69Adrian Wakeham £9.69BHPA £323.00If by the time you read this you have notreceived your cheque, please contact meon 07802 525099.Marc Asquith Flyeo looks to the UKLast year British Team member and BPRA founder Malin Lobbbecame a partner in Flyeo Parapente at Annecy. Established 12years ago by Fabien Blanco and Yann Fouquet to provide world-class training and SIV and XC instruction, Flyeo is now a BHPAregistered school with three BHPA Instructors and two TIs. Malin,now Flyeo’s Senior Development Instructor, will use his businessbackground to help the school expand. Annecy lends itself to XCtriangles of up to 100km over stunning scenery, and with over 300flyable days a year is a perfect place to begin or complete CPtraining. ‘Paragliding knowledge in France is immense,’ says Malin,‘but hidden due to the language barrier, and we want to take ourcourses and online learning to the English-speaking market. Wehave moved to a large building near the Annecy LZ and orderednew buses and an SIV boat. We also focus on the details thatimprove the customer experience – our welcome pack containsgoodies, a booklet to back up your learning and a loyalty cardoffering free training days and 15% off flying gear.‘We are also putting on more specialist courses. Our post-CPdevelopment course addresses new pilots’ common mistakes,combining advanced ground handling, theory and pilotage toaccelerate learning. Many experienced pilots don’t fully understandthe basic movements of the paraglider and how brake timingeffects the outcome, a flaw that can hamper their development foryears. Piecing this together and working on the psychologicalaspects of flying is as important as time under the wing; thequicker this is absorbed the sooner you will be going XC. ‘Other courses include ground handling/wagga and BHPA Tandemrating at Pyla, plus acro, hike-and-fly, single-surface glider andvol-biv taster courses towards the end of the year. Pilots at ourtwo-week winter Australian XC Camp will get a lot of airtime andbreak records; if you’re serious about big distance the Aussie XCCamp is for you.’ Details are at you can also signup to a monthly newsletter. JUNE 2018 9The Lakes Charity Classic A reminder that the 2018 Lakes Charity Classic runs at theGrasmere Showground on July 14th - 15th. As well as thecompetition itself, the ever-popular coaching groups will run onboth days. Alternative bad-weather tasks are planned, plusplenty of free activities and lots to do for non-flying family andfriends. The site includes an indoor bar, toilets and showers,plus wi-fi and good phone coverage. On-site camping is available(fees are extra) and there’s local accommodation nearby. Flyingactivities are also planned for the Friday and Monday. Fulldetails are at The LCC sells outquickly – don’t delay!In briefBVHGR raffle. A reminder that 1000 tickets are available for the2018 British Vintage Hang Gliding Rally raffle. Chairman StevePionk is hoping to raise up to £2,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society.Amongst the great prizes are a week’s accommodation atFlyStAndre, taster flying experiences at four different free flightand microlight schools, clothing from Avian and Simon Murphy,an Ozone V18 backpack from Airways, £50 worth of Morrisonsvouchers and a bumper bottle of Prosecco – the list continues toexpand. Tickets cost £2 each at or at the BVHGRitself, hosted by Parafest at Llanbedr on July 27th - 29th.Double record foursome! Slovenia’s Bojan Gabersek, Jošt Napret,Dušan Orož and Primoz Susa handsomely exceeded ArduinoPersello’s 2012 world and European paragliding out-and-returndistance record on April 24th with a 302km flight from Sorica toAgordo and back. In addition Jošt claimed the previously unset300km O/R speed record at 32.11km/h. All four pilots were flyingOzone’s Enzo 3. All flights are subject to FAI homologation beforeratification.Corinna’s records ratified. All three of CorinnaSchwiegershausen’s hang gliding distance records set at theBrazil record camp in November, reported here in January, havebeen ratified by the FAI. To whit: women’s straight-distance –405km; women’s distance-to-goal – 407km and women’s freedistance (up to three turnpoints) – 411km. Respect is due!Tandem triangle record. On April 4th France’s Julien Irilli pushedthe tandem paragliding world record to 189km in a flight fromChamonix aboard a Niviuk Ikuma. The existing record was setby fellow Frenchman Laurent Faniel in April 2015.Himalayan safaris. Eddie Colfox and John Silvester are planningfurther Himalayan Sky Safaris at Bir in October. They specialisein low guide-to-client ratios and invite anyone – from those withsome thermalling experience to accomplished XC andcompetition pilots – to join them on a tour of the area. 'Thesewonderful mountains will give you a unique memory,' saysEddie, 'and possibly the best flying holiday of your life.' Dates are11th - 20th and 21st - 30th October; details are atSkywings online. The online version of this (June) issue of themagazine can be found at Enter theusername June_2018 and the case-sensitive password mG9ByZ&.For the July issue enter the username July_2018 and the case-sensitive password &rD8$Gw. 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 downloadedwithout the need to log in.BHPA Coaching coursesOct 20 - 21 Club Coach Pennine Soaring Club 07590 010177Nov 10 - 11 Club Coach Sky Surfing Club 07880911409Dec 1 - 2 Club Coach TBC 0116 289 4316Jan 12 - 13 Club Coach TBC 0116 289 4316Feb 2 - 3 Club Coach TBC 0116 289 4316Mar 9 - 10 Club Coach TBC 0116 289 4316Next >