No. 408 APRIL 2023 The magazine of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association2 SKYWINGS APRIL 2023 Now that the new cable car, chair lifts, restaurants and other facilities are in place (apart from the final stage at the top), Ölüdeniz is now a delightful place, but with some caveats. Each visitor will have their own list of advice; here’s mine, for newcomers at least. As a priority, get to know the current booking and registration system; there are YouTube videos to assist. You must, repeat must, have smartphone and Wi-Fi. The latter is not always there, so find your hotspot and do your preparation. Check you can get Wi-Fi at your hotel, for example, or sort your data-roaming out. Then log in, register and get your QR code to show at the ticket office. Download it, save it and screenshot it – belt and braces. There are no ifs and buts here – turn up without it and you will be turned away. On the short bus ride to the cable car, and at the ticket office, if using cash it will be helpful to have the right amount. But card payment is universal and modern (I’m not listing current prices here – they change). Note that you won’t be able to renew your flight plan to fly again until you have logged in and reported the conclusion of your previous flight. Enjoy the cabin ride up and make some new friends. You might be able to take advantage of one of the tandem buses that drive to the top. Pay them what they ask, but do not forget to get your launch ticket at the office. They have to do it too. Being polite and friendly is a great universal currency. Don’t rush at any time when up top. You might feel pressure to launch quickly, or get carried away in the excitement because everyone else is caught up in the hurry and bustle. Have a look around, watch others launching, settle yourself. Relax and take your time getting ready. There are plenty of spaces to check your wing and prepare for launch away from the launch point. Go and find a clear, quiet spot and prepare thoroughly as you would at home. Then bunch your wing and go through the gate (tickets please!) ready to launch. Always do your pre-flight check, but do not set up and line-check on the launch point. Most take-offs are into a good breeze, but be aware that the dreaded nil- wind forward take-off sometimes has to be used. Some practice maybe? You will see every technique under the sun. Be amazed, but also learn. Ölüdeniz is the Kingdom of the Tandems, who ply their living every day of the season. They are the princes of the area, both benign and acute in their manner. Helping them lay out will make you friends, but they take no prisoners and do not hang about. Respect that the whole set-up would not exist without them. Be considerate and respectful of their skill and knowledge. They know the place like the back of their hand. Sad to say, some people smoke in the launch area, even when it is tightly packed. Watch for this, especially when shoulder to shoulder in a line to launch. Quite why this is tolerated anywhere in the paragliding world is beyond me. Remember that the good people who check you in and out of the launch areas are there for your safety. Treat them well, for they are stuck at their posts all day. Make sure you have access to your ticket for scanning. If you leave the launch, even to use the facilities, check yourself out and in again. And I say again: after each flight you cannot register again until you report the result of your previous flight. Don’t go for a good night out and forget. That will be why the system won’t let you register again in the morning. Keep a good lookout when flying. This is universal advice, but here you may encounter a density of pilots that would put a crowded day on a popular UK site to shame. Keep your head on a swivel at all times – this is not a local club site with Rules of the Air drummed into everyone. Shouting ‘Take off!’ when launching is advisable. This caution especially applies when landing. There is no official pattern, and gliders coming in from seaward are very hard to see. As this is the area where SIV and acro are carried out, it can look very involved and chaotic. If you do not have to be there, go somewhere else. Landing on the beach boulevard may have big pose value, but there can be a lot of people milling about; there have been dreadful collisions with tourists. Do not be reserved about shouting – some use a whistle – but note that reactions may include running about like sheep, darting out suddenly or just not hearing you at all. Landing further away from the bus stop helps. Some pilots land on the beach – same hazards of course, but the obstacles are more static. Rumour Control operates flat-out here. You’ll hear the same tales in many versions, incidents mangled into fiction and presented as fact. The universal language of parabollocks is spoken frequently and fluently. Don’t join in! Stay within your own ability, and don’t try anything you are not trained for unless supervised for by a qualified instructor. If you overhear SIV banter and hot moves discussed, do not be tempted to try it alone without support. You will come unstuck going outside your comfort zone. If you want to do this, book a course where you will be supervised safely. If you have never seen a reserve deployment, you will here. So check your own kit and ability. With all this said and done, do not be deterred. Ölüdeniz is a great place to fly where you will see almost everything under the paragliding sun. The diversity of kit … the latest trends in fashion and flying … skid-surfing in the gravel on landing … the endless possibilities of how to fold your wing … the curse of Babel in tale-telling. And there’s the sheer exuberance of personal flights, not least the range of reactions – from endless screams and whoops of joy to those who are moved to tears – of those on their first (and probably only ever) tandem. And of course the mind-boggling joy of haggling for genuine fake stuff, the deep memory of a good kebab, the solemn queues of lifejacket-bedecked SIV groups. This isn’t an exclusive list – you really have to be there. This article is dedicated to the memory of Frank Lally, who loved this place and helped so many share it. attitude How to avoid temptation and enjoy the paragliding paradise that is Ölüdeniz BILL MORRIS, LONGTIME PARAGLIDER PILOT AND TRAVELLER Ölüdeniz in Turkey has long been on many paraglider pilots’ To Fly list. Local facilities have grown from sharp, rocky take-offs and hairy truck rides into a very sophisticated set-up which many world sites would envy. 4 SKYWINGS APRIL 2023THE 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 Advance’s Sigma 11 is put through its paces (see page 26). Photo: Advance THIS PAGE Nigel Snow cruises over the Elizabethan mansion of Danny, near Hurstpierpoint in Sussex. Photo: Gavin Beverley 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 SKYWINGS ONLINE All issues of Skywings magazine are now freely available DEADLINES News items and event/competition reports for the June issue must be submitted to the Skywings office by Wednesday May 3rd. Letters for the May Airmail pages should arrive no later than Monday April 17th. Advertisement bookings for the May edition must arrive by Tuesday April 11th. Copy and classified bookings no later than the following Tuesday April 18th. APRIL 2023 SKYWINGS 5 regulars reviews features 6 SKYWINGS APRIL 2023 news Voice-actuated emergency parachute! Schroth-Fallschirm, the safety-equipment company behind the gas-powered parachute ejector system, revealed at St Hilaire in September, is now experimenting with a fully-automatic model that responds to a pilot’s voice command. The heart of the system, now well-proven, is a small CO2 canister and an airbag. When electrically triggered, the airbag is rapidly inflated by a tiny pyrotechnic breaching the cylinder, ejecting the parachute at up to 10m/s. This system has now been enhanced with voice activation, commonplace in other environments such as the RAF’s Typhoon and F-35 jets. Using speech-recognition software, the system will respond to a pilot’s unique shout. As with all critical speech-recognition applications, the device needs a short period of ground training to imprint the pilot’s voice range on its memory. Then, rather than scrabbling vainly for a parachute handle, when in distress the pilot simply shouts ‘Deploy-deploy- deploy!’ – or whatever term they have imprinted – and deployment is immediate, unerring and reliable. While not yet on sale to the public, the system has been proven to work with most types of harness, and can accommodate all the front- runner reserve brands including squares and steerables. Exhaustive flight tests have been 100% successful, as have experiments on the DHV’s centrifuge at up to 4G. Details are Buttermere Bash The Lake District’s legendary Buttermere Bash charity fundraiser will take place on June 2nd and 3rd this year. The free flyers’ festival, now in its 16th year, gathers people from all walks of life to experience the beauty of the setting, either by land, air, water or dance. Last year’s event raised £13,158 for local charities and good causes: local Air Ambulance and Mountain Rescue teams and local environmental charities. The Bash is a ticket-only event and numbers are limited – previous editions have been sold out. A festival pass covering Friday and Saturday costs £85 per adult (under-18s £20). Tuesday- Thursday camping will be £8 per night per adult. Tickets (non- transferable) are on sale at the Ticket Tailor website: Entry into the Lakeland Charity Open paragliding competition, based at the Bash, is Percy Moss With great sadness we report the passing, at 85, of former BHGA Chairman Percy Moss. Percy joined the NHGA in 1974, but started flying seriously with the Mercian club in 1977. He took over as BHGA Treasurer in 1981, seeing the Association through financially perilous times before stepping up to become Chairman in 1983. He relinquished to role to Noel Whittall in 1986, but stepped forward again in 1989 before handing the job to Tom Hardie in 1991. By then he had received an MBE in recognition of his efforts, and had initiated the Percy Moss Trophy, presented to the women’s hang gliding champion, to encourage female participation. He had also, in the early 1980s, taken in hand the Association’s test rig that was to play a major role in promoting hang glider safety. In earlier life Percy had served abroad under National Service, and spent several years in Police service in Africa. He later became a local authority transport manager, ending his career running the entire fleet of North Yorkshire County Council. There’s no doubt that Percy played a significant role in transforming the BHGA into the prominent and respected organisation it rapidly became. Return of the Pilot Handbook An extensively-rewritten edition of the BHPA Pilot Handbook will be available this month. Repeatedly postponed due to the dearth of certainty in the CAA rulebook resulting from the UK’s withdrawal from EASA, the new edition has been brought right up to date by author Mark Dale. The Pilot Handbook contains everything a new pilot needs to learn on their journey from school to the Pilot rating; it is exhaustively researched, completely in sync with BHPA school standards and techniques, and inclusive of all peripheral subjects. The Handbook covers all the basic and advanced techniques, flight theory, specialist know-how and background studies that a pilot will require from Club Pilot training onwards. It’s not Shakespeare … but it is the Bible. It’s available from the Stef Blankley Video evidence caution It is not unusual for video footage to emerge following an incident on one of our sites, often from multiple sources. At the AGM in March, BHPA insurance office Martin Heywood issued a warning that any such footage may be viewed as evidence in a prosecution investigation. Thus any modification of such evidence could be viewed by a court as tampering with or disposal of evidence. It is imperative that anyone who finds they have footage of events leading to, or taken after an incident, should not cut, crop or otherwise amend it in any way. Time signatures will reveal if footage has been altered; owners of such footage must not edit it in any way. You may think you are just cutting out the dull bits – don’t! GPT-3 trial unsuccessful For the past few months Skywings has been experimenting with the widely-publicised ChatGPT-3 language processing model. While several news items and even whole features written by GPT have been published (check last month’s Geronimo 3 flight test), considerable scrutiny and ‘sending back’ has been required to make these acceptable to the discerning Skywings reader. Rather like the early days of OCR software, the model requires too much supervision to be able to take over seamlessly. So far … GPT-4 was released in March and has many new capabilities! BHPA digital membership cards Many members have yet to take advantage of the BHPA’s easy-to- use digital membership card. Any member wishing to acquire digital verification should go to Clicking the ‘forgot password’ button will allow you to sign in. You will be invited to set-up a password enabling you to view a digital version of your current membership card, showing any IPPI rating/FAI licence you possess. Tapping on the card image will reveal details of your Pilot ratings and Environments. Any member who needs to update their email details should notify the Office membership number and full name. The existing hard-copy cards will continue to be issued for the foreseeable future. In brief Paramotoring in Portugal. Mack and Fiona McGinley offer guided paramotor holidays in central Portugal for qualified, experienced pilots, with flying tailored to individual pilots’ requirements. Their package includes self-catering accommodation, transportation to and from sites, the use of radio- and parachute-equipped RS Titan paramotors, and even a paramotor factory tour. There are trike options, or you can bring your own machines, and anyway will need to bring your own wing and personal flying gear. Accommodation is for up to two pilots and their families – the area offers lots of interesting diversions for all ages. Their operation has recently been featured on C4 TV’s A New Life in the Sun series. Details are Charles Dhenin RAeS lecture. On the 13th of this month Southampton University’s HPASoc President Charles Dhenin will give a lecture at the Royal Aeronautical Society. He will outline the techniques developed at Southampton to build Lazarus and Super Lazarus on a tight budget, and the ins and out of working with a student team over the last three years. Human Powered Aircraft and the Formula Flight Prize starts at 18:00 at the RAeS, 4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ. Book online at More Nova insights. In February Théo de Blic presented another instalment of the Nova Insights series, titled ‘How to become a safe pilot.’ Théo, four-time Acro World Champion, covered self- assessment, risk management, glider control and ground handling, wing choice, wing loading, motivation and the effects of herd instinct. Nova’s Insights lectures are about sharing knowledge and enthusiasm no matter what brand you fly. All episodes – some in English, some in German – are at ParamotorFrance discount. John Cooper at ParamotorFrance – see Jonty Pollard’s February Skywings article – is offering a 10% discount on bookings to all Skywings readers. For laid-back flying and fine accommodation in the Dordogne/Charente, contact him New venue for Paramotor Open. The British Paramotor Open Championships, scheduled for Wingland, Lincs on June 28th - July 2nd, will now take place at Manston airfield in Kent. Details are at BHPA subs rise. Members are reminded that BHPA membership fees increased, mostly by around 10%, with effect from April 1st APRIL 2023 SKYWINGS 78 SKYWINGS APRIL 2023 news Reports Safety. FSC Chairman Angus Pinkerton drew attention to the importance of members filing incident reports. It may not be widely known that these don’t just inform and educate the FSC, but also contribute to a European database designed to identify trends and isolate new dangers. Angus paid tribute to the legion of volunteers who keep the FSC running smoothly. He also mentioned the imminent release of the revised and updated Pilot Handbook Insurance. Martin Heywood paraphrased his recurring insurance year: we worry we might not be able to get cover; we get cover; we find the premium has increased. In fact, although the Association’s premium is now well north of half a million, our cover is exceptional and we are lucky to have it. The £5m cover includes our landowners; although there has never yet been a claim it provides reassurance to farmers, the National Trust, the MOD, etc. ‘BHPA insurance is unique … and worth every penny!’ Sites. Martin Baxter encouraged members to read his written report, covering interaction with model aircraft clubs, certain SSSI locations, drone operations, prospective windfarms et al. He reminded members that the BHPA cannot respond to issues that may jeopardise club sites unless they are registered on the Sites Database, stressing that it’s a database and not a sites guide; there is no risk to a club in having its sites recorded, and everything to gain. The sites fund now stands at over £56k to help clubs buy sites. Competitions. Standing in for Jenny Buck, occupied overseas, Bill Bell remarked ruefully that British paragliding’s current individual and team World Champion status should by rights have resolved Competitions’ finances overnight. In any sport but ours! Bill commended strong work on all fronts by all the comps panels; paramotor comps’ efforts in securing the 2024 World Championships; and Andy Shaw’s ongoing work to extend sponsorship opportunities. He also applauded the RAeC awards conferred on Matt Tandy and Dan Jones. Skywings. Paul Dancey, unavoidably absent, reported on another tough year for Skywings. Income had fallen slightly and an increase in membership numbers, while welcome, had strained Skywings finances. Nevertheless overall expenditure had only increased by £500 over the year thanks to skilful management. In the current year advertising revenue has begun to creep up, still below pre-pandemic levels but perhaps the start of an improving picture. However inflation, energy costs and the effects of war remain a threat. Website. Paul’s other ‘hat’, as Communications Director, is running the BHPA website. This now boasts a new online form for one-day memberships, allowing students on the hill to join with minimal fuss. In its first two months of operation 54 applications were successfully submitted. Some problems experienced with online payments have been resolved but remain under surveillance. In the immediate future, complying with tougher PCI compliance rules is likely to be a time- consuming task. Admin. Marc Asquith reported changes in Office personnel at Leicester. Carla and April have left us, their places filled by Lorna and Sarah. He noted the complications inherent in training new staff to manage such a complex and many-faceted organisation. It seems likely that Clair Tewley, who left us last year, may soon return, at which point the Association’s Office team, superbly led by Michelle Lanman, will again be in balance. There was a spontaneous round of applause in recognition of their efforts. Finance. Angus Langford’s Treasurer’s Report (for the year ending March 2022 ) appeared deeply affected the BHPA in the previous year and the accounts for the year to March 2022 reflected the substantial changes resulting from the resumption of flying and BHPA business. Costs had increased, not least our 3rd-party premium, but the post-lockdown surge in outdoor sports had seen day and introductory memberships rise by £46k and BHPA membership grow by 7%, bringing in an additional £60k in subscription income. The net effect of increases in revenue and costs was a surplus of £88k. In the current year, costs, particularly insurance, have risen steeply whilst membership figures have plateaued, and Angus expects to incur a loss of around £50k. Next year (to March 2024) Exec expect to bring the Association back to a positive break-even and Angus anticipates reserves at the end of March 2024 to be around £600k. This would be an increase of £100k from March 2019, broadly in line with inflation. The formal part of the meeting included approving the accounts, passed by a show of hands, and accepting the election results. In fact, with the same number of candidates as available posts, the election was ‘uncontested’. Thus Steve Young joins and Brett Janaway rejoins Exec, and Marc Asquith, Jenny Buck, Paul Dancey and Tom Prideaux-Brune are re-elected. There were no comments from those who may have been participating online. The meeting was streamed on GoToMeeting via a link on the Facebook page, but it was unclear how many were watching; apologies to anyone who was unable to gain access. The 2023 BHPA AGM was concluded inside about 70 minutes. BHPA AGM JOE SCHOFIELD REPORTS FROM LOUGHBOROUGH To Loughborough University and the 31st AGM of the BHPA. Despite a few technical hitches, compounded by slight confusion about the start time – a result of the Association’s fabled ‘light touch’ management – the meeting began only slightly late. To accommodate those who might have been joining online at 11, proceedings were led by the presentation of BHPA Merit awards to Mark Bignell, Norman McNeil, Dave Cowan and Barney Townsend (details below). The BHPA runs on volunteer power; these people – and many others – are the backbone of the sport. Quite unexpected was a further presentation, to your humble scribe, of a framed copy of my first-ever Skywings … from the last century! Editor Joe Schofield (L) and long-serving outgoing BHPA Chair Marc Asquith Photo: Bill BellHANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING LIFE INSURANCE CRITICAL ILLNESS COVER APPLY ONLINE OR CALL TODAY TO COMPARE RATES WITH YOUR CURRENT COVER Sports Financial Services Ltd is an appointed representative of Suttons Independent Financial Advisers Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales. Registered No. 493197. 0345 565 0935 INCOME PROTECTIONNext >