Skywings news stories are available for the following publication years:
If you're looking for news stories published before January 2016, please visit the Skywings News Archive.
Skywings news stories published in all non archived years are displayed below.
News stories published in the years listed above can also be searched by post date or headline (title).
To search by post date, please enter the month and year numerically as mm-yyyy (eg. 03-2016).
There are 451 news stories for all non archived years in our database.
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The DHPU welcomes visiting pilots of all nationalities. The rising popularity of parakites has meant more visitors every year. When visitors are not aware of the local rules, fragile site relations can be threatened.
It's usually a case of missing information. There's a section for visiting pilots on the DHPU website, and information leaflets are available at campsites and tourist information offices along the coast. Please be aware:
• Licence. IPPI 4 is the minimum requirement.
• Insurance. Third-party liability insurance is compulsory.
• Airspace. Check the NOTAMs before every flight. Several military firing ranges overlap with our most popular west-coast sites, and the restricted areas change from day to day.
• Schools. Teaching students at any level requires an instructor licence issued by the DHPU.
Show respect to earn respect. Take your rubbish with you when you leave. Say hello to the locals. Follow the local rules. And, as always, good airmanship gets you a long way.
On behalf of Chairman Jesper Eybye and the DHPU Board.
Posted: 30 July 2026
By: J. Schofield
In the interests of openness, BHPA Staff and Exec. names, job titles and email addresses are listed on our website.
As a result their identities can be recreated by bad actors to generate plausible phishing emails coming, apparently, from BHPA people and bearing messages such as, 'Can you handle this - I'm in a meeting right now - can you buy some Amazon Gift cards, I will refund you when I get free …'
Such requests should be ignored and deleted. Access to your address is not through any BHPA data breach. Likewise, emails offering to sell the BHPA mailing lists are equally spurious and have not arisen from any data breach.
The contents of such emails are harvested from public facing pages like the Club Contacts list and Clubs' own websites.
Posted: 30 July 2026
By: Joe Schofield
Ongoing forest fires close to Pedro Bernardo in Spain have forced a relocation of the shared British-Dutch Paragliding Championships.
The 37th British and Dutch Paragliding Championships will now take place at St André, France, on September 5th-12th.
Competition places are available at the relocated competition, which will count as a qualifying event for the Paragliding World Cup. Interested pilots can book here.
Posted: 28 July 2026
By: J. Schofield
Gin have issued a safety notice for their Genie Race 5 rescue handle.
An internal quality-control inspection identified a potential manufacturing issue affecting the stitching securing the plastic paracord to the rescue handle. In a small number of cases the paracord may become loose and could interfere with the deployment of the emergency parachute.
Not all Genie Race 5 rescue handles are affected. A simple inspection allows pilots to determine whether their rescue handle is safe or requires replacement.
A copy of the full safety notice is available on the Manufacturer Safety Notices page of this website, and on the Gin website.
UK Airsports will assist in carrying out the inspection if required and arrange a free replacement rescue handle if necessary..
Posted: 22 July 2026
By: Paul Dancey
A CAA consultation on mandatory EC usage was launched on July 14th. A BHPA response, integrated with other GA groups, will follow. It is hoped this will be available by late August.
Clubs and individual members may like to study the document and respond, by means of a 30-minute online survey.
Details are here. The consulation closes at midnight on September 22nd.
Posted: 14 July 2026
By: J. Schofield
Ozone have issued a safety notice for their Forza 2 Hook Knife.
They have been made aware of a potential safety issue affecting some hook knives supplied by Ozone with the Forza 2 harness, as well as knives sold separately as accessories.
In at least one reported case, a hook knife failed to cut a paraglider line during testing.
All pilots who carry or rely on an Ozone hook knife must immediately check that their knife functions correctly.
Take a spare piece of paraglider line with a strength value > 50kg. Apply firm tension to the line. Attempt to cut the line using your hook knife.
If the knife cuts the line easily and cleanly and remains visually unblemished: No further action is required.
If the knife fails to cut the line, struggles to cut, or the blade becomes damaged during the attempt: The knife should be replaced immediately. Please contact your local Ozone dealer.
A full copy of the safety notice is available on our Importer & Manufacturer Safety Notices page.
Posted: 23 May 2026
By: Paul Dancey
Woody Valley have issued a safety notice for their M1 and MK1 Pro Harnesses.
During the handle assembly phase, a defective handle was discovered that was missing a seam which would have prevented the emergency parachute from being extracted.
Please view the full safety notice, which is available on our Importer & Manufacturer Safety Notices page, for further information, and details of how to check if you have a defective handle.
Posted: 23 May 2026
By: Paul Dancey
During packing courses, two cases were reported in which deployment of ALFAcross reserve systems was hindered because the container fabric became caught. A safety notice has therefore been issued highlighting this potential issue.
No similar incidents have been reported during flights.
The issue has been linked to the previous container-closing method described in the manual. This affects ALFAcross reserve systems that were repacked into the original container following the former packing instructions in the manual.
New reserves, or those that have never been repacked, are not affected.
Pilots whose ALFAcross reserve was packed according to the previous instructions in the manual should check their equipment, and if necessary, the rescue should be repacked according to the new instructions, which can be downloaded from the Gleitschirm Retter website.
A full copy of this safety notice is available on the Manufacturer Safety Notices page of the BHPA website.
Posted: 21 April 2026
By: Paul Dancey
last updated: 30 July 2026
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