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 419 news stories for all non archived years in our database.
Displaying page 6 out of 53
[ Top ] - [ Prev ] - [ Next ] - [ Bottom ]
Avian have received a report of dangerous instability of an Atos VQ Race glider. Despite normal behaviour on recent outings, on one occasion the glider exhibited negative pitching and became totally unresponsive in pitch following retraction of the flaps to the zero setting. Control was re-established by reselecting flaps down.
Inspection revealed that the outer leading edges of the Atos had been inserted on the wrong sides. The leading edge junctions of all Atos gliders are colour coded and should be fitted green to green and red to red. In addition, a small screw on one leading edge (pictured) should conflict with a rivet to prevent the wrong outer section being inserted; however if either is incorrectly fitted or worn they may not prevent mis-rigging.
Incorrect insertion will lead to dramatically-altered washout and potentially dangerous behaviour in flight, yet without close inspection it's not apparent that the glider is mis-rigged. Before their next flight, all Atos pilots are recommended to:
• Check that it is impossible to put the leading edge outer in the wrong side.
• During your pre-flight check, always include a green-to-green, red-to-red check.
If, in flight, the glider feels dangerous in pitch, deploy the flaps to regain control. If necessary, seek modification to your glider at Avian.
Tim Swait, Avian Hang Gliders, September 25 2023
A copy of this safety notice can be downloaded here.
Posted: 26 September 2023
By: Paul Dancey
The fourth British Clubs Championship round took place at Talybont on September 3rd. 27.2km from Dan Starsmore (SE Wales) could not dislodge the Southern Club from the top spot. But SE Wales aren't far behind, and UK Armed Forces, Skysurfers, Dunstable and Wessex clubs are all in contention.
There is still plenty of time for a couple more rounds to clarify the situation.
Posted: 8 September 2023
By: J. Schofield
After months of planning, a collective of top British pilots and film-industry experts - the UK's first CAA-certified paramotor and jet formation display team - can now showcase our sport at airshows and other large-scale events.
The idea followed Mission Impossible filming in the Lakes last year, when connections were forged between the film crew and local pilot Gordie Oliver. Allan Hewitt, stunt coordinator for the film's skydiving scenes, has spent the last few years developing jet paramotors and was looking for skilled pilots to develop the jet systems.
Training took place throughout the summer, eventually leading to an evaluation day at Rufforth airfield on August 31st. With CAA chief evaluator Paul Szluha and the BHPA's Ian Currer (himself a Display Evaluator) in attendance, Gordie, Alex Colbeck and Dave Manning were put through their paces. The Jet Parahawks are now set to perform anywhere in the UK.
Check their performance in this video, shot at Rufforth during the evaluation.
Photo shows (L-R) the CAA's Paul Szluha, Ian Currer, Gordie Oliver, Dave Manning, Alex Colbeck and jet developer Allan Hewitt.
Posted: 8 September 2023
By: J. Schofield
The British Women Pilots' Association offers scholarships every year to support UK women of all ages and backgrounds in achieving their flying dreams.
15 scholarships are available for all levels of experience and all types of flying. Applications are open now; more details are here.
Photo: X-Alps star Kinga Mastalertz [Photo: Red Bull X-Alps]
Posted: 31 August 2023
By: J. Schofield
Having waited three months for a further round since the excellent opener at Pandy on May 27th, three more BCC rounds were flown on bank holiday Monday, August 28th. These were at Bell Hill (Wessex), Selsley Common (Avon) and Combe Gibbet (Thames Valley).
Over 70 pilots took to the air despite less favourable conditions than forecast. Early leaders UK Armed Forces lost top spot to the Southern Club after a great team performance at Combe Gibbet.
A good result from Wessex pilots on their home turf could not prevent Dunstable from claiming 2nd place ahead of them. More info here.
Posted: 31 August 2023
By: J. Schofield
You are invited to take part in a short anonymous survey launched by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC).
It consists of 11 very simple questions and will probably take less than 2 minutes of your time. Hang gliding and Paragliding are not listed as activities, but you can easily add them under 'other'.
The BHPA supports the Scottish model. You probably have your own views on expanding Open Access Land, but at Question 10 you might consider commenting along the lines that, 'Hang gliding and Paragliding should not be specifically excluded from Open Access Land.'
The survey can be accessed here
Posted: 14 July 2023
By: Paul Dancey
The year's first BCC round was hosted by SE Wales on May 23rd. 70 of 93 pilots logged valid flights in good conditions, including two first XCs (David Darbyshire and Richard Mackie), four UK PBs (Chris Begley, James Cooke, Malcolm Beard and Jeremy Perl) and an overall PB for Dave Pooley. Top flight was Johnny Fox's 51.7km.
UKAF South: 1,000 points, Southern Slackers: 926 and Wessex 860. Last year North Devon held top spot from the first round on! Full results here.
SportsTrackLive flight replays from Pandy are here.
Posted: 20 June 2023
By: J. Schofield
Exercise Paramotor Challenge 30 will see Sqn Ldr Tim Taylor (pictured, left) and Flt Lt Mike O'Hara fly over 200 miles from Catterick to Honington, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the RAF Regiment moving to their current base in Suffolk.
Their route south will take in Belton Park near Grantham, the Regiment's original pre-1946 depot.
The two experienced pilots started out in paragliding before progressing to paramotoring at Wingland's UFly4Fun school. They will be supported on the ground by Flt Lt Jimmy Martin.
Paramotor Challenge 30 is intended to highlight the work of the RAF Benevolent Fund and the Regiment's Centurion Fund, supporting serving personnel and the veteran community.
Posted: 5 June 2023
By: J. Schofield
last updated: 10 March 2025
Displaying page 6 out of 53
[ Top ] - [ Prev ] - [ Next ] - [ Bottom ]
Further information about the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and skywings magazine can be found on the about the BHPA and Skywings magazine pages on this website.
