Aeros Combat Hang Gliders Produced between 2011-2013 grounded
After two cross bar failures on Aeros Combat hang gliders, Aeros have grounded all Combat hang gliders with a carbon crossbeam manufactured between 2011 and 2013 pending inspection by dealers.
Please, contact your Aeros dealer to arrange an inspection of the carbon crossbeam on your Combat hang glider before your next flight.
Further information is available on the Aeros website, and a copy of the manufacturer's safety notice can be downloaded in the Safety Documents area of this website.
Posted: 15 Aug 2013
Another Brett Janaway record!
On August 11th Brett Janaway of xTc Paragliding broke the World and European tandem declared out-and-return distance records. He will also claim the World free-distance record and a British speed record.
His 212km flight from Sorica was made on a Gradient BiGoldenXC, a limited-edition tandem intended for fast mountain flying. This is Brett's second tandem World Record, having set the 100km speed record last year. Passenger Matthew Minnie was just out for a paragliding holiday and got more than he bargained for!
Sorica now holds a record of its own - for the most record flights!
Posted: 15 Aug 2013
Pennine triangle completed
On Wednesday July 18th Phil Wallbank nailed the difficult Pennine FAI triangle linking Pendle, Burn Fell and Parlick. It's a good deal bigger (over 50km) and harder than the Yorkshire Three Peaks achieved last year.
The route, eyed up by local hot-shots for years, has never been achieved on a paraglider before. Flying a Niviuk Icepeak 6, Phil took off at 13:40 and climbed to over 3,000ft inside eight minutes. Half an hour later he maxed-out at 4,900ft and eventually averaged 14.8km/h over the three-and-a-half-hour flight.
Phil's flight is the the biggest-scoring flight of the year so far in the Pennine region.
Posted: 15 Aug 2013
Ron Freeman flies 100m at Worthing Birdman!
Ron Freeman, regular entrant and several times winner of the Worthing Birdman pier-jumping contest, finally exceeded the 100m mark for the first time at this year's event on August 10th.
Ron was unable to claim the £10,000 prize for the first-ever 100m flight because strong winds forced him to deviate from the marked course. Nevertheless he described his glide as "...the most perfect flight I've ever done. I got it spot on - it's never been done before!"
The Birdman event has been running since in 1971, relocating from Selsey to Bognor before arriving at Worthing in 2010. Everyone involved in the seaside competition knows that an official 100m flight is attainable in good conditions; no doubt Ron will be back next year.
Posted: 15 Aug 2013
US paragliding record falls
On July 15th Gavin McClurg set a new US paragliding distance record of 387km, flying from Sun Valley, Idaho to Canyon Ferry Lake, Montana and beating Nick Greece's 2012 mark of 328km.
Gavin took took off on his Niviuk Peak 3 from Bald Mountain at 11:07 and landed just over seven and a half hours later, having clocked an average speed of over 52km/h and reached over 18,000ft.
His route crossed several of the largest mountain ranges in the American West including the Boulders, Pioneers and Lemhis, and the Continental Divide with peaks of over 13,000ft. "The thermals were still working really well when I landed," gavin reported, "but I had serious weather to my south and too much west wind to go north. I just ran out of places to go! On the right day someone will fly over 500km from here!"
Posted: 15 Aug 2013
BHPA on Facebook
The BHPA Facebook page is now being regularly updated with news, events, photos and videos. It is public so you do not need a Facebook account to view the page.
Facebook users can search for "British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association" and 'like' the page to get notifications.
If members, schools or clubs would like to submit any items for inclusion, please e-mail facebook@bhpa.co.uk. The page is at http://tinyurl.com/ooexqwg, and their is also link to our Facebook page on the home page of our website.
Posted: 15 Aug 2013
For further information about the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and skywings magazine, please visit our about the BHPA and Skywings magazine pages on this website.
